Configured items on purchase schedules

In an assembly environment, for example a car or truck manufacturer, end products are produced on an assembly line in a variety of configurations. During the sales process, the options are specified, such as horse power, color, and size of the required end product. This results in a specific configuration of the product that will be sold to the customer. Based on the demand, which is triggered by assembly planning, assembly parts in different configurations must be purchased.

These configured items can be purchased via purchase schedules, which contain the configuration information (options and features) needed for the supplier to produce the product. Planned requirements are sent to the supplier in a material release, which is generated by the order plan. Actual requirements are called-off by means of a sequence shipping schedule, which is triggered by the call-off on the assembly line. Based on the sequence shipping schedule, the configured item is received in the correct sequence and stored with the configuration information.

Note

Configurable purchased items can only be sold as a part in a configured end item.

Master data

If you want to use configured items in the purchase schedule procedure, define the following master data:

For information on general purchase schedule master data, refer to Overview of purchase schedule handling.

Pull forecast schedules

If the Use Message Material Release check box is selected for the configurable item in the Purchase Contract Line Logistic Data (tdpur3102m000) session, first planned schedule requirements must be communicated. Therefore, always a pull forecast schedule is generated that precedes the pull call-off sequence shipping schedule.

The pull forecast schedule, which is generated in the Purchase Schedule - Lines (tdpur3610m000) session, is based on an actual demand order in Enterprise Planning. A normal contract is automatically linked to the purchase schedule. However, instead, you can link a special contract to the schedule. When LN links a contract to the purchase schedule, the schedule header is loaded with the configurable item and the default values of the linked contract. If the Option List ID is filled on the schedule line, the schedule line contains the configured item.

For more information on the steps that are carried out in the pull forecast schedule procedure, refer to Pull forecast schedules.

Sequence shipping schedules

To order the configured items, in the Purchase Schedule - Lines (tdpur3610m000) session, a pull call-off schedule of the sequence shipping schedule type is generated by Assembly Control. The item's options and features are stored in the Purchase Schedule - Lines (tdpur3111m000) and Sequence Shipping data (tdpur3517m000) sessions.

Based on the sequence shipping schedule, the configured item is received in the correct sequence and stored with the configuration information.

For more information on:

Configured item prices

If a configurable item is specified in the Purchase Contract Lines (tdpur3101m000) session, the Option Based Pricing check box is automatically selected and unavailable. If this check box is selected, item prices are retrieved from the generic price list in the Generic Price Lists (tipcf4101m000) session and not from the Purchase Contract Prices (tdpur3103m000) session. The generic price list contains the date effective prices for a configured item.

Discounts are always retrieved from the linked purchase contract price revision and must still be recorded in the Purchase Contract Prices (tdpur3103m000) session. But because discounts are optional, contract lines that use option based pricing need not have a linked purchase contract price revision.

Note

The schedule line date, which is determined by the Price Date Type field in the Pricing Parameters (tdpcg0100m000) session, is used to search for the current price on the generic price list or the purchase contract price revision.

Configuration changes

To support configuration changes on assembly orders, in Procurement:

  • Configuration changes are communicated to the sequence shipping schedule lines. How a configuration change is handled, depends on whether or not the sequence shipping schedule line is already sent in a purchase release. For more information, refer to Sequence shipping schedules.
  • Configured items can be received that deviate from the ordered configured items.
Receipts of deviating configured items

If a configured item is received that deviates from the ordered configured item, different scenarios can be distinguished to handle the wrong item at the moment of receipt:

  • Return item immediately
    During (physical) goods receipt, the deviating configured item is not registered in LN, but immediately returned by the carrier.
  • Store item, but request a correct item for the schedule line
    The deviating configured item is received as an unexpected warehouse receipt and registered in the Purchase Orders (tdpur4100m000) session as a purchase order with the Warehousing Receipt origin. Therefore, the deviating item is not received against the schedule line, which remains open for receiving the correct configured item. To make use of this scenario, you must select the Generate Order for Unexpected Warehouse Receipt check box in the Items - Purchase Business Partner (tdipu0110m000) session.
  • Receive item against schedule line, but return item later
    The deviating configured item is first received against the schedule line, but then returned by means of a return order in the Purchase Orders (tdpur4100m000) session. The return order can be linked to the original purchase schedule or purchase schedule receipt. The order lines can also be copied from the purchase schedule history.
  • Receive item against schedule line, but reject item later and require a correct item
    The deviating configured item is first received against the schedule line, but, after evaluation of the received configuration, it is decided to delete the receipt and not register it against the schedule. The planned receipt remains open. The deviating configured item can be returned by the carrier or received as an unexpected warehouse receipt. This scenario is especially applicable if ASN’s are used, which require that receipts are registered against the schedule.
  • Store item and agree with customer to use this item
    The deviating configured item is received against the schedule line and used as it is received. Therefore, the configuration must be changed on the assembly order.
Note

If, in the Purchase Orders (tdpur4100m000) session, the deviating configured item is registered as an unexpected warehouse receipt, or returned on a return order of the Return Inventory type, the Option List ID field is also specified in the Purchase Order Lines (tdpur4101m000) session.

Price and discounts of deviating configured items

If a receipt is confirmed of a configured item that deviates from the ordered configured item, the price and discounts of the received configured item can also deviate from the ordered item's price and discounts. To always use the price and discounts of the received configuration, in the Sequence Shipping data (tdpur3517m000) session, LN retrieves the price and discounts from the last Sent sequence shipping schedule line revision with a configured item that is equal to the received configured item.

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