Stock transfers can take place at the following organizational levels:
Storage-location-to-storage-location transfer
Stock is transferred between two storage locations within a plant.
Plant-to-plant transfer
Stock is transferred between two plants belonging to the same company code.
Company-code-to-company-code transfer
Stock is transferred between two plants assigned to different company codes.
Transfer Postings
If you want to withdraw goods from a blocked or quality inspection stock for consumption, you first have to carry out a transfer posting to the unrestricted-use stock. The movement type controls between which stock types a transfer posting occurs. A physical transfer posting between two storage locations can be linked with a stock-to-stock transfer posting.
Similar to all goods movements, the system also creates a material document during transfer postings to show a transaction in the system. If the transfer posting is relevant for valuation, an accounting document is generated. The stock-to-stock postings are not relevant for valuation. In contrast, a material-to-material transfer posting (movement type 309) is generally linked with a stock value change. Therefore, such posting is relevant for the update in Financial Accounting (FI).
Stock Transfers
In a plant-to-plant stock transfer, the plants between which the material is transferred can belong to the same company code or different company codes. The cross-plant stock transfers can only be booked out of the unrestricted-use stock.
In contrast to a storage-location-to-storage-location stock transfer, a plant-to-plant transfer affects FI and Material Requirements Planning (MRP).
In a stock transfer between two plants assigned to different valuation areas, the following scenarios affect FI:
- 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 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 made to a company-code clearing account.
Hint
If you enter the stock transfer in two separate steps, the valuation always takes place at the first step.Stock Transport Order
A stock transfer that uses a stock transport order has certain advantages over a stock transfer without a stock transport order.
The following are the advantages of a stock transfer that uses a stock transport order:
- The stock transport order is integrated within MRP. The purchase requisitions generated by MRP can be converted into stock transport orders.
- The receipt can be planned at the receiving plant.
- The delivery costs and a forwarder or carrier can be entered in the stock transport order.
- The goods receipt can be posted directly to consumption.
- In a goods receipt into the warehouse, the material to stock in quality inspection or blocked stock can be posted.
- The entire process (goods issue and goods receipt) can be monitored using the PO history.