Inventory in SAP WM and SAP EWM

Implement stocktaking simply and efficiently with different inventory procedures in SAP!

Your Requirements

Inventory Implementation in the SAP system
Different inventory procedures
Inventory for own and special stocks

Our Solution

Continuous Inventory
Inventory sampling
RF-based inventory
Storage bin an product-related inventory

Your Benefits

All inventory data in one system
More overview and transparency
Easy adaptability
Overview over possible differences
SAP Standard at all levels

The SERKEM Solution in Detail

Inventory in SAP WM/EWM

Inventory is a prerequisite for proper accounting and financial reporting. The stock levels of a fiscal year must be recorded and inventoried accordingly.

In SAP WM as well as SAP EWM, there are various methods or procedures available to conduct the inventory process simply and efficiently.

Regardless of the chosen inventory method, the inventory process can generally be divided into three phases:

Inventory preparation
Inventory counting
Inventory evaluation

Inventory process in SAP

Inventory in SAP WM
Inventory in SAP EWM

Inventory in SAP WM

Continuous inventory through storage

Inventory of a storage bin at the first storage in the current fiscal year
No additional inventory in the fiscal year also at changing of quants or at an empty storage bin
All movements at this place have to be verified individually
Archiving of transportation orders according to legal requirements is important

Annual Inventory

The annual inventory is used, if the permanent inventory isn´t efficient enough because of storage or organization reasons
Inventory for storage bins and quants, which register no storage movements in the current fiscal year

Zero Stock Check inventory

Storage bin is empty according to the data in the system
Inspection if the data is corresponding with the stock situation

Different applications:

Zero stock check is automatically activated, if a transportation order is created for a removal of a storage bin, which will be empty after retrieval output
Manual activation of zero stock check, if a storage bin is empty after removal but no automatically check is planned
Zero stock check as a procedure of annual inventory

Cycle Counting (by place)

Regularly registration of material stocks within a fiscal year
Classification of materials in different categories
Categories have different time intervals or cycles, in which the inventory is made
Advantage: common materials are more often inventoried

Cycle Counting (by quant)

Inventory is related to individual quants in the storage
Not all materials at the storage bin were counted, but only selected ones
At storage bins with mixed storages the movements with other quants were maintained

Count Result Entry

After the manual stocktaking in the storage, the determined results were recorded in the WM system

Clear differences

At the registration in the system, differences between the counted amount and the inventory data were noticed
Differences were cleared from the WM system and recorded in the Inventory Management (MM)

Inventory in SAP EWM

Storage-bin-based inventory

All products and handling units (HUs) are counted at a specific position in the storage
The system generates an inventory-receipt for counting in one area (e.g. whole storage type or separate storage bins in different storage types)
All products in the relevant areas are counted

Product-based inventory

A certain product is counted at one or various single storage places or HUs in the storage
Insight in the actual stock-inventory of a certain product
Usage at products of higher value

Inventory for specific stock categories

Also an inventory for specific categories, like blocked stock, stock in quality inspection or normal stock for free application, is possible in SAP EWM.

Ad-hoc-inventory

Storage bin- and product-based
To a random point in time in the fiscal year, the counting of a storage bin or product is executed
Ad-hoc-inventory receipt are manually activated
Possibility to connect inventory receipts with an exception code (at determination of stock difference during picking)

Annual inventory

Storage bin- and product-based
Counting and registration of all stocks once a year
During this inventory stock movements can be forbidden
Implementation of inventory for every storage bin
Implementation also for storage bins, that are subjected to the continuous inventory but haven´t registered storage movements

Low stock control

Storage bin-based
Procedure can be executed at the confirmation of a storage task
Implementation, if a storage bin has only a low amount of products after a stock removal
SAP EWM generates automatically an inventory receipt at the confirmation of a storage task
Low stock value can be freely defined for the storage bins
Possibility of zero check: threshold value of the stock is zero. The picker confirms that the storage bin is empty. So this storage bin can be used for admission into warehouse.

Inventory on putaway

Storage bin-based
Inventory will be implemented, if the first deposit into the storage bin in the fiscal year takes place
Employee confirms that the stock in the storage correspond to the confirmed amount in the storage task
During the same fiscal year, no further inventory takes place for the concerned storage bin

Cycle-Counting (CC)

Product-based
Products were counted in regular periods in the course of the fiscal year
For distinction of products counting intervals can be specified
The products are assigned to different CC-marks in the EWM product master, so the common products can be planned for an often inventory
Counting intervals between the countings are specified in working days and calculated over the factory calendar

Storage bin control

At the storage bin control it is checked, if a specific product is at the correct storage place. The amount of the products is thereby not checked. That´s why the storage bin control is no correct inventory procedure but much more a control procedure, which is carried in SAP EWM as a document type.

Difference Analyzer

With this „Tool” the differences, which appear in the storage, can be analyzed, prior to they were finally booked in SAP ERP. If deviations were noticed during picking or the inventory, the reason of the differences can be easier determined and the stock situation in the ERP system coordinated. With the difference analyzer, the coordination differences can be recognized and the write-offs to SAP ERP can be inhibited.

The status in the difference analyzer is displayed by means of a status traffic light:

The write-off is possible, if the following points were kept:

No tolerance was overrided
No difference was blocked
There is no blocked toll stock

Inventory with external systems

The inventory can be carried out by the help of an external system. SAP EWM has the possibility to up- and download the storage bin- and counting dates.

Inventory reconciliation between SAP ERP and SAP EWM

If stocks between SAP ERP and SAP EWM don´t correspond, they can be identified and corrected. Because the EWM system follows the stock in detail, it is suspected that this stock is correctly. Therefore the inventory data in SAP ERP is adapted.

RF-based inventory

Beside the paper-based model of inventory receipts, the counting can happen in a RF-environment because of the EWM resource management.

Advantages:

Inventory receipts haven´t to be printed
Counting results haven´t to be manually entered
Real-time collection of results in the system
Minimization of error rate because of an exactly data collection

The inventory procedures in SAP WM are similar to SAP EWM. Though, SAP EWM has rather extended functions, that can be used and make the inventory easier. If you have any questions or need help at your inventory, we are happy to help you.

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