Serial Number for Inventory Items

[former_member4529]

Hi,

Is there any way we can maintain serial number for inventory items and use them while consuming in Shop Order? The requirement is to track the components used in a SFC/Shop Order based on serial number. Any help on this will be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dipankar

[former_member182330 · Accepted solution]

Hello Dipankar,

In Inventory Receipt(Floor Stock Receipt) activity serial numbers for inventory can be specified OR generated automatically based on pattern specified in Next Number Maintenance for Inventory category.

Please see this link for details.

Regards,

Konstantin

[former_member4529 · Accepted solution]

Hi Konstantin,

Thanks a lot for the pointer. Apparently there is no serial number field in the Floor Stock Receipt screen, but there is a Barcode field in the Inventory ID details screen. Is it same as the serial number? Also is it mandatory to have lot size as 1 for serialized materials?

Thanks,

Dipankar

[former_member182330 · Accepted solution]

Hi Dipankar,

Inventory ID is a serial number that is used in top level assemblies. You can have system generate it for you:

e

Or if AUTOMATIC_ID_GENERATION activity rule set to NO:

..system allows users to provide IDs themselves:

Regards,

Konstantin

[sergiy_katerinich · Accepted solution]

Hi Dipankar,

Serial numbers in SAP ME are used with relation to SFCs only.
The list of serial numbers can be transferred from ERP within Production Order import. Then these numbers will be associated with the SFCs generated for this Production Order.

Another aspect of using serial numbers is related to Collector/Installation materials - see online help here:
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_me60/helpdata/en/a5/797fb6d1744d05a698e8475e7e7c08/frameset.htm
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_me60/helpdata/en/2b/c45a24f41544bc9237c1164ebbc625/content.htm

As to Inventory Receipt, there is no association with serial numbers, but Inventory IDs can be imported from ERP and thus associated with Production Orders.

Regards,

Sergiy

[former_member4529 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Thanks all for the helpful answers. But I  have doubt whether inventory ID can be used for Serial Number. Inventory ID cannot be used as serial number when the lot size is more than 1. Also it is important for assembly manufacturing for purchased components also

I have found out a way to capture Serial numbers on Floor Stock Receipt. If in Material Maintenance->Build Tab "EXTERNAL_SERIAL" is maintained as the key for "Data To Be Collected on Stock Receipt", the External Serial field appears on the Floor Stock Receipt Details screen where a serial number for stock items can be maintained. But I am yet to find out how the External Serial can be viewed in Stock Report and how it can be captured while consuming the components during assembly.

Thanks,

Dipankar

[former_member182330 · Accepted solution]

Dipankar,

I cannot be aware of exact process you're trying to implement, but from what I understood - the way for you to go is to make Inventory ID = your serial number (manually enter INV ID at stock receipt) and use Inventory IDs for assembly of top level materials. This way you should be able to track in reports where serial numbers(inv ids) are assembled. Inventory ID quantity can be greater than 1. It depends on configured material lot size.

Regards,

Konstantin

[former_member1108445]

Hello Dipankar,

Is the component serial number coming from SAP? If so, 1st check if INVCON Idoc carries these numbers. This may prehaps need an extension of IDoc.

Then you will need to maintain data to collect on floor stock receipt and map the serial number field to this data in the work flow.

After this, this should be available to be seen in ME for tracking / genealogy etc.

Hope this helps.

Srinivas

[Former Member]

I would like to voice my support for adding this feature to SAP ME.  We manufacture some subassemblies that are transferred from plant to plant in batches (usually from 30 to 500 units per batch), but where each UNIT in the batch has a unique serial number.  Ideally, we would bring this into SAP ME at the final assembly facility using a single Inventory ID (with qty from 30 to 500), and an attached LIST of serial numbers.  At the point of consumption (assembly) of this batch into an end-item assembly, we want to gather (and validate) two data items:  InventoryID and SerialNumber.  When the SerialNumber is entered at the point of assembly, ME must:

(1)  ensure that this SerialNumber is present in the list attached to the InventoryID, AND

(2)  the transaction should remove it from the list, AND

(3)  both the InventoryID and SerialNumber must be written into the single entry in the As-Built Configuration.

The system must maintin this invariant:  The quantity in the inventory lot is equal to the number of serial numbers present in the list.  Any operation on a subset of the lot (eg: scrap or split) must specify the subset of serial numbers on which it will operate.

Historically, semiconductor-fabrication-focused MES's have provided this capability, because fabs tend to track batches of serialized wafers.

We're open to a different solution that would allow us to handle a batch of serialized units in inventory.  For example, perhaps we can move them from facility to facility using something like a 'handling unit' in ECC.

Note also that not all of our facilities will implement SAP ME at the same time.  So a solution that depends on having SAP ME at both 'ends' of the supply chain (component and end-item assemby facilities) will not work for us -- at least in the short run (years).