Handling Unit Management Within Logistics 

Purpose

So that you can execute the packing functions using handling units, your system administration must first maintain all the packaging-relevant parameters in the Implementation Guide for Handling Unit Management ( see also: Control parameters).

• You receive a sales order for certain materials. If you have a special agreement with the customer as to the packaging in which this material is to be delivered, you can reflect this agreement by using existing (or creating) packing instructions and a corresponding packing-instruction determination record. You can use this agreement at any point during packing. If the agreement is limited to this particular order, the information is created in the order in the form of a packing proposal. This agreement is then also available during packing in repetitive manufacturing and in the delivery.
• An availability check is run for the order items. If the system determines that the sales order cannot be filled by using the warehouse stock currently available, a requirement is created for production (in the case of in-house production) or for purchasing (in the case of external procurement).

• A manufacturing order (such as a work order) is created for the respective material on the basis of the order requirement.
• The raw material required for production is reserved (if it is in stock).

• If the raw material is not available in sufficient quantities, or if the material required for the sales order needs to be acquired externally, purchase orders are created from the requirements generated for material procurement.

• The vendor notifies the goods recipient of the delivery of the goods by using a shipping notification that also contains the packaging data. The shipping notification generates an inbound delivery that includes the packing information from the shipping notification. If there is no EDI notification, the inbound delivery must be created and packed manually for the purchase order. The handling units are put away and the inbound delivery is posted for goods receipt.

• If the packing data is known in the inbound delivery, an inspection lot is created for these handling units and the stock is posted to quality inspection stock upon goods receipt.
• If the handling units have been put away in HU-managed storage locations, the handling units can be re-transferred since the stock is still managed through the handling unit.

• Handling units with raw materials are provided in time for production in accordance with the production requirement.

• As soon as the quality inspection is complete, the stock in the handling units is posted to unrestricted-use stock or to scrap materials, depending on the usage decision.

• If the production storage location is not HU-managed, the goods issue of the raw material takes place through an explicit stock posting or through the verification from production.
• If the production storage location is HU-managed, the goods issue takes place either after successful staging of the materials or through explicit specification of the handling unit.

• The production process is executed and the raw materials are used.
• The handling units that result from this step are planned.
• As a last step, the material that was produced is packed, either in production or after production. The handling units that are created in this way are confirmed as implemented. If there was no planning step, the handling units are created directly as implemented handling units.

• If the status of the handling unit changes from planned to implemented (or changes during creation of implemented handling units from production), an inspection lot is created for the handling units.

• The handling units are posted for goods receipt after verification from production (or in a separate step). Quality Management decides whether the handling unit is to be posted to unrestricted-use stock, inspection stock, or quality-inspection blocked stock.

• An outbound delivery is created from the sales order

• Transfer orders are created for the materials to be delivered and the handling units are picked from stock. If only partial quantities of existing handling units are required, handling units are created for the picked materials.
• The picked handling units are confirmed to the delivery.

• The handling units that were picked can be repacked in the delivery. If there is a packaging proposal in the sales order, the delivery can be packed automatically in accordance with this proposal.
• Goods issue is posted for the handling units.
• The customer is informed through EDI about this delivery.