Executing the Shipping Process

In SAP S/4HANA, creating an outbound delivery is the first step in the shipping process. In our example, that´s the task of Mark from the shipping department. Learn what you can manage with an outbound delivery, and how you create and process it.

Outbound deliveries are the basic documents for the various activities during the shipping process. An outbound delivery controls, supports, and monitors:

• Picking goods (optional)

• Packing goods (optional)

• Transport planning via freight orders in SAP S/4HANA Transportation Management (optional)

• Posting the goods issue

When creating an outbound delivery, you reference it to at least one sales order. This way, relevant information like material and quantity is copied from the sales order to the delivery document. The picking process involves taking goods from a storage location and staging the right quantity in a picking area where the goods will be prepared for shipping.

A delivery document has a similar structure to a sales document and is grouped into two levels: header and item level. In a delivery document, the data is distributed across these levels as follows:

• Header Level:

  At header level, you have the information for shipping processing included, such as ship-to party and deadlines. The document header data is valid for the entire document.

• Item Level:

  At item level, you have information such as the material, quantities, weights, and stock information. Each delivery document can contain several items, and the individual items can be controlled differently. Examples include material items, free-of-charge items, or text items.

At the end of the shipping process, our shipping specialist Mark posts the goods issue. What happens?

The outbound delivery is the basis for posting the goods issue. The required data is copied from the outbound delivery into the goods issue document. It cannot be changed manually. You must enter any changes in the outbound delivery itself. In this way, you can be sure that the goods issue document is an accurate reflection of the outbound delivery.

Posting the goods issue changes the quantity and the value of the goods in stock. Value-based changes are made to the relevant balance sheet accounts in financial accounting.

In the figure below you see what information is carried out automatically when posting the goods issue:

When the goods issue is posted, the following information is carried out:

1. Stocks and Requirements / Inventory Management:

   The quantity in inventory management and the delivery requirements in materials planning are updated.

2. Material Ledger:

   The value change in the balance sheet accounts for inventory accounting is posted (the postings from the relevant accounting document are based on the cost of the material).

3. Accounting and Controlling Document:

   Other documents for accounting generated by the system. For example, for Controlling.

4. Billing Due List:

   The billing due list is generated and the respective delivery can now be used in billing.

5. Document Flow:

   The status in all the associated documents is updated.