Here is raw overview about all application / functions used by Parts Procurement Assistant solution:

Search for open quantities

Parts Procurement Assistant will start searching for open quantities (open Purchase Requisitions – determined by the checking rule used for the availability check). These open quantities are the result of the so called net requirements calculation and are carried out in the MRP plant level. The system checks whether it is possible to cover requirements with the plant stock and fixed receipts already planned. In the case of a shortage the system creates a procurement proposal.

The purchasing proposal delivered by the MRP (MD_STOCK_REQUIREMENTS_LIST_API) represent the open quantities which will be displayed in the Parts Procurement Assistant.

Selection screen

The main selection criteria for searching is the Plant (single-entry and mandatory field). The open quantities will be searched only in this location. Due to the logic of the Parts Procurement Assistant and the interdependence of the connected plants, it is not possible to search for open quantities in multiple plants.

The additional selection parameters have no impact on the logic of determination of the open quantities; the influence though (reduce) the amount of data displayed in the ALV List.

Cross Plant Availability Check

After determining the open quantities, the next step is to determine how to fulfill these with the appropriate method. In SAP standard, the system will suggest (most of the times) external purchasing (PO) to cover up. But the Parts Procurement Assistant will try to optimize by proposing alternatively the Stock Transfer Order (STO) as alternative suggestion to cover the demand.

In order to do that you need to define and activate the “connected plants” in customizing. After that the application will search in the given order for the “connected plants”. Like this it is easy to include/exclude partner plants from the logic of part optimization. The system always searches for the combination Plant-Storage Location (MARD-LABST).

After the partner locations have been found and the available stock has been determined the last step of the check is to check if the part is allowed for optimization – if the part is fast moving /slow moving part. In the standard delivery, the Parts Procurement Assistant uses the ABC – Indicator (Material Master MRP1 MARC-MAABC) where:

A - important part, high consumption value = no optimization is allowed for this part
B - less important part, medium consumption value = extern optimization is allowed but
C - relatively unimportant part, low consumption value = optimization is allowed in both internal and external direction

The advantage of using ABC Indicator is that the values can be stored on MM Level and no additional customizing is needed.

The search for open quantities will start in the first Plant defined in the Customizing Table /DBME/AMA_VLOC01. If the quantity is available and Stock Transfer is allowed (according to Table /DBME/AMA_VLOC02), a Stock Transfer Order will be suggested. If the required quantity is lower than Stock, available stock of the next Plants should be looked in the same way. Should all cumulated in-house stock (all available stock in other Plants) and/or should be the internal purchase not allowed system should suggest external purchasing.

After checking up each position, the user can mark this position and start purchasing according to suggestion offered by the Parts Procurement Assistant. System should create a Transfer Order (LT01 with movement type 301) / Purchase Order (ME21N type NB use Vendor NB defined in Info Record ME13) in background.

Create appropriate optimization suggestion

If one part is available in one of the defined partner plants, than the alternative Stock Transfer Order is proposed instead of the Purchased Order (what traditionally proposed in SAP Standard). If the required quantity is higher than the Available Stock in 1st Location in table “Location supplying order” than the Available Stock of the next location should be looked at in the same way as for the previous location. Should all cumulated in-house Stock (all available Stock in other locations) and/or the internal purchase not allowed, system should suggest external purchasing.

The STO will be proposed in the following situations:

If indicator A – NB or Empty – NB is set à no search for stock in that plant (only creation of PO is possible)
If indicator B or C – UB is set à search for available stock in the plant (MARD-LABST) and:
- compare PR Quantity (EBAN-MENGE) against available stock (MARD-LABST)
  - if EBAM-MENGE <= MARD-LABST à create TO with EBAM-MENGE
  - if EBAM-MENGE > MARD-LABST à repeat above actions for next Location
  - if EBAM-MENGE <= sum of MARD-LABST with B/C Indicator à create corresponding TOs
  - if EBAM-MENGE > sum of MARD-LABST with B/C Indicator à create additional to corresponding TOs a PO with quantity: sum of MARD-LABST - EBAM-MENGE

If the part is existing in one of the plants listed in the CT “Location supplying order” but indicator A / Empty is set in CT “Indicator – Document type” only external purchasing is allowed – PO Creation (ME21N) using Vendor information in the Material Info Record (ME13).

If the part If the quantity is available and Stock Transfer is allowed (according to Table “Location supplying order”), a Stock Transfer Order will be suggested.

The exact document type that will be created by the Parts Procurement Assistant has to be defined in the table /DBME/AMA_VLOC03 - DBME: Allowed document types.

Customer example

Example Scenario for Stock Optimization

Actions in the Parts Procurement Assistant

Within the Parts Procurement Assistant the results of the analysis and the alternative purchasing options are displayed using an ALV List. The search and the logic of the stock optimization proposals are explained in the chapters above.

From the user`s perspective, the display of fields in the ALV List should be subject to adjustments by using standard SAP Layout function to display/hide columns. Additional actions allowed in the ALV List are:

Search- Standard SAP
Filter ascending/descending - Standard SAP
Print - Standard SAP

These actions in the ALV List are displayed as menu on the top of the ALV List.

In addition to the standard SAP functionalities in the ALV List, the Parts Procurement is offering the following actions in order make this solution a powerful tool for end users:

Mark fields and perform multiple actions – user can select one or more fields and confirm purchasing suggestion by clicking on one button, “Create Order”, on the menu bar / also he can choose to delete certain lines from the display list using a “Delete row” button – deletion will trigger no other action besides removing the line from the list (line can be displayed if transaction is restarted)
The field “Vendor” is editable – and give the user the possibility to choose if material has several info records assigned – there is a logic implemented here in order to initially display the Fix Vendor (Source List), if no such entry than consider the Info Record (if there is only one); otherwise the field is empty
The field “Supplying Location” is editable – and display locations where the material is not categorized as “A” part – Logic: In case Stock is available at any of the plants display according to the priority list in the ALV Collumn - /DBME/AMA_S_ALV_PARTSASSIST – RESWK
The quantity entered in the field “Quantity” editable in order allow user to change quantity of the STO/PO; there is a check implemented in case of stock transfer order which does not allow the creation of a STO with quantity > than Plant stock
In the field “Stock Supplying Plant” an icon is displayed for lines where a TO is possible and a jump to MMBE (run transaction with MATNR) is implemented
Additional jumps are implemented for the following fields:

o Material Number → MM03 (Basic data 1) /

o Requisition Number → ME52N /

o ABC Indicator → MM03 (MRP1)

o Vendor → MK03

The button “Hide Row(s)” is implemented on the menu bar; this enables reducing the amount of data displayed in the ALV by removing the selected line/s from the list; the removed lines are not processed and will be displayed again if the selection is ran using the same parameters.