How do you handle cure time for HU managed materials?

[former_member235613]

We are currently stuck in a pickle handling cure time for Handling Unit managed materials. For non-HU managed materials, we set the GR Processing time and Inspection End date the same and this pushes out ATP both before and after goods receipt of the product for X days. The problem is when HU management is turned on, the inspection end date is no longer considered for ATP. GR processing time works, but once the HU managed material is confirmed and out of QI stock it can be picked and sent to the customer. We can't leave it in QI stock because we have external warehouses setup as their own plant number, so the material can be picked to ship to them within the cure time window. So let me hear your ideas! Thanks!

[former_member42743]

Here's another option. I think it's possible to add an append structure to the VEKP table, (HU header table). Add a date field for "Cure Date".

Use a QM follow up action or UD save user exit, to update the HU header date field.

Then in the HU mods you can maybe use an enhancement to make sure only HU's with cure dates in the past are picked or made available.

A possible mod is shown below. General Checks and Actions in HUM.

You might want to tag this question with an MM tag possibly.

Craig

[former_member235613]

Another good idea to consider. I already have the MM tag added as a secondary tag. Thanks for the ideas Craig!

[former_member42743]

How are your HU's related to batches? Do you use batch status? Is there any chance you can restrict the batches with batch status? Then create a manual 89 lot for batches and then unrestrict them via the UD?

Also, can HU's be classified using the classification sytem? I've never looked at that. If you can, maybe at time of the UD, you can use a follow-up action or exit to calculate and update a "cure date" onto the handling unit characteristic. Then it might be possible somewhere to set up picking strategy based on that? I doubt very much you'll get an SAP solution without some development.

Craig

[former_member235613]

One batch per day with many HU's for that day/batch#. We do not use batch status. I'll have to see if that impacts us moving material to an outside warehouse. I wasn't aware you can change batch status with a UD, especially an 89 lot. I always though 89 lots had no inventory/status impact.

I don't think HU's can be classified, but they do have Statuses. We might be able to create a user status that gets assigned at confirmation and then have a batch job that removes the status after X days. We actually do this on our Serial Number managed materials as a fire hold. But i don't think they are ever stored in an outside warehouse.

I too doubt we will get anything standard from SAP. This isn't the first time we have run into HU management severely impacting functionality that is otherwise available without HU management. It's very frsutrating and makes HU management seem half-assed.

[former_member42743]

I'll double check in the morning on the 89 with regard to batch status. Since you only have one batch a day, then I think possibly you could do the following. And I think I might use an 04 instead.

1 - at time of UD restrict the batch and post to unrestricted stock. (The UD code can be set to do this)

2 - use a follow-up action at UD time to automatically create an 04 inspection lot using a specially created 04 inspection type, like 04CURE. Uncheck "check characteristics" so it only requires a UD. After creation of the lot, set the end date of the inspection lot to the cure date of the batch. If the cure date is consistent, I.e. 30 days, or 60 days, you can simply set a proper AID in the inspection type setup for 04CURE. Since it's a manually created lot, there will be no stock posting required.

3- copy the Auto UD program to a new Z program and make a simple change to the program to look at inspection lot end date as a selection parameter. Create an appropriate variant for it. Use a UD code that posts to unrestricted stock/unrestricted batch status.

I don't know about transferring to the external warehouse with a restricted batch status. It depends how you actually do it. If an STO is used, then I know you can ship over a restricted batch. But if it's a sales order, I'm not sure. It might be a matter of making some config settings in SD but out-of-the-box config I believe prevents it for sales orders normally. Once this Auto UD is done, the batch status gets flipped to released, and the batches are available to assign to a sales order.

[former_member42743]

I checked this out today. (it actually dovetails nicely with something we are testing too).

Yes, if the batch has a restricted batch status, and you create a manual 04 lot or 89 lot, (with or without characteristics), you can use the UD to flip the batch status to unrestricted, (released) with the UD even though no stock is actually associated with the lot and no stock posting is required.

So Step 2 should work.

That means, you can use the initial stock relevant 04 to post to unrestricted stock with a restricrted batch status.

Then either via a follow-up action or regularly run batch job, you create a manual lot (04CURE) for the batch, using the process order number. The AID for 04CURE sets the inspection lot end date.

The custom Auto UD program selects 04CURE lots based on end-date and auto UD's them and unrestricts the batch.

Of course that only works if the shipping side can move restricted batches to the warehouse and your outgoing orders to customers can't select restricited batches.

FF

[former_member235613]

Interesting, thanks for checking that out. And the batch is marked unrestricted by the UD Code? is this standard functionality? Off the top of my head I can't remember anywhere in config where you determine batch status by UD code. Or is it a follow up action based on the UD code?

[former_member42743]

It is stanadard SAP.

This is set up in the configuration of the UD selected sets under the stock posting proposals. There are the standard choices, UNRESTRICTED, BLOCKED, RESERVES, Etc... but around 4.6 SAP added additional choices. You'll now see extra choices that include a batch status setting it.

[former_member235613]

ah, i was looking at the code group. not the selected set. Thanks!

What are your thoughts on using the Available Date on the batch record? I'm not sure if this ties into ATP at all, but it maybe it will at least prevent those batches from being picked if we turn on batch determination?