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SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) enables you to commission a carrier to transport parcels from a shipping point to several consignees. You can create parcel shipments in SAP TM based on deliveries from an ERP system. You can then select a direct shipment option for the parcel shipment and plan and execute the transportation of shipments to the consignees. The direct shipment option involves selecting a carrier with the relevant transportation services while taking into account the applicable charges.

The following section provides an example of the parcel shipment process in SAP TM.

Prerequisites

In addition to the general settings for freight order management and the determination of direct shipment options, you have configured the following settings that are particular to the parcel shipment process:

  • In Customizing for the freight unit type, you have configured the settings for determining direct shipment options. A parcel shipment is a freight unit in SAP TM.

    For the parcel shipment process, you have populated the DSO Result Rule field in such a way that the system assigns freight units to a freight order if it identifies direct shipment options. The system assigns the freight units to an existing freight order that meets the requirements in terms of source location, carrier, and pick-up date. If the system cannot find a suitable freight order, it creates a new one.

    You can also configure the following options in the Direct Shipment Strategy field:

    • Default strategy DSO_RESULT: The system determines the direct shipment options and assigns the freight units automatically to a freight order.

    • Default strategy DSO_DEF: The system only determines the direct shipment options for the freight units, that is, no further processing takes place. You can then manually assign the freight units on the user interface or run batch report /SCMTMS/DIRECT_SHIPMENT_BATCH.

      The process described below assumes that you use this setting.

    For more information, see Customizing for Transportation Management under   Planning   Freight Unit   Define Freight Unit Types   and also Determination of Direct Shipment Options.

  • In Customizing for the freight order type, you have configured the settings required for the parcel shipment process. SAP provides the default freight order type 3000, which contains all of the settings required for the standard parcel shipment process. In particular, the following default values are provided:

    • Sequence Type of Stops: Star-Shaped Based on FU Stages

      The default setting in this field specifies that all stages for the freight order have the same start location but different end locations. This corresponds to the transportation stages in a parcel shipment process.

    • Draw Bill of Lading Number: Draw Automatically When Item Is Changed

      This default setting specifies that bill of lading numbers (that is, the shipment numbers) are automatically taken from the waybill stock.

    • HBL Building Strategy: PRCL_SHP

      This is the default strategy that the system uses to create parcel shipments.

    • Web Dynpro Application Config.: /SCMTMS/FRE_ORDER_MANIFEST

      If you create a freight order with this default freight order type and a Web Dynpro application configuration, the user interface for the freight order is automatically adjusted to meet the requirements of the parcel shipment process. Note that the UI elements are neutral so that the document can be used for similar processes with shipment type LTL.

    • Add. Output Profile: /SCMTMS/TOR_PRINT_PARCEL_ROOT

      If you use this output profile, you can print parcel manifests and labels from the Output Management tab page of the freight order item details.

    For more information, see Customizing for Transportation Management under   Freight Order Management   Freight Order   Define Freight Order Types  .

  • In Customizing for the item type, you have specified that tracking numbers are to be drawn automatically from the waybill stock for freight order management. This applies to both shipment items and package items. For more information, see Customizing for Transportation Management under   Freight Order Management   Define Item Types for Freight Order Management  .

  • You have defined waybill stock for bill of lading numbers and tracking numbers in the master data. For more information, see Waybill Stock Definition.

  • To calculate charges when direct shipment options are determined, you have specified the carrier prices in a rate table. The system can also calculate the charges directly based on Web service offerings from parcel service providers.

    In the parcel shipment process, you can also create freight agreements with multiple agreement items, which represent carrier service products. In the agreement items, you can define attributes such as the length, height, and width on the Package tab page. If the system calculates charges when determining the direct shipment options, it compares these attributes with those in the delivery-based transportation requirement and selects a suitable agreement.

    For more information, see Rate Determination for Direct Shipment of Parcels.

Process

  1. Creation of delivery-based transportation requirements

    SAP TM creates delivery-based transportation requirements (DTRs) based on the deliveries that you have created in your ERP system. For more information, see Integration of ERP Deliveries.

  2. Creation of parcel shipments

    The system creates parcel shipments based on the DTRs. For each DTR, it creates exactly one parcel shipment (that is, one freight unit).

  3. Determination of direct shipment options

    The system determines the direct shipment options of carriers with carrier service products that meet the requirements of the shipment (for example, the pick-up and delivery times or the service level). When doing so, it identifies the freight agreements with the carriers and the service products that are defined therein. The user interface for the parcel shipment (that is, the freight unit) displays a list of available direct shipment options. The cheapest option is displayed first by default.

    You can configure the Customizing settings for the freight unit type in such a way that this step is carried out automatically. Otherwise, you can trigger the determination of direct shipment options manually on the user interface for the freight unit.

    For more information, see Determination of Direct Shipment Options.

  4. Selection of an option and assignment to a parcel freight order

    You select an option and assign the shipments to an existing parcel freight order that meets the requirements in terms of the source location, pick-up date, and carrier. If the system cannot find a suitable freight order, it creates a new one. In this case, it transfers the data from the freight unit and the direct shipment option to the new freight order.

  5. Editing of the package freight order

    You open the freight document. Freight orders that were created with the shipment type Package in addition to the relevant freight order type are displayed in your personal object worklist (POWL) for parcel freight orders (under Overview Road Freight Orders).

    The freight order contains the parcel shipments and the corresponding packages. The shipment numbers and tracking numbers for the shipments and packages have been drawn from the waybill stock and assigned automatically in accordance with your Customizing settings.

  6. Shipment of the parcel freight order

    You send the freight order to your carrier.

  7. Confirmation of parcel freight order

    You confirm the freight order in the name of the carrier, or you reject it. It is also possible to confirm or reject the freight order using a message.

  8. Document printing

    You print the parcel manifest and labels from the Output Management tab page in the freight order item details. For more information, see Output Management.

  9. Execution of parcel freight order

    You set the status of the parcel freight order to Cargo Ready for Loading and start execution and tracking. Once this status has been set, no further parcel shipments (freight units) can be assigned automatically to the parcel freight order. However, you can still assign parcel shipments manually.

    The parcel freight order is processed further in the same way as a standard freight order. For more information, see Manually Creating Freight Orders.