HANDLING

UNIT
CONFIGURATION
SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

In SAP, a handling unit (HU) is a physical unit that contains packaging materials and the goods
they contain. It can be a pallet, container truck, container, wire basket, or truck.

A handling unit is a physical unit consisting of packaging materials (load carriers/packing

material) and the goods contained on/in it. A handling unit is always a combination of products
and packaging materials. All the information contained in the product items, for example, about
batches, is retained in the handling units and is always available.

Handling units can be nested, and you can create a new handling unit from several other
handling units.

A handling unit has a unique, scannable identification number that you can construct according
to industry standards such as EAN 128 or SSCC.

Fig. 1: Example of a Handling Unit

Structure

The object “Handling Unit” contains the following attributes:

▪ Identification number
▪ Dimension
▪ Weight
▪ Volume
▪ Status
▪ Products and quantities
▪ Packaging material
▪ Packaging specification

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

A handling unit consists of a handling unit header and handling unit items. It receives a unique
number that is used for identification purposes.

Handling Unit Header

The header data of a handling unit is divided up as follows:

▪ Weight/volume/dimension
▪ General data
▪ Storage-specific data

Status

The handling unit is connected to general status management. This enables you to document
the various physical statuses (such as planned or realized) and other attributes (such as,
weighed, loaded, blocked, or posted for GI) for a handling unit.

If you want to use your own status, you can store a user schema for the packaging material
type.

Handling Unit Item

The items of a handling unit can consist of products, auxiliary packaging materials, or other
handling units, which are displayed in an overview.

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

Handling unit management – S4

Goto SIMG Transaction Code - Logistics – General - Handling Unit Management – Basics - Define
Packaging Material Types for Shipping

Use

The packaging material type combines packaging material into groups and contains essential control
features which apply to the corresponding shipping materials. When you specify a shipping material
type in the material master record, each shipping material is assigned to a

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

• Click on New entries or Copy

• Enter the Packaging material type and description
• Select the Packaging material category
• Select Number Assignment
• Select Handling Unit Type
• Check Int and Ext Interval
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define Material Group for Packaging Materials

Define material groups with which materials that are to be packed into similar packaging materials are
grouped together.

Use

The material group for packaging materials is entered in the material master record of the shipping
material.

Example

A material group for packaging materials can, for example, include all materials that are to be packed in
bottles.

Activities

To create a new material grouping for packaging materials, enter an alphanumeric key with a maximum
of 4 characters together with a textual description.

In the Define Allowed Packaging Materials IMG activity, assign the packaging material types to the
material groups for packaging materials.

• Click on New Entries

• Enter value in Material Group: Packaging Materials and Description
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define Allowed Packaging Materials

Assign packaging material types to material groups to define which combinations are allowed during
packing or the creation of handling units.

Activities

Assign the allowed packaging material types to each material group for packaging materials.

Further notes

For materials with no material group for packaging materials, no check is carried out on the eligibility of
the packaging material. These materials can always be packed.

• Click on new entries

• Enter Material Group: Packaging Materials and Packaging material type
(Assignment)
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

Goto SIMG Transaction Code - Logistics – General - Handling Unit Management - External
Identification

o Number Range Maintenance for HU Identification

Maintain number ranges for number assignment for handling unit identification via number range
intervals.

Use

You can maintain number ranges for number assignment for handling unit identification via number
range intervals.

There are two types of number assignment:

Internal number assignment

The system automatically assigns a sequential number from the specified number range.

External number assignment

When creating a handling unit, you use a number from the external number range.

It is possible to maintain multiple internal and external number range intervals to assign numbers from
different intervals to various packaging material types.

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

In S4 the internal number range is external in EWM

In EWM the internal number range is external in S4

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

Handling Unit Management – EWM

Goto SIMG Transaction Code - SCM Extended Warehouse Management - Extended Warehouse
Management - Cross-Process Settings - Handling Units - Basics

o Define Packaging Material Types for Warehousing

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

• Click on New entries

• Put the value in packaging material type and description
• Select PM category
• No. Assignment
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Maintain Allowed Packaging Material Types for Packing Group

Use

In this IMG activity, you define the allowed packaging material for the individual packing groups.

When packing materials or handling units, the system checks whether the packaging material type of
the packaging material is permitted as packaging for the packing group of the material.

Activities

For each packing group required create an entry with a required unit and a packaging material type.

You can maintain the allowed packaging material types for each packing group depending on the unit of
measure of the material to be packed. Make sure that you maintain entries that are to be independent
of the unit of measure with an initial value.

To pack handling units, you must maintain an initial entry for the packing group of the packaging
material (and thereby) the handling unit, since handling units do not have units of measure.

• Click on new entries

• Select Packaging group and Packaging material type (Assignment)
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define HU Types

• Click on IMG Activity documentation

• Click on Define Handling Unit Type
• Click on Define Handling Unit Type – Extended Warehouse Management
• Execute Define handling unit type
• Click on new entries
• Enter HuTyp and Description
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define HU Type Groups

Use

In this Customizing activity, you can define handling unit type groups (HU type groups). You can use HU-
type groups to group together similar HU types.

SLOTTING

HU-type groups are used as an optional parameter in slotting.

DETERMINING A DECONSOLIDATION STATION

All HU types used must be assigned to the HU type group.

• Click on new entries

➢ Put the value in
• Warehouse No
• HU Type Group
• Description and save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define HU Types for Each Warehouse Number and Assign HU Type

Group
Use

In this Customizing activity, you specify which of the generally available handling unit types (HU types)
you want to use or permit in your warehouse.

You can also assign the following:

▪ Unit-of-measure load category for workload evaluations

▪ You can assign a unit-of-measure load category for workload evaluations to each HU type.
▪ HU type group
▪ You can assign each HU type to a HU type group that you defined in Customizing activity Define
HU Type Groups

An HU type can only belong to one HU type group.

Prerequisites

You have defined HU types (where necessary in an enterprise management system, for example, SAP
S/4HANA or SAP ERP).

Activities

Assign the HU types that you want to use or permit in your warehouse number to this warehouse
number.

• Click on new entries

• Put the value in warehouse No.
• HU Type and description
• Select Hu type group and save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Define HU Types for Each Storage Type

Use

In this Customizing activity, you can define for each storage type the permitted handling unit types (HU
types) that are used in a warehouse activity such as putaway. Alternatively, you can also specify for each
storage type valid HU type groups.

Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) can manage storage bins of different sizes within a storage
type. The storage bins are determined by means of storage bin type determination, for example.

It consists of:

▪ HU type check
▪ Storage bin type check

• Click on new entries

➢ Select
• Warehouse number
• Storage type
• Hu type
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

Goto SIMG Transaction Code - SCM Extended Warehouse Management - Extended Warehouse
Management - Cross-Process Settings - Handling Units - External Identification

o Define Number Range for HU Identification

Use

If you have packaging materials whose number comes from a simple number range object, you maintain
the intervals for this number here.

Prerequisites

Note that if you exchange handling units (HUs) with other warehouses, the numbers in the individual
warehouses must be disjoint to ensure that the number is also unique in the receiving warehouse.

Activities

Maintain the number range intervals for the HU identification and indicate whether the interval is an
internal or external number range.

• Enter the Warehouse No and click on intervals

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Assign Number Range Intervals to Packaging Material Types

Use

In this Customizing activity, you define the number range intervals from which a handling unit (HU)
identification is obtained.

Activities

For each Warehouse Number, assign relevant intervals that you have previously defined to the
Packaging material types that are numbered by means of the number range interval.

• Click on new entries

➢ Select
• Warehouse No
• Packaging Material Type
• IntInterval
• Save it

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

o Assign Material grp and Packaging mat type to Material master (packaging material)
➢ Goto MM01 Sales: General/Plant view
➢ Goto WM Packaging view

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

SAP EWM_Handling Unit Configuration

Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant

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Harwinder Singh

SAP MM/EWM Consultant