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New Functions in the Decentrazlized Warehouse Management System (WMS) 

Use

In this release, the following new functions are available for Decentralized WM.

Posting Changes

In this release, you can initiate stock posting changes in the central system also, but the stock change is checked with the decentralized system.

In the case of posting changes that you execute through Inventory Management, the system first creates a delivery. This delivery represents a request for the decentralized system to execute a posting change for these stocks. The central system, at this point, does not create a material document, and does not make any change to the stock.

The delivery is transmitted to the decentralized system, and from that point onwards it can be changed there only. You can configure the decentralized system so that it automatically creates a transfer order that does not require confirmation for the delivery, and that, immediately afterwards, it performs the respective posting change for the WM stocks.

As soon as the posting change takes place in the decentralized system, the respecitve quantities are verified to the central system. There the system automatically executes the stock change when it receives the verification, and it creates a material document. You can look at the material document in the document flow section.

Special Stocks

As of this release, you can manage special stocks both as sales order stock (E) and as project stock in the decentralized system. The special stock number is transmitted with the delivery to the decentralized system and can be viewed there in Inventory Management.

Goods Receipts Assigned to Accounts

If purchase orders contain items assigned to accounts (for example, office material that is posted directly to cost centers), these are copied into the inbound delivery and transmitted to the decentralized system. In the decentralized system, you can perform a quantity check for these items and change the delivery quantity manually. Transfer order creation is not required for these items.

Structured Articles

Structured articles are supported in decentralized WMS as of this release, provided the distribution center is configured in such a way that the article BOM is not exploded. This is particularly important if the structured article is handled iin the warehouse as a physical unit.

In the decentralized WMS, the structured article is then handled like a regular article.

Quality Management in the Decentralized WMS through Handling Units

In the goods receipt process, quality management is also supported for the decentralized warehouse. In this scenario, the QM functions are located in the central system.

If there are handling units in the inbound delivery and an inspection lot has been created for these handling units in the central system, the inspection lot number is transmitted to decentralized WMS and stored there in the quants.

The inspection lot is not available in the decentralized system. You make the usage decision for the inspection lot in the central system. In this way, the system creates a posting change inbound delivery and passes this on to the decentralized system. In the warehouse, the stocks that belong to this inspection lot are determined by the system and a posting change for thes is performed. The remaining procedure is the same as for the posting change (see above).

Production Supply

If the decentralized warehouse is responsible for production supply, the following two staging types are supported:

The production stocks are managed in a different storage location, not in the decentralized one. (The production storage locaion, in this case, is not managed by the decentralized warehouse.)
If you execute a storage location change in the central warehouse, you then create a delivery by doing this. Afterwards, you pick the delivery in the decentralized system and you can post the goods issue.
In the central system, the staged materials are posted as consumption to the manufacturing order.
In this scenario, the raw materials are posted as consumption directly from the storage location of the decentralized warehouse to the manufacturing order. If you execute a goods issue to the manufacturing order in the central system, the system creates a delivery that is transmitted to the decentralized system. The remaining process is the same as the normal procedure for goods issue.
Pay attention to the following special factors in relation to reservations:
If you have reference to a reservation in the goods issue posting that creates the delivery, this reservation number is copied into the delivery. In this case, the delivery does not perform an availability check and no requirements are generated since these were already created by the manufacturing order. During the actual goods issue posting, the reservation is reduced accordingly.
Note that an interim change in the reservation (for example, change in the production quantity) does not affect the delivery. Also, a change in the delivery itself does not affect the reservation.
The WM/PP interface, which you can use in an integrated system for production supply, is not supported for decentralized warehousing, since this interface is set up for the situation where WM and PP run in the same system.

Goods Receipt for Manufacturing order

Indecentrized WMS, you can now process goods receipts from manufacturing orders. In this case, the central system first creates an inbound delivery and distributes this to the decentralized system.

There the inbound delivery seves as a basis for putaway in WM. You can correct quantity differences here. After you have confirmed the putaway transfer orders, the goods issue posting takes place in the decentralized system. The decentralized system verifies the posted quantites to the central system. With this verification, the acutal goods receipt posting for the manufacturing order takes place in the central system, and there is a subsequent material document also.

Effects on Customizing

Settings for Automatic Posting Changes

You set automatic transfer order creation with subsequent goods issue posting in the decentralized system in the Implementation Guide (IMG) for Logistics Execution:

Set the output determination so that output "WMTA" is issued for delivery creation.
Set the Customizing for WM such that the posting change transfer orders are confirmed immediately by the system.
Use the workstep: Define difference control -> Movement type, and then set the indicator for Immnediate Confirmation .
To be able to copy the WM quantity, maintain the option Copy WM Quantity as delivery quantity and post GR/GI. This value is then automatically copied during transfer order generation and has the effect that the goods issue posting is performed for the delivery.
Use the workstep: Define shipping control -> Define shipping control at movement type level.