SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics enables customers to use route trains for production supply processes in EWM managed warehouses (see e.g. here). While we already supported production material requests (PMR) from the very first release, we also support the following document categories:

• WMR for replenishment
• WMR for JIT
• ODO for production related deliveries (e.g. from Kanban using outbound deliveries)

SAP EWM has just released the support of staging for Kanban using warehouse requests.

However the created EWM warehouse request does not contain a date and time, when the goods shall arrive at the production supply area. As a consequence the route and tour of SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics cannot be determined as  the route and tour information have validity dates.

With the latest release 2310 SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics supports this process also as an input channel for the route train process in a central scenario.

We have enabled a date determination for this process and enabled the route and tour determination for this kind of warehouse request.

In this blog, I will describe how to set up the required configuration and master data and will demo a simple example.

Required System setup

You need to set up the Kanban process so that setting a Kanban container to empty will trigger the creation of a warehouse request in EWM. You set up your replenishment strategy in your control cycle to control type A Stock Transfer with Warehouse Request. You need also to set up the document type and item type determination for this Kanban process under SCM Extended Warehouse Management – Extended Warehouse Management – Internal Warehouse Processes – Delivery Processing – Stock Transfers – Warehouse-Number-Specific Settings – Define Document and Item Type Determination for Internal Stock Transfer.

You need to enable the document type for the route determination in IMG of S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics under SCM Extended Warehouse Management – Extended Warehouse Management – SAP S/4HANA for Manufacturing Logistics – Warehouse Request – Tour – Assign Route Determination Procedure to Document Type

Configuration for route determination per document type

and Configure Item Types

Configuration of date type determination per item type

Required Master data

The control cycle need to be set up with the stock transfer strategy of control type A (in this example XX0A).

Based on the Kanban calculation times, which can be maintained in the control cycle, you can control, when such a warehouse request is due and it can therefore be used for planning purposes.

Process example

We create a control cycle for Kanban and open the Kanban Board app for the newly created control cycle.

Kanban board app: waiting Kanban containers

Then we create a warehouse request for the Kanban container from the Kanban Board app by setting the container to EMPTY.

Kanban board app: on container is set to empty, the warehouse request is created

This creates a warehouse request in EWM:

EWM warehouse monitor: warehosue request for Kanban with rout e determination on item level

As the configuration for the route determination is in place and corresponding condition records exist, a route (in this example R_6P50_6P53_TACT) is determined.

When looking into the details of the warehouse request item, we see that the date type EWDAT has been created and that corresponding logistical date types for the route train planning have been determined.

EWM Warehouse request: date types for logistical processes

As the EWDAT is set to the creation time of the warehouse request, the system assumes that the demand time at the PSA is now, in this very moment.

Such a time determination is far from ideal as it assumes, that the replenishment has to occur immediately and that there is no execution time for the logistical execution of the Kanban replenishment.

Usage of replenishment lead time (RLT)

In order to solve this issue the system also considers the replenishment lead time, in case it is set in the control cycle.

Replenishment lead time in the Kanban control cycle

This replenishment lead time is the sum of the refill time, the wait time and the transport time. In this example we have set the RLT to 2:15.

When now a new container is set to empty then the replenishment lead time is added to the current date and time and defines now the new demand time EWDAT.

Add replenishment lead time to creation time of the warehouse request

Now the intra-logistical process can take place and a picking warehouse order can be created either manually, via wave assignment and wave release or via the wave preparation process of SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics:

Wave preparation for warehouse requests for Kanban

As a result, the created picking warehouse order can be processed via RF.

EWM warehouse monitor: warehouse orders for Picking

The tour can then be processed by loading and unloading of the racks using the standard functionalities of SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics in RF.

Manage Tours app: Tours after unloading

All HUs are unloaded at the PSA and the tour is completed.

With the completion of the unloading the container status in the Kanban Board app is set to full.

Kanban Board app: our Kanban container 267 is full again

Conclusion

The route train component of SAP S/4 HANA for Manufacturing Logistics is able to process Kanban containers in a central scenario when the replenishment strategy of the underlying control cycle creates a warehouse request in EWM.