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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 4 of 6

Packing, staging and loading

10 min

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Picked goods are not yet shippable. They need to be packed for the customer, labeled, brought to the right door and loaded on the right truck. EWM can model each step, and each step changes a status that sales, transportation and finance rely on. This lesson follows the Great Lakes order from pick handling unit to truck.

Packing at a work center

Contoso picks loose alternators into totes and packs them at work center PK01 in storage type 8010. A packing work center is a bin in a storage type with the work center role; its layout decides which screens and functions the packer sees. The packer scans the pick handling unit, creates a shipping handling unit (a pallet or carton with a packaging material), moves products into it, weighs and closes it, and prints the label. In SAP GUI the general packing transaction is /SCWM/PACK in most systems; SAP Fiori apps for packing outbound deliveries exist in recent releases, so check which UI your project uses.

  1. Pick HU arrives at PK01Tote with 2 loose CMC-ALT-100 from fixed bin P-02-05
  2. Create shipping HUCarton with packaging material; the two full pallets of 24 from 0010 are already shipping HUs
  3. RepackMove 2 pc from the tote to the shipping HU; empty the tote
  4. Close and labelWeight captured; shipping label printed
  5. Move to stagingWarehouse task to the staging bin for door DR05 in 9020
Packing the loose part of the Great Lakes order.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-ewm-203

Not every warehouse packs at a work center. Pickers can pack directly into shipping handling units during picking (pick-and-pack), or full pallets can ship as received. Whether packing happens, and where, is controlled by the storage process when process-oriented storage control is used, or by the destination set in the warehouse order creation rule. A test case should name which path it expects.

Three packing paths; the test case must name which one it expects, because the storage process or warehouse order creation rule decides it.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-ewm-203

Staging and loading

Staging moves packed handling units to the staging area for the door, a section in a staging area group storage type such as 9020. Staging bins can be divided to reflect a loading sequence. Loading moves the handling units from the staging area onto the vehicle or transportation unit. EWM can model loading as tasks, or simply post goods issue when the truck leaves. More advanced shipping and receiving functions, such as transportation units and yard management, sit on the advanced side of EWM, so check what your project licensed and scoped.

PickingPick tasks confirmed; delivery order picking status complete
PackingShipping handling units created and closed at PK01
StagingHandling units in the staging bin for door DR05 (storage type 9020)
LoadingHandling units on the truck for route GL-NORTH, if loading is modeled
Goods issuePosted manually, at staging, or at departure (next lesson)
Outbound steps after picking and the evidence each leaves.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-ewm-203

Statuses that tell the story

The outbound delivery order carries status values for each step, such as picking, packing, staging, loading and goods issue, shown on its status tab. The logistics delivery shows a summary that sales sees. A frequent test finding is a status that stays "partially completed" because one item's task was never confirmed, which then blocks goods issue. Before declaring a defect, open the delivery order and look at its open tasks and warehouse orders.

One unconfirmed task keeps a step partially completed, and an incomplete step blocks goods issue for the whole delivery order.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-ewm-203
What you seeLikely reasonWhere to look
Picking partially completedAn open or denied task for one itemDelivery order tasks; warehouse monitor
Packing not started though pickedHandling units still in pick totesWork center PK01 inbound section
Staged at the wrong doorDoor or staging area determinationDelivery order header data
Goods issue blockedOpen quantities or incomplete stepsDelivery order status tab and logs

Reading outbound status problems.

What would you do?

All 50 alternators for Great Lakes are picked and packed, but staged at door DR04 while the GL-NORTH truck is at DR05. Goods issue has not been posted. What should Marcus's team do and record?

Key points
  • Packing happens at work centers (or during picking); shipping handling units carry packaging material, weight and label.
  • Staging moves goods to the staging area for the door; loading moves them to the vehicle.
  • Statuses on the outbound delivery order show which step is incomplete.
  • Transportation units and yard functions are advanced scope; confirm what your project uses.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Where does Contoso pack loose picked alternators?

  2. 2. What is staging in EWM outbound?

  3. 3. Goods issue is blocked and picking shows partially completed. What do you check?

  4. 4. Which outbound functions may depend on advanced EWM scope?