Performing Stock Transfers Between Plants

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to post a plant-to-plant stock transfer

Cross-Plant Stock Transfer

Overview of stock transfer between plants within and across company codes, highlighting valuation impact and possible procedures: one-step, two-step, or stock transport orders with or without delivery.

In the case of a plant-to-plant stock transfer, the plants between which material is transferred can belong either to the same company code or to different ones.

In contrast to a storage location-to-storage location stock transfer, a plant-to-plant transfer affects Financial Accounting (FI) and material requirements planning (MRP) in the following ways:

  • FI (only if the two plants are assigned to different valuation areas):

    A cross-plant stock transfer leads to a value update in the stock accounts. An accounting document is generated parallel to the material document for the stock transfer. The stock transfer is valuated at the valuation price of the material in the issuing plant.

    In the case of a cross-company-code stock transfer, two accounting documents are created at the time of posting - one for each company code. The offsetting entry to the stock posting is then made to a company-code clearing account.

    Hint

    If the stock transfer is entered in two separate steps, valuation always takes place at the time of the first step.
  • MRP:

    A change in the plant stock is taken into account by MRP.

Procedures for the Physical Transfer Plant-to-Plant of Materials

Several procedures are available for the physical transfer of materials from one plant to another:

  • One-step procedure
  • Two-step procedure
  • Stock transport order without delivery (only possible with the two-step procedure).
  • Stock transport order with delivery via shipping (possible with the one-step or two-step procedure, and also with the billing document).

Plant-to-Plant: One-Step and Two-Step Procedures

Comparison of stock transfer processes between plants: single-step transfer using movement type 301 versus two-step transfer using movement types 303 (to stock in transfer) and 305 (to unrestricted-use stock).

The approaches to the entry of plant-to-plant stock transfers for the one-step and two-step procedures without a stock transport order correspond to those for storage-location-to-storage-location transfers. 

  • One-step procedure:

    In the one-step procedure, the goods issue (GI) and goods receipt (GR) are posted in a single material document. Therefore, you must enter all relevant data such as the material, issuing plant, issuing storage location, receiving plant, and receiving storage location in this one step. The movement type (in the standard system) is 301.

  • Two-step procedure:

    In the two-step procedure, when removing the material from storage (movement type 303), you must specify the receiving plant in addition to the material and the issuing organizational levels. This is necessary because valuation of the stock transfer takes place when the material is removed from storage and posted to stock in transfer at the receiving plant. You can either enter the putaway (placement in storage, movement type 305) with reference to the material document of the stock removal or enter all data manually.

    As a result of the putaway, the quantity is booked out of stock in transfer and into unrestricted-use stock at the receiving plant. Valuation of the putaway is not necessary, because the stock in transfer and the unrestricted-use stock at the receiving storage location belong to the same plant.

Stock Transport Order (Without Delivery)

A stock transfer using a stock transport order has the following advantages, compared to a stock transfer without a stock transport order:

  • The stock transport order is integrated within MRP. You can convert purchase requisitions generated by MRP into stock transport orders.
  • The MRP controller can plan the receipt at the receiving plant.
  • You can enter delivery costs and a forwarder in the stock transport order.
  • You can enter an account assignment in a stock transport order item. Therefore you can post the GR directly to consumption.
  • In the case of a GR into the warehouse, you can also post the material to stock in quality inspection or to blocked stock.
  • You can monitor the entire process (GI and GR) via the PO history.

Stock in Transit

To determine the quantities of a material that are transferred to a plant with or without a stock transport order, you can classify the stock segments as follows:

Stock SegmentStock Transport Order
Stock in transferNo
Stock in transitYes

The stock in transit is shown in the material master record in the plant stock view for the receiving plant. Furthermore the stock in transit is also displayed in the reports Stock Overview and Warehouse Stocks of Material. In the Warehouse Stocks of Material report, stocks in transit and stocks in transfer are summarized at plant level in a stock line without a storage location.

A special report for the analysis of transit stocks is available under Inventory Management →Stock → Stock in Transit (MB5T). With this report you can, for example, select stock in transit via the receiving or issuing plant.

Additionally, the SAP Fiori app Overdue Materials - Stock in Transit is available. With this app, you can get an overview of the overdue materials for which a stock transport order has been created. You can identify these materials to complete the stock transfer process or investigate potential problems. The app is part of the Business Roles Inventory Manager (SAP_BR_INVENTORY_MANAGER), for example.

Note

The Overdue Materials - Stock in Transit app supports only the following stock transfer processes:

  • Goods issues with movement types 351, 641, 643, 654

  • Goods receipts with movement types 101, 103, 107, 109

Functions for Entering Physical Stock Transfers Plant-to-Plant

The following functions for posting a plant to plant stock transfer are available in SAP S/4HANA.

  • SAP Fiori app Post Goods Movement respectively transaction MIGO

  • SAP Fiori app Transfer Stock – Cross-Plant

SAP Fiori App Post Goods Movement and Transaction MIGO

Plant to Plant – without stock transport order

The approaches to the entry of plant-to-plant stock transfers for the one-step and two-step procedures without a stock transport order correspond to those for storage location-to-storage location transfers.

Plant to Plant — with stock transport order

The first step in this process is a goods issue with reference to the stock transport order. To enter the goods issue, proceed as follows:

  1. Start the Post Goods Movement app or MIGO transaction.

  2. Choose transaction Goods Issue and, as the reference, choose Purchase Order.

  3. Check the default value for the movement type and change it to 351, if necessary.

  4. Enter the number of the stock transport order.

  5. Choose  (Execute) to copy the items from the purchase order.

  6. Choose the items you want to remove from storage using the OK checkbox. If necessary, change the default quantity for the items and specify the storage location from which the material is to be withdrawn.

  7. Post the goods issue.

    A material document and an accounting document are generated. The quantity is booked out of the issuing plant. At the receiving plant, the material is not yet part of unrestricted-use stock. Instead, it is recorded as stock in transit at plant level. The PO history is also updated.

The second step is the goods receipt against the stock transport order. You enter this goods receipt in the same way as a goods receipt against a normal purchase order (movement type 101). You can enter the goods receipt for the stock transport order with the Post Goods Movement app, the MIGO transaction or the Post Goods Receipt for Purchase Order app. However, you cannot post the goods receipt to the GR blocked stock.

Plant to Plant — with stock transport order

The first step in this process is a goods issue with reference to the stock transport order. To enter the goods issue, proceed as follows:

  1. Start the Post Goods Movement app or MIGO transaction.

  2. Choose transaction Goods Issue and, as the reference, choose Purchase Order.

  3. Check the default value for the movement type and change it to 351, if necessary.

  4. Enter the number of the stock transport order.

  5. Choose  (Execute) to copy the items from the purchase order.

  6. Choose the items you want to remove from storage using the OK checkbox. If necessary, change the default quantity for the items and specify the storage location from which the material is to be withdrawn.

  7. Post the goods issue.

    A material document and an accounting document are generated. The quantity is booked out of the issuing plant. At the receiving plant, the material is not yet part of unrestricted-use stock. Instead, it is recorded as stock in transit at plant level. The PO history is also updated.

The second step is the goods receipt against the stock transport order. You enter this goods receipt in the same way as a goods receipt against a normal purchase order (movement type 101). You can enter the goods receipt for the stock transport order with the Post Goods Movement app, the MIGO transaction or the Post Goods Receipt for Purchase Order app. However, you cannot post the goods receipt to the GR blocked stock.

SAP Fiori App Transfer Stock – Cross-Plant

The SAP Fiori app Transfer Stock – Cross-Plant is part of the Business Roles Inventory Manager (SAP_BR_INVENTORY_MANAGER) and Warehouse Clerk (SAP_BR_WAREHOUSE_CLERK).

You can use this app to make various transfer postings for a material. You can post the following goods movements:

  • Stock transfers across plants and within a plant

  • Transfer postings of stock from one stock type to another stock type

The app supports several movement types for different business processes. Which movement types you can use depends on your authorizations.

How to make transfers with the Transfer Stock - Cross Plant app

Demonstrates cross-plant stock transfer in SAP for material A510-30, highlighting unrestricted-use quantities by plant (Hamburg, Frankfurt) for transfers, ensuring efficient inventory balancing across locations.

Illustrates cross-plant stock transfer steps in SAP, highlighting issuing/receiving plants, storage locations, quantity selection, and options to Post for transfers without a PO or create a stock transport order.

  1. Start the SAP Fiori app Transfer Stock - Cross-Plant.

  2. Select the material you want to transfer.

  3. At plant level, select the issuing stock and then the receiving stock.

  4. Choose the issuing storage location and the receiving storage location.

    Note

    The value help supports you in posting stock more easily into all available storage locations of a plant. The value help for the receiving storage location contains all the available storage locations if the following prerequisites are fulfilled:

    • The provided storage locations are already defined for the selected material in the material master

    • Plants and the related movement types are configured for automatic creation of a storage location

  5. Enter the quantity you want to transfer from the issuing stock to the receiving stock.

  6. Enter the document date and the posting date.

  7. Post the transfer.

    Note

    You can also use the app to create a stock transport order. The Create Stock Transport Order button is only visible in the app if the necessary configuration for stock transport orders is maintained.

Damage to Goods During Transportation

How to Post a Stock Transfer Between Plants in Two Steps

DemoStart Demo

Post a Stock Transfer Between Plants

ExerciseStart Exercise

Learning

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