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Changes in Packing 

Use

With the introduction of Handling Unit Management, which expands the packing function to include all of logistics, the following terms will be replaced with new, more general terms:

• The term "shipping unit" will be replaced by the term handling unit (HU).

• The term "shipping material" will be replaced by the term packaging material.

• The term "shipping material type" will be replaced by packaging material type.

• The term "shipping unit category" will be replaced by the term packaging material category.

Changes in the Dialog

The previous version of the packing dialog was made into more of an overview layout and individual detail screens were converted to tab pages. In this conversion, the fields on the detail screens were also redistributed and new fields were added. On the basic packing screen, you will now find the following overviews:

• Pack material

• Pack HUs

• Packing proposal

• Single entry

• Total content

• General header data

In addition to the handling unit details screen, there is also a details screen for material items that are packed, which you can access from the Total content tab page. For a clearer overview, you can use the hierarchy display of all handling units, which is on the same level as the tab-page layout. In other words, the same functions that are available in the tab-page layout are also in the hierarchy display. You can use the user parameters to set which layout appears for individual users when they access the packing dialog.

The Pack. proposal tab page (see also Automatic Packing with Packing Instructions ) represents a new type of packing overview, which supports the following packing functions:

• Fast entry of single or multiple-level handling units

• Determining and expanding packing instructions

User Exits

The user exit for changing HU header data when you create a handling unit header, MOVE_FIELD_TO_VEKP, has been replaced by customer function EXIT_SAPLV51S_001, which you can find in the "Packing" enhancement.

The "automatic packing" function, which has been in the system since Release 4.0, was enhanced by adding packing-instruction determination and its corresponding user exits in the form of business add-ins. If you do not want to use packing instructions, you do not need to make changes to existing functions in the customer functions.

Number Assignment and Calculation of Loading Weight

You can use the enhancements provided in Customizing to configure the following new functions via the packaging material type (see below):

• Configure an external HU identification with the following options:

• Up to this point, tare weight of a packaging material was predefined and used to calculate the loading weight from the difference of total and tare weights, if the total weight changed.
  Now, when you define packaging material types in Customizing, you can use a checkbox to define that if total weight changes, the tare weight of the handling unit (rather than the loading weight) is to be calculated.

Status Management

Handling units are linked to general status management. You can use user parameters (when creating handling units without object reference, for example) to set the initial status the handling unit should have when it is created. If you want to use your own status, you can define a user profile for the packaging material type. In this release, the loading status is still handled by status management.

Adjusting Delivery- and Pick Quantities to Match the Packed Quantity

Like the "Transfer pick quantity" function, this function also gives you the option of adjusting the pick quantity and the delivery quantity to match the packed quantity of the delivery items.

Effects on Customizing

If you want to implement these new packing functions, you must make settings in the Implementation Guide (IMG) for Logistics Execution (or Handling Unit Management, depending on the settings). Use the Define packaging material types activity for the corresponding packaging-material type:

• Set the type of number assignment for the number assignment method you plan to use.

• Set the Tare variable indicator if you want to use the handling unit's tare weight as the variable when the total weight is changed.

• Make an entry in the Status profile field if you want to use your own user procedure for status management.