10 things to consider when deciding if you should switch from SAP WM to EWM

SAP Logistics Specialists

We’ve put together this resource to outline the top ten things you need to consider when thinking about upgrading your existing WM to EWM.

And, we’ll show you what the process of upgrading looks like.

SAP Logistics Specialists

The edict arrives from on high that you’re all going to drive 2005 Ford Mondeos in future. OK, things could be worse, but then you find out that nothing has been touched on these cars since 2005. No servicing, no upgrades, no sat-nav, even the tyres are vintage 2005. You didn’t really understand what you were losing until the delivery driver parked the 2005 car next to your current shiny steed in the car park – And then the tantrum started!

Then we must question why you would have a tantrum about driving a 2005 car which, in corporate terms, is trivial, but you are happy to run a strategic component of your business, such as your warehouse, on a piece of software that hasn’t been maintained since 2005?

Yes, we can buy a sat-nav and stick it on the window, we could get the engine tuned, but we’re still fundamentally functioning with technology that is over a decade old.

What happens when the world changes and your vehicle is no longer allowed into city centres or emission regulations mean that you must pay a vast amount to continue using the car?

SAP have stopped developing standard WM and haven’t created any additional functionality since 2005. They’ve also said they will stop supporting WM completely in 2025.

Some organisations have found they need more functionality than is available in standard WM. That leaves them with two options; either to boost their WM with additional bespoke functionality which is fine, if they take care not to damage efficiency by veering too far away from standard SAP, or to upgrade to EWM where loads of extra functionality comes as standard.

SAP Logistics Specialists

Why are most people considering upgrading to SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)?

As the name implies, Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) has a lot more functionality than WM. It was designed to meet the demands of organisations who have complex, flexible and/or high volume warehouse processes.

Because there’s so much you can do in standard EWM, most people find it works well straight out of the box, without any need for extra, bespoke processes. In fact, the real challenge is knowing which functionality you should switch off so it fits your operation.

Fiori apps can be deployed to make user-accessibility and user-acceptance to a new system easier.

What extras do you get with SAP EWM

SAP Logistics Specialists

Function SAP WM SAP EWM

Inventory management at storage locationStorage unit managementHandling unit managementWarehouse bin managementYard managementGoods placement strategiesGoods removalPickingReplenishmentMobile radio frequency technologyTask and resource management

Function SAP WM SAP EWM

Standard material flow system integrationEnhanced configurable radio frequency technologiesLabour managementOpportunistic cross dockingStandard dock appointment schedulingStandard voice pickingStandard weigh scale integrationValue added servicesExpected goods receiptDynamic cycle countingLoading/unloading of transportation unitsDeconsolidationAnalytics enablementTask interleavingSlotting and re-arrangements

Optional add on

The functionality checklist

SAP Logistics Specialists

Shiny new car or 2005 veteran?

Is WM good enough for what you currently need and, most importantly, will it be good enough for what you need for the next 15 years?

Organisations and the software they use are always changing, EWM gives you a market-leading warehouse system, with the flexibility to deal with all the inevitable changes that will infest your life, for the foreseeable future.

SAP Logistics Specialists

Here’s what you need to consider…

1Is the reporting available in WM inadequate because you only get end-to-end performance?In EWM tasks for each individual step of a process are produced allowing performance to be managed at a much more precise level. This allows problems in your people and/or processes to be identified more specifically.

SAP Logistics Specialists

Are your mobile processes in need of an upgrade but nothing else?There are some excellent warehouse mobility apps available that can improve usability, productivity, adoption etc. within an existing warehouse. However, if the fundamental underlying processes are inadequate, then you are always only papering over the cracks.2

Do you need to jump in with both feet?It could be that the way forward is a mix of both WM and EWM. Some companies are implementing EWM at their more complex sites and sticking with WM for their more run of the mill sites. Keep in mind that WM usage rights will be withdrawn in 2025. It may be that migration to S/4 is on the table, and the simple embedded warehouse in that may also be useful.

3

Is serialisation a must-have function?Quite simply, EWM deals with serial numbers and serial number tracking and WM doesn’t. Well, not without extensive modification at least. So, if you’re in the pharmaceutical, engineering, high-tech or automotive industries, or any other industry that relies on serialisation, it’s likely that EWM is the one for you.

SAP Logistics Specialists

Are you worried about the upheaval of upgrading?EWM has been around since 2005 so there are consultants available (including us of course) who have experience implementing it. We’ve developed a series of mapping tables to smooth the migration from WM to EWM. We’ll also help you shed some of your bespoke processes or middleware, which could be slowing you down, as part of the upgrade.

4

Do you have warehouse automation or are thinking about it?One of the real advances with EWM is how it helps integrate automation, via SAP’s Material Flow System (MFS), without middleware. SAP EWM’s Location Orientated Storage Control (LOSC) can automate your putaway. You can route a pallet down a complex conveyor belt with many spurs and turning points. You can control your automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and laser guided vehicles (LGVs) directly out of SAP EWM. And, you can even tell your automated loading vehicles (ALVs) to dispatch the correct stock with SAP EWM. Pretty cool, eh? If you wanted to do any of that with WM, you’d have to pay for, and install, some additional middleware which is not going to be cost effective or as good.

5

6

SAP Logistics Specialists

Do you have a large or fluctuating labour force?EWM takes your resource production planning up to the next level. In WM, you can track the individual tasks required to complete a job but it doesn’t have the capability to factor in the labour time required for that job. EWM has full-fat Labour Management that allows you to assign a labour cost to a particular job and assess the productivity of individuals or teams. You can also see what effect differences in the planned and actual staff numbers will have on production so you can proactively react by scheduling overtime, if needed. It also has a 3D map of the warehouse, so that travel routes, work areas, etc. are accounted for in expected task time calculations. So, if your warehousing and manufacturing are greatly affected by fluctuations in your labour force, it’s worth thinking about EWM.

7

EWM completes the storyValue-added Services, Yard Management and Kit Packing can all be added to WM but they come as a more sophisticated versions in EWM. So, if you need to manage truck/container arrival & departure, light pre-delivery product tailoring or building kits, then these can be done.

8

Slot the lotEWM Slotting allows the determination of the correct pick-face for any product. This is particularly relevant for seasonal products or new product introductions, where forecast demand can be used to locate the product into a bin in the right place with the right capacity.

9

Are you already thinking about SAP S/4HANA? Then stop faffing about and move to EWM.10

10 steps to EWM

01Baseline EWM

Configuration (incl. EWM Whs Number etc.)

02Activate Link to

EWM Warehouse from ERP Warehouse

03Populate Configuration

Mapping Tables

04Download Config

Data from ERP

05

Upload ERP Config Data to EWM

06Additional

Configuration in EWM

07CIF Materials from ERP to EWM (and extend Product

Masters)

08Create necessary Business Partners

09Download Bin and

Stock Data from ERP

10Upload ERP Bin and Stock Data to EWM

SAP Logistics Specialists

The process to move from WM to EWM is a road well-travelled and carefully mapped by The Config Team.

The process uses a combination of migration tools provided by SAP and those developed by The Config Team to fill the gaps.

Tools are great, but the skills to use them is what separates the professional craftsperson from the amateur.

The Config Team provide the professionals to wield the tools to ensure your migration proceeds in a timely and efficient fashion.

WMEWM

www.theconfigteam.co.uk

Julian Rawlinson - 07703 534 422Ian Scott - 07802 861 468

Thinking about switching to SAP EWM?

Get in touch, we’re here to help.

SAP Logistics Specialists