Connecting a Fully Automated Warehouse as a Black Box 

Purpose

In your warehouse complex (Warehouse Number) that you manage using Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), you have set up several different storage types . For one or more of these storage types, an external system executes all of the warehouse functions and thus takes over the entire warehouse management and warehouse control for this storage type.

The automated storage type is connected as a black box to EWM. In this storage type, EWM hands over the entire warehouse management and warehouse control to the non-SAP system. It does this because the storage type is highly automated and so accurate and timely information about the current status of the warehouse technology is required for the stock movements.

If you want to connect this kind of storage type to your warehouse, we recommend that you implement a system that combines warehouse controlling and warehouse management.

Since the automated storage type is only a part of your warehouse complex, you can manage the entire warehouse complex (the warehouse number) using EWM. EWM distributes the individual putaway and stock removal transactions to the various sub-storage-types. In storage types not managed by the non-SAP system, EWM takes on all the standard functions.

In storage types managed by the non-SAP system, EWM takes on the following functions:

●     Management of summary stocks for each product

●     Triggering and creating warehouse movements

On the other hand, the external system takes over the entire warehouse management and warehouse control within the storage type:

●     Determining the storage bins for the individual warehouse movements

●     Creating warehouse movements within the storage type

●     Carrying out the inventory

●     Controlling the conveyor equipment

●     Controlling the product flow

●     Optimizing resources

When making your decision concerning the type of interface connection, you should also take account of the scenario for Connecting a Fully-Automated Warehouse.

Prerequisites

You have defined the automated section of your warehouse as a separate storage type in EWM.

●     You can define a fixed storage bin for each product in this storage type, to manage the stocks of product in this storage type and to support physical inventory operations.

●     Alternatively, you define several storage bins in the warehouse type, which do not correspond to the physical storage bins. You allow addition to existing stock for this storage type, so that the system always places a product into this storage type. The system cumulates the stocks of a product in a storage bin. This means that a new product always occupies a new storage bin.

The storage bins that you created in EWM for individual products have no meaning for the non-SAP system.

Process

EWM takes on communication with other SAP application components for the entire warehouse number.

Putaway

...

       1.      You post the goods receipt of the goods in Inventory Management.

       2.      EWM creates warehouse tasks for putaway and specifies in which storage type the goods are put away.

       3.      If you have selected the storage type managed by the non-SAP system for putaway, EWM transmits the relevant WT items using the message type /SCWM/WMTORD to the non-SAP system.

       4.      The non-SAP system identifies the goods to put away using either the WT number and WT items, or using the transmitted HU number.

       5.      If EWM reports execution goods movements, then the non-SAP system reports the putaway to EWM using message type /SCWM/WMTOCO.

Stock Removal

...

       1.      EWM creates a warehouse task (WT) for the stock removal.

       2.      EWM sends all stock removal WTs relevant for the storage type managed by the non-SAP system to the non-SAP system, using message type /SCWM/WMTORD.

       3.      The non-SAP system decides the storage bin from which the required products should be removed.

       4.      The non-SAP system transfers the transfer orders using the message type /SCWM/WMTORD to EWM.

       5.      EWM confirms the individual items in the warehouse task, using the reported data and actual quantities from the non-SAP system.

Handling Differences

If differences occur in the storage type managed by the non-SAP system during physical inventory or during productive operations, the non-SAP system reports these differences to EWM using the message type /SCWM/WMTOCO.

EWM uses the reported differences to create a warehouse task, to post the reported differences to a difference interface.

The non-SAP system must not send product movements within the storage type managed by the non-SAP system, because EWM only manages the summary stocks for this storage type.