Planning Time Fence for Transmitted Schedule Lines Only 

Use

You can define that only quantities that have already been sent using message transmission and not current quantities are firmed for schedule lines that move into the planning time fence.

Prerequisites

  • In Customizing for MRP, you have set the appropriate indicator in the IMG activity Indicator: Only firm transmitted schedule lines for each MRP group.
  • You have maintained a planning time fence (see

Planning Time Fence).

Features

Only quantities that have already been transmitted are firmed.

Background

The schedule lines are transmitted to the vendors using messages in Purchasing for the quantity that is recorded in the stock/requirements list at the time of transmission.

According to normal firming logic, schedule lines that lie outside the planning time fence at the moment and whose quantity has been changed in the planning run due to a change in requirements are also firmed (for the changed quantity) as soon as they move into the planning time fence.

If the Firm printed lines indicator is set, the following applies for these schedule lines:

  • If you have not yet confirmed the current quantity by sending it to the vendor using message transmission, the system does not firm the current quantity within the planning time fence but firms the quantity that was sent to the vendor in the last message transmission.
    • If the current quantity is higher than the one that was transmitted last time, the system firms the smaller quantity that has already been transmitted. For the shortage quantity, a further schedule line is created and displaced to the end of the planning time fence.
    • If the current quantity is less than the one that was transmitted last time, the system firms the greater quantity that has already been transmitted.
  • If no message has been sent to the vendor at all, no schedule lines are firmed in the planning time fence and instead, they are displaced to the end of the planning time fence.

This ensures that no unchecked quantities are firmed and transmitted.

The message transmission is a Purchasing function. It can be found in the Purchasing menu under, Outline agreement → Scheduling agreement → Messages → Print/transmit.

A schedule line for 100 pieces is transmitted to the vendor from the MRP controller in week 1. The schedule line is still outside of the planning time fence.

The quantity is reduced to 80 pieces in the planning run in week 2. The MRP controller does not transmit the change.

The schedule line moves into the planning time fence in week 3. As the Firm printed lines indicator is set, the system does not firm the changed quantity of 80 pieces, but the old and already transmitted quantity of 100 pieces.