Using Collective Processing to Create Shipments 

Use

This function lets you create shipments automatically in the system (either in the foreground or background). You can define simple rules as to how deliveries are to be grouped into shipments.

You can use collective processing to:

 

(You could, for example, define shipping points 1 and 2 as a group if they are near each other in the same geographical area. You can still use a shipping point as a criterion. It is, however, possible to transport deliveries from shipping points 1 and 2 together, because of the grouping you have just defined.)
You can also use groupings to define the order of deliveries within a shipment (according to zip code, transportation zone, etc.).

Integration

You can use collective processing for both inbound and outbound shipments. This way, you can combine inbound deliveries generated in purchasing or deliveries generated in sales and distribution into shipments.

Features

Collective processing normally entails three steps:

Define which deliveries are to be considered in the creation process. The same selection criteria as those in the individual creation process can be used here.

You can define which fields in the deliveries must be identical so that those deliveries can be grouped together into one shipment. You can also define in which order the deliveries appear in the shipment and enter capacity limits for those shipments that are to be considered. To define grouping and sort criteria, you can choose from over 80 delivery header fields in the field catalog.

You can define shipment data, such as forwarding agents or deadlines, that should appear in each shipment you create.

When you create transportation chains, the system copies dates and times from the preliminary leg into the main leg. For example, the loading end time in the preliminary leg is automatically copied into the main leg as the loading start time.