Checklist: 17 considerations for a successful EWM & MOM integration

This integration is important to improve operations, but making it a reality can be challenging without taking note of these essential requirements, and our key considerations, based off of many years of experience integrating these technologies.

Figure 1: Key warehouse processes

In our experience two of the most sought after functional requirements that both systems need to manage from an SAP EWM to MOM integration perspective are the consumption of raw materials/semi-finished products as well as the receipt of semi-finished products and finished goods in a variety of packaging types. Both requiring a user experience that would require minimal input from the production and manufacturing teams and thus reducing potential errors.

Sounds simple? Well, in many cases it can be a complicated process. With a large array of functional requirements all needing careful consideration from the main architectural landscape through to re-labelling, there are a great deal of considerations needed to make this integration a possibility.

Figure 2: The MOM integration

Global SAP EWM & MOM implementations require the project teams to consider many complex design and implementation aspects. We have detailed here, 17 key areas that should be considered carefully during these phases of a project to ensure a fully operational integrated solution delivering the desired productivity and efficiency benefits;

 Architecture

• MOM system strategy defined; one per site vs a single global instance?
• Master and slave systems modelled for flow of master and transaction data between SAP EWM & MOM
• Performance constraints considered in the integration design for fast moving production lines

 Data

• Source system for material master and packaging specifications information defined
• Define frequency of master and transaction data updates across systems; real time or periodic processing?
• Global SAP Handling Unit number range strategy specified; especially when operating across multiple global independent MOM systems
• MOM & EWM case and pallet handling unit nesting and integration design confirmed

 Operational use

• Batch, shelf life, material number, pallet/case numbers and quantities aligned across SAP EWM & MOM
• Method of MOM data entry evaluated and confirmed; Manual user input, scanning, RFID or automated scanning?

 Labelling

• MOM & EWM label printing approach defined for end of line print and then optional reprinting of labels
• MOM end of line scanning and printing data elements and sources specified
• A single standard set of labels enabled to support the EWM & MOM design

 Testing Execution

• Full end to end integration test scripts defined covering both EWM & MOM
• End to end integration and performance testing undertaken by Business Users, using real time data
• Operational performance testing executed when validating the EWM & MOM connectivity

 Error handling

• EWM & MOM integration error validation and controls defined
• Systems error monitoring strategy confirmed

Successfully delivering this definitive list of actions will ensure a solid design foundation when integrating and delivering MOM and SAP EWM warehouse solutions, and ultimately help ensure you achieve productivity and efficiency with your warehouse operations.