Topic overview

This article explains the use of loading units in storage location control. The applications used and the related fields, actions and procedures are described in separate articles.

Definitions of terms

Loading unit
A loading unit is a combination of items in or on a suitable storage unit in order to store or ship them. A loading unit can also include other loading units.

Storage unit
Storage unit is a general term for all the storage and packaging materials used during storage, transport, and shipping of an item. Storage units are managed as items of the material category storage unit. If storage units are reusable, they are separated into containers and empties.

Loading units

A continuous use of loading units requires storage location control. Only then can the system auto-join a loading unit created during receipt of goods with a delivery order. If storage location control is not activated, loading units can be
created upon receipt of goods, but it is still necessary to either generate new loading units in the delivery order or manually join the existing loading units with the delivery order in the Loading units application. The same applies if a
loading unit has been put away in an unstructured warehouse or in a warehouse zone without storage locations.

Via the business object Loading units (com.cisag.app.shipping.obj.UnitLoad), item inventories are combined into loading units which can be referenced as a unit by a unique identification. How this identification is created is defined by the settings in the Customizing application. There are two options available there:

• The identification comprises the SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) according to the rules of the EAN128 standard.
• The identification may be assigned freely. In addition, an SSCC can be assigned to those loading units that are to be shipped.

In the cockpit applications, which can be used to query inventories in storage locations, the identification of a loading unit valid in inventory is displayed. Loading units with the status Contents unknown are not displayed in the result list of the inventory query. These are, for example, loading units that have been broken up or put away in an unstructured warehouse. Information on where a loading unit is stored and its current status is displayed in the Loading units application. For loading units with the status Contents unknown, the system displays where it had been stored before it received this status.

Putting away loading units

In the Receipts of goods application, item inventories may be packaged into loading units prior to booking. Upon packaging, the loading unit is always assigned a storage unit it is stored in or on. In order to put away a loading unit to a storage location, the storage location type of the storage location has to permit the storage unit. In order to be stored to a bulk storage location, the loading unit also has to be segregated by item and by identifier. The item and identifier segragation is also specified with storage location type or with storage strategy.

If the Full loading unit function is activated for a loading unit, a storage location is not filled up automatically with a put-away loading unit. Setting this function therefore prevents a loading unit from being filled up, even if the maximum loading unit capacity has not been reached according to the packaging definitions.

Withdrawing loading units

A loading unit is only determined in withdrawal if it is segregated by item and the open withdrawal quantity exactly matches the quantity of the loading unit. If a smaller quantity is to be withdrawn or picked, the inventory in the loading unit can be determined, but the relevant inventory order line item has no reference to the loading unit. Upon reporting, the status of the loading unit changes to Contents unknown” This also applies if the loading unit is withdrawn via the picking point.

Loading units are not determined preferentially upon withdrawal. To avoid unnecessary openings of loading units by picking of smaller quantities, a withdrawal restriction with the unit exclusion Complete storage units only can be
created for the warehouse, for example.

As for the reporting of inventory orders, loading units can also be assigned to item line items if they are stored in an unstructured warehouse zones, for example. Where possible, those loading units are immediately put in reference to the delivery order line items so that these are automatically packaged due to the reporting. If the inventory order line item contains a loading unit, the voucher reference chain on the line item level cannot be displayed. In this case, the voucher reference chain should be displayed on the header level, in order to access the previous voucher via the voucher reference chain.

The storage unit on which the loading unit is stored is checked upon neither withdrawal nor return transfer. This allows the item inventories contained in an opened loading unit to remain stored on the storage unit of the loading unit, even if this is not supposed to be permitted by the item’s packaging definition.

Since any inventory order line item is generated for exactly one picking order line item, all inventory order reports via loading units have to contain loading units segregated by item. If the loading unit is segregated by both item and
identifier, it is packaged automatically. Packaging it again in the Delivery order application is therefore not necessary. If the item is managed by batches or lots, the loading unit also has to be segregated by identifier in order to be packaged automatically. However, the loading unit may contain different serial numbers

In case of reporting back to a picking order line item of a collective picking order, loading units may have to be unpacked, for instance if the quantity contained in the loading unit is greater than the open quantities of the assigned
delivery orders. The system unpacks the loading units iteratively from the root of the packaging structure until the item quantity in the contained loading units is smaller than or equal to the open quantity of the delivery order line item with
the greatest open quantity, or until the loading unit is fully unpacked. The following example shows the unpacking of loading units in case of a collective picking order:

In the packaging dialog, the determined assignments can be changed manually at any point, e.g. consolidating the 5 cartons for each delivery order into a new loading unit, respectively. If items are left over after automatic packaging,
these have to be manually consolidated into loading units via the packaging dialog in order for the delivery to be  effected.

Versions

If a loading unit is accessed via the Loading units application, then the current information of that loading unit, including the status, is always displays. If the loading unit is accessed, for instance, via a voucher, then the loading unit version valid for that voucher is displayed. In the Loading units application, you can create a new version using the [Reuse] action.  A new version of the loading unit is created when it is not contained in any other loading unit and has either the status Delivered or Contents unknown.

A new version of the loading unit is generated automatically during the following processes:

• with an inventory order, the loading unit is reported back to the picking order and the loading unit has a reference to a receipt of goods
• a loading unit is delivered for a distribution order, i.e. the delivery slip for the distribution order is outputted
• a loading unit put away in a structured warehouse is tranderred to an unstructured warehouse and the loading using has a reference to a receipt of goods
• a loading unit put away in a structured warehouse is relocated to an unstructured production warehouse via the picking order and the loading using has a reference to a receipt of goods
• a loading unit put away is a structured warehouse is reconciled (e.g., by an inventory order or a manual inventory posting) and the loading using has a reference to a receipt of goods

When a loading unit is corrected via an inventory count or relocated between two divided warehouses via an inventory order, no new version of the loading unit is created.

The following example shows how different versions of the same loading unit can be displayed in the Loading units application:

Status and status changes

A loading unit can have one of the following statuses:

Created – the Created status is assigned when the loading unit has been created in the Receipts of goods or
Delivery orders applications, but the receipt of goods has not been booked/the shipment has not been delivered yet.

Put away – the Put away status is assigned when the loading unit is put away to a storage location of the Storage location with storage unit or Bulk storage location with storage unit type via an inventory order.
If the loading unit is put away to a storage location without storage unit, it is assigned a status of Contents unknown. This also applies if the loading unit is put away to an undivided warehouse or a warehouse zone without storage  locations (except for the receipt of goods zone).

Loaded – the Loaded status is assigned when the loading unit is assigned to a load.

Delivered – the Delivered status is assigned when the delivery order joined to the loading unit is delivered, i.e.
the delivery slip is outputted.
The delivered loading unit can be a picked loading unit or a loading unit newly created in the packaging dialog of the Delivery orders application.

Contents unknown – the Contents unknown status is assigned when the loading unit is put away or relocated to an undivided warehouse. With divided warehouses, the Contents unknown status is assigned when the loading unit is put away as follows:

• the loading unit is put away to a storage location that does not support storage units
• the loading unit is put away to a warehouse zone without storage locations (except the receipt of goods zone)

This status is already assigned upon creating the inventory order (or the storage location reservation). The loading unit therefore already switches to the Contents unknown status upon being reported to the picking order.
The Contents unknown status is also assigned if the loading unit has been opened and a part of the inventory has been withdrawn. This withdrawal can be done via the automatic withdrawal logic or via a manual booking of materials. Correcting the loading unit by an inventory count does not change the status of the loading unit.
Loading units with a status of Contents unknown are not taken into consideration when determining item stock levels for withdrawal. The automatic withdrawal logic can only determine the inventory contained within, without relation to the loading unit.
Once a loading unit has been assigned this status, it can no longer be changed to Put away, e.g. by filling up an opened loading unit.

Reserved for put-away – the Reserved for put-away status is assigned when an inventory order for put-away of the loading unit is created. This status is assigned only if the storage location type of the target storage location supports storage units. Otherwise the loading unit is assigned a status of Contents unknown. This also applies if the loading unit is to be put away to an undivided warehouse or a warehouse zone without storage locations (except for the receipt of goods zone).
For instance, this is the case if a loading unit created in the packaging dialog of the Receipts of goods application is booked, but the inventory order is not reported back. At this point, the loading unit is still in the receipt of goods zone.
Upon relocation between two storage locations, the status remains Put away.

Reserved for withdrawal – the Reserved for withdrawal status is assigned when an inventory order for withdrawal has been created for the loading unit, but has not yet been reported back.
Upon relocation between two storage locations, the status remains Put away.

In receipt of goods – the In receipt of goods status is assigned when an inventory order for put-away of the loading unit is created from the Receipts of goods application. The only exception is the manual storage location assignment in that application, which sets the status to Storage location assigned.
If the created inventory is completed Without reporting or a potentially existing storage location assignment is removed, the loading unit keeps/is assigned a status of In receipt of goods.

Storage location assigned – the Storage location assigned status is assigned when a loading unit has been manually assigned to a storage location via the Receipts of goods application.

In picking – the In picking status is assigned when the loading unit has been booked into the receipt of goods
zone via the reporting of an inventory order to the picking order. The loading unit can be edited in this status, e.g. filled up, repackaged, or packaged into other loading units.