SCM Expert - Improve Your Warehouse Management with TRM

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Manufacturing, SCM, Warehouse Management

Improve Your Warehouse Management with TRM

by Chris Moose, Associate Partner, IBM Business Consulting Services • September 1, 2005

SAP's Task and Resource Management (TRM) module allows you to improve warehouse operations

management by breaking warehouse management activities into discrete tasks and then optimizing

task execution. Here are some great tips on how to implement it in R/3.

Key ConceptWarehouse task assignment (meaning assigning tasks that are parts of a picking process) is complicatedbecause little about it is static. Everyday occurrences as simple as someone going on break, being calledaway to clean up a spill, or dealing with a task that takes longer than expected can throw the process offcompletely. Chaining activities together (task interleaving, such as coordinating picks and putaways tominimize unproductive time) makes it even more complicated. TRM is an effective tool for task assignmentand interleaving and is regarded as a valuable addition to R/3 warehouse management functionality.

Some warehouses assign a single picker to an order and expect that person to complete that order —from the initial pick to the final staging on the dock. However, this method is likely to generate a greatdeal of foot traffic, as many pickers move throughout the entire warehouse. It could also result in the useof equipment for which the picker may not be qualified.

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

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

To better manage tasks, respond to equipment constraints, optimize workflow, and support taskinterleaving, SAP released Task and Resource Management (TRM). This module was part of R/3 EnterpriseSCM Extension 1.1, the first SCM extension set, and resides on top of SAP WM. TRM is also provided withmySAP 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 TRMcomplements 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 thisshould not be interpreted as diminishing the need for SAP WM. To learn about other enhancements SAPhas 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 whichthey 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 automatedsystem, the movements to the dock might be by a guided vehicle, and at the dock, someone must beready to move the item when it arrives. If it does not seem that this complexity applies to you ("Wedon't have automated storage!"), perhaps you have narrow aisle forklifts that can only work in the highrack area and cannot go to the dock because they are too tall. Almost every company faces these kindsof 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 theControl category, which is TRM. It talks to the equipment or people who perform the physicalmovements (Execute). When the material arrives at the dock staging location, TRM notifies SAP WM thatall activities are complete.

About the ExpertChris Moose is a partner in IBM'sGlobal Business Servicesorganization where he is the sponsorof SAP warehouse management andtransportation managementofferings. With worldwideresponsibility for these offerings, hehas helped expand IBM's delivery

capabilities globally and has personally deliveredprojects on four different continents. His specificinterests include the use of technology to address thehistorical fixed cost nature of supply chains enablingflexibility and then quantifying that business value witha benefits realization focus. In addition to his practicemanagement and delivery focus, Chris is a frequentspeaker at industry events as well as an author forindustry magazines.

"Today's supply chains are the union of many emergingtrends - sustainability, globalization, demographic shifts,and the worldwide emerging middle class. Technologycan play a key role in understanding, modeling, andaddressing each of these areas and that's why being atechnologist with a supply chain focus is so intriguing."

View Chris's Profile

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SCM Expert - Improve Your Warehouse Management with TRM

http://www.scmexpertonline.com/article.cfm?id=1613[21/04/2011 3:24:49]

Figure 1

Coordination of work between SAP WM and TRMClick here for a larger image. You may need to mouse-over the imagein the new screen and click on the size button to make the image full-size.

Some advanced configuration is required to optimize the workflow within a facility. I'll give you moredetail 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 fromSAP WM. All TRM configuration is in addition to, not in place of, SAP WM. SAP WM still defines elementssuch as warehouse storage types, strategies, and cycle-counting parameters. TRM expands on thoseelements 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 mightrepresent an SAP WM warehouse and perhaps an associated trailer yard. A site does not have tocorrespond to an entire SAP WM warehouse. You can enable TRM for certain zones (storage types) ormovements within the warehouse. This is useful for situations when some areas of the warehouse havecomplex 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 samewarehouse might have a tank farm for which the additional control of TRM is unwarranted. The tank farmcould 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 thisunder the Assign site configuration heading in the Interfaces portion of the SAP WM configuration. UseSAP Customizing IMG menu path Logistics Execution>Warehouse Management>Interfaces>Taskand 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 helpsgovern. Go to the Control WMS-TRM Interface for Transfer Orders section heading, also under theInterfaces portion of the SAP WM configuration. Uncheck the box in the Inact. column to enable TRMfor movements between storage types. SrcTy indicates source storage type. Dest. indicates destinationstorage type.

SCM Expert - Improve Your Warehouse Management with TRM

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Note that in Figure 3, only movements from storage type 001 to 916 (the shipping dock) are enabledfor TRM, as the box in the Inact. column is unchecked. This means that TRM will help execute outboundpicks, 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 byTRM are defined as two-step confirmations. Don't confuse this with two-step picking, an SAP WM term forremoving large quantities of material and parceling them out to many orders. Two-step confirmation is anSAP WM feature that allows confirmation of removal and placement systematically as two distinctactivities.

Consider the situation of something that is removed from the source bin but not yet placed in thedestination bin. It's important to show material out of the source bin as soon as possible in case someonecycle-counts the bin (i.e., using SAP's dynamic cycle-counting function) and to allow the bin to be reusedas soon as possible. A practice of waiting until material reaches the destination bin to inform SAP WMthat 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 confirmationoccurs 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 confirmationmechanisms, SAP allows all of SAP WM's reporting capabilities to remain intact. For example, this meansthe warehouse activity monitor and SAP WM integration with the delivery note document flow remainunchanged. Custom reports that companies have already written for SAP WM are likely to work even ifTRM 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 ofspecific picking tasks, use TRM monitoring tools. One such tool, the TRM monitor, can be found via menupath Logistics>Logistics Execution>Task & Resource Management>Monitor or by usingtransaction code LTRMS. Detailed information about the task is available, including the type of task, towhich 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 ofthe incremental configuration TRM requires.

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Determining X,Y,Z Coordinates for Bins

SAP WM provides templates for bin creation. The SAP WM templates allow definition of the bin's nameand for pickers to locate it, but the characteristics within the bin template do not provide a good way toderive 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 aregeographically, as well as their geographic relations to each other. Therefore, in TRM, the standard WMbin structure screen is expanded to include geographic coordinates. As Figure 5 shows, it is similar toSAP WM, in that creating templates is supported. Much of the bin template information flows from SAPWM and the incremental TRM aspects (the X,Y,Z coordinates) can be added and then updated (via theChange Bins button). This allows you to update the geographic coordinates quickly.

Figure 5 Modify the SAP WM bin templates to include X,Y,Z coordinationinformation

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

Definition of Zones and Nodes

Figure 5 highlights the process of giving geographic coordinates to bins. On that screen, you may havenoticed the term Zone. The zone helps the system understand geographically how the bins should betreated and how to use the warehouse area. For example, it designates the zone as a pick and drop pointor as pallet storage. This is different from the SAP WM storage type attribute. A storage type helps defineplacement 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 getinto or out of a zone. For example, if there is a caged, high-value area, travel through a single gate isprobably required to access the area. While determining geographically how far a bin in the caged area isfrom a different bin, you cannot travel "as the crow flies." Travel through a specific gate (node) isrequired to get into the high-value area (zone). Nodes are assigned X,Y,Z coordinates to better calculatetravel distance and routes. Many facilities want traffic to flow in a specific direction through zones toreduce the opportunity for accidents. You can set nodes to allow entry, exit, or both (Figure 6).

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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 toreach the bins. It must also account for obstructions such as offices and walls that may influence how itroutes pickers through the facility. This understanding allows TRM to make even better decisionsregarding what individuals should perform certain tasks and their location relative to the needs of thetask.

To define obstructions, you start by defining the corners of the obstruction in X,Y,Z terms. Then link themto form an object. Figure 7 shows defining the four points of a wall and Figure 8 then groups those fourpoints 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 arectangular shape

Create Users and Equipment

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

TRM also differs from SAP WM in its terminology. TRM uses resources and resource elements. A resourceelement has allowed roles (element types). When operators sign on to TRM to perform work, the activitiesthey are eligible for equals the union of the roles they are qualified for and the roles for which theirequipment 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 capabilitiesallows SAP TRM to make advanced decisions regarding the zones within which people and machines

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should operate and which tasks they should perform.

Note

Adding TRM is a major configuration activity and not just a quick addition to an SAP WM project. It addsnew master data and terminology to an SAP WM environment. Significant consideration must be given towarehouse design and material flows, which must be represented in the TRM configuration if TRM'sbenefits are to be realized.

SAP has constructed a wizard to help create resource elements (Figure 10). Launched from the TRMmonitor, it includes instructions for each step of the creation process and the ability to specify prioritiesfor 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 SAPTRM to be very flexible in responding to unexpected situations, such as tasks taking longer than expectedor someone going on break.

Multiple prioritization models can exist, giving the warehouse the ability to focus on certain tasks, such aspicking 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 andcan 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 intuitiveinterface. Various criteria can influence how tasks are weighted. For example in Figure 11, which showsa prioritization model, the latest starting date for the task and the route are both significant influences onwhether a task is selected. The latest starting date means that, as the task ages, it becomes more likelyto be selected for completion.

Figure 11Creating and maintaining the prioritization model is a graphicalactivity in which various criteria can be defined to influence howtask priority is assessed

Also shown in Figure 11 is that, unlike the latest starting date criteria, the route has sub-criteria that helpdetermine the route's importance. These criteria can include how far a resource is from the task's sourceand 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 initialreleases of the product lacked some of the baseline capabilities complex warehouses require. Integratingnon-SAP applications into SAP, while undesirable, was deemed an acceptable tradeoff for the capabilitiesthe niche packages offered.

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

Mobile Devices

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

With Release 4.6B, SAP released the SAPConsole, a real-time solution for RF devices. This was followed afew years later by the WebSAPConsole, which supports Windows handheld terminals and provides aroadmap 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 similarlydesigned WebSAPConsole application. It allows users to receive work instructions and confirm theiractivities via handheld scanners instantly.

While SAP provides many transactions for warehouse management, you also can develop additionaltransactions. The SAPConsole and WebSAPConsole are screen emulators for online transactions. Thismeans that developers who can write online transactions (dynpros) can also write RF transactions. Manycompanies are developing mobile transactions in areas like production or quality management with theSAPConsole.

General Warehouse Management Usability Improvements

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

Moving items straight from the receiving location to the shipping location and bypassing putaway andpicking is a significant operational improvement referred to as cross docking. SAP had two cross-dockingsolutions 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 Extension2.0, the cross-docking solution gives customers the ability to plan or opportunistically perform crossdocking. This means your system can alert you to cross-docking opportunities based on dock doorappointments or those that unexpectedly arise during the day.

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

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

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

Figure 1 Overview of the SAPConsole. The WebSAPConsole is similar, excepta Web server is used in place of a telnet server

Chris Moose is an associate partner with IBM's Business Consulting Services. He works on supply chainmanagement challenges with an emphasis on warehouse operations/warehouse management solutions.He has implemented both SAP and non-SAP warehousing systems and welcomes comments or questionsat chris.moose@us.ibm.com.

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