The handling unit functionality in shipment is about packing shipment lines into a handling unit structure. A handling unit structure can be defined consisting of a multi-level structure where handling units are stored in each other or on top of each other. Below is an example of a handling unit structure built up by one pallet with two big boxes. In each big box, there are 4 small boxes.
The attachment/packing of parts can be performed either manually or automatically. Parts can be packed according to specific rules set for how many pieces of a part fit into a specific handling unit, as well as using a defined packing instruction.
When performing manual packing, it is possible to mix different parts, lot batches and serials etc. within the same handling unit, if required. The handling unit structure is created by adding handling units and accessories to build a structure that represents the packing needed. You can also use predefined packing instructions to create an empty handling unit structure to which shipment lines can be attached. The handling unit structure can be modified by the drag-and-drop function and handling units can be moved to other shipments as well, if needed. The manual packing is then performed by attaching shipment lines to handling units.
The automatic packing of shipment lines can be done by performing a packing of the parts on shipment lines into their lowest level handling units - pack into handling units. These lowest level handling units can then manually be packed into other handling units. It is also possible to pack according to a predefined packing instruction, meaning that the lowest level handling units are created as a first step, but it also includes building up a predefined handling unit structure, including handling unit accessories, according to the settings of the packing instruction.
It is possible to create an SSCC for the handling unit levels required for an existing handling unit structure. An optional alternative transport label ID can also be entered.
The information from the handling unit structure, including weight and volume, is included in relevant reports and the DESADV message.
For more information regarding general shipment functionality, please refer to the About Shipment page.
The basic data required for handling units are:
Handling Unit Types:
The different handling unit types that can be used when packing shipment lines. The handling unit types can be grouped in to different categories. The weight, volume and dimensions of handling unit type can be specified per handling unit type. By specifying additive volume for a handling unit type, it determines that the volume of the handling unit is dynamic and defined by the content attached to this handling unit. A typical example of such a handling unit type is a pallet. Handling unit types not having additive volume would typically be a box which has a fixed volume, regardless of content.
Handling Unit Accessories:
The accessories needed when packing parts. This could typically be pallet
collars or a lid for a pallet or some insulation material for a box. For each
handling unit accessory, it is possible to define weight and volume that will
be included as part of the handling unit structure on the shipment. A handling
unit accessory can be set as having additive volume, meaning that the
volume of the accessory will be added to the total volume of the handling unit.
It will also mean that the volume for the handling unit is fixed to that total
volume. A typical example of this would be having a pallet and then adding one
or several collars to that pallet as accessories (additive volume set). The
total volume for that handling unit including accessories and any parts attached,
will then be the pallet volume plus the accessory volume, as it can be seen
as a fixed box. If the accessory does not have additive volume, it will not be
included in the volume calculations for the handling unit. A typical example of
the latter would be an insulation material used as an accessory. Using our example,
the volume of the parts or any child handling units would be added to the total
volume of the pallet (that have additive volume). Handling unit accessories can be
added to a handling unit manually or as part of the packing instruction.
Handling Unit Capacity:
When performing automatic packing, it is vital to know how many
parts can go into a certain handling unit type. This can be defined in the part
catalog - per part, or per storage requirement group for capacity. Note that the
handling unit capacity is defined per UoM, meaning that depending on which UoM
that is used for the part on the shipment line, there can be different quantities
packed into the same handling unit. For example, the handling unit capacity for a
part could be 100 pcs on a pallet, but using the same part and 10PK as UoM on
another site, it could then have a handling unit capacity of 10PK for the
same pallet. This definition is later used when performing the automatic packing
into handling units or as a first step when packing according to a pack
instruction. It is possible to define several different handling unit types for
one part and UoM combination, and then (if no default packing instruction is set
for the unattached shipment line) the first found will automatically
be defaulted to the unattached shipment line (but can be changed) before actually performing the packing. If a packing instruction is set
for the unattached shipment line, it will be one of the handling units defined on
the lowest level for that packing instruction that is set as handling unit type
for the unattached shipment line, as long as a handling unit capacity is defined
for that handling unit and part/UoM combination.
Packing Instruction:
The packing instruction describes a default way of packing different handling units in a structure. Note that the reference to part when performing pack according to pack instruction is achieved via the handling unit capacity for the lowest level handling units in the packing instruction. So for the packing instruction, there is no direct reference to how large a quantity of a part can be packed. A typical packing instruction could be one pallet at the top on which two big boxes can be stored and then in each big box, four small boxes can be stored - that would be the packing instruction as described in the structure above. In the packing instruction, it is also possible to define whether there should be handling unit accessories added as a part of packing. This is defined per level in the packing instruction. Per level of the packing instruction, it also possible to define rules regarding a mix of parts, lot batches or condition codes. These rules will then be validated when performing manual packing. For automatic packing that uses a packing instruction, these rules will be considered, but note that in the lowest level handling units, there will always be only one part number or condition code, regardless of the setting of the mix blocked check boxes. So for automatic packing, it will only be the Mix of Lot Batch Numbers Blocked check box that would have an effect when set on the lowest level. The packing instruction can also be applied on a shipment in order to create an empty handling unit structure that can work as a base for the manual packing of parts.
Default Packing Instruction:
The packing instruction can be setup to be default per customer order line. The pack according to packing instruction can then be triggered as an optional event as a part of the shipment type. The default packing instruction on customer order line is passed to the shipment line and can then be applied when triggering the pack according to pack instruction manually on the shipment or shipment lines. The default packing instruction can be set for a capacity requirement group, for a global part number, a part number/site, a part number/site/customer or for a part number/site/customer/address combination. On the customer order line, the default packing instruction with the most specific definition is used. Note that it is possible to change the default packing instruction if required, on the customer order or shipment line. The packing instructions and default values for packing instructions are a part of the basic data for handling units in inventory.
Manual Packing:
On the shipment, any shipment lines that are not packed yet, are displayed as unattached shipment lines. You can then add handling units, build a handling unit structure manually, or apply an empty packing instruction to get a predefined structure. Optionally, you can also connect accessories to the handling units in the structure. The unattached shipment lines can then be attached to a handling unit of choice. Note that several shipment lines can be attached to one handling unit at the same time. The information attached from the shipment line can be just the quantity from a shipment line attached to a handling unit or be more specific about tracking information, like lot batch numbers and serials etc. The tracking information can either be specified directly when attaching shipment lines or updated later on for shipment lines only attached with a quantity.
It is also possible to update the quantity attached for handling units manually, after an initial attachment has been done, both for shipment and shipment reservation lines. You can also completely detach shipment lines or tracking/reservation information from the handling unit without removing the handling unit itself - thus keeping additional ID information like SSCC etc for the handling unit.
Changes to the handling unit structure can be done by using the drag-and-drop function on one handling unit at a time in the graphical navigator, or by a more general change of parent handling unit ID performed for one or several handling unit lines in one go, if required.
You can also manually update the gross weight, volume and dimensions for handling units on the shipment. These changes (weight and volume) might be reflected upwards in the structure and ultimately for the whole shipment, depending on whether or not manual values are entered for parent handling units, or if additive volume is used.
The rules for the Mix of Part Numbers Blocked, Mix of Lot Batch Numbers Blocked, Mix of Condition Codes Blocked check boxes and if SSCC should be generated and handling unit labels should be printed, is also possible to update per handling unit ID on the shipment.
Handling unit composition will be defined for each handling unit on a shipment based on the content of the handling unit and its sub-structure:
Mixed - represents a handling unit which contains at least two different part
in itself or its underlying structure.
Homogenous - represents a handling unit that have an underlying structure of
other handling units but only contains one part number throughout the handling
unit structure.
Simplified - represent a handling unit on the lowest level, no sub-structure,
that only contains one part number.
Note that the handling unit composition could be changed when content is changed or a handling unit is moved within the handling unit structure.
Automatic Packing:
In addition to the manual packing of parts and handling units on the shipment, it is also possible use a more automatic approach for packing - meaning that the system will pack parts and also create handling unit structures automatically based on the basic data setup and the parts and quantities on the shipment lines. There are two different ways to perform an automatic packing:
Pack into handling units:
This means that the parts and quantities on a shipment line (as found on the tab
for unattached shipment lines) are packed into their lowest level handling units
according to the handling unit type specified on shipment line level. This
default handling unit type for a shipment line is either fetched as one of the
lowest handling units defined on the optional packing instruction for the
shipment line, or from the part catalog definition of handling unit capacity for this
part and sales UoM (if several records with the same setup are defined, a random
record is used). Note that it is also possible to change the handling unit type
manually for each shipment line. The created handling units will be placed
directly underneath the shipment level. The automatic packing of parts includes
any tracking information defined via reservations made on the shipment line. Also
note that when parts are automatically packed into handling units, there will
only be one part in each handling unit on the lowest level - that includes
configurations and condition codes.
Using the pack into handling unit functionality could be a way to reflect the actual packaging used when storing parts in inventory, or could represent a shipment-specific way of packing parts.
Pack according to packing instruction:
This means that parts and quantities on a shipment line (as found on the tab for
unattached shipment lines) will be packed first into the lowest suitable
handling unit as defined in the packing instruction. Then the additional
handling unit levels in the packing instruction will be created from bottom up,
including the accessories specified as being a part of the packing instruction.
So the end-result will be a complete handling unit structure based on the
packing instruction defined on the shipment line. The packing instruction on
shipment line is defaulted from the customer order line where it is retrieved based
on:
The customer order line or unattached shipment line can be manually updated with which packing instruction should be used.
The triggering of pack into handling units and pack according to packing instruction can be done in some different ways:
Note that the automatic packing according to packing instruction will use the base method for pack into handling units but can also consider the value on the Mix of Lot Batch Numbers Blocked check box defined in the packing instruction. The packing instruction can also be used to decide for which handling units you should generate and for which you should print handling unit labels.
The weight and volume of parts, handling unit types and accessories are all considered when it comes to the weight and volume calculation for the handling unit structure and the shipment itself. For each handling unit, there is a calculation of the net and tare weight based on the values given in the basic data for parts, handling unit types and accessories. Then there is also an adjusted net weight calculated that considers the freight factor given per part. The gross weight and adjusted gross weight are then initially calculated using the net, adjusted net and tare weights to indicate a gross and adjusted gross weight per handling unit ID.
Note that the adjusted gross weight is used for the freight charge calculations on shipment. On all reports and DESADV messages, it is the gross weight excluding freight factor that is used.
In addition to the calculated values for weight, it is also possible to enter a gross weight manually per handling unit ID. A manually entered gross weight will also affect the adjusted gross weight calculation - the difference between net weight and adjusted net weight will be considered to calculate a new adjusted gross weight based on the manually entered value for gross weight. So if a manual gross weight is entered, the new adjusted gross weight is calculated as:
New Adjusted Gross Weight = Manual Gross Weight + (Adjusted Weight - Net Weight). This is done in so that the new adjusted gross weight still considers the freight factor applied on net weight.
A manually entered value for gross weight on a lower level of a handling unit structure will be used for total gross weight calculations on the parent levels, all the way up to shipment level. Note that when the content of a handling unit is changed, any manually entered value will be removed and the gross weight calculation (operative value) will revert to a calculated value.
The total gross weight for the shipment or consolidated shipment can also be manually updated to better reflect the actual weight.
Depending on the setting for Unattached Shipment Lines Allowed the total weight calculation will be different:
This behavior is needed in order to support a scenario where the customer isn't attaching shipment lines to handling units in the application but parts are actually stored in handling units and manually entered gross weight for handling units will then include the weight of parts.
For volume per handling unit, there is a total volume calculated per handling unit ID. If the handling unit type is additive and there are no additive accessories added to that handling unit ID, the volume will be the sum of the handling unit type from basic data + the volume of the parts or handling units one level down (children) attached to that handling unit. If the handling unit type is not additive, the volume of the handling unit ID is the volume of the handling unit type as given in the basic data. If a handling unit accessory with additive volume is connected to the handling unit, the volume of that accessory is added to the volume of the handling unit type to give the total volume of the handling unit type ID.
As described above, the volume of a handling unit might also affect the volume of the parent handling unit ID.
Then it is also possible to manually enter a total volume for a handling unit ID. This might then affect the volume calculations on the parent levels all the way up to shipment level. Note that when the content of a handling unit is changed, any manually entered value will be removed and the total volume calculation (operative value) will revert to a calculated value.
The total volume of the shipment is the sum of the total volume for all the top nodes of the handling unit structure and can also be manually updated per shipment or per consolidated shipment.
Depending on the setting for Unattached Shipment Lines Allowed the total volume calculation will be different:
This behavior is needed in order to support a scenario where the customer isn't attaching shipment lines to handling units in the application but parts are actually stored in handling units and manually entered gross volume for handling units will then include the volume of parts. Note that the volume calculation for a handling unit also is dependent on the flag for Additive Volume.
The information found in the handling unit structure of a shipment is included on a number of reports:
Handling unit label: This report lists information about delivery note ID, handling unit ID, SSCC and alternative transport label ID as well as weight and volume of the handling unit ID. Quantity of all parts attached to the handling unit and sub-structure as well as the number of child handling units is also listed. There could also be information about part numbers and some tracking information if it is unique for the handling unit.
Consignment Note: This report includes a list of the top node handling units on the shipment. The weight and volume of these handling units are listed.
Bill of Lading: This report includes a list of the top node handling units on the shipment and the weight of these handling units.
Delivery Note: This report lists a total net and gross weight as well as volume for the shipment, and that is based on the handling unit structure. If no handling unit structure is created, it will show the net weight values for the shipment lines connected to the shipment.
The DESADV message includes information regarding the handling unit structure and parts attached to that, down to a two-level structure. If the handling unit structure on the shipment has more than two levels, it is summarized into the second level of the DESADV information so that all shipment line specific information is included in the message. This also includes ITS message for DESADV.