Searching for alternative materials

LN performs the checks for alternative materials according to the following principles:

• Each alternative material has a priority.
• 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.

LN uses the following methods to determine if an alternative material is available on the required date:

• In the Enterprise Planning package
  LN checks the material's quantity available-to-promise.
• In the Job Shop Control module
  LN checks the material's time-phased economic stock.
• In the Warehousing package
  LN checks the material's inventory on hand.

Multiple sessions have a check box named Allow Multiple Items:

• The Allow Multiple Items check box in the Production Bill of Material Lines (timfc3110m000) session is relevant for the generation of planned orders and production orders.
• The Allow Multiple Items check box in the Job Shop List of Materials (tibom3110m000) session for the generation of the outbound advices.

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)

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.

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.