Using handling units in shipment processes

This topic describes the shipment processes that use handling units.

Handling units-general principles

  • The handling unit hierarchy is independent of the administrative shipment structure. The administrative shipment structure is minimally modified when you manually compose handling unit structures.

  • Multiple handling units can be linked to a shipment line as a result of the picking process. You can modify the handling unit structure proposed by LN, many times. You can move handling units within a shipment line, between two shipment lines and even between shipments after the confirmation. You cannot compose handling units originating from different ship-from warehouses.

  • You can use the Shipment Line Handling Units (whinh4534m000) session to view handling units linked to a shipment line.

  • You can confirm a shipment either by shipment line or by handling unit. You can confirm any handling unit in the handling unit tree structure or in the Handling Units (whwmd5130m000) session. When you confirm a shipment by handling unit, the shipment lines are partially or entirely confirmed, provided that the Confirm Shipment Lines when confirming Handling Units check box is selected in the Warehousing Order Types (whinh0110m000) session.

    When a shipment is partially confirmed, the status of the handling units of the confirmed shipment lines is set to Shipped, and the status of the handling units of the not yet confirmed shipment lines remains Staged.

  • You can freeze any handling unit in the handling unit tree structure. When you freeze a handling unit, the shipment line is set to Partially Frozen. After all the handling units are set to Frozen, the shipment line is set to Frozen.

See Shipment and load status and To maintain handling units.

Create shipment line

When picking a handling unit, the handling unit is linked to an existing shipment line. You can update an existing shipment line if the status of the shipment line is set to Open.

Linking handling units to a shipment line

Select the Consolidate Handling Units in one Shipment Line during Picking check box in the Item Data by Warehouse (whwmd2110s000) session to link multiple handling units to a single shipment line, during the picking process.

If the Consolidate Handling Units in one Shipment Line during Picking check box is cleared, LN links only one handling unit to the shipment line during the picking process. The picking of the subsequent handling unit results in a new shipment line.

Handling unit for shipment header

If you select the Generate Handling Unit for Shipment Header during Picking check box in the Warehouses (whwmd2500m000) session, a handling unit is generated for the shipment header. The handling units of the shipment lines are linked to this handling unit.

If a shipment line does not have a handling unit, the handling unit can be generated, provided the item of the shipment line is handling unit enabled. The newly created handling unit is linked to the shipment header.

The link between the shipment header and the handling unit can be broken at a later stage during the composing process of handling units.

Example

  • When handling units from a different shipment are added, the newly composed handling unit is related to multiple shipments.

  • When handling units are moved to the handling unit tree of a different shipment, the newly composed handling unit reflects only a part of the shipment line.

Handling unit related to shipment line

Multiple handling units can be linked to a shipment line. Use the Shipment Line Handling Units (whinh4534m000) session to link handling units to a shipment line.

Multiple handling units are generated for a single shipment line if a package definition is linked to a shipment line. The maximum content of a handling unit is the quantity that a packaging item, attached to a particular level, can hold, within a package definition.

If only one handling unit is linked to the shipment line, the Handling Unit field in the Shipment Lines (whinh4131m000) session displays the shipment line handling unit number. If multiple handling units are linked, the shipment line handling unit number is not displayed. The Handling Unit(s) Present check box in the Shipment Lines (whinh4131m000) session is selected in both cases.

Setting handling unit to not shipped

You can set a Staged handling unit to not shipped. When you set a Staged handling unit, that is not directly related to an active outbound process, to not shipped, the Expected Not Shipped quantity is modified for the child handling units in the Handling Unit Process Outbound (whinh2123m000) session. The shipment line packing structure and the shipment line are modified accordingly.

For more information, refer to Outbound and shipment procedures for handling units and Set and reset handling units to not shipped.

Split handling unit

You can split a handling unit in the Staged status. The selected handling unit is split based on either packaging quantity or content quantity. You can split a handling unit linked to an outbound process.

Split shipment line

When handling units are linked to a shipment line, it is possible to split the shipment line only by selecting a child handling unit that is moved to the destination shipment.

Compose shipment

When you compose shipments, you can move shipment lines to different shipments. The handling unit tree structure is not impacted. However, the handling unit is linked to a different shipment line. The Shipment Line Handling Units (whinh4534m000) and Handling Unit Process Outbound (whinh2123m000) sessions values are updated with the new shipment information.

Confirm shipment by handling unit

You can confirm a shipment line by handling unit. You can confirm any Staged or Frozen handling units linked to the shipment line.

A handling unit is confirmed if the Confirmed for Shipping check box is selected for the handling unit.

Automatically or manually confirming shipment lines when confirming handling units

The setting of the Confirm Shipment Lines when confirming Handling Units check box in the Warehousing Order Types (whinh0110m000) session determines whether the shipment lines are automatically confirmed when all of the linked handling units are confirmed.

Confirm shipment by shipment line

To confirm a shipment by shipment line and handling units exist for the shipment line, the shipment line handling units must be confirmed first.

You can reverse:

  • Partially frozen/frozen shipment line
  • Partially frozen/frozen handling unit

You cannot reverse:

  • Partially confirmed/confirmed shipment line
  • Partially confirmed/confirmed handling unit
Remove handling unit from open shipment line

If you remove the handling unit from an open shipment line, LN deletes all the shipment line handling units. If LN is unable to delete one or multiple shipment line handling units, none of the linked handling units are deleted.

To remove the handling units, select Remove Handling Unit from the appropriate menu.

If you remove the handling unit from an open shipment line:

  • The Handling Unit field in the Shipment Lines (whinh4131m000) session is set to blank.

  • The Handling Unit(s) Present check box is cleared in the Shipment Lines (whinh4131m000) session.

  • The shipment line handling units are deleted and closed.

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