Purpose

This process describes the master data you must maintain in the DI system in order to use the Rapid Planning Matrix (RPM) for production planning in the SAP APO.

Prerequisites

Process Flow

Maintain characteristics and variant classes.

You create the characteristics for the RPM product in the classification system.

You define a class for the RPM product with the class type 300 (for variants) and assign the previously defined characteristics to it.

You can find further information about characteristics and classes under SAP Library → Cross-Application Components → Classification (CA-CL) → Classification System (CA-CL)

Maintain variant configuration.

In order for the RPM product to be configurable, you must maintain dependencies and a configuration profile for the RPM product.If necessary, assign the object dependency to the previously created characteristics.In the product variant structure, you maintain the object dependency for the selection of the component variant.

You can find further information under SAP Library → Logistics – General (LO) → Variant Configuration (LO-VC)

Create material master for RPM product.

You create the RPM product as a configurable material, by setting the indicator Material is Configurable (Basic Data 2 view).

On the classification screen, you assign the class that you have created for the RPM product.

State which components from the RPM product and components from subordinate BOM levels are also to be planned in the SAP APO.

In the case of multi-level BOM structures, note that if components from subordinate BOM levels are to be planned in the SAP APO, the superior assembly must also be planned in the SAP APO.

Maintain MRP data in the material master.

For an RPM product and important components that are to planned only in the SAP APO, you enter the MRP type that excludes the material from MRP.

For components that are to be planned further using the matrix in the DI system, you enter the MRP type that has been created for them.

For an RPM product that is to be planned using the RPM, you enter the strategy group 25 Make-to-order for configurable material .

For components, for which the SAP APO is to group requirements from a particular period, enter the indicator 2 ( Collective requirementsonly) in the Individual/collective field.

You can improve performance during planning by setting the collective requirements indicator for as many components as possible.

For components, whose requirements are to be assigned to the pegged sales order, enter the indicator 1 (Individual requirements only) in the Individual/collective field.

Maintain data for Integrated Product and Process Engineering.

You create a multi-level product variant structure for all low-level codes.See also: Creating a Multi-Level Product Structure .

If one or more components, which you install in the final assembly, must be assembled directly before being installed, and the assembly and installation are to be included in one step, then you must create a separate access node or structure node for the RPM. You must assign all nodes, to whose variants the materials that are assembled before installation are assigned, to the access/structure node.

The headlamps are installed during the final assembly. The headlamps are not assembled before delivery and must therefore be assembled before installation. In this case, you do not assign the node for the finished headlamp to the node that you have created for planning. Instead, you have to assign the nodes that you created for the individual parts of the headlamp.

Create the iPPE production resources, which you wish to enter as primary resources in the modes of the activities, and enter costing data for these resources, such as cost center and activity type.

Create a process structure assembly. Enter the production resources in the modes of the activities. Assign the components to the individual activities.See also: Creating a Single-Level Process Structure for a Material/Product

In line design, you create an iPPE node for the production line. The node must be of type line or line network . You then create the subordinate line segments and define the hierarchy and sequence relationships, and the number of takts. See also: Line Structure Processing .

In line design, you can balance the lines . In line balancing, you assign activities to the line segments on which they are to take place. See also: Assignment of Activities .

You can also assign production resources , such as workers, to the line segments. This reproduces the available capacity at a line segment. You can increase the available capacity at a line segment by increasing the number of these resources. The production resource that you assign to a line resource must not be identical to the one that you assign as the primary resource in the mode of an activity. See also: Assignment of Production Resources .

Create Production Version with iPPE Access

You create a production version for the RPM product that you want to plan using the matrix, and maintain an iPPE access. In the iPPE access, you enter the access node/variant for the product variant structure, or, if you have created a node with a single-level structure for the RPM, you can enter that node. You also enter the routing header node for the process structure and the node that you have created for the production line. See also: Maintaining a Production Version with iPPE Access .

For every component produced in-house, for which the MRP run or production planning in the SAP APO is to explode the iPPE data individually, you create a production version and maintain an iPPE access object.

On the Accesses tab page, you enter the material number, the plant and the production version in the access node that you want to use for planning.

If you want to plan a component produced in-house in the SAP APO, you must also enter the material number, plant and production version that you have maintained for the iPPE access object, on the Accesses tab page .