iPPE Process Structure - SAP Documentation

Purpose

The process structure is a separate application object in Integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE) that represents routing data. The complete iPPE model includes not just the process structure, but also the product structure (for BOMs), and line design. The functions of the individual applications are linked to each other.

You use the iPPE process structure when you work with repetitive manufacturing and use Integrated Product and Process Engineering to manage your production master data. You can use iPPE for non-configurable and configurable materials.

The process structure is particularly suited for planning routings on production lines with takts where the materials are always processed in the same manner. The process structure is the basis for line balancing in line design.

Caution Caution

The iPPE process structure exclusively supports repetitive manufacturing with takt-based production lines.

End of the caution.

Implementation Considerations

The process structure offers the following advantages over the classical routing:

You can model your production process on a logical and on a functional level, that is, you can create routing data before the concrete materials or products are created in the system.
You create just one process structure for all materials that are produced with the same production process, even when the materials are produced in different plants.
You can use one process structure to represent the entire production process for a product, from body-in-white through to final assembly.

Integration

Integration with Other Components in the DI System

Required Function	Required Component	Further Information
Create resource	iPPE Production Resource	The production resources that you assign in the process structure are iPPE objects. You use production resources to represent workers, operating facilities, and production resources/tools.
Maintain BOM data	iPPE Product Variant Structure	The components that you want to assign to the activities in the process structure must be maintained in the product variant structure.
Balance lines	iPPE Line Design	Line balancing is based on the duration that you define for the activities in a process structure.
Manage changes to routing data	Engineering Change Management	You can use a change number when you change a mode .
Assign documents	CA Document Management System	You can assign documents, such as technical drawings, texts, and so on, in a process structure, if the documents are edited in the Document Management System.
Calculate costs for production activities	Product Cost Controlling	The process structure is connected to Product Cost Controlling. The target times and costing master data that you have entered in a process structure can be used in cost accounting for cost estimates, backflushes, WIP calculations, and period-end closing.

Integration with the APO

You can use the APO as a planning instrument as well as the Automotive System. In this case, you maintain the master data in the Automotive System and then use the APO Core Interface to transfer the iPPE data to the APO. You can check and change the iPPE data in the APO. See also: Transferring iPPE Data to the APO .

Features

The node types that you can use to create a process structure are routing header, activity, grouping activity, and operation.
The routing header node type contains the header data for the routing. It gives an overview of subordinate grouping activities and of the sequence in which the activities are to take place. The routing header is the highest level in a process structure. On the Relationships Overview tab page for the routing header, you can display the hierarchy relationships that exist between the individual nodes in a process structure.
The activity node type contains the data for the individual work operations, such as the production resource , activity descriptions, duration, and so on.
You can use grouping activities or operations if you wish to use activities several times. You bring together several activities in a grouping activity or an operation and then use these activities in several process structures by inserting the relevant grouping activity or operation.

Caution Caution

Individual activities cannot be used more than once, that is, you cannot use the same individual activity in different routing headers or grouping activities.

End of the caution.

You can use grouping activities to structure multi-level process structures.

You can assign components to activities quickly because you assign structure nodes from the product variant structure as opposed to individual materials. This function is supported by the ‘product-process assignment’ application list and by graphics.
You can assign several alternative production resources, with different standard times, to an activity by creating different modes for the activity.
You can also assign production resources/tools to an activity by creating these as production resources of type operating facilities and assigning them to the mode on the secondary resources tab page. Refer to: Assigning Production Resources/Tools (Secondary Resources)

You cannot maintain object dependencies in the mode of an activity. The selection of the correct activities for configurable materials is guaranteed by correctly assigning nodes and variants in the product variant structure, where you can maintain object dependencies .

There is a link to external time management systems.
You can use migration tools to transfer existing routings and reference operation sets to process structures.

Constraints

The process structure has the following constraints in the DI Release 4.6C2:

You cannot plan quality inspections during production in the process structure because there is no link to the Quality Management component at present.
The process structure is not connected to iPPE status management at present.