Working with Serial Numbers

The purpose of serial numbers is to track individual physical parts within a given stock of a material number. Serial numbers can either be created as internal numbers (counter from 1 to X) or manually as external numbers (representing f.ex. the manufacturer serial number).

Serial numbers can be handled throughout most logistical processes. From the perspective of inventory management, it can be important to identify each individual part when posting a goods issue or goods receipt. In this case, the combination of material and serial number (within a given plant) is unique and therefore sufficient.

From the maintenance and service perspective it is possible that for certain material numbers maintenance is required for the individual parts. In this case the combination of material and serial number might not be sufficient, esp. when maintenance orders or maintenance plans are to be created. As a consequence each serial number will be coupled with an equipment number. The equipment number can then be used as reference object of maintenance orders or maintenance plans. Moreover, the equipment number will keep track of the maintenance history.

Serial numbers (or the combination of serial and equipment number) can either be created manually or automatically, f.ex. during a goods receipt. The most important element in this context is the Serial Number Profile, which is assigned to the material master. It contains detailed information on how an individual part is to be handled in the different business processes.

If assignment is performed in the Sales: General/plant data view, the profile is displayed automatically in the General plant data/Storage 2 view (and also the reverse). The combination material/serial number is unique on the client level.

Two options are available for linking the equipment, material, and serial number:

• The material and serial number can be assigned to an existing equipment manually.

• The system creates the equipment and serial number automatically during a posting.

Assigning a serial number to a piece of equipment enables the equipment to be managed from an inventory management perspective.

This means that you can use the material serial number to manage the equipment from Plant Maintenance from a Material Management perspective. Managing equipment in this way is desirable, if, for example, an object that was previously only managed as a piece of equipment is to be dismantled and transferred to the warehouse.

You perform the assignment in the serialization data of the equipment master record. If you enter a material that already has a serial number profile for the serialization of individual pieces of equipment in the equipment master record, the system displays the last serial number assigned for this material (if a serial number was already assigned). In this way, you can connect the new serial number directly to the last serial number assigned.

You can manage the relationship between the material and equipment in the following ways:

• You can synchronize the equipment number and the serial number with each other.

• You can synchronize the material coupled with the equipment with the material in the Construction Type field of the equipment (Structure tab page).

1. A faulty piece of equipment must be dismantled and transferred to the warehouse. A prerequisite for this function is that the equipment is serialized. When equipment is serialized, the tab page for serialization data is activated and a serial number links the equipment to a material.

   The defective piece of equipment is dismantled and transferred to the warehouse for refurbishment. You have a function for installing and dismantling equipment with simultaneous goods movement.

2. The defective, serialized equipment needs to be refurbished. The serial number links the equipment with a material with condition-based evaluation. A material is broken down into different partial stocks by a condition-based evaluation. There are batches "as new" (C1), "refurbished" (C2), and "faulty" (C3).

3. The refurbished piece of equipment is returned to the warehouse using the linked material and serial numbers.

4. In one step, you can remove a piece of equipment from a storage location and install it at another piece of equipment or functional location.

Serialization thus enables inventory management of pieces of equipment.

• Business transactions for which a check is performed
• Existence requirement for serial numbers
• Automatic creation of the serial number
• Existence requirement for pieces of equipment
• Equipment category

• Stock type, plant, and storage location
• Stock batch and master batch
• Special stock
• Vendor and sales order

The serial numbers are not just updated for the plant and storage location. They are also updated for all stock types (for example, unrestricted-use stock, stock in quality inspection, blocked status returns, stock in transfer, stock in transit, blocked stock) or all special stock (for example, open order quantity, project stock, customer and vendor consignment stock).

Material that is manufactured in batches or production lots are assigned to a master batch. The stock batch shows in which batch stock a specific part is located. Stock batches and master batches have the same number. Only the stock batch is reset upon goods issue, the master batch remains unchanged.

Serial numbers created before the R/3 4.5A Release do not contain stock information automatically. However, this information is added gradually with each movement of the serial number.