Lead time calculations for originating orders

For originating orders, you can use the Freight lead time calculation engine to calculate the transportation time of items linked to sold-to or buy-from business partners. This engine is enabled if Freight is implemented, and the Generate Freight Order from Sales check box is selected in the Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m000) session, or the Generate Freight Orders from Purchase check box is selected in the Purchase Order Lines (tdpur4101m000) session.

Depending on the type of originating order, the transportation time is the planned delivery date or the planned receipt date of the goods listed on the order. To use the lead time calculation engine, click Calculate next to the Planned Delivery Date field in the Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m000) session or the Items - Purchase Business Partner (tdipu0110m000) session.

While Freight Load Building is used for detailed transportation planning, you can use lead time calculation at originating order level to immediately receive a fair estimate of the transportation lead time of an order. The lead times calculated at originating order level may differ from the lead times calculated by Load Building.

The accuracy of the results produced by the transport lead time calculation engine, largely depends on the data which it is fed. The calculation engine uses the following data:

• Origin address
• Destination address
• Freight service level
• Carrier
• Route

Of this data, the origin and destination addresses are mandatory, these addresses are always provided to the calculation engine.

The carrier and the Freight Service Level can either be entered in the originating order or order line or defined for the item of the order in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session. For further information, see The use of items in Freight Management and The use of freight services levels.

The other data is only entered in the originating order or order line.

If a carrier or a freight service level exists in both the originating order and in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session, the carrier or freight service level of the originating order has priority.

If no carrier exists for the originating order, order line, or item, the calculation engine can nevertheless find a carrier, as long as a transport means group, a transport type, or a combination code is defined for the item of the order in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session. In such cases, the calculation engine looks for a carrier that matches the transport means group of the item. For further information, see The use of transport types, The use of combination codes, and The use of transport means groups.

If no transport means group exists for the item, the calculation engine looks for a transport means group that matches the combination code or transport type of the item, and then looks for a carrier that is linked to the transport means group.

If more than one carrier is linked to the transport means group, it selects the carrier for which the transport means group is defined as the default transport means group.

For each combination of data given, the lead time calculation engine produces the following results (remember that the origin and destination addresses are always given because they are mandatory):

• Origin and destination addresses

  If only the origin and destination addresses of the originating order are given to the lead time calculation engine, the time maintained in either the Distance Table by City (tccom4137s000) session or the Distance Table by ZIP Code/Postal Code (tccom4138s000) session is returned as the transport lead time.

• Freight service level, origin and destination addresses

  If the Freight Service Level is given in addition to the origin and destination addresses, the lead time maintained in the Freight Service Levels (fmfmd0170m000) session is returned as the transport lead time. You can enter the Freight Service Level in the originating sales or purchase order line, or define the Freight Service Level for the item in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session.

• Carrier, origin and destination addresses

  If the Carrier/LSP and the origin and destination addresses are given, the transportation lead time is calculated by dividing the travelling time between the origin and destination addresses by the average speed of the transport means group of the carrier.

  If more than one transport means group is linked to the carrier, the lead time calculation search sequence for transport means groups is as follows:

  • The transport means group defined for the item in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session is returned.

  • The transport means group that matches the combination code or the transport type defined for the item in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session is returned.

    If more than one transport means group matches these values, the default transport means group of the carrier is returned if the transport means group matches the combination-code or transport-type values.

    If the default transport means group of the carrier does not meet these values, the transport means group with the slowest average speed is returned. This is based on the assumption that the slowest transport means group is the cheapest.

    (Carrier-rate information from LN Pricing is outside the scope of the transport lead time calculation engine.) If more than one carrier has the lowest average speed, the calculation engine selects the first one it encounters in the database.

• Route, origin and destination addresses

  If the Route is given in addition to the origin and destination addresses, the transport lead time calculation engine first looks for route plans and then for standard routes with matching routes and addresses. If more than one matching route plan or standard route is found, the standard route is selected as specified in the Freight Planning Parameters (fmlbd0100m000) session (cheapest, fastest, or shortest), and route plans have priority over standard routes. If the calculation engine still finds more than one route plan, it selects the first one it encounters in the database. For further information, see The use of route plans and The use of standard routes.

• Route, carrier, origin and destination addresses

  If the route, the carrier, and the origin and destination addresses are given, the transport lead time calculation engine first looks for route plans and then for standard routes with matching routes, carriers, and addresses.

  If more than one matching route plan or standard route is found, the calculation engine selects the route plan or standard route with a transport means group that matches the transport means group of the carrier.

  If the calculation engine still finds more than one route plan or standard route, the standard route is selected as specified in the Freight Planning Parameters (fmlbd0100m000) session (cheapest, fastest, or shortest), and route plans have priority over standard routes.

  If the calculation engine still finds more than one route plan, the calculation engine selects the first plan it encounters in the database.