Annual reserve samples inspection

[ssubni]

Hi

My client has a specific scenario.

We are pulling reserve samples when we do production through our process order .As per our regulation, we need to do the annual inspection of the reserve sample  every year and also at the time of expiry.Currently it is being done manually out of SAP.

Is this functionality available in standard SAP? Can we create annual inspection lot (not stock relevant)  and do the result and UD for the reserve samples without affecting the existing stocks.

Appreciate your thoughts.

SS

[Former Member]

Just to add a new perspective on this:

You can create inspection lots with the origin 15 as often as you like as long as your master data is in place (inspection type active, inspection plan, etc).

If you don't want to involve the ABAPers, build a query joining QPRS and MCH1 (join on MATNR, CHARG) or MCHA (join on MATNR, WERKS, CHARG), and use that to direct your use of QPR5.

Then periodically run QPR5 report to view physical samples with their respective store until and SLED entries.  From there, create and process your inspection lots.

This is a manual process, but it brings your annual reserve sample inspection into SAP without any custom development.

If you want to go down the path of custom development, use the store until date as the date for your annual sample, and append a new field to QPRS table that will copy the current SLED for that batch from MCH1/MCHA table?  Then use QPR5 as needed to create inspection lots.

[former_member42743]

It can be done every year by setting an inspection interval for the batch of one year and setting up QA07 to run regularly.  To inspect on the expiration date, (why?), you will need a follow up action on the UD code used to process the yearly samples.  After each yearly sample, the follow up action wold check the expiration date against the new inspection date and set the inspection date to the earliest of the two.

FF

[ssubni]

Hi FF,

Thanks for your reply.

We are running QA07 already with inspection interval  mainly for our RAW and operation supplies where in the system will create a lot 30 days in advance and it will chnage the batch status to restricted on the day of expiration.

But the prerequisite here is this reserve samples are taken only for

1. Finished products

2. The lot should not be a stock relevant.

3. It should not affect the batch status

we are not maintaining any inspection interval for our finished products. The objective is to do the reserve sample inspection by creating a inspection lot (inspection type 15) and should not affect the normal business (should not affect any existing stock /batch). As per our FDA regulation. we need to test the samples after th expiry too.

Do we have any standard or we need to program it. I am thinking about creating ztable to flag the batch  for reserve sample inspection and update the table with  production date , SLED and the physical sample number (which is created for the reserve sample during production). then on weekly basis , program should run and check  for any annual inspection form the Ztable list  based on production date / expiry date and trigger inspection lot (QPR5) using old physical sample number which is not stock relevant.system will store all the details and we can query them or get the details from QA33.

Is it workable or do we have any standard?

Appreciate your reply.

Thanks,

SS

[former_member42743]

One idea that you might want to explore is to move the reserve samples to a virtual plant as unrestricted, non-valued inventory.  This would be the cleanest process as you wouldn't affect your production plant in anyway.

The samples can be processed using all the standard features of SAP without having to worry about your production material.  I.e. you can create inspection lots using QA07, process the lots, etc.. You wouldn't even need to muck around with physical samples if you didn't want too.

The downside is you would need a process to move the stock to the new plant.  Maybe have the reserve samples quantity posted to a specific storage location by production, and then a batch job at night transfers the material over to the reserves plant.

Your batch job could also be used to make any necessary material master inspections to the reserve plant if it is a new material and to create the inspection type settings.

This would be the cleanest way to deal with this.

FF

[ssubni]

Hi FF,

Thanks for the solution.

Currently the samples are pulled against the process order and it is consumed against the yield of the product. We are not deducting the samples or posting the samples during UD. so that will be process change not only for  reserve samples and it holds good for the primary/pooled samples. Is it possible to move  the stock with same material number to the virtual plant with different material type ?  My concern is it  may lead to confusion  and will have  an audit question if you have a non valuated inventory and valuated one  in two different plants in the system. It needs Finance input also as it needs to be moved from one plant with valuation  to the other plant without valuation.

Do you think the proposed solution through custom report will have any issues?

Thanks again for your valuable input.

SS

[former_member42743]

I'm not an expert on finance but I believe you can set up the storage location so that inventory coming into it is considered as non-valuated. I.e. before you would transfer it out of the plant with the batch job.  So the plant transfer is non-valuated to non-valuated. 

I have no clue as to how this impacts finance.  I would assume that the material has to be written off at this point to a cost center and would be accurately tracked when you transfer it to the non-valuated storage location.  Once you've designated the material as reserve material, it really should be considered as non-valued stock as it shouldn't be considered as salable material.  By your SOP's and possibly by customer contract or governmental regulation you are required to hold these reserves.  Therefore they can't be sold and as a result shouldn't be considered an asset.

FF

[former_member42743]

"Is it possible to move  the stock with same material number to the virtual plant with different material type?"

No.  I'm not sure it's necessary anyway when you go to a new plant.

"Do you think the proposed solution through custom report will have any issues?"

Not 100% sure what you mean here but the biggest obstacle will be to maintain the necessary material master data in the virtual plant.  How is it set up/extended. Can you do this automatically?  If you have a stable number of materials and you don't get a bunch of new ones every week, it might be possible to just extend the materials to the virtual plant when the initial material master is created as part of your normal material creation process.

FF 

[ssubni]

The master data team will not extend the material to new virtual plant as it needs to go through different departments for approval and more than that the we need to use the same batch number for tracking and our batch number is at material level and if it creates a lot and if somebody did not do any action on it and if it puts the stock / batch into "restricted ' status  and it will stop all our delivery.

The objective is to create a non stock relevant inspection lot (15) for the reserve samples annually and at the expiry without affecting the stock. What I meant is to create ztable to flag the batch  for reserve sample inspection and update the table with  production date , SLED and the physical sample number (which is created for the reserve sample during production). then on weekly basis , program should run and check  for any annual inspection form the Ztable list  based on production date / expiry date and trigger inspection lot (QPR5) using old physical sample number which is not stock relevant.

we can trace the details through QA33 for all lots created for it and see the results. It will not have any effect as it is not stock relevant.

Thanks,

SS

[former_member42743]

Ok, you lost me in that whole first paragraph. 

In the virtual plant you wouldn't create the whole material master, and definitely not any sales, MRP, Costing views etc.. you'd probably only need a few views for it.  It's not a plant that would be used for any deliveries or anything. And I would set it up to be automatically done from the material once it's been set up and approved in your main plant.

For one, in the virtual plant you wouldn't have to turn on batch status.  But  even if you leave it on, the material SHOULD be inspected using the inspection interval dates.  Thus when the material becomes expired, all material everywhere of that batch should be restricted anyway. By that time you really shouldn't have material of that batch in your other plants.  So I'm not sure how it would affect your deliveries as it shouldn't ever be in a restricted status.

Your approach should work.

But I just reread your posting again.. and this is what I might do.

Post your reserves to the reserves storage location in the UD. Or do it manually from production.  Your choice.

Probably then I would copy QA07 in to a custom program and modify to allow selection of materials by material type.

Now you set up one batch job of QA07 for your raw materials.  Just like you do now, no change.

You set up a second batch job for your finished materials, (FERTS) and set the radio button so that inspection lots are created but the stock is not posted to QI.  You use the user exit for next inspection date to keep the next inspection date in sync with the expiration date.  I.e. once the new next inspection date is greater than the expiration date, you set the next inspection date to the expiration date.

This should have no affect on any inventory.

FF

[ssubni]

Hi FF,

Thanks a lot for your answer.

I liked the second idea. But I want to know the following things.

1. How can we configure different storage location assigned to sample usage only for finished product  for reserve samples during UD.

2. We are running several ZReports which tracks open inspection lots for the stock and which needs to be modified to exclude based on the reserve storage location. Is there any possibility that the QA07 program can be modified  to create inspection lot which are not stock relevant (with inspection type 15 with the combination of inspection interval from material master).

3. We have the user Exit during UD  to check for any open notifications  or open inspection lots for the batch which is stock relevant  and if the UD is not done for those batches , we cannot do the UD for the batch. So if the lot is not stock relevant , it will be excluded from the search.

Any inputs on this

SS

[former_member42743]

1. How can we configure different storage location assigned to sample usage only for finished product  for reserve samples during UD.

The storage location is configured under QM plant settings.  Is there a reason this needs to be only for finished product?  Or are you using it now for reserve samples for other materials? 

2. We are running several ZReports which tracks open inspection lots for the stock and which needs to be modified to exclude based on the reserve storage location. Is there any possibility that the QA07 program can be modified  to create inspection lot which are not stock relevant (with inspection type 15 with the combination of inspection interval from material master).

No. You would need to modify your report.  But I might consider to have it changed to exclude the 09 inspection lots since it doesn't sound like you want these inspections to impact anything.

3. We have the user Exit during UD  to check for any open notifications  or open inspection lots for the batch which is stock relevant  and if the UD is not done for those batches , we cannot do the UD for the batch. So if the lot is not stock relevant , it will be excluded from the search.

Again, I'd modify the user exit to exclude 09 inspection lots.

I think it's better to tweak user exits and reports you are already using rather then try and develop a whole other custom process to avoid tweaking them.  All the tweaks, the config, the modification of the QA07 program should all be considered fairly minor changes. 

FF