Dynamic Cycle Counting (LE-WM-DCC) 

Purpose

Mobile Data Entry supports inventory counting via RF devices, enabling a greater degree of flexibility and efficiency. This is accomplished through Dynamic Cycle Counting (DCC).

DCC enhances the previous inventory counting functionality by enabling you to count physical inventory at storage bin and quant level during the performance of normal warehouse operations, and allowing the creation of inventory documents when open transfer orders (unconfirmed picks and putaways) exist for a bin. This ensures continued warehouse operations and facilitates cycle counts during peak activity periods.

For more information on Inventory Counting, see Inventory in the SAP Library for Warehouse Management System.

 

Implementation Considerations

DCC is of most use to 7x24 operations, but is also useful to any warehouse for which there is a need to improve the usage of available resources.

We recommend that you use DCC only in those storage types where you have set two-step confirmation (Confirmation for both stock removals and stock placements, set in Customizing for Logistics Execution → Warehouse Management  →  Master Data   → Define Storage Type).

 

Integration

DCC involves minimal changes to the existing inventory counting transactions LM50 (system-guided storage unit count) and LM51 (user-selected storage unit count). It uses similar RF screens with the following changes:

·        Addition of the material field below the Storage Bin field in the initial selection screen

·        The More pushbutton replaces the DISU pushbutton

·        Addition of the DelDoc pushbutton

·        Addition of various message screens

·        Addition of new inventory count status D(dynamic cycle count)

Even though transactions LM50 and LM51 still exist in the system, you need only use the new DCC transactions (LM58, LM59 and LM60).

Pre-version 4.7 transactions LM52 (user-selected storage bin count) and LM53 (system-guided storage bin count) still exist in the system, since they cannot be deleted. However, you must not use them.

 

Features

DCC provides the following features:

Inventory Counting Against Active and Inactive Inventory Documents

DCC enables inventory counting against both active and inactive inventory documents, allowing you to count the physical inventory in a bin whether or not open transfer orders exist for the bin. For more information, see Dynamic Cycle Counting Process.

Inventory Counting at Both Bin and Quant Level

DCC supports inventory counting for a bin, as well as for a specific material in the bin.

Applicable to SU-Managed, HU-Managed and Non SU/HU-Managed Environments

You can count inventory for storage unit (SU)-managed, handling unit (HU)-managed and non SU/HU-managed environments.

·        In an SU or HU-managed environment, you scan/count each SU/HU in a storage bin. If desired, you can also count the material quantity within an SU/HU.

·        In an HU-managed environment, you can scan/count nested (multi-level) HUs in a storage bin but cannot count the lower-level HUs. In other words, you can only count the content of a single-level HU.

·        In a non-SU/HU managed environment, you count the material quantities in a storage bin.

The screens displayed on the RF device vary according to whether or not the storage bin is in an SU/HU-managed environment.

Different Modes of Bin/Quant Selection

There are three main options for performing an inventory count using an RF device:

...

       1.      System-guided

The system proposes all of the bins/materials of an inventory document that was assigned to the particular user. This assignment takes place during the creation of the document.

       2.      User-selected

The user selects the storage bin or material in a bin for the inventory count. Under this option, you can select and scan storage bins or materials within a warehouse area that are assigned from an organizational point of view.

Worker A processes aisles 1 and 2, and worker B processes aisles 3 and 4

       3.      User-initiated

In a case where an inventory document does not already exist in the system, the system creates “on the fly” an inactive or active document for the selected storage bin or material in the bin. The user can then start the inventory count.

Automatic Clearing of Inactive Inventory Documents

DCC supports the automatic clearing of an inventory count in Warehouse Management (WM) against active documents, or inactive documents if the count results in no differences.