Is there a procedure to auto populate shipping instructions on Kanban STOs?

[Former Member]

Hello,

The scenario is this:

- intra-company STO (does not cross borders, no billing), type UB, created via Kanban when the bin is emptied

- for this organization, type UB STOs also originate from other sources (ie, conversion from Purchase Reqs), not just originating from Kanban; although for a single material within a plant, Kanban is the method and UB STO is the replenishment strategy

- Shipping instructions (on the Delivery Line Item tab) are a required field when UB STO is created directly, but via Kanban background process the STO is saved successfully without shipping instructions (I find this interesting). This is not a text for shipping instructions, it's the element EVERS, field name EVERS in structure MEP01313.

The problem is this:

- the user (in this case the planner) must go in to manually add the shipping instructions on the Delivery Line Item tab prior to SAP allowing delivery document creation & shipment activities. this manual intervention by the user is unacceptable to the business.

The desired solution from the business is this:

- the business has specified a default shipping instruction that they want (it is configured and ready to go)

Steps we've taken to resolve:

-I first thought of using a purchasing info record. But we cannot use a purchasing info record to default the shipping instructions because this STO is using SUPPLYING PLANT and not vendor as the relationship.

-Then, I thought about maintaining shipping instructions on the purchasing view material master record, but the requirement is to only default these shipping instructions when they originate from Kanban and when the STO type = UB. So I thought it was too broad because it could impact other purchasing functions for the same material, plus the info record doesn't work for supplying plant.

-Now I am thinking about a procedure of some sort to configure to find the correct shipping instructions when material master + STO data meet certain characteristics. Is there such a thing?

-Another option would be a user exit available in the STO to do a check for Kanban indicator and STO type and then to choose the desired shipping condition, but this doesn't seem as elegant as other potential options, and seems restrictive (ie, hard-coding the key for the desired shipping instructions or building a ztable with combinations of STO attributes and desired shipping condition, which requires maintenance).

-Finally, it seems odd that the background creation of the STO via Kanban doesn't trigger a hard error when it checks the document for completeness, rather than saving and getting a document # even though the document is missing a required field. This seems to point to STO user exit as a way to fix this problem.

Your thoughts on the assumptions we've made and the potential resolutions are greatly appreciated.

Rebecca

Edited by: Rebecca Slomski on Oct 8, 2008 7:37 PM

[Former Member]

Answered my own question. This may help someone, so here is the answer for version 4.6.

The way to automatically default shipping instructions when the STO uses "SUPPLYING PLANT" instead of vendor is to first configure a purchasing value key that contains the shipping instructions. The path is: IMG>Materials Management>Purchasing>Material Master>Define Purchasing Value Keys.

Then, the material master record must be updated on the Purchasing View with the new purchasing value key.

Cautions to this approach:

1. Even though this is on the Purchasing View, purchasing value key is on the MARA table, so it is not a plant-specific material master setting. One purchasing value key per material master record.

2. The purchasing value key contains settings for reminders and over/under-delivery tolerance percentages. This is interconnected with the choice of shipping instructions. Be sure that the purchasing value key is configured to meet the wide variety of planning needs that could exist at multiple locations where the material is used.

3. Some of the above considerations are mediated by the fact that the material master purchasing value key is over-ridden by specific information contained on a purchasing info record or a contract.

[Former Member]

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for posting the solution. It helped me to think of a solution in different point of view.

Regards,

Jagadish