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Background documentationGlobal Label Management as a Labeling System in an Enterprise

 

Companies have many requirements regarding labeling systems: They need to provide a variety of applications but should also be flexible and expandable. In addition, they need to be deployable at both regional and global level within the company. Ideally, the labeling system should be able to integrate with the company's existing applications. Global Label Management, as a component of SAP Environment, Health and Safety (SAP EHS), fulfills these requirements as follows:

Features

SAP Environment, Health and Safety (SAP EHS) as a Central System for Label Management

SAP Environment, Health and Safety (SAP EHS) features a document management system for creating document templates as well as for generating, releasing, and exporting documents. This document management system is the cornerstone for Global Label Management in SAP EHS.

All documents and labels that you process in Global Label Management are created in Microsoft Word. Windows Wordprocessor Integration (WWI) in SAP EHS is used to create the label templates and generate the labels. The label templates created in WWI contain report symbols or placeholders for variables that are filled with data from the ERP system when the final labels are generated (see Creation of Label Templates).

Creating and generating labels using WWI provides the following benefits:

  • One central system is used to generate labels rather than many local systems. This means that you can access the label templates and labels created and generated in Global Label Management from anywhere in the world using the SAP system.

  • The data printed on the labels is determined from the SAP system based on the master data. As a result, no external data management or interfaces to other systems are required.

By using a status network, you can release the labels for everyday use in a series of steps. When the labels are released, the data output on them, such as information relating to product safety and dangerous goods management, is checked by experts. Data from other SAP components can also be integrated in the release process.

Recommendation Recommendation

The release process is carried out in SAP EHS. Before releasing labels, we recommend that you check the values output on them on a printout rather than just on the screen. To do so, you can generate the labels and print them in the production system without affecting labels that have already been released. Global Label Management provides label preview and check functions (see Checking Labels), which you can use to generate a print request for test purposes.

End of the recommendation.
Label Determination and Printing in Global Label Management

Label determination (EHS) distinguishes between static, dynamic, and customer-specific label determination (see Label Determination).

Label determination in Global Label Management is based on the label view in Materials Management: Here, you configure the settings for the labels that are based on the packaging layers of the material. When doing so, you assign one or more labels or label templates to a packaging layer.

Note Note

You can also integrate your own label determination process using an enhancement spot.

End of the note.

Once the label has been determined, you can print it. Global Label Management provides the following options for printing labels (see Label Printing):

  • Triggering printing in Label Printing: Enter the key data for the label to be printed and determine the label first. Then choose the label you want to print. In the standard system, the label is printed via the connected PC and assigned printer or via an SAP spool output device.

  • Triggering printing manually based on a print request:

    • Manual print request generation: First determine the label in Label Printing and then generate a print request manually for the label in Label Printing.

    • Automatic print request generation: Generate the print request for the label automatically using a business process.

    Once they have been generated, print requests are displayed in the Labeling Workbench, where they can then be managed using the defined print stations. To access the print stations and thus the assigned print requests, the user requires access authorization for the print station. The labels defined for the print request are printed via a printer on the configured WWI generation server or via an SAP spool output device.

  • Automatic label printing: In the standard system, automatic label printing is configured for the process order, production order, delivery, and handling unit business processes. When a process order is saved, for example, the system automatically generates a print request and sends it to a print station.

    Recommendation Recommendation

    You can also integrate this solution in other business processes using enhancement spots.

    End of the recommendation.
Local Label Printing Using Print Requests

You can use the WWI generation server and Global Label Management to generate labels and the print requests required to print labels. These WWI generation servers are usually located in different plants belonging to the company where the labels are printed and used. This means that the WWI generation servers are near the printers on which the labels are printed. Starting from the worklist, in which the print requests are managed using the Labeling Workbench, the final label is then generated on the WWI generation server.

Recommendation Recommendation

You can also generate or print print requests from an external component, such as a process control system. Various interfaces are provided for this purpose.

End of the recommendation.

Since several WWI generation servers are used to generate the print requests and print the labels, decentralizing label printing has the following benefits:

  • The WWI generation server features a buffer to store the data for label templates, final labels, and print requests locally in order to reduce the load on the ERP system. The data required from the ERP system to generate print requests is thus reduced because the data is already buffered. Final label generation is also handled by the WWI generation server.

  • The WWI generation server buffer is synchronized automatically. This means that the oldest report in the system or on the WWI generation server is deleted automatically. Whenever a print request is to be generated from the ERP system and the corresponding file is not located on the WWI generation server, the file is requested from the buffer automatically. This logic provides a flexible, adjustable buffer size and ensures that the WWI generation server can be replaced if necessary.

These functions are necessary because productive environments generally contain large volumes of data (especially due to the final labels stored in the system). Depending on the customer's requirements with regard to buffering print request data, each plant can have hundreds or thousands of print requests. Each print request can range from a few kilobytes to several megabytes in size – depending on the content or on whether the request contains sequential data. Decentralizing data storage is absolutely essential, particularly if data is processed from several plants at different locations throughout the world.

Printing labels using print requests can be carried out manually or automatically. Automatic printing does not need to be triggered manually from the worklist. The label can be generated and printed directly from the worklist.

Global Label Management provides every user with a list of current and executed print requests in one worklist. These print requests can be printed immediately if the user does not need to change any data first. You can change the data and print settings, such as the number of printed copies, if necessary. The worklist allows the user to check the printed requests using a preview and reprint them if necessary.

Central Label Printing via the User's PC

Labels can also be printed without generating print requests. In this case, the final labels are generated in the ERP system in combination with a synchronized WWI generation server. Final label generation takes place on the synchronized WWI generation server. For this reason, you have to distribute large volumes of data among several physical WWI generation servers when you print labels via the user's PC.

Printing is triggered from Label Printing, whereby the system determines the material and the associated label using just a few key values and the labeling scenario you selected (for example, process order or delivery). After label determination has been completed, choose a label and start the print process. The label is then printed using the Global Label Management print program (glmPT.exe) and via the printer connected to the user's PC. Alternatively, you can print the label using an SAP spool output device.

Global Label Management for Label Printing on the Production Line

You can integrate Global Label Management in a production line using RFC interfaces. Using a print request API, you can then generate new print requests or change and print existing ones, for example.

You can integrate Global Label Management in a production lines as follows: A print request is generated by the ERP system when you save a process or production order. The generated print request is then saved in the Labeling Workbench worklist. It is then to be printed on a printer integrated in the production line. Once the print request has been generated, the label is almost complete. However, it is still missing certain data such as the batch, production date, and date of manufacture. The final label is generated with the missing data and sent to the printer. The control system then receives a message from Global Label Management via the RFC interface indicating that the label is waiting on the printer. The control system can then trigger the packing process. A label is printed for each packaging item and attached to it.

The printer is linked to the WWI generation server via Windows. This is supported by most modern printers that are integrated in production lines. Global Label Management controls only the Windows spooler, and not the actual printer.

Output Sequential Data on Labels

Outputting sequential data on labels presents a special challenge for printing systems in companies. Printing sequential data means that the data, such as sequential numbers, in a print request changes from page to page or from label to label.

To output sequential data in Global Label Management, you specify the type and position of the data on the label template. The sequential data is read when the label is generated. Each label then contains all of the data including the sequential data. Multiple pages are generated for this purpose in the final label. This process increases the document size for the printed label. The print request generated for this purpose can then be output using any printer equipped with a driver for Microsoft Windows.

Recommendation Recommendation

When labels are printed with sequential data, the print request may be canceled as of a certain label size and certain number of printed labels (approx. 1500 pages or a file size of 500 megabytes) or the performance of printer may deteriorate significantly. You can solve this problem by using a high volume printer (HVP).

End of the recommendation.

High volume printers can be used to print print requests with print files that are too large or that contain more than 32,768 labels to be printed. The HVP is designed as a printer driver for Microsoft Windows and is connected to the label printer via a plug-in.

With the HVP, only one page with all static data is sent to the printer. The HVP then receives all of the sequential data via an interface and automatically supplements the sequential data in the printout. The HVP also integrates changing bar codes or texts in the printout.

Output Bar Codes on Labels

You can use Global Label Management to generate different types of bar code (one and two-dimensional bar codes such as EAN-13, EAN-128, DataMatrix, and QR codes) and print them on labels. The bar codes are then positioned on the label template as report symbols. The value of the bar code can be static, determined during label generation, or contain sequential data.

Character Sizing on Labels

You adjust the font size within a text field on the label template using character sizing, which is controlled via WWI. This means that the text makes best use of the space available in the text field. You can specify the font size range (8 to 32 point, for example). By doing so, you can be ensure that the contents of the label are legible and complete.

Building Blocks for Simplifying the Layout of Label Templates

You can use building blocks to group objects from report template creation (such as report symbols, graphics, and repeating groups) into your own document templates and reuse them in label templates. You can integrate these building blocks into report templates as a reference or insert them as a copy. Since the label templates are created centrally in the SAP system, every user who has authorization to create templates can use the building blocks (see Creation and Use of Building Blocks).

This logic supports the simplified template creation approach. This means that you can create label templates without an extensive knowledge of WWI: In this case, you simply insert existing building blocks, such as a group of hazard statements and safety information or address data, in the label template. When the labels are generated, the contents of the building blocks are integrated in the label template automatically. Changes to building blocks are made by WWI experts only.

Unicode in Global Label Management

Global Label Management supports Unicode. This is particularly important for labeling systems that are used internationally because Unicode allows you to enter texts in different languages in the label template. The texts from the SAP system are then formatted in the correct Windows code page and printed on the labels. In Unicode-based SAP systems, regional Global Label Management users can enter their texts in the required languages. These texts are then available to all users worldwide.