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Demand Management: Characteristics Planning Techniques

Description

For configurable materials (variants), it may make sense to view demand management from the point of view of the end product and its variants. The dependent assemblies result from object dependencies and characteristic values. A characteristic is, for example, the engine of a car and the characteristic value is 2.8L. The object dependency in the BOM limits the assemblies that can only be selected with this value, such as a certain tire size or a certain selection of interior designs.

If you use the characteristic planning techniques, it is possible to plan configurable materials in advance either partially or completely. The independent requirements for characteristics planning are consumed by the incoming sales orders.

Two possibilities exist for characteristics planning:

For both options of characteristics planning, the starting point is the configurable material. This material contains the so-called maximum bill of materials. The maximum BOM contains all non-variable parts, all variant parts and the object dependency for configuring the variant parts. For the characteristics planning, appropriate sub-quantities of the maximum BOM are configured, that is, a limited number of the characteristics that can be selected and values are configured from the planning point of view. When planning variants, the configurable material is entered and valuated in the material master record. In BOM characteristics planning, the valuation is carried out for the configurable material when creating the planned independent requirements.

Planning variants

This planning technique can be used if, for example, accurate estimates from sales figures exist for the sale of certain characteristic values of a configurable material.

When planning variants, the planned independent requirements are created for a so-called "selected characteristics planning". In selected characteristics planning, a material is created which is used to record a grouping of specific characteristics/value combinations. For example, for a car, the 2,8L engine, the sports rim and the rear spoiler. It is defined by a group of characteristics, whereby each characteristic is allocated exactly one value. The selected characteristics planning is, therefore, only a partially configured material. Planning variants are used to initiate the procurement of certain assemblies and components before the sales order is entered.

Steps to take: Planning variants

A material master record is created for the planning variant. Here, it does not matter which material type is selected. In the material master record, the configurable material is entered and the variant is valuated, that is, the characteristics are allocated a characteristics value.
The variat is allocated the strategy, "planning without assembly" via the strategy group as usually the planning variant is a non-stockable configuration for a configurable material. It must also be guaranteed in the strategy that the sales order consumes the independent requirements of the planning variant.

The planned independent requirements are created for the material number of the variant. In this case, the correct requirements type for "Planning without assembly" is allocated automatically via the planning strategy.

In material requirements planning order proposals are created for these planned independent requirements and the maximum BOM is exploded according to the configuration of the planning variant.

The following is checked for consumption when creating a sales order:

1. Whether a planning variant exists. If a variant does exist, the system consumes the independent requirements for this variant. If no variant exists, the system checks,
2. Whether a planning variant exists that, according to certain criteria, suits the sales order. If the criteria are fulfilled, the system consumes the planned independent requirements of this planning variant.

In the total evaluation of the requirements, you can check which planning variant was consumed by which sales order.

BOM characteristics planning

In this technique of planning characteristics, the configurable material is valuated in demand management when maintaining the independent requirements. For the non-variable parts, the characteristic values are provided with usage probabilities.

Steps to take: BOM characteristics planning

For this type of planning, the appropriate strategy group must also be maintained in the material master record. The strategy "planning without assembly" is also allocated to the configurable material. It must also be guaranteed in the strategy that the sales order consumes the independent requirements of the configurable material.

When creating the planned independent requirements, you first enter the Planned quantity of the non-variable parts. Then, you select the characteristics and the characteristic values by pressing the pushbutton, Configuration. The quantities entered here are distributed over the values of the characteristics according to the usage probabilities. For more than 100% usage probability, the system overplans.

In material requirements planning, the dependent requirements of the components, that are selected by the valuation, are determined according to the usage probabilities percentages of the characteristics values.

Sales orders consume the independent requirements of the configurable material and consumption is not carried out at characteristics level. The configurable material is reduced.