Transportation Management with SAP LES

8
Packing
8.1.1 Overview of Functions and Term Definition
The term packaging material refers to the load carriers that are moved for shipment.
These include, for example, boxes, wire boxes, pallets of all sizes and types,
crates, and containers. You have to create a material type “VERP” in the material
master data for each of these packaging materials.
The actual physical unit of packaging material is also referred to as a handling unit
(HU). This term will be used frequently. Handling units receive an identification
number. You can either use internal SAP number ranges, number ranges of your
own, or internationally recognized ones, such as SSCC numbers. You can use a
comprehensive drilldown reporting tool for the handling units, which you access
using Transaction HUMO. You enter a vast amount of information in handling
units, which extends far beyond just details regarding weights and quantities.
The packing process itself comprises several steps and can be used in different
ways. As a rule, you use the packing function in the delivery document or in transportation.
You can manually create, fill, and empty handling units in the delivery
document, as well as delete them again. You can also carry out multilevel packing.
For example, you first pack the individual delivery units into boxes, then pack the
boxes onto pallets, and finally pack the pallets into a container.
In the delivery item category you define whether you want to, or need to, pack at all.
You can set up the system so that when you enter an order, the system creates a packing
proposal, which is transferred to the delivery document in the subsequent steps.
8.1.2 Customizing Settings
To use the packing functions in the delivery document, you first have to make the
required Customizing settings and create the master data for the packing material.
In the delivery item category in Customizing, you have to specify whether
an item is relevant for packing or not. If required, a plausibility check can also be
carried out to determine whether the material is permitted for certain packaging
and loading equipment.
In the first step, you must specify whether you want to use the packing function.
If so, you define the delivery item categories you want to use for packing. There
are three ways in which you can control packing for each delivery item category.
If you generally allow packing, the Packing control column remains blank (see
Figure 8.1).
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