| Searching for alternative and use-up materialsNote If multisite is activated, standard and alternative
materials are planned and issued per planning cluster. A planning cluster contains one or more sites, for which an
available-to-promise check will generate cumulative results. How does LN perform the checks LN performs the checks for alternative materials according to the following
principles: - Each alternative material has a priority.
- If LN finds any appropriate use-up material, that material is used first,
even if a sufficient quantity of the standard material is available.
- If the standard material is out of stock, LN first tries the
highest-priority alternative. If that material is also unavailable, LN tries the alternative
that has the next priority, and so on.
Material availability LN uses the following methods to determine whether a use-up material or an
alternative material is available on the required date: In the Enterprise Planning package In the Job Shop Control module LN checks the material's time-phased economic stock. In the Warehousing package
To distribute a material requirement over multiple
materials If, on a BOM line in the Bill of Material (tibom1110m000) session, the Allow Multiple Items check box is selected, LN can split a material
over multiple alternative materials and the original material. Multiple sessions have a check box named Allow Multiple Items: - The Allow Multiple Items check box in the Bill of Material (tibom1110m000) session is relevant for the generation of planned orders and production orders.
- The Allow Multiple Items check box in the Estimated Materials (ticst0101m000) session is relevant for the Generate Alternatives for Estimated Materials (ticst0216m000) session and the
generation of the outbound advices.
Example 1: Use-up materials Material X-CURRENT has replaced the older item X-OLD. The
following table shows the inventory situation. Item | Inventory | Priority | X-OLD | 15 | Use
up | X-CURRENT | 250 | (standard) |
For a particular production order, you need a quantity of
100 pieces of X-CURRENT. If multiple items are permitted, LN takes the last 15
pieces of the use-up material (X-OLD) and 85 pieces of the current material
(X-CURRENT). If multiple items are not allowed, LN does not use up the
old material X-OLD. Another material requirement of 15 or less can occur later,
in which case, LN takes
the use-up material. Example 2: Alternative materials Material X has two alternatives: X1 and X2. The following
table shows the inventory situation. Item | Inventory | Priority | X | 20 | (standard) | X1 | 30 | 1 | X2 | 1200 | 2 |
For a particular production order, you need a quantity of
100 pieces of X. If multiple items are permitted, LN takes the following
materials: - 20 pieces of the standard material (X)
- 30 pieces of the first alternative material (X1),
and
- 50 pieces of the second alternative material
(X2)
If multiple items are not permitted, LN plans 100 pieces of
alternative material X2, because none of the higher-priority materials are
available in sufficient quantities. When does LN perform the checks At one or more of the following points during a production
order's life cycle, LN can check the timely availability of standard materials and alternative
materials: - LN performs these checks when the order-planning procedure in Enterprise Planning generates planned production orders.
- If the Automatic Select Alternatives field in the Production Order Parameters (tisfc0500m000) session is set to At Generation, LN performs these checks when you create a production order or transfer a planned production order
to the Job Shop Control module.
- If the Automatic Select Alternatives field in the Production Order Parameters (tisfc0500m000) session is set to At Release, LN performs these checks when you release a production order.
You can perform these checks manually by using the Generate Alternatives for Estimated Materials (ticst0216m000) session. You can use this session until the estimated materials
are frozen. The estimated costs are frozen if the Estimated Costs Are Frozen check box in the Estimated Materials (ticst0101m000) session is selected. - You can check again for material shortages and select
alternative materials at the moment when you generate an outbound advice in the Warehousing package. To do
so, you must select the Handle Alternative Items check box in the Process Outbound Advice (whinh4200m000) session, or select the Handle Alternative Items check box in the Generate Outbound Advice (whinh4201m000) session.
Repeated material checks In general, if LN repeats the material availability check and
a sufficient quantity of the currently selected material is available, LN does not change the
material allocation, even if a higher-priority alternative material or the
standard material has meanwhile become available. This policy avoids a nervous
planning process that repeatedly changes the material allocations. However, if you want to make sure that the standard material
or the highest-priority alternative material is used in a production order, you
can use the Generate Alternatives for Estimated Materials (ticst0216m000) session to recheck all possible materials at any time.
In that case, you must select the Always Reconsider Alternatives check box. Example: Suppose that the following events occur: - During the creation of a production order, LN takes an alternative
item because of an anticipated shortage for the standard material at the
material allocation date.
- Before the allocation date for the material, you
unexpectedly receive an inbound shipment of the standard material that is
sufficient to fulfill the material requirement.
- Next, you generate the outbound advice in the Warehousing package.
If the currently selected alternative material is available, LN does not change the
material allocation and issues the alternative material from the warehouse to
the job shop, regardless of the availability of the standard material. To force LN to check again for the availability of the
standard material, start the Generate Alternatives for Estimated Materials (ticst0216m000) session and
select the Always Reconsider Alternatives check box.
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