Materials Management (SAP Library - Materials Management)

Materials Management

Purpose

Materials Management in the AFS system is a comprehensive solution for mapping logistical processes in the apparel and footwear industry. MRP, Purchasing, Goods Receipt, Inventory Management, and Invoice Verification are tools in AFS Materials Management that support you during the entire procurement process and in inventory management.

Features

The R/3 standard system has been adjusted to meet the special needs of the apparel and footwear industry:

You can procure and manage materials at the level of stockkeeping units (SKUs) during the entire procurement process. Reports and screens have been adjusted and master data yet to be processed has been enhanced so that you can manage AFS materials with dimensions (such as sizes and colors) and categories (such as various qualities).

AFS functions that go beyond the functionality of the R/3 standard ensure the greatest degree of flexibility in planning, purchasing, and inventory management:

Structuring multi-level contracts allows you to create contracts with varying degrees of detail in various planning periods. This enables you to reserve capacities at your vendor in an early planning period.

Using the route determination, you can have the system determine the move times for different routes from your vendor to your receiving plant.

You have access to an AFS-specific analysis tool, namely the source allocation, which serves as a support in selecting the optimal vendor for your purchase orders for materials. The source allocation implements a wide variety of selection criteria in order to evaluate your vendors. Examples of these criteria are personal and company preferences, AFS quotas, political restrictions on the import of goods from a third country, and the capacity situation of the respective vendors.