Hi Experts,
I have seen a unique requirement at my current client, the issue comes from the requirement from accounting to recognize production variances at the finished paper roll level.
Once the paper plant sets up on a specific grade (i.e. grey or cream), they run that grade over multiple shifts and/or days. The process begins with loading the pulper with waste paper (manual goods issue to a process order). The pulp is then processed into a master reel which will be slit into multiple rolls (unique material numbers) which makes it very difficult to know at the start of the process which raw materials are going to which specific process orders for the finished individual rolls; one master reel yields many individual rolls.
We have investigated the MILL_CUT that is available in DIMP. However, goods receipts to inventory for the finished roll result from a 309 Material-to-Material transfer, and that transfer occurs at the standard price for the finished roll, so production variances are captured at the master reel level. We looked at using co-products, but, again, the financial postings occur at the standard price. Order combination (MILL_OC) allows the business to issue materials to a single process order and flow variances to the individual rolls via the standard order combination cost distribution process and rules.
1. As per SAP Note 1820289, it is explicitly stated that combined orders are not supported by APO as a standard SAP offering.
2. With the help of IS-MILL order combination - APO Integration configuration node (Table /sapmp/atrkz_par), we were able to integrate the combined orders for APO relevant materials. This can be accomplished using configuration to activate combined orders for APO in this table.
3. As part of the process order integration model, both the combined orders and individual orders are showing up as a supply element in APO Product view, which is double counting the supply for Supply Planning, Production Planning, and GATP functionality.
4. Once Process Orders are integrated to APO, we're able to distinguish by APO application "Combined Order (Original)", "Combined Order (combined)"
4. We also succeeded to stop combined order coming into via CIF modification which works well with execution, costing and APO.
Given the language in the above referenced note:
APO-relevant materials cannot be combined.
In general, the function "Combining Production and Process Orders" is not released in connection with SCM/APO.
This means:
APO-relevant materials cannot be combined. Neither combined orders nor original orders can be integrated to SCM/APO. The customer shall be responsible for any modifications in this respect. Resulting questions and problems will not be processed and supported by Support.
Although we are incorporating generally acceptable customer tools such as enhancement points and user exits to enable this functionality, we are making modifications to the delivered functionality.
We're not sure if SAP is going to change the structure of above mentioned table in future. Our client doesn't want to against the SAP recommendation. Somehow the combined order structure is available in APO (application type).
Kindly provide your inputs/comments/recommendations.