Experts,

I wanted to understand if anyone has had experience in dealing with the Mill/Paper environment where an APO integration was involved. To be more specific, these industries need, what we call the "combined production orders". While we can use Block planning in APO (alongwith CDP) & promise orders using Capable-to-Promise to customers, what has remained a question to my mind is how do we create the combined production orders automatically (via CIF) once we've set the conversion from APO?

Most of the implementations use some kind of external Trim optimization engines (greycon, X-trim, I see that SAP has a tool called TrimLight). SAP clearly has made provisions within the APO programming to connect with the trim tools. Are there instances of implementations that do not use these Trim tools & yet combine orders in ECC? If yes, how? I know the IS-Mill functionality has provisions to combine Sales Orders, Plnd Orders & Production Orders.

Cheers

Hi experts.

I am facing an issue, our client asked to activate dimp in their industry. After activating I tried combination order and Mill_oc gave me error that no orders selected.

I have done necessary configuration following SAP document.

I was trying on one material and created several identical orders with reference to different sales order. only one appeared in Mill_oc rest are not appearing.

if I am excluding the one appearing in list then system is giving error "No Order Selected"

Please advise.

CR

Hi MM Gurus

I have made the application group for Transaction MIGO and assign char display to that application group in Config.

I am able to get fast enty of chars when material is received against purchase order but when I do good receipt

with "Other" option i.e 501 movement type then i am not able to get fast enty display.

Is there any other setting which I have to do in  addition to that which i have mentioned above.

Regards

Manish

Hello Experts,

We've been working in the Paper industry for a couple of years now & use the IS-Mill DIMP functionality ONLY to the extent of being able to configure our Orders in ECC & in allowing combined Orders in ECC. We, as most of the industry does, use an external trim tool that optimizes the making of Sales Orders using a Trim Sheet. We use enhancements in the APO system to combine orders at the planned order level. Below are a couple of topics that seem peculiar to me in this environment & was wanting to understand how others in the industry handle these constraints -

• Configuring FERT BOM's: Given that we are majority MTO & that are a uncontrollable production over-runs, it would have made sense to have some functionality that would enable us to use up the configured (KMAT) products (the over-runs that otherwise lie on the floor as unused inventory). We know, only the KMAT BOM's can be configured, while the FERT's cannot.
• Production Threshold: Once a Paper Machine starts production, it is sub-optimal to produce below a certain threshold quantity. Based on the run & the machine lets take for ex: 1500sft of paper is the minimum that will have to be made. This is a hard constraint. I did not however see any provision in APO to use these constraints during the Planned Order creation.

It would be interesting to hear comments from experts in this area.

Cheers

Dears,

Reference to the following link it says that it's not allowed to combine operation with gaps, for example if a routing consists of the operations 10, 20, and 30, you cannot combine operations 10 and 30 without operation 20.

Selecting Operations - SAP Mill Products - SAP Library

I need to know why this is mandatory and if there are any way to overcome this

Thanks in Advance,

Best Regards,

Keroles Abader

Hi,

We have an SAP ECC6 system with EHP5 which has been in use for several years and was recently upgraded from 4.6C.

This system has been in use for several years and now business drivers require activation of BFS DIMP.

I have searched OSS, these forums and internet at large for a discrete list of what is changed upon activation.

Anything that can get us started in the right direction in terms of the analysis.

Perhaps a discrete list of affected processes, programs, transactions, tables etc ...

We fully realize thet the exact impact will be specific to our system but we are looking for a starting point.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ricky

Dear Gurus,

My client is manufacturing the Paper reels, each order item is a unique by his dimension, width and due to so many reason.

i have to make the variant configuration for this ??

I have go through the so many threads for the variant configuration, but confuse in the process of variant configuration and configurable material.

can any one suggest/share me the good thread for this customization and business process.

or as per above scenario just guide me the major steps i have to follow, like, either we can only create one material, or many material, as finish product is only paper reels. with thanks.

Looking forward for usual cooperative response from gurus,

regards,

imran khan

Hi all,

Is there anyone using restricted interchangeability. I read help documents and forum but couldn't find enough info. Can you give some information usage and configuration of it?

Thanks all.

how to create sap marketplace user ID. But may be not a SAP customer. Please tell me someone

Jeetendra

Hello experts,

I have been trying to confirm a combined order by calling different FMs available for the purpose.

I have tried using  MILL_OC_ORDER_CONFIRMATION and MILL_OC_ORDER_CONFIRM_POST so far.

Apart from passing combined order number and other parameters, I am also passing ATRKZ = Z in the structure CAUFVD.

When executed, the FM gets executed and I do not get any message (error or other otherwise). But the order confirmation is not posted.

Can some one please give me some inputs as to what parameters to check and which FM to use and how?

Thanks in advance.

Srinivas

Does anyone know how to run MRP to make sure that batches are not to be considered for planning after their expiration date?

any help is greatly appreciated

Does anybody know how to activate this transaction in IS Mill & Mining ?

Thanks in advance

Regards

Dear all, the way steel industry products are bought, manufactured and sold it is clear that to map them into SAP , one would need Variant Configuration with immense amounts of Macro authoring for rules. The trouble is in promising the date of delivery, or rather honoring it once you have promised. This can only be done by utilizing a combination of GATP and PPDS. Basically using CTP.

My request to Gurus here is, if anyone has been in similar circumstances, can she / he guide me with some information, material ...or just continuing this discussion. We are about to enter a large scale SAP implementation with above scenario as a focus area.

regards

Hi all,

Is there anyone using restricted interchangeability. I read help documents and forum but couldn't find enough info. Can you give some information usage and configuration of it?

Thanks all.

Hello Experts,

I am using the above FM to confirm a combined order. The structures are populated with necessary details (to the best of my understanding) including I_ORDER_CONF_FLAG = X and I_END_CONF = X.

When this is executed, I get an error message "No settlement rule exists for object number".

The combined order has the two original orders as the settlement objects and in turn original orders have material numbers as the settlement objects. The original orders were created against sales order with variant configuration.

Can some one please let me know what is that I might be missing?

Thanks in advance

Srinivas

Hello Experts,

We've been working in the Paper industry for a couple of years now & use the IS-Mill DIMP functionality ONLY to the extent of being able to configure our Orders in ECC & in allowing combined Orders in ECC. We, as most of the industry does, use an external trim tool that optimizes the making of Sales Orders using a Trim Sheet. We use enhancements in the APO system to combine orders at the planned order level. Below are a couple of topics that seem peculiar to me in this environment & was wanting to understand how others in the industry handle these constraints -

• Configuring FERT BOM's: Given that we are majority MTO & that are a uncontrollable production over-runs, it would have made sense to have some functionality that would enable us to use up the configured (KMAT) products (the over-runs that otherwise lie on the floor as unused inventory). We know, only the KMAT BOM's can be configured, while the FERT's cannot.
• Production Threshold: Once a Paper Machine starts production, it is sub-optimal to produce below a certain threshold quantity. Based on the run & the machine lets take for ex: 1500sft of paper is the minimum that will have to be made. This is a hard constraint. I did not however see any provision in APO to use these constraints during the Planned Order creation.

It would be interesting to hear comments from experts in this area.

Cheers

Hi,

For a SAP IS-Mill Implementation for our customer, we are planning to use Standard I-Doc /SAPMP/MBGMCRCL_01 to accomplish the below three activities simultaneously in SAP:

1. Batch Creation

2. Valuation of Batch Characteristics

3. Goods Movement-  Initial Entry of Stock Balances ( Mvt Type-561) in SAP WM

When posting this I Doc, the system creates the Batch for Material and post the Goods Movement in Warehouse Bins; however the Batch Characteristics Valuations specified in the I Doc Data are not passed to the Batch Master.  Are there are specific customizing activities or settings ( Movement Type, Batch Class or Batch Characteristics) which are prequisites for successful Batch Valuations ; pls. share solutions/inputs.

The Inbound Function Module for this I Doc is BAPI_IDOC_INPUT1.

Thanks & Regards

Pankaj

Dear all, the way steel industry products are bought, manufactured and sold it is clear that to map them into SAP , one would need Variant Configuration with immense amounts of Macro authoring for rules. The trouble is in promising the date of delivery, or rather honoring it once you have promised. This can only be done by utilizing a combination of GATP and PPDS. Basically using CTP.

My request to Gurus here is, if anyone has been in similar circumstances, can she / he guide me with some information, material ...or just continuing this discussion. We are about to enter a large scale SAP implementation with above scenario as a focus area.

regards

The first fully integrated Enterprise Financial Modelling product for the Mining Industries

Original article: http://www.rpmglobal.com/news-and-media/the-first-fully-integrated-enterprise-financial-modelling-product-specifically-targeted-at-the-mining-industry

             ###

RungePincockMinarco (RPM) has today launched the first fully integrated EFM application specifically built for the mining industry, XERAS for Enterprise ™.

         BRISBANE, Australia (May 30, 2013)

XERAS for Enterprise represents the next generation of RPM’s industry leading budgeting and financial modelling software product XERAS ™, which is used by major mining companies all over the world.

Launched with the support of global ERP powerhouse SAP AG (SAP), XERAS for Enterprise seamlessly integrates SAP’s Financial and Maintenance Management modules with the financial modelling capabilities of XERAS. This integration allows for unprecedented levels of financial visibility and cost control, from individual mine sites through to corporate management reporting systems.

Speaking at the product’s launch in Brisbane, Australia, RPM’s Chief Executive Officer Richard Mathews said, “The focus of the industry has clearly shifted to driving productivity improvements. Across our global client base we are seeing a growing demand from Boards and senior management for increased visibility, control and predictability of capital and operating cost structures. The ability to explain the difference between actual and planned financial results and to predict the financial implications of changes in the mining environment is of critical importance to our customers.”

Mr. Mathews went on to say, “We’ve listened to what our customers have been telling us and specifically asking for. They wanted us to take the visibility they get at an operational level from our market leading XERAS product and extend it across the Enterprise and we have done that with SAP.”

“Our relationship with SAP makes perfect sense given our almost identical customer base in the industry. This product has been a long time in the making and we are thrilled to bring it to market now. Never before has a complex mining company had the ability to see the immediate financial impacts of a change in an operational mine plan reflected in real time in a corporate budgeting and reforecasting systems.”

XERAS for Enterprise represents the first of RPM’s technology products to take the strategic step forward into the enterprise environment. XERAS for Enterprise follows closely behind the successful launch of RPM’s enterprise enabled XERAS 8.0 last week.

Commenting on this milestone, Board member and company founder, Dr. Ian Runge said, “The conversion of physical attributes of a mine plan into a cost by consumable category was the basis for the original development of XERAS over 20 years ago. To see this natural extension in which mining executives now have full financial visibility from the mine site all the way through to the corporate ERP is very satisfying to say the least.”

With a centralised platform for conducting analysis and generating different scenarios using auditable and validated information, XERAS for Enterprise bridges the gap between the mine and the boardroom. It exposes the strengths and weaknesses of the mine plan and provides critical information which management can use to act upon.

XERAS for Enterprise provides many new significant business benefits which Darren Rostron, RPM’s XERAS Product Manager explains.

“XERAS for Enterprise gives our customers the ability to perform in depth plan vs. actuals analysis. It not only provides variance reporting but also lets you get under the covers so you can truly understand the reasons and underlying logic behind the causes.

“It allows you to reforecast dynamically on the go. When unexpected events occur, such as equipment failure, weather events, or a major drop in commodity prices XERAS for Enterprise quickly helps you understand the financial impact on the business and make informed decisions.

“XERAS for Enterprise standardises financial costing models, enabling fast consolidation and central control of underlying assumptions. The days of manually rolling up financial models into giant spreadsheets are over. Its rapid consolidation of multiple budgets allows operational and financial managers to understand their future financial position across their entire global operations.

“The improved cost visibility provided by XERAS for Enterprise means that senior management are able to drill down through all the layers of the financial plan, right through to the underlying base assumptions at a particular site if they want.

“It makes the crucial job of financial modelling, budgeting and reforecasting much simpler. With XERAS for Enterprise, it’s easier for financial managers to make decisions with confidence.

“Having a single source of truth for financial planning is paramount in today’s mining environment. We endeavor to provide better access to information for technical and operational decision-making, which in turn delivers more efficient mining and certainty for key stakeholders.”

Mr. Mathews concluded by saying, “One of the most frequently asked questions in mining today is why actual costs are different to the original budget or the recent reforecast. XERAS for Enterprise gives you the power to answer this question quickly and accurately right from your desktop.”

“If you want to consolidate all your financial costing models at the push of a button, reforecast rapidly and have full financial drill-down to your operational costing models, XERAS for Enterprise is the perfect solution for you.”

-END-

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Michael Baldwin

Chief Marketing Officer

+61 407 518 885

globalmarketing@rpmglobal.com

Hello,

We are testing the integration of classified ECC batches into APO and are encountering a CIF SYSFAIL error when transferring batch class 023 to APO.

SYSFAIL occuring in Function Modules /SAPAPO/CIF_CHR30_INB and SAPAPO/CIF_CLA30_INB. Status Text of CIF error only indicates "::000"

We have followed the links for integration of Class/Characteristics and integration of Batches and have done the steps outlined below.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_scm70/helpdata/en/b3/12813b680c250fe10000000a114084/content.htm?frameset=/en/b3/12813b680c250fe10000000a114084/frameset.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_scm70/helpdata/en/48/646f4be7fb4f93e10000000a42189d/content.htm?frameset=/en/b3/12813b680c250fe10000000a114084/frameset.htm

Background

ECC 6.0 DIMP/ SCM 7.0

Steps taken

1) We have created a batch class 023 and variant class 300 with the same exact technical name (ie Z_ROLL)

2) Within each class, we have designated specific characteristics to be APO relevant via Organizational Area assignment (ie Org Area)

3) Within SCM config, we have configured Organizational area for class type 230 (ie Cross-Application Components Classification SystemClasses Maintain Object Types and Class Types) , assigning it to table /SAPAPO/VERSKEY

*Note - Configuration scheme in APO is CDP

4) Created and generated specific CIF integration model for Class/Characteristic object including the Org Area "A" filter and class types 300 and 023

5) Upon Activating CIF integration model, class 300 is succesfully transferred to APO (we see the APO class "Z_ROLL" in the system under class type 300 and APO Class type 400)...HOWEVER we do not see batcg class type 230 in APO.

6) Looking at SMQ2 (inbound APO queues), we see the CIF SYFAIL mentioned above

We are looking for any thoughts on potential missing configuration steps/other causes of this  specific SYSFAIL. Message searches on this SYSFAIL did not yield anything specific. We are beginning debugging of the CIF queue in parallel.

Thank you