The Logistics integration is required by the market roles meter operator and distributor, which use device management not only as a pure basis for billing, but also for technical operation management.
The figure Device Lifecycle showed previously, that many steps of a device lifecycle are controlled by logistic components. The figure above describes the most important master data, organizational structures and documents in Logistics in detail.
In MM, the material serves as the central master data object. It is integrated with the IS-U device category, making it the foundation for utilizing MM functions for IS-U devices. The material holds key controlling data for all MM processes, with the serial number profile being especially important.
The serial number profile is linked to an IS-U-specific equipment category, which manages the creation of PM equipment enriched with IS-U data. This profile also dictates that equipment and serial numbers must always be generated at the time of goods receipt for the material.
Equipment is a master data object in PM. It is integrated with the IS-U device and is created by referencing a combination of a material and a serial number. This equipment is then technically installed at a device location within a connection object, which corresponds to a PM functional location hierarchy.
The serial number connects the PM equipment (device) with the MM material (device category), allowing them to be inventoried. It also enables the tracing of IS-U devices in various documents, such as Goods Receipt, Work Orders, and Utility Invoices.
Materials Management (MM) requires the organizational objects plant and storage location to manage the inventory of IS-U devices after goods receipt. The plant serves as the central organizational unit of logistics and could represent various entities, such as a production site, sales office, or maintenance location. The storage location, which distinguishes stock materials within the plant, is unique only when combined with a plant.
PM requires the organizational objects maintenance planning plant and regional structure area for creating work orders. The regional structure area can be derived from any connection object address, allowing for plant determination during the work order creation process.
The main document in Purchasing (MM-PUR) is the purchase order, which is sent to the supplier.
The primary document in Inventory Management (MM-IM) is the material document, generated as a result of the goods receipt process. This material document displays the quantity-based information for inventory management and is linked to an accounting document, which provides the value-based information for inventory management.
The goods receipt is the transition from procurement to inventory management, creates IS-U devices and puts them into a storage location.
Work Management combines functions from Plant Maintenance (PM), Customer Service (CS) and Sales & Distribution (SD) to execute technical processes for utility companies via the generation, planning, execution and monitoring of internal and external work orders.
Internal work orders are cost collectors for device-related actions like the replacement of sample devices and periodic replacement devices.
External work orders are linked to sales orders which are billed to the customer, for example the service connection processing.