Advanced Shipping & Receiving
After upgrading the insideSCM systems to the S/4HANA 2022 release, we have implemented the latest version of Advanced Shipping & Receiving (hereinafter ASR). In this blog, we are pleased to share our experience.
As described by Ricardo Post in the January update, it is a very interesting development, simplifying the integration and communication between Transportation Management (TM) and Extended Warehouse Management (EWM). Due to direct integration, the use of Transportation Units (TUs) is no longer necessary, and communication occurs via Freight Orders (FOs). Process steps are visible from the moment a truck arrives at the gate until goods receipt or 'goods issue' is posted in the warehouse. Information flows freely through the different components, providing insight into the status of the goods during the process.
Below is an overview of the ASR process.
ASN stands for Advanced Shipping Notification.
In addition to removing the Transportation Units, ASR also has the ability to add two objects, namely consignment orders and loading/unloading points.
A consignment order in TM represents a document that can be used to group various transport needs based on certain criteria. Think of the same source and destination location, the same delivery dates, and the same business partner. This document forms the basis for communication between the involved parties. For example, a supplier can communicate with its receiver about which products are being delivered where and when via a unique ID that serves as a reference and is available to the parties involved.
ASR also offers full EDI support, allowing the processing of truck loads to be automatically configured. Communication is all done via 1 document, and thanks to the new 'error handling,' information is also shared if there is still an error in the message. The missing information can then be filled in manually until the problem is resolved.
Loading/unloading points are a group of doors in the warehouse with the same function, such as receiving or outgoing goods. For example, a warehouse worker in EWM can see where the goods need to be placed, and a transport planner in TM can see which door or dock a truck needs to load. For this purpose, SAP provides the new app "Load or Unload Freight Orders" (see screenshot below).
In addition to the above-mentioned objects and EDI support, ASR also offers several new or improved functionalities. One of them is multi-pick/multi-drop, allowing a truck to unload and load at the same location on a multi-stop route with just one business document.
Furthermore, ASR enables cross-warehouse loading/unloading to load stocks from IM and EWM warehouses together in the same truck. This was not possible before and leads to faster processing speeds.
Interested?
If you have any questions, we can demonstrate the possibilities, how it works and feels (look & feel), and explain in more detail the benefits of Advanced Shipping & Receiving. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us!