Using Materials Master Data for Transportation Management

Material master data, also known as product master data, classifies, identifies, and characterizes materials and services. The material master serves as a comprehensive repository of information regarding materials transported, manufactured, sold, or purchased by an organization.

Each material is assigned a unique identifier and created as a single record in the system. This centralized data is accessible to all relevant departments, including purchasing, inventory management, MRP, transportation, and warehousing, reducing inconsistencies and eliminating redundancy.

When creating a new material master record, selecting a material type to which the material will be assigned is essential. Materials sharing similar properties are grouped under the same material type. Examples of material types include raw materials, semifinished products, and finished products. In SAP S/4HANA, various predefined material types are available, and additional material types can be configured in Customizing to meet specific business requirements. Some SAP-provided material types include the following:

• Finished goods FERT: A finished good is a material manufactured by some form of production from items, such as raw materials. A finished good isn’t purchased and thus doesn’t contain any purchasing information. However, a finished good is sold and thus does contain sales information.
• Trading goods HAWA: Trading goods are generally materials purchased from suppliers and sold. This material type only allows purchasing and sales information because no internal operations are carried out on these materials. An example of a trading good can be found at many computer manufacturers that sell their own manufactured goods (computers) but also may sell printers and routers. Trading goods are not manufactured by the company but bought from other manufacturers and sold alongside their own computers instead.
• Services (DIEN): Services are internally or externally supplied by a supplier. Service material master records don’t have storage information.
• Packaging material VERP: material Unlike material type LEER (empties), the packaging material type is for materials that are packaged but are free of charge to the customer in the delivery process. Although free, the packaging material may still have value, and a physical inventory is recorded.
• Returnable packaging LEIH: Reusable packaging material is used to pack finished goods for the customer. When the finished good is unpacked, the customer must return the returnable packaging material to the supplier.

Th material type is a critical element within the material master record, as it performs several key control functions. It determines how the material number is assigned, whether internally or by the user, and whether it's numeric, alphanumeric, or within a specific number range. Additionally, it controls which screens are displayed and in what order during the material master maintenance process. It influences the field selection control by dictating which fields are mandatory, optional, hidden, or display-only in the material master record.

The material master data is categorized into multiple views, each aligned with a particular user department, ensuring relevant information is accessible and manageable by the respective teams. This structure allows customized access to data pertinent to various operations such as purchasing, inventory management, MRP, work scheduling, and warehousing. Each view consolidates data specific to the department's activities, simplifying the process and ensuring efficient data management.

Transportation Related Attributes: Within the material master, the Sales view (Sales: General/Plant) specifies the following transport-relevant attributes:

• Base Unit of Measure (BUoM): The Base Unit of Measure field is the UoM that represents the lowest level for the material.
• Alternative units of measure (AUoMs): A base unit can have alternative units of measure (AUoMs) that are multiples of the BUoM (that is, grams and kilograms).
• Dimensions: Gross Weight, Net Weight, and Volume Fields. The dimensions of a material may be relevant to shipping companies when deciding how to pack and ship material. The dimensions may determine how the material is to be shipped.
• Transportation Group: A categorization criterion that classifies materials based on similar processing conditions, facilitating efficient logistics and transportation planning. Examples include palletized goods, refrigerated goods, and dairy products.
• Material Freight Group: The Material Freight Group field is used to group materials to determine their freight classification and, ultimately, their freight code. In Transportation Management, the material freight group is transferred from the sales order item to the product item of the freight unit.

Dangerous goods, also known as hazardous materials or hazmat, are solids, liquids, or gases that pose risks to people, living organisms, property, or the environment. These substances are subject to chemical safety laws that vary between countries. They include radioactive, flammable, explosive, corrosive, oxidizing, asphyxiating, biohazardous, toxic, pathogenic, or allergenic materials. Physical conditions, such as compressed gases, liquids, or hot materials, are also included. This category covers goods containing such materials or chemicals or those exhibiting hazardous characteristics under specific circumstances.

The dangerous goods functions in Transportation Management (TM) enable you to transport dangerous goods (DG) in compliance with international regulations.

• Dangerous Goods Based on Product Compliance
• Dangerous Good Processing based on PS&S

Dangerous goods experts classify products according to the applicable dangerous goods regulations. This information is used by a compliance check carried out in all relevant business documents in the value chain, such as intracompany stock transfer orders, sales orders, outbound deliveries, and freight orders. The check verifies if the transport of this product is allowed. If not, the check blocks the business document.

The DG indicator profile field is defined in SAP Environment, Health, and Safety Management (SAP EHS Management). A dangerous goods indicator profile can be selected if the material being added is relevant for dangerous goods and any documentation accompanying that type of material.

• Environmentally Relevant
• Highly Viscous and In Bulk/Liquids