To set up alternative manufacturers

To set up the alternative-manufacturer items information, take the following steps:

1. In the Manufacturers (tcmcs0160m000) session, enter the information about the manufacturers. For each manufacturer, you must enter the intermediate supplier as the buy-from business partner. If you procure items directly from the manufacturer, you must define the manufacturer as a buy-from business partner. In this case, in the Manufacturers (tcmcs0160m000) session you must select the buy-from business partner that represents the manufacturer.

2. In the Items - Defaults (tcibd0102m000) session or the Item Segmentation (tcibd0100s000) session, enter:

   • The item's default manufacturer. For example, you can enter the preferred manufacturer.
   • The item's technical coordinator.
3. In the Manufacturers (tcmcs0160m000) session, set the manufacturer's default status to Approved, For Approval, or Blocked, as required.
4. In the Item - Manufacturer (tdipu0130m000) session in Procurement, enter the details for each combination of item and manufacturer. If you do not use Data Management, you can also use this session to enter an expiry date for an item/manufacturer combination. If you use Data Management, you must create change orders in the Change Management module to change the validity of the item/manufacturer combination.
5. In the Item - Manufacturer (tdipu0130m000) session, start the Item - Manufacturer and Business Partner (tdipu0135m000) session from the appropriate menu. Use the Item - Manufacturer and Business Partner (tdipu0135m000) session to specify, for an item or item group, the manufacturers that can produce the items that you order from a buy-from business partner. If you use Data Management, you can use the Change Management module for the change control of this information.
6. 6 In the Items - Purchase (tdipu0101m000) session, select the Multiple Manufacturers check box to indicate that you will accept the ordered item if it has been manufactured by any of the manufacturers that you defined for the combination of item and buy-from business partner in the Item - Manufacturer and Business Partner (tdipu0135m000) session.