SNP heuristics - modeling a "max cumulated order qty per month"

[thomas_schulze2]

Hello experts,

we are using SNP heuristics to perform simple replenishment from a DC/Hub location into another location. The target location has a compliance restriction now on how much of a certain product per month are allowed to be procured.

Example:

Target loc 2000 must not order more than 500.000 unit per month of product A from location 1000 (ignoring if this leads to under coverage of the demand in location 2000). This qty restrictions applies only to some selected products - not to all product coming into loaction 2000.

We checked following options - but none is really suitable:

1. using  SNP inbound quota arrangement with a single source - but there is no way of using an "absolute value" per month for a source.
2. using "max stock qty" option in material master - this won't help since the SNP heuristic will keep creating PReqs if there is more demand and we are not able to stock the total monthly qty in the warehouse anyway
3. controlling the shipping qty via GATP allocation schemes is to late in the process  - we are looking for avoiding SNP replenishment proposals in the beginning

Does anybody have an idea how we could model this in APO-SNP heuristics at the target location ?

Regards

Thomas

[Former Member]

Hi Thomas,

Try to separate them by creating a dummy location with a PPM dummy for each product. Try to model your constraints using unit of measure weeks or month and by min/max lot size in the product plan assignment. You have to create transportation lanes between locations. Here you can work with transportation resource to model monthly bucket capacity by calendar. At dummy location you can have a storage location with limits. 

Hope that can help you.

Thanks, Marius   

[thomas_schulze2]

Hi Marius,

thanks for the quick reply. I thought about using this PPM source modeling - basically use a PPM source and a dummy location for each product separately in order to immitate a product specific TLane capacity etc..

We have a couple 100 products for this requirement and wonder if there is a simpler way of doing this in SNP ? I have the fear that we will get lost in this maintenance of locations/PPMs/TLanes for each product individually for a simple qty restriction in our current plant-to-plant replenishmen scenario.

Any other ideas ?

Regards

Thomas

[Former Member]

Ha ha, I like this. New challenge!

What about this scenarios.

1. Forecast 500.000 unit per month. Lot size procedure Lot-for-Lot. Run SNP heuristic with time bucket month. Result - 1 SNP Pl.Order = 500.000 unit per month

2. Forecast not important. Lot size procedure Fixed Lot size = 500.000 (or min/max lot size). Run SNP Heuristic with time bucket month. Result - 1 SNP PL.Order = 500.000 per month.

You can have a separate job (separate selection loc/prod) for these SKUs with time bucket months (this is in the case when you are working with time bucket weeks).

3. At transportation lane level. Create transport capacity resource and assign it to the t.lane. In the resource you have the possibility to restrict the capacity at 500.unit per time bucket month.

Me too I have some issue at PPDS level. Can you give me some ideas for this issue http://scn.sap.com/thread/3596884

Regards, Marius

[thomas_schulze2]

Okay, I think the 3rd point is a good hint - if I interprest the TLane settings and capabilities correctly: I could ...

1) Create a "Means of Transport" for each of these products in question and maintain a TransportResource Capacity separately for each of them

2) assign the product to it's individual "MoT" and assign the corresponding TransportResource with it's capacity pattern --> the "product specific trasnport" should than allow me to define the "consumption" against the resource for each product indiviually.

I'll give it try !

Thanks !

Regards

Thoma

[Former Member]

Excellent. Good luck.