Lesson 4 of 6
Packaging specifications
9 min
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Alternators arrive from the assembly line in cartons, and cartons travel on pallets. Voltage regulator kits CMC-RGL-050, a trade good bought from Lakeside Components, arrive in cartons of 10, twelve cartons (120 kits) to a pallet. EWM needs to know these patterns to propose handling units, split putaway into pallet-sized tasks and pack correctly for customers. The master data object for this is the packaging specification.
What a packaging specification contains
Packaging materials are themselves materials with limits such as maximum weight and volume. Work steps carry instructions ("strap with two bands, label on the short side") with a code, so they can be reused across specifications. Element groups can be reused too, which keeps hundreds of similar specifications manageable.
Where packaging specifications are used
- Palletization at goods receipt: 48 alternators received with a 24-per-pallet specification become two putaway warehouse tasks of 24 each.
- Automatic packing of inbound delivery items into handling units.
- Packing during task confirmation and at packing work centers such as Contoso's PK01.
- Deconsolidation, splitting mixed inbound pallets, including on mobile devices.
- Value-added services, where the specification defines the work steps of a VAS order.
- Quantity classification for strategies, for example picking full pallets from one storage type and loose cartons from another.
- Inbound delivery for 48 pcCMC-ALT-100 from the Detroit line or a supplier
- Determine specificationCondition technique finds PS-ALT-100 for warehouse 1710 and the product
- Read levelsLevel 1: 1 pc per carton · Level 2: 24 cartons per pallet
- Propose handling unitsTwo pallets of 24 cartons
- Create putaway tasksTwo tasks, one per pallet, each to its own bin in 0010
How EWM finds the right one
EWM determines packaging specifications with the condition technique, the same pattern used for pricing and output: a determination procedure per use (SAP's palletization example is procedure 0PAL), condition types, access sequences, and condition tables with key fields. The standard palletization table keys on supply chain unit and product, so a specification can differ by warehouse. The fields available depend on the process: the ship-to is known in outbound packing but not when pick handling units are created at warehouse order creation.
That determination step is where most defects hide. A specification can be perfectly built and still never used because no condition record points to it, or because the record exists for another warehouse. When packing proposals are missing, check the condition record before the specification.
When you need them, and when you don't
Contoso sits in the top-right quadrant for alternators and regulator kits; rotors need no specification here, because they go straight to 171S and never enter EWM. Contoso's ECC system has packing instructions; SAP supports transferring packing instructions into EWM packaging specifications (in embedded EWM, through the core interface within SAP S/4HANA since 1809). Marcus's team decided to rebuild the 30 specifications by hand instead, because the ECC instructions were out of date. SAP's newer unified package builder can cover some packing processes too; whether Contoso uses it is a design decision recorded in the solution documentation.
| What goes wrong in testing | Cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 48 alternators received as one task of 48 | No condition record for PS-ALT-100 in warehouse 1710 | Condition records for palletization (procedure 0PAL) |
| Pallets of 120 regulator kits overload the bin | Level 2 quantity entered per pallet but packaging material limits too low or missing | Packaging material weight and volume limits |
| Specification ignored after a change | New version saved but not activated | Status of the specification is active |
| Wrong specification for Chicago transfers | Condition record keyed on product only, not warehouse | Condition table key fields |
Packaging specification defects and where to look.
- A packaging specification has a header, content, levels, and element groups with packaging materials and work steps.
- It drives palletization, automatic packing, packing at work centers, deconsolidation, VAS and quantity classification.
- EWM finds specifications with the condition technique; missing condition records are a common cause of missing proposals.
- Use as many specifications as the processes need, no more.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. A receipt of 48 alternators produces two putaway tasks of 24. What most likely caused the split?
2. How does EWM determine which packaging specification to use?
3. What can an element in a packaging specification level contain?
4. A well-built specification is never used in tests. What should you check first?