Export/Import Processing

Logistics service providers (LSPs) who transport freight across customs borders on behalf of an ordering party have to handle the relevant export and import processes for the freight. In many cases, separate organizational units are responsible for each process, that is, there is a separate export organization and import organization. Usually, the export organization is responsible for the pre-carriage and main carriage stages, and the import organization is responsible for the on-carriage stages.

You can use export/import processing to ensure that the export organization and the import organization have the required data and business documents. The business documents created by the export organization (that is, one or more forwarding orders and a freight booking) form the basis of the business documents that are used by the import organization.

Features

Supported Scenarios

You can use export/import processing in the following scenarios:

Full container load: The number of business documents on the export side is matched on the import side. For example, one export forwarding order (FWO) and one export freight booking (FB) results in one import FWO and one import FB.
Less than container load: The number of business documents on the export side is matched on the import side. For example, two export FWOs and one export FB results in two import FWOs and one import FB.
Buyer’s consolidation (n shippers and one consignee/destination): Several export FWOs are consolidated into one export FB for the main carriage stage. On the import side, there is only one import FB and one import FWO.
Transit: You create a forwarding order that contains two main stages The system creates the standard Export/Import documentation and also creates the transit FWO and transit FB, for the additional stage. The system automatically determines the traffic direction “Transit” during the creation of import documents for this kind of forwarding order.
Empty Provisioning and Empty Return: In addition to transporting goods, you provide your customer with empty equipment such as containers or railcars and/or facilitate their return. With empty provisioning, the export organization is responsible for planning and execution (because the empty containers or railcars are required before transportation starts), but the import organization may be responsible for the transportation charges. For empty returns, the import organization is responsible for planning and execution (because the empty containers or railcars are returned after transportation has taken place), but the export organization may be responsible for the transportation charges. For more information see: Empty Provisioning and Return in Export/Import Processing.

You can also use export/import processing for forwarding orders in which different import organizations are assigned at item level. For example, if you have one shipper with several consignees and a different import organization is responsible for each consignee. In this case, there is one export FWO and one export FB. On the import side, there is one import FB, and one import FWO per import organization. The system creates the required import FWOs with the corresponding import organization entered as the sales organization at header level. If the import organization is not entered at item level or if the same import organization is entered for each item, the system creates one import FWO.

Note Note

The relationship between the business partner and the organizational unit is defined in the organizational model. The assignment of different import organizations at item level in the export FWO can be used for shipper’s consolidation, for example.

End of the note.

Internal Communication

If the export organization and the import organization both use SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM), the export organization creates export forwarding orders, export freight bookings, and export freight units, and triggers the creation of the import business documents. The system creates the import freight bookings first. It then creates the import forwarding orders and freight units based on the import freight bookings. The import organization can then process the import business documents.

For more information, see Export/Import Processing: Internal Communication.

Note Note

The import business documents contain only the relevant execution information and are therefore not an exact copy of the export business documents. In addition, you can use different freight unit building rules and stages for the export business documents and import business documents.

End of the note.

External Communication

If either the export organization or the import organization uses an external transportation management application, enterprise services are used to transfer the required data between the external application and SAP TM as follows:

If the import organization uses an external application, the export organization creates the export business documents in SAP TM and triggers the creation of the import business documents. SAP TM sends the export business documents to the external application. For more information, see Export/Import Processing: External Communication (Outbound).
If the export organization uses an external application, SAP TM creates the import freight bookings based on data received from the external application. It then creates the required import forwarding orders and freight units based on the import freight bookings. For more information, see Export/Import Processing: External Communication (Inbound).

Export FWOs Created by Other Organizational Units

In some cases, users who do not belong to the export organization have to create export FWOs. For example, where a customer places orders at the import organization, a user in the import organization would create the export FWO.

A member of the import organization can create an export FWO in one of two ways:

A member of the import organizational unit directly creates an export FWO
For this purpose, you can restrict user authorizations so that a user can create export forwarding orders with the status Draft, but cannot trigger any follow-on processes such as freight unit building or charge calculation. The relevant function is Set to In Process (DO) in authorization objects Functions for Forwarding Order (ext. Org.ID) (T_TR_FWOF2) and Functions for Forwarding Order (T_TRQ_FWOF).

A member of the import organizational unit is not authorized for the function “Set to In Process” and therefore can only create orders with status “Draft”. To activate this FWO, a member of the export organizational unit must set the order to “In Process”. This means that the export organizational unit has full control over which orders are processed.
The import organizational unit creates the export FWO based on an import forwarding quotation (FWQ)
The import organizational unit starts the process by creating an import FWQ. The quotation is communicated to the customer and the customer accepts the quotation. In the export organizational unit you can now use this quotation to create an export FWO. During Customizing you should specify a forwarding quotation type for export. For more information see Customizing for Transportation Management under Forwarding Order Management Forwarding Quotation Define Forwarding Quotation Types

Using the import FWQ, the system creates an export FWO, with status “Draft”. The system transfers the header information, the item information and the stage information (if available) from the FWQ to the export FWO. If available, the system also transfers the service items from the import FWQ to the export FWO. (The customer might have contracted for services which need to be applied on the export side).

The system does not transfer charges from the import FWQ to the export FWO (Unlike the creation of an import FWO out of an import FWQ). The system transfers the import agreement from the import FWQ to the export FWO. A new agreement field is added in the FWO for this purpose.

After planning and processing on the export side the system creates the import documents, including the import FWO. When creating the import FWO, the system copies charges and service items from the referenced import FWQ. The system does not by default transfer services which are created in the export FWO from the export FWO into the import FWO.

You can define which service items in an export FWO are to be transferred to the corresponding import FWO. For more information, see Customizing for Transportation Management under Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) for Transportation Management Basic Functions Export/Import Processing .

Manual Creation of Import Freight Bookings

You can also create import freight bookings manually. For more information, see Manual Creation of Import Freight Bookings.

Customs Processing

The export organization and the import organization are responsible for the respective customs processes (for example, export, import, or transit). For more information about customs processing in SAP TM, see Global Trade. In addition, SAP Note 1757454 provides information about the required settings for the transit process in the context of export/import processing.