Storage Bins

In the menu option "Storage bins", you define the configuration for the storage bins in the Warehouse Management system. Before you create the storage bins (master data) you should work through this section as well as the section "Define field usage - Storage bin data" .

Define Storage Bin Types

You can divide your storage bins into groups (for example, large storage bins, small storage bins, and so on). A suitable storage bin is proposed by the system during stock placement in combination with the storage unit type.

Actions
1. Decide whether you want to use the "Storage bin type search". 2. Create your bin types with the corresponding names.

Define Blocking Reasons

In the Warehouse Management system, you can block the following units for stock placements and stock removals: Storage types Storage bins Quants Storage unit

You can enter the reason for the block (for example, assembly work) using the indicator "Blocking Reason".

Actions
Create your blocking indicators with the respective descriptions.

Define Storage Bin Structure

In the Warehouse Management system, you can create a sequence of similar storage bins automatically. Example for setting up similar storage bins Define the parameters required for creating storage bins in the table "Storage Bin Structures".

In this table, you must also define which warehouse master data (for example, storage section, firecontainment section, and so on) you want to create when you generate the structures.

Actions
1. Create your storage bin structures in the detail screen. 2. From the menu bar (detail screen), select: "Environment --> Create bins" to generate your storage bins.

Note
This function can also be found in the application menu (menu option "Master data").

Material
In this menu option you configure the material master records that are relevant for the Warehouse Management system. Before you create the material masters, you should work through this section and the section "Define field usage - Material master" .

Define Storage Type Indicators

With this indicator you can control whether certain materials are placed into or removed from stock in certain storage types with a higher priority. This leads to a classification of your materials and allows you to use the stock placement or stock removal strategies in an optimum way.

Default settings
In the SAP standard system, examples are preset for warehouse numbers 001 and 002.

Actions
1. Classify your materials according to certain criteria (for example, small parts, materials for block storage). 2. Create your storage type indicators with the respective descriptions.

Further information
You will find more information on this subject area in chapter "Strategies - Storage type search"

Define Storage Unit Types

With the indicator for the storage unit type, it is possible to distinguish pallets or other containers on which a material is stored or transported. The classification of your storage units allows you to use the stock placement strategies in an optimal way.

The storage unit type is taken into account during stock placements if you have activated the "storage bin type search".

Default settings
In the SAP standard system, examples are preset for warehouse numbers 001 and 002.

ACTIONS
1. Decide whether you want to use the storage bin type search. 2. Classify your storage units (for example, Europallets, wire boxes) according to certain criteria (for example, certain packing height for Europallets). 3. Create your storage unit types with the respective descriptions/names.

Define Storage Section Indicators

The storage section indicator divides materials into groups with the same characteristics. With the storage section indicator , you can assign certain material groups to special storage sections. With this classification method, you can use the stock placement strategies in an optimum way.

Default settings
In the SAP standard system, examples are preset for warehouse numbers 001 and 002.

Actions
1. Decide whether you want to use "storage section search". 2. Classify your materials according to certain criteria (for example, fast-moving items, bulky materials, extremely heavy materials, and so on). 3. Create your storage section indicators with the corresponding description.

Define Special Movement Indicators

The special movement indicator divides materials of the same feature characteristics into groups. Using the special movement indicator you can, for example, allocate different movement types in the to a movement type in Inventory Management. If this indicator is entered manually on the initial screens of the goods movements in Materials Management (WMS parameter), the indicators from the material masters are ignored.

Default settings
In the SAP standard system, examples are preset for warehouse numbers 001 and 002.

Actions
1. Classify your materials according to certain criteria (for example, bulky materials, extremely heavy materials, and so on). 2. Create your special movement indicators with the corresponding description. 3. Allocate special movement indicators to the materials in the material master data.

Further Notes
You will find further information in the section "Interfaces - Inventory Managment".

Define Bulk Storage Indicators

The bulk storage indicator classifies materials according to the way they are stored in the bulk storage area. The bulk storage indicator refers to how a material can be stacked. It serves as the criterion for defining the structure of the bulk area. A bulk storage indicator can be assigned to each material stored in a bulk storage area. Materials that are similar in the way they are stacked are assigned the same bulk storage indicator.

Activities
1. Classify the materials you want to store in a bulk storage area according to their stackability. 2. Define the appropriate bulk storage indicators. 3. Assign the bulk storage indicators to the appropriate materials in the material master data section. 4. Use the defined bulk storage indicators when you define the bulk storage structures in your bulk storage area.

Further Notes
For more information, refer to the section "Define Strategy for Bulk Storage".

Strategies
In the Warehouse Management system (LE-WM) you support strategies in order to receive proposals from the SAP System regarding which storage bins the goods are to be put away from which storage bins goods are to be picked.

There are two basic strategies in the system: putaway strategies

picking strategies

With the help of these strategies, the SAP system can use the available transfer and warehouse capacity optimally. For each storage type , you must define a putaway and a picking strategy.

Recommendation
To be able to take a closer look at the processes involved in the storage bin search (that is, processes that involve interaction between the material master data and the data from the system configuration menu in Warehouse Management), you can use the function "Log Bin Search". You can call up this function from the preparation screens for stock placements and stock removals and from the single item screen for creating transfer orders (menu option "Environment"). This bin search log supports, on the one hand, the work of the project team in the implementation phase and, on the other hand, the analysis of Customizing errors during productive operation.

Activate Storage Type Search

For putaway or pick operations, the Warehouse Management System (WMS) must know: into which storage types materials can be placed from which storage types materials can be removed

In the WMS, a storage type is determined as follows: 1. In the case of a putaway, you generally know where the material for the putaway is coming from. In the case of a pick, you generally know to where the material to be removed is to be transferred. Information on the location from where the material is to be picked is either stored in the transfer requirement or determined by the system using the WM movement type. 2. The system must then know into which storage type the material should be placed, or from which storage type the material should be removed. The table "Storage type search", which you are setting here, provides this information. In this table, you store the preferred sequence of storage types to be searched for the material for putaways or picks. If you have activated the storage unit check , this check also influences the storage type search. In this case, the storage unit type from the transfer order is also checked against the allowed storage units per storage type. The system finds this information via the table "Allowed storage unit types / storage type", which you are also setting here. For further information on this subject, refer to the chapter Storage type search. 3. Furthermore, you can influence the storage type search using other indicators: process indicator (for example, stock placement or removal) storage type indicator from the material master stock category indicator

special stock indicator storage class water pollution class (WPC) reference movement type

The indicators storage class and water pollution class influence the storage type search. If you are not implementing Hazardous Material Management, you do not need to pay attention to these parameters. For information on how to activate Hazardous Material Management, refer to the chapter Hazardous materials". 4. As mentioned above, different indicators influence the storage type search. If, however, you are using storage type indicators and you also have materials with different stock categories or materials with different special stocks, the number of required entries in the storage type search table can become quite large. To reduce the number of entries, you can define an access strategy for the storage type search table. With the help of this access strategy, the system determines the required entries in the storage type search table as follows: The system first tries to find a suitable match, that is, an entry in the storage type search table with all the relevant indicators from the material master and, if available, from the hazardous material master. If the system does not find a suitable entry in the storage type search table, it again tries to read this table, but this time using the access strategy.

Actions
Set the required parameters for the "Storage type search" in the specified sequence: 1. Storage type indicator Using the storage type indicator, you can ensure that certain materials are only removed from certain storage types or placed into certain storage types in the order of preference you have defined. You define the valid storage type indicators in the table for "Storage type indicators". 2. Storage type search Now define the sequence of storage types to be searched by the system for stock putaway and stock pick proposals. Make sure that you enter the correct indicators for stock putaway and stock pick in the appropriate column. If you want the system to search through the entire warehouse number for a stock pick, enter "***" (stands for stringent FIFO) as the storage type. The system will then search the entire warehouse for the oldest

stock of the material. The entry "+++" means that the system branches to the user exit to the stringent FIFO process ( MWMTO013). If you are using the 2-step picking procedure , make sure that the destination storage type of the pick step is used as the source storage type for distributing the accumulated quantities. For the storage type search with the 2step picking process, define activity type "2" (Column " Activity"). 1. Movement type references In the Warehouse Management component, you can set up the system so that for eachWM movement type certain storage types are proposed. If you want to use this mechanism, set up the necessary reference movement types for the movement types concerned. These reference movement types must be taken into account in the table "Storage type search". 2. Access optimization for storage type search Instructions for access strategy for the storage type search table

Activate Storage Section Search

In the Warehouse Management System (WMS), a section is found in the following manner: 1. If the WMS is to search for a suitable storage section, it first searches for a suitable . The storage type is determined during the storage type search. 1. If the system has found a suitable storage type, it then determines the corresponding putaway strategy. It finds this information in the "Storage type" table. 2. Now the system must "know" into which storage section the material is to be placed. The table "Storage section search", which you are setting here, provides this information. This table contains a preference list for the storage sections into which the materials should preferably be stored. The system first searches for a bin in the first storage section. If it does not find a bin there, it continues its search in the second section, and so on. 3. In addition, you can influence the storage section search using the following indicators: storage section indicator from the material master storage class water pollution class (WPC)

The WMS only takes the indicators "Storage class" and "Water pollution class" into account if Hazardous Material Management has been activated. To find out how to activate Hazardous Material management, refer to the section " Hazardous materials".

4. In the WMS, you can enter the storage bins for putaway manually. In this case, the system checks whether the bin you have entered is in a storage section that is allowed for the material concerned.

Requirements
You must have the storage section check active. This check depends on the strategy you have chosen. It can be implemented for all the putaway strategies , with the exception of the Fixed Bin Strategy.

Actions
Set the required parameters for the "Storage section check" in the sequence specified: 1. Storage section indicator You can assign a storage section indicator to each material. This indicator enables you to have materials placed into storage in special storage sections. You define the valid storage section indicators in the corresponding table. 2. Storage section search For each storage section indicator, you can have up to ten storage sections in one storage type. During putaway, the system first looks for a bin in the first storage section; if it does not find a suitable bin here, it goes on to the next section, and so on. 3. Activate the storage section search.

Activate Storage Bin Type Search

The Warehouse Management System (WMS) can manage different sizes of storage bins within a . The storage bins are determined during the storage bin search: 1. It is generally known which loading equipment ( storage unit type) is required to place the material into stock. This information is either entered manually OR can be found in the material master .

In this case, the SAP System suggests the relevant storage unit type for the putaway as a default. 2. Then the WMS checks if the storage unit which is to be placed into stock may be put away in the storage typed determined by the storage type search. The table "Allowed storage unit types per storage type" contains details on which storage unit types (SUTs) may be used in which storage types. This table defines which storage unit type may be used within each storage type. Up to 10 storage units may be assigned per storage type.

If more than 10 storage units are required per storage type, it is possible to activate the weak SUT check. To do this, enter *** in this table as the allowed SUT. This has the effect that, in theory, all SUTs are allowed for this storage type. The system then searches for a bin that matches the storage unit type according to the allowed storage bin type per SUT. 3. Then the system searches for a suitable storage bin using the putaway strategy. For this purpose you have assigned a storage bin type to each storage bin in the master data. Via the table "Storage bin type search" the WMS finds information on which SUTs match which storage bin types. The search for a subsequent storage bin type is restricted to the permitted storage bin types which are run through sequentially according to the sequence of entries in this table.

4. If you manually enter the storage bin during putaway, the WMS checks if the SUT may be used on the relevant storage bin.

Requirements
The storage unit type check parameters must be activated. This check is independent of a particular strategy. You can use it for all putaway strategies.

Recommendation
If you wish to implement the above weak SUT-check, check your table options exactly as performance problems may arise if the customizing option is not properly set. The following example should illustrate these problems and their solution: Storage bin types P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 are allowed for storage unit type E1. E1 is to be placed in stock in storage type 001. Here there are only storage bins of type P0. Normally E1 would not be included in the storage unit types allowed for storage type 001. The WMS recognizes this and searches for a bin in the next storage type. A weak SUT check is when the database is accessed 5 times unsuccessfully. This number increases depending on how many different storage sections you work with at one time.

You can check the Customizing options via the storage bin determination log (transport order management). Multiple access to the database does not greatly impair performance. The number of times the database is accessed in this way can be decreased using an optimized storage type search.

Activities
Set the parameters for bin type search in the following sequence: 1. Bin types Divide your storage bins into groups (for example, large bins, small bins).

2. Check your warehouse master data and, if necessary, fill in any missing storage bin types. 3. Storage unit types Classify your storage units (for example, by palette type). 4. Check your material masters and add palletization data, if this has not already been done. 5. Allocation of storage unit types / storage type For each storage type, define which storage unit types may be placed into stock in this storage type. 6. Allocation of storage unit types / storage bin types For each storage bin type, define which storage unit type may be put away. 7. Activate the storage unit type control function in the putaway control parameters for the desired storage bin.