Applying Putaway Rules

The putaway strategy is used to determine the bin or bins for the storage of your products. In SAP EWM, you implement the putaway strategies, in most cases, by configuring one or more of the following fields in the storage type definition:

• Storage Behavior

  Possible parameters include the following:

  • blank - Standard Warehouse

  • 1 - Pallet Storage

  • 2 - Bulk Storage

  • 3 - Flexible Storage

  Note

  Storage behaviors other then "Standard Warehouse" require additional settings for the storage type.

• Putaway Rule

  Possible parameters include the following:

  • 2 - Addition to Existing Stock / Empty Bin

  • 4 - General Storage Area

  • 5 - Empty Bin

  Note

  The putaway rule "3 - Consolidation Group" is only used for packaging work centers and in a transit warehouse. The putaway rule "6 - Transit Warehouse: Staging Area for Door" can also only be used in a transit warehouse.

• WT Generic

  Possible parameters include the following:

  • blank - Not generic

  • 1 - Only St. Type - Section

  • 2 - Only Storage Type

You can use the Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) in the /SCWM/ES_CORE_PTS enhancement spot to make changes to the putaway strategies.

The putaway strategies are outlined subsequently.

Using the manual entry strategy, the system does not determine a storage section or a storage bin. You enter the destination storage bin manually when the warehouse task is created or confirmed. You generally use this procedure if the search for a suitable storage bin is performed on-site by a warehouse worker.

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the manual entry putaway strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

• Putaway Rules: Empty Bin, or Additions to Existing Stock/Empty Bin

• WT Generic: Only Storage Type or Storage Type and Storage Section

You apply this strategy to put away a product in bins that are pre-assigned to the product. You use this strategy primarily with storage types from which picking is done manually. If you want to put away a product without fixed bin assignment in a storage type for which you have defined fixed storage bin strategy, the system can determine a suitable storage bin and assign it to the product as a fixed storage bin. In SAP EWM one or more fixed bins can be assigned to a warehouse product. The system can also automatically remove the assignment.

A setting in the warehouse product master or storage type can limit the number of bins assigned to a warehouse product.

Maintain the following master data configuration settings to implement the fixed bin strategy:

• Assign fixed bins to the warehouse product masters.
• Make the following storage type configuration settings to implement the fixed bin strategy:

  • Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

  • Putaway Rules: Addition to Existing Stock/Empty Bin

  • Addn.Stock Forbidden: Addition to Existing Stock Permitted

  • Set the Use Fixed Storage Bins indicator

  • Set the Max. Fixed Bins field if this control is required

  • Activate a form of capacity checking

The system uses the general storage strategy to find a storage bin in a general storage area. With the general storage putaway strategy, you define a single storage bin per storage section. The quants in the storage bin can also be in the form of mixed storage. The following figure illustrates the general storage strategy:

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the general storage putaway strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

• Putaway Rules: General Storage Area

• Addition to Stock Forbidden: Addition to Existing Stock Permitted

• Mixed Storage: Mixed Storage without Limitations

Technically it is not required, but it is recommendable to activate the HU Requirement for a storage type with this putaway rule.

With this strategy, the system tries to put away stock in storage bins that already contain stock of the same product. A prerequisite for adding to existing stock is that sufficient free capacity exists in the storage bin. If the system cannot find a storage bin with the same product, or if the storage bin does not have sufficient free capacity, the system searches for the next empty storage bin. This strategy violates the FIFO principle.

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the addition to the existing storage strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

• Putaway Rules: Addition to Existing Stock/Empty Bin

• Addn.Stock Forbidden

  To allow addition to existing stock, you can choose "" (Addition to existing stock permitted) or "M" (Product Putaway Profile Decides). If you choose M, you must define profiles according your requirements and assign them to the warehouse products.

• Configure a method of capacity checking

With this strategy, the system finds an empty storage bin. You use this strategy to support warehouses that are organized randomly, where products are stored in individual storage bins. This strategy is especially suited for high rack storage and shelf storage.

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the empty storage bin putaway strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

• Putaway Rules: Empty Bin

Bulk storage is defined as a warehouse area without shelves, where similar pallets or containers are stacked. In many instances, the storage bins in bulk storage are separated by lines on the warehouse floor. Each bin generally holds only one product, for example, barrels with a specific color. Products such as canned goods or soft drinks that come in large quantities and require a large amount of storage space are often stored in bulk storage. The advantages of bulk storage include the following:

• Reduced need for physical storage bins

• Fast access to the products

• Clear structuring of the warehouse (into blocks and rows)

Using this putaway strategy, the system processes different HU types (for example, euro pallets or industrial pallets) and allocates them to a suitable storage bin section. This storage strategy is commonly used in storage types that represent areas of pallet racking in the warehouse. One storage bin is often divided into several smaller sections. Using this strategy, it is assumed that you only put away HU with the same base dimensions in a storage bin.

High rack storage is frequently designed so a storage bin can accommodate several different HU types. For example, a storage bin can accommodate multiple pallets depending on the size of the pallet, such as three euro pallets (80 x 120 cms) or two industrial pallets (100 x 120 cms).

The first time that the system assigns a pallet in this storage bin, it determines the storage bin sectioning, depending on bin type and HU type. The system also generates the storage bin sections as storage bins in the system (for example, 02-08-01/1, 02-08-01/2, and 02-08-01/3), based on the first HU that is put away. The storage bin sections are deleted as soon as you have removed the last HU from the storage bin.

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the pallet storage putaway strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Pallet Storage

• HU Requirement: must be set to X HU Required

• HU Type Check: must be active

• Putaway Rules: Empty Bin

• Mixed Storage: choose Mixed storage without limitations or One HU allowed per bin. Each bin section is controlled like an individual bin.

• It is possible to allow addition to stock, but the system would not do that by itself.

In the additional settings you define the possible sectioning per bin type and the determination of the sectioning by HU type.

Use this strategy to put away products in a reserve storage area. This strategy is used where reserve storage bins of a reserve storage type are located directly above the fixed storage bins in a picking storage type.

In Customizing, define a reserve storage type, and then define a fixed bin storage type as a reference to this reserve storage type. You can also define search scope, which restricts the maximum distance from the reserve bin to the fixed bin.

Maintain the following storage type configuration settings to implement the near fixed picking bin putaway strategy:

• Storage Behavior: Standard Warehouse

• Putaway Rules: Empty Bin or Addition to Stock/Empty Bin

• SrchRule Empty Bin: Near to Fixed Bin

The flexible bin is a new storage solution within a flexible bin area in a warehouse which is defined on the basis of cell size. A flexible bin is created on an as-needed basis and deleted when empty. Flexible bins are useful in storage facilities where it does not make sense to create bins of fixed sizes in advance, as the facilities are normally empty buildings without shelves that hold items of very different sizes. This function was developed specifically for the requirements of defense forces.

The flexible bin area is defined by a storage type and is always linked to a pattern through a pattern ID. It positions the area regarding the warehouse so you are able to calculate the absolute bin coordinates. There are mandatory settings for the storage type:

• The Storage Behavior must be Flexible Storage
• Use Fixed Bins must be blank
• Putaway Rules must not be set on Empty Bin
• HU Type check must be blank
• WT Generic must be set on Only Storage Type