To subcontract freight order clusters

To subcontract the transport planning and the transportation of particular goods to a carrier, you must carry out the following procedure.

Step 1. Generate freight order clusters

The first step of the subcontracting procedure is generating freight order clusters. To generate a freight order cluster, you must select the freight order lines that you want to subcontract and run the batch process that groups these freight order lines into freight order clusters.

Freight order clusters are generated in the Generate Freight Order Clusters (fmfoc3200m000) session. For further information on how to select the freight order lines that you want to cluster and run the freight order clustering batch process, see Generate Freight Order Clusters (fmfoc3200m000).

Freight order line conditions for clustering

For a freight order line to be subcontracted, the following conditions must be met:

  • The LoadPlanning check box must be cleared in the Freight Order Lines (fmfoc2101m000) session. Whether this check box is selected or cleared can be controlled in various ways. For further information, see The load planning attribute and To set up subcontracting.
  • The status of the freight order line can be Expected or In Progress. For further information on freight order line statuses, see Freight order statuses.
  • The freight order line cannot be grouped in another cluster, regardless of the cluster status.
  • To start up the clustering process, the user must be authorized for the shipping office and planning group of the freight order line.

To be clustered, a freight order line must meet all of these conditions. Freight order lines that could not be clustered in a particular clustering batch-process run are listed in a report. Reports are run if the Reports check box is selected in the Generate Freight Order Clusters (fmfoc3200m000) session.

Step 2. Actualize freight order clusters

When a freight order cluster is finalized, you can actualize the cluster to indicate that the cluster is ready to be offered to the carrier and the subcontracting order can be printed.

To actualize a freight order cluster, a carrier and a transport means group must be entered for the cluster. Carriers and transport means groups can be added to the freight order clusters as follows:

  • Carriers and transport means groups are inserted in the freight order or freight order lines on which the clusters are based.
  • Carriers and transport means groups are selected during the freight order clustering process.
  • Carriers and transport means groups are manually inserted in the freight order clusters after the freight order clustering process.

Freight order clusters are actualized in the Actualize Freight Order Clusters (fmfoc3210m000) session. If a freight order line related to a cluster line has a Bill of Materials (BOM), the components are added to the cluster line when the cluster is made Actual.

Before you print the final version of the subcontracting instructions for a cluster (see next step), LN recommends that you use the Undo Actualize option and rerun the clustering process to include any new freight order lines in the cluster, and to remove changed freight order lines from the cluster.

Changes in the originating orders and order lines result in new freight orders and/or freight order lines being created if, after the changes, the freight order lines no longer match the properties of the cluster. New freight order lines are not clustered, and changed freight order lines are removed from the cluster. To include the most recent freight order lines in the subcontracting order, you must rerun the clustering process. The Cluster Changed check box indicates whether cluster lines have been added or removed, and does not provide information on new freight order lines that have not yet been clustered. For further information, see How freight order and originating order changes affect clusters.

Step 3. Print subcontracting instructions

For freight order clusters that have the Actual status, you can print subcontracting instructions in the Print Subcontracting Instructions (fmfoc3410m000) session. Subcontracting instructions constitute the subcontracting order for the carrier. Optionally, you can print a Pro Forma version before you print the Final version. You can print the Pro Forma version as often as you want.

After the last details of the subcontracting order have been agreed upon with the carrier, you can print the Final version. When the Final version is printed, the freight order cluster receives the Subcontracted status. As with Pro Forma versions, you can also reprint the Final version as often as you want, but you cannot change the contents of the Final version for the same clusters.

For Subcontracted clusters, LN creates the financial transactions and the information is sent to the Accounts Payable module of Financials.

EDI Messages

If an EDI relation is set up with buy-from business partner of the carrier, an EDI message is generated to notify the carrier of the subcontracting order when the final version of the subcontracting instructions is printed. An EDI message can be generated for a load with shipments and shipment lines and for a freight order cluster with freight order cluster lines.

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