Introduction

Wyeth’s Experiences with Handling Unit Management

Gregory Shannon

Wyeth SAP Core Team

Company Profile

Wyeth is a research-based global pharmaceutical company responsible for some of today’s most innovative medicines. Some of which include:

• Premarin – Hormone replacement therapy

• Prempro – Hormone replacement therapy

• Effexor – Rheumatoid arthritis therapy

• Protonix – Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder

• Prevnar – Pneumococcal vaccine

Company Profile (cont’d)

Wyeth also manufactures a large line of over-the-counter medications available at drug stores and supermarkets everywhere. Some of which include:

• Advil family of products

• Robitussin & Dimetapp elixirs

• Caltrate

• Preparation H

• Centrum family of products

Business Environment

SAP was implemented in February of 2001 at a manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico. The implementation encompassed MM, PP-PI, Purchasing, Quality Management, and Warehouse Management. FI, PM, Finished stock, and MRO purchasing were already live.

Requirements

The Manufacturing plant ships Finished Stock to the distribution center, which in turns ships to the customer. There was a need to bar-code a label that is shipped from the Manufacturing plant to the DC.

Manufacturing plant

Distribution Center

Customer

Handling Unit

Requirements (cont’d)

The Distribution Centers have the requirement to perform Goods Receipt via an RF terminal into their external Warehouse Management systems.

Proposed Solution

Storage unit management did not meet the requirements because:

• The SU number did not appear anywhere on the delivery.

• The SU number disappeared once the stock entered the GI storage type.

Proposed Solution (cont’d)Handling unit management met the desired

requirements because:

• The HU number gets packed into the outbound delivery.

• At goods issue, it is possible to send the HU number via IDoc into the destination system.

• The Handling unit number range could be different than the SU number range due to requirements of the destination systems.

• The Handling unit number will never go away.

Structure

PLANTRM06

PLANTRM06

SLOC1000

SLOC1000

SLOC1002 - HUSLOC

1002 - HU

SLOC3000

SLOC3000

SLOC3002 - WMSLOC

3002 - WM

WHSE.RM1

WHSE.RM1

Process – Setup Reqs. ITo activate Handling Unit management, the storage location

must be designated as HU-managed. This means that all materials in the storage location must have an HU number assigned.

The partner storage location is a non-HU managed storage location into which quantities can be issued outside of HUM. It is also useful in unpacking, scrapping, and transfer postings.

In a WM environment, there must be a repacking storage type designated. Pallets cannot be unpacked from within their primary storage type. A Transfer Order must be created into a repacking storage type so that quantities can be unpacked.

Process – Setup Reqs. II

Master data requirements must be followed as well.

• Packaging instruction – Piece of master data that tells the HU transaction codes how much of a material is packed into each Handling Unit.

• WM II – The palletization information on the WMII view must be equal to the packaging instruction, or picking will become a problem.

• Packaging material – When a handling unit is created, a finished material is packed onto an HU, which uses a packaging material (Such as PALLET, BOX, CARTON, etc.)

Process – GR Overview

Handling Unitscreated

(COWBPACK)

Handling Unitscreated

(COWBPACK)

Labels and TOs for put-away are automatically generated through configured print parameters. HU label SAPScript is defined as the HU slip in configuration.

Handling Unitsreceived

(COWBHUWE)

Handling Unitsreceived

(COWBHUWE)

Handling UnitQtys. updated

(HU02)

Handling UnitQtys. updated

(HU02)

Process – HU createAfter Process Order release for a Finished good, the user runs transaction code COWBPACK. This transaction creates the handling unit numbers that will be assigned to the finished batch based on the order quantity. Each handling unit represents a full pallet of the finished material, with a single handling unit of less than a full pallet.

At this point, the system has only created the numbers to be assigned. Due to scrap factors, shortages, damages, etc., the number of HUs received will differ from what was actually created.

Master data: The Packaging instruction tells the COWBPACK program how many units per pallet.

Process – HU Change

If it is determined that a Handling Unit will be received for a quantity different from what it was originally created, the value must be adjusted prior to GR. Adjustment afterwards is a multi-step process.

The original pallet quantity must be unpacked, changed, repacked (all from the same screen), and saved.

Process – Goods ReceiptOnce all of the necessary adjustments are made, the Goods

receipt can take place. Business process in some plants is to receive pallet by pallet. Each GR creates a Transfer Order for put-away into the finished goods staging area. The user runs transaction code COWBHUWE to perform HU GR.

From the HU selection screen, all HUs that will not be received are “deleted” so that the next available HU can be received. This does not delete the HU, it only removes it from the selection screen.

Once the GR is posted, HU labels are generated as the put-away TOs are created.

Process – HU Delete

If any Handling Units will not be used (expected yield is several pallets less than what was created), it is good practice to delete the unused Handling Units.

Transaction HUMO is the Handling Unit Monitor. It reports on various statuses of a handling unit, whether it is received, where it is, what delivery it left on, etc.

From this screen, selected HUs can be deleted.

Process – Summary

Goods receipt of Process orders using Handling Unit management is done with specific HU transaction codes. Attempting to use MIGO, MB31, etc. will result in error messages.

• COWBPACK – Create HU

• HU02 – Adjust HU prior to GR

• COWBHUWE – Receive HU

Process – Example IaScenario:

A pallet was received, and a sample must be withdrawn from the existing HU quantity. The user must:

• Create a TO to move the pallet into the repacking storage type.

• Unpack the desired quantity (the unpacked quantity moves into the partner storage location), repack and save.

• Create a TO to move the pallet back into the stocking storage type.

From the partner storage location, the quantity can be withdrawn via standard IM transactions.

Process – Example IbScenario:

A pallet was received, and a sample must be withdrawn from the existing HU quantity. The user must:

• Post MB1a transaction to consume a quantity from HU-managed sloc. Instead of a material document, user gets a Delivery number.

• Create Pick TO for this delivery number. A Pick HU is created. This is the new HU for the unpacked amount.

• Confirm TO and Post goods issue on the delivery.

SAP transacts handling units with deliveries whenever possible.

Process – Example IIScenario:

An entire pallet must be withdrawn for scrapping or issuance to a cost center. The user must:

• Create a TO to move the pallet into the repacking storage type.

• Run transaction VLMOVE to consume via scrapping, cost center, etc.

VLMOVE takes the place of MB1a and MB1b for certain movements. This transaction can ONLY be used when moving a full Handling Unit.

Configuration

Configuration settings required:

• Storage location must be defined as HU-managed, and the partner storage location must be defined.

• HU number range must be set.

• WM parameters identified

Repacking storage type and bin

Assignment of SUT to the packaging material type

Control parameters for Pick HU creation

Recent Enhancements

After implementation at the Puerto Rico facility, the Richmond plant required some business changes:

• HU labels were to generate upon HU creation, not GR.

• Put-away TOs were to automatically confirm into the finished goods storage type.

• Richmond finished goods were to be managed under the same warehouse number as the raw materials and components.

Process – Setup Reqs. III

All of the previous master data still needed to be set up, but in addition, condition records for the HU output also needed to be created. These records specified immediate print to a label printer, and were executed from the COWBPACK transaction.

Troubleshooting

There are some current issues that should be taken into consideration:

• Packing onto a delivery:If a HU is incorrectly picked, a Pick HU may be inadvertently created. When this occurs, often the user will have to delete a delivery and restart the TO confirmation process. SAP will not allow re-picking of a HU any more than it allows re-picking of a TR once it is fully confirmed. However, with HUs, additional steps must be run to dis-associate the HU from the delivery before the delivery can be deleted.

Troubleshooting

There are some current issues that should be taken into consideration:

• Full pallet removal:When storing Handling units in a Bulk storage type, take care to verify the master data on the packaging instruction with the WMII palletization data. Inconsistencies will result in more errors than with SUs.

Enter the Process order and ENTER.

Demo: HU Create

Demo: HU Create

By entering the Batch, the user will report on all HUs for a specific process order.

Demo: HU display

Listed above are all of the HUs for a process order.

Demo: HU Display

The screen above starts the transaction to change a Handling Unit quantity prior to Goods Receipt.

Demo: HU Change

Enter the HU number in the proper field and press ENTER. This will show the material-specific information.

Demo: HU Change

Demo: HU Change

Select both the Handling Unit and the Material lines and click Empty (Unpack). Because the Handling unit was already “packed,” the user must unpack to change the quantity.

Once the HU is unpacked, enter the new stump quantity and click Pack. The changes can then be saved.

Demo: HU Change

Running HUMO again reveals the updated HU quantity.

Demo: HU Change

By clicking Propose HU, the system will display all un-received Handling Units. The user may or may not want to receive all of the displayed HUs.

Demo: HU Receipt

Demo: HU Receipt

Clicking Save will post the inventory into IM and WM.

Demo: HU Receipt

After Goods Receipt, the Handling Unit Monitor looks like this.

Demo: HU Delete

Packaging Instruction:

This data element applies to Finished Goods. A Packaging instruction tells the system how much of a material gets packed onto a pallet. This is accessed when performing transaction COWBPACK.

Demo: Master Data

Packaging Instruction Determination:

This setting is necessary to assign the instruction to the material. It looks like it should already be assigned, but when COWBPACK is run, it looks here to see a link.

Demo: Master Data

Questions???

Gregory Shannon

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

484-563-3070

Shannog@wyeth.com