A better solution for many facilities is to assign workers to zones or equipment types and allow them to remain primarily inside that zone or with that equipment doing discrete activities for which they are qualified (e.g., forklift movements, hand picks). If a picker is to do a certain type of activity primarily, the system must understand the picker's capabilities and location.

Historically, SAP Warehouse Management (WM) was not the optimal solution for this engine-type planning where tasks might require many resources and prioritization. Determining what pick to do and what resources were required to complete the pick was the operator's responsibility. SAP WM just wanted to know when the pick was complete.

To better manage tasks, respond to equipment constraints, optimize workflow, and support task interleaving, SAP released Task and Resource Management (TRM). This module was part of R/3 Enterprise SCM Extension 1.1, the first SCM extension set, and resides on top of SAP WM. TRM is also provided with mySAP ERP, but this article covers its use in R/3.

TRM's task monitor and transactions for mobile devices (also known as radio frequency or RF devices) usually become the primary SAP interaction point for many warehouse workers. Note that TRM complements SAP WM — it does not replace it — from a configuration and work management perspective. For some operators, TRM may become the primary user interface for completing their work, but this should not be interpreted as diminishing the need for SAP WM. To learn about other enhancements SAP has provided for warehouse management, see the sidebar, "Other Enhancements to SAP WM.".

TRM takes work from SAP WM and divides it into discrete tasks. Workers are provided tasks for which they are qualified based on a configurable prioritization model.

For example, envision a picking activity that requires something to be retrieved from a high rack location, driven to the dock, and then staged for shipment. The high rack might be governed by an automated system, the movements to the dock might be by a guided vehicle, and at the dock, someone must be ready to move the item when it arrives. If it does not seem that this complexity applies to you ("We don't have automated storage!"), perhaps you have narrow aisle forklifts that can only work in the high rack area and cannot go to the dock because they are too tall. Almost every company faces these kinds of idiosyncratic equipment and planning constraints to some degree.

In this example, a variety of tasks must be coordinated. SAP WM does not know the tasks or constraints; it only knows something must get to the dock. It performs the Plan aspect of the pick (Figure 1). Determination of what equipment to use, sequencing of tasks, and assignment of tasks fall under the Control category, which is TRM. It talks to the equipment or people who perform the physical movements (Execute). When the material arrives at the dock staging location, TRM notifies SAP WM that all activities are complete.

Figure 1

Coordination of work between SAP WM and TRM

Some advanced configuration is required to optimize the workflow within a facility. I'll give you more detail on some of the significant configuration considerations and differences between SAP WM and TRM.

Overview of TRM Configuration

SAP's TRM significantly expands SAP WM's capabilities. Its configuration areas also differ significantly from SAP WM. All TRM configuration is in addition to, not in place of, SAP WM. SAP WM still defines elements such as warehouse storage types, strategies, and cycle-counting parameters. TRM expands on those elements and requires additional configuration, such as:

• Determining X,Y,Z coordinates for bins

• Definition of zones and nodes

• Definition of obstructions

• Creation of users and equipment

• Establishing a prioritization model

Before I describe those configuration areas, let's look at how TRM works with SAP WM.

TRM is organized by site, which is the highest TRM organizational element. In its most basic form, it might represent an SAP WM warehouse and perhaps an associated trailer yard. A site does not have to correspond to an entire SAP WM warehouse. You can enable TRM for certain zones (storage types) or movements within the warehouse. This is useful for situations when some areas of the warehouse have complex operational requirements and others are more simplistic.

For example, a warehouse might have a high rack storage area accessible only via wire-guided forklifts. TRM can help make sure only workers on wire-guided forklifts are sent into that area. The same warehouse might have a tank farm for which the additional control of TRM is unwarranted. The tank farm could be excluded even though it is part of the same SAP WM warehouse that uses TRM in other zones.

To enable TRM for an SAP WM site, you first relate an SAP WM warehouse to a TRM site. You do this under the Assign site configuration heading in the Interfaces portion of the SAP WM configuration. Use SAP Customizing IMG menu path Logistics Execution>Warehouse Management>Interfaces>Task and Resource Management>Assign Site (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Link the warehouse to the site

With the warehouse linked to a site, you then define the storage types or movement types that TRM helps govern. Go to the Control WMS-TRM Interface for Transfer Orders section heading, also under the Interfaces portion of the SAP WM configuration. Uncheck the box in the Inact. column to enable TRM for movements between storage types. SrcTy indicates source storage type. Dest. indicates destination storage type.

Note that in Figure 3, only movements from storage type 001 to 916 (the shipping dock) are enabled for TRM, as the box in the Inact. column is unchecked. This means that TRM will help execute outbound picks, but other movements that are presumably less complex will be governed solely by SAP WM.

Figure 3

Uncheck the Inactive box to enable movement among storage types

Confirm Removal and Placement

Next I'll explain how SAP WM allows TRM to coordinate the completion of work. Movements governed by TRM are defined as two-step confirmations. Don't confuse this with two-step picking, an SAP WM term for removing large quantities of material and parceling them out to many orders. Two-step confirmation is an SAP WM feature that allows confirmation of removal and placement systematically as two distinct activities.

Consider the situation of something that is removed from the source bin but not yet placed in the destination bin. It's important to show material out of the source bin as soon as possible in case someone cycle-counts the bin (i.e., using SAP's dynamic cycle-counting function) and to allow the bin to be reused as soon as possible. A practice of waiting until material reaches the destination bin to inform SAP WM that something was removed and placed is antithetical to a real-time inventory system.

TRM confirms the initial confirmation (removal) when the first task is completed. The second confirmation occurs when the last task is completed. The person performing the work only needs to interact with TRM, since TRM will update SAP WM.

By embedding all the tasks TRM manages within the standard SAP transfer order confirmation mechanisms, SAP allows all of SAP WM's reporting capabilities to remain intact. For example, this means the warehouse activity monitor and SAP WM integration with the delivery note document flow remain unchanged. Custom reports that companies have already written for SAP WM are likely to work even if TRM is enabled, depending on any other customizations done to the systems.

If more detailed information than SAP WM provides is required, such as details about the status of specific picking tasks, use TRM monitoring tools. One such tool, the TRM monitor, can be found via menu path Logistics>Logistics Execution>Task & Resource Management>Monitor or by using transaction code LTRMS. Detailed information about the task is available, including the type of task, to which transfer order it refers, and when the task is due (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Review Task details

Having established a baseline understanding of how SAP WM and TRM interact, I'll next describe some of the incremental configuration TRM requires.

Determining X,Y,Z Coordinates for Bins

SAP WM provides templates for bin creation. The SAP WM templates allow definition of the bin's name and for pickers to locate it, but the characteristics within the bin template do not provide a good way to derive geographic coordinates. In SAP WM, determining the distance between two bins is not possible.

TRM, since it must make intelligent decisions around task interleaving, must understand where bins are geographically, as well as their geographic relations to each other. Therefore, in TRM, the standard WM bin structure screen is expanded to include geographic coordinates. As Figure 5 shows, it is similar to SAP WM, in that creating templates is supported. Much of the bin template information flows from SAP WM and the incremental TRM aspects (the X,Y,Z coordinates) can be added and then updated (via the Change Bins button). This allows you to update the geographic coordinates quickly.

Figure 5

Modify the SAP WM bin templates to include X,Y,Z coordination information

When determining coordinates, very detailed warehouse layouts and a significant amount of planning and analysis are required. A good starting point is a CAD drawing created by a warehouse's industrial engineers when they designed the facility and the warehouse racking. The important thing to remember is that it takes significantly more planning in TRM to define the bins than simply creating bin-naming templates.

Definition of Zones and Nodes

Figure 5 highlights the process of giving geographic coordinates to bins. On that screen, you may have noticed the term Zone. The zone helps the system understand geographically how the bins should be treated and how to use the warehouse area. For example, it designates the zone as a pick and drop point or as pallet storage. This is different from the SAP WM storage type attribute. A storage type helps define placement and removal strategies, whereas a zone helps manage the workflow within a facility.

Zones work with Nodes to control how pickers move through the facility. A node can define how to get into or out of a zone. For example, if there is a caged, high-value area, travel through a single gate is probably required to access the area. While determining geographically how far a bin in the caged area is from a different bin, you cannot travel "as the crow flies." Travel through a specific gate (node) is required to get into the high-value area (zone). Nodes are assigned X,Y,Z coordinates to better calculate travel distance and routes. Many facilities want traffic to flow in a specific direction through zones to reduce the opportunity for accidents. You can set nodes to allow entry, exit, or both (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Create nodes and assign traffic flow through the node

Definition of Obstructions

With TRM, the SAP system is aware of where bins are physically and of the zones and nodes necessary to reach the bins. It must also account for obstructions such as offices and walls that may influence how it routes pickers through the facility. This understanding allows TRM to make even better decisions regarding what individuals should perform certain tasks and their location relative to the needs of the task.

To define obstructions, you start by defining the corners of the obstruction in X,Y,Z terms. Then link them to form an object. Figure 7 shows defining the four points of a wall and Figure 8 then groups those four points together into an obstacle called WALL1.

Figure 7

Defining four points within the warehouse from an X,Y,Z perspective

Figure 8

Naming an obstacle by associating the four points to form a rectangular shape

Create Users and Equipment

TRM differs from SAP WM in the creation of warehouse workers. With WM the definition of RF users is an activity involving the system configuration (IMG). In TRM, the creation of users and vehicles is treated as warehouse master data and is maintained through a transaction. This means information about warehouse workers and pieces of equipment does not need to be transported; they are treated as master data and added directly into the production system.

TRM also differs from SAP WM in its terminology. TRM uses resources and resource elements. A resource element has allowed roles (element types). When operators sign on to TRM to perform work, the activities they are eligible for equals the union of the roles they are qualified for and the roles for which their equipment is qualified (Figure 9). This union of elements is referred to as a resource.

Figure 9

Resource elements combine to create resources

Experimentation is necessary to fully appreciate the potential of this concept. The hierarchy of capabilities allows SAP TRM to make advanced decisions regarding the zones within which people and machines should operate and which tasks they should perform.

SAP has constructed a wizard to help create resource elements (Figure 10). Launched from the TRM monitor, it includes instructions for each step of the creation process and the ability to specify priorities for the resources.

Figure 10

Use a wizard to create resources and elements within TRM

Establish a Prioritization Model

The prioritization model is the engine that processes all the open tasks and assigns resources to tasks. Each time someone completes a task, it reassesses what he or she should perform next. This allows SAP TRM to be very flexible in responding to unexpected situations, such as tasks taking longer than expected or someone going on break.

Multiple prioritization models can exist, giving the warehouse the ability to focus on certain tasks, such as picking in the morning and putaway and replenishments in the afternoon. Like the creation of resources, this does not require transports to be enacted. It is considered part of the warehouse master data and can be changed in real time by the warehouse manager.

Access the prioritization model from the TRM monitor. It is rendered in SAP Graphics for a more intuitive interface. Various criteria can influence how tasks are weighted. For example in Figure 11, which shows a prioritization model, the latest starting date for the task and the route are both significant influences on whether a task is selected. The latest starting date means that, as the task ages, it becomes more likely to be selected for completion.

Figure 11

Creating and maintaining the prioritization model is a graphical activity in which various criteria can be defined to influence how task priority is assessed

Also shown in Figure 11 is that, unlike the latest starting date criteria, the route has sub-criteria that help determine the route's importance. These criteria can include how far a resource is from the task's source and how desirable it is for the resource to work in the area in which the task resides.

Other Enhancements to SAP WM

Historically, companies used specialized, non-SAP products to control warehouse activities, as initial releases of the product lacked some of the baseline capabilities complex warehouses require. Integrating non-SAP applications into SAP, while undesirable, was deemed an acceptable tradeoff for the capabilities the niche packages offered.

However, SAP has invested significantly in SAP WM over the past five years, addressing many of the historical shortcomings. In addition to adding the TRM functionality, SAP has also made changes in other areas:

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are a requirement for most warehouses. Inventory accuracy greater than 98 percent is a good benchmark, but without real-time verification through mobile devices (radio frequency or RF devices), it is probably unattainable. Since SAP did not initially have a native RF solution, third-party companies developed bolt-on solutions. They required interfacing and generally were not an optimal solution.

With Release 4.6B, SAP released the SAPConsole, a real-time solution for RF devices. This was followed a few years later by the WebSAPConsole, which supports Windows handheld terminals and provides a roadmap to SAP's RFID solution and voice picking applications (multi-modal picking). As Figure 1 shows, the SAPConsole application provides real-time connectivity to an SAP system, as does the similarly designed WebSAPConsole application. It allows users to receive work instructions and confirm their activities via handheld scanners instantly.

While SAP provides many transactions for warehouse management, you also can develop additional transactions. The SAPConsole and WebSAPConsole are screen emulators for online transactions. This means that developers who can write online transactions (dynpros) can also write RF transactions. Many companies are developing mobile transactions in areas like production or quality management with the SAPConsole.

General Warehouse Management Usability Improvements

SAP has refined several existing processes to better support robust warehouse environments. Many of these are included in the R/3 Enterprise SCM Extension 2.0, the second supply chain extension set, but two of the enhancements generating the most attention are a new cross-docking solution and the introduction of dynamic cycle counting.

Moving items straight from the receiving location to the shipping location and bypassing putaway and picking is a significant operational improvement referred to as cross docking. SAP had two cross-docking solutions in the past, one as part of SAP WM and another that was an outgrowth of SAP's retail solution. The newest cross-docking solution is a significant improvement over the prior functionality.

Working with yard management, also a new functional area available in R/3 Enterprise SCM Extension 2.0, the cross-docking solution gives customers the ability to plan or opportunistically perform cross docking. This means your system can alert you to cross-docking opportunities based on dock door appointments or those that unexpectedly arise during the day.

Another improvement is a dynamic cycle-counting solution. Previously, no counts could occur on bins with open activity. For high-velocity warehouses, finding a time when bins have no pending picks or putaways is virtually impossible.

Dynamic cycle counting, however, allows counting and picking to coexist. This means that while one person is removing product from the bin, another can be counting it. The system determines if the inventory is accurate despite these parallel activities.

Cross docking and dynamic cycle counting are just two of the recent enhancements of SAP WM. Other areas include the already mentioned yard management, which includes dock door scheduling, and a value-added services solution.

Figure 1

Overview of the SAPConsole. The WebSAPConsole is similar, except a Web server is used in place of a telnet server

Chris Moose

Chris Moose is a partner in IBM's Global Business Services organization where he is the sponsor of SAP warehouse management and transportation management offerings. With worldwide responsibility for these offerings, he has helped expand IBM's delivery capabilities globally and has personally delivered projects on four different continents. His specific interests include the use of technology to address the historical fixed cost nature of supply chains enabling flexibility and then quantifying that business value with a benefits realization focus. In addition to his practice management and delivery focus, Chris is a frequent speaker at industry events as well as an author for industry magazines.

You may contact the author at chris.moose@us.ibm.com.

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