Defining Transportation Capacities

Resources are crucial for planning and execution within SAP Transportation Management (TM). Resource data impacts order date planning by accounting for working times and available resource capacities. With bookings, resources provide the necessary capacity for executing transportation activities on freight units, including transportation, loading, and unloading.

	Vehicle Resource	Used for transporting goods around the transportation network.
	Handling Resource	Provides the capacity needed to load and unload goods.
	Calendar Resource	Specifies operating hours for a location, determining when goods can be dropped off or picked up.
	Transportation Unit Resource	Represents containers in TM.

Vehicles serve as dynamic resources for transporting goods between locations, including trucks, railcars, planes, and ships. Each vehicle resource represents a unit load, such as a trailer, container, or railcar with a specific capacity. The capacity of a vehicle can be defined using various dimensions and units of measurement, such as:

• Mass: For example, a trailer capacity of 40,000 pounds.
• Volume: For example, a container capacity of 2,200 cubic feet.
• Quantity: For example, a capacity to hold 24 pallets.

Definition: A handling resource is an installation or device used to manage goods at a specific location. It provides the capability to load goods onto or unload goods from vehicle resources.

Handling resources are crucial for efficient transportation order processing at various locations. Examples: Doors, Forklifts. Handling resources include several parameters that help define their capabilities and limitations:

• Resource Template: Used for copying predefined resource specifications.
• Capacity Profile: This profile details the resource's capacity based on time-dependent shifts. For example, a dock may have 50 doors available in the morning and evening and reduced capacity during the day.
• Availability: Specifies the periods when the handling resource is operational.
• Downtimes: Denotes periods when the resource is unavailable.
• Qualifications: Defines any specific skills or certifications required to operate the handling resource.
• Attached Equipment: Lists any additional equipment associated with the resource.
• Grouping Attributes: These are used for grouping similar handling resources.

Definition: A calendar resource is assigned to a calendar and optionally to a shift schedule. It's primarily used for scheduling the processing time for goods receipt and goods issue at a location. Calendar resources are employed to define the operating times for locations.

Calendar resources include several parameters to capture their operational schedule:

• Shifts: Defines the working periods within the calendar, such as morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.
• Downtimes: Specifies periods when the calendar resource is unavailable for operation, helping to manage maintenance and operational breaks.