You can control capacity leveling using various parameters. You define these parameters in a profile that you specify when running capacity leveling in interactive planning or in the background. However, you can also specify the parameters manually or overwrite individual profile parameters before each capacity leveling run. You define the capacity leveling profile in Customizing for SNP under Profiles Define SNP Capacity Leveling Profiles or in theSAP Easy Access screen underSupply Network Planning Environment Current Settings Profiles Define SNP Capacity Leveling Profiles. You use the profile to define the following specific parameters: The capacity leveling method (heuristic, optimizer, or BAdI) The scheduling direction (forward, backward, or combined) Order prioritization (that is, which orders you want capacity leveling to process first) Handling of fixed orders and order fixing during capacity leveling The maximum resource utilization The maximum runtime for capacity leveling For more information, see Capacity Leveling Profile.
1-1.0 Capacity Leveling Profile Definition Profile, with which you can specify parameters for controlling capacity leveling in Supply Network Planning (SNP).Parameters include scheduling direction, leveling method, and consideration of priorities. You can enter the profile when you run capacity leveling in the background and in interactive planning. Structure Capacity Leveling Method You can choose one of the following three leveling methods: Heuristic: The heuristic processes the individual orders on a period basis. That means, when a resource is overloaded, the system moves order quantities into subsequent or previous periods depending on the direction of scheduling (forward or backward) until the desired maximum load for the resource is reached. The total order quantities in the planning horizon are not changed. In contrast to the optimizer, the heuristic does not always find optimal resource utilization results. Optimizer: The optimizer considers the quantities per period; that is, not the individual orders. At the start of processing, it deletes all existing orders that are not fixed (based on the setting) and then creates new orders. As with the heuristic, the total order quantities in the planning horizon are not changed. You can achieve a more even utilization of resources than you can using the heuristic. Optimization-based capacity leveling uses the SNP optimizer to level resources. However, in contrast to the SNP optimizer, the constraints and costs taken into account are defined automatically and cannot be influenced by the user. The costs are only used to control capacity leveling. They have no business significance. BAdI: The Business Add-In /SAPAPO/SNP_CAP provides an interface that you can use to connect your own method to capacity leveling. You can choose it here once you have activated the BAdI. For more information, see Comparison of the Capacity Leveling Methods and Heuristic-Based Capacity Leveling: Examples. Scheduling Direction You can define the direction in which the system executes capacity leveling; that is, the direction in which the system moves order quantities from the order availability date when a resource is overloaded. The quantities are moved within the planning horizon. For the planning horizon, the system uses either the planning buckets profile defined in the planning book or the planning buckets profile you specified in the capacity leveling profile. You can also define the planning horizon in interactive Supply Network Planning by selecting the start and end time period or by entering afrom and to date in the function for running capacity leveling in the background. The options available are: Forward scheduling: The order quantities are moved from the availability date into the future. Backward scheduling: The order quantities are moved from the availability date into the past (until today's date at the latest, minus the defined horizons). Combined forward and backward scheduling: The order quantities are moved both into the future and the past. Prioritizing Orders You can specify which orders are to be considered first during heuristic-based capacity leveling for a resource, meaning which orders will be the first to be moved to a different period. For instance, during forward scheduling, the orders are moved to a later period first and during backward scheduling, they are moved to an earlier period. The options available are: No priority: With this option, capacity leveling does not take into account any product or order priorities. We recommend that you use this setting if you want to have optimal resource utilization. Specifying a priority can have a negative effect on the capacity leveling results for optimal resource utilization. Order size: With this option, capacity leveling takes into account orders according to their size. For example, you can specify that during backward scheduling, large orders are moved to the earlier periods first. Product priority: With this option, capacity leveling takes into account the orders according to the priority specified for products in the location product master. For example, you can specify that, during forward scheduling, unimportant products are first moved to later periods. You can also choose whether you want the priorities defined to be sorted in ascending or descending order. Ascending: When you choose the Product Priority option, the capacity leveling function moves orders for highest priority products first (priority 1), then orders for second highest priority products (priority 2), and so on. When you choose the Order Size option, capacity leveling moves the small orders first. Descending: When you choose the Product Priority option, the capacity leveling function moves orders for lowest priority products first (priority 255 or 0), then orders for second highest priority products (priority 254), and so on. When you choose the Order Size option, capacity leveling moves the large orders first. You define the product priority on the SNP 2 tab page of the location product master. Optimization-based capacity leveling does not consider priorities. Handling of fixed orders and order fixing during capacity leveling You can specify that the system also levels fixed orders. This means that the system also moves, changes, and deletes orders that were fixed in earlier planning runs. Note that this can cause orders that were fixed for subsequent planning runs to be lost since, for example, optimization-based capacity leveling first deletes all existing orders and then creates new ones. You can also specify that all orders for subsequent planning runs are to be fixed during capacity leveling; that is, they can no longer be edited after leveling. Maximum Load and Maximum Runtime You can specify the maximum load for a resource (as a percentage) that you want the system to take into account during capacity leveling. This value does not represent an absolute upper bound. Since the total quantity of all the orders that exist in the planning horizon has to remain the same, resource overloads might occur if the required capacity is not available. You can also define the maximum runtime (in minutes) for capacity leveling. Once this runtime has been exceeded, the system terminates planning. The following details apply to the heuristicand optimizercapacity leveling methods: Heuristic: The heuristic processes the orders on a period basis. Once the runtime has been exceeded, the system completely terminates processing for the current period. Solutions exist for the periods that had already been processed. Optimizer: Since the optimizer attempts to determine an optimal solution, it might already have found a solution for the entire planning horizon; however, this solution might not represent the best possible solution. For the planning results found before termination, refer to the log. 2-Heuristic-Based Capacity Leveling: Examples This topic includes a few examples of heuristic-based capacity leveling. The following parameters have been chosen for the examples: Forward scheduling Resource capacity level: 100% Leveling method: Heuristic No consideration of priorities Example 1: Leveling the Capacity of a Production Resource Step 1
An order for 24 pieces of product PROD1 is loading resource RES1. The product is available on day 3. The production process model (PPM) activities are loading the resource on day 1, 2, and 3. The PPM has the following activities: Activity 1: Duration = 1 day, resource = RES1, variable bucket consumption = 1h Activity 2: Duration = 1 day, resource = RES1, variable bucket consumption = 2h Activity 3: Duration = 1 day, resource = RES1, variable bucket consumption = 2h, output product = PROD1, consumption = 1 PC Step 2
Heuristic-based capacity leveling reduced the resource load on day 2 to 100% by reducing the quantity of the original order by 50% and creating a new order for the remaining 50% of the order quantity. Therefore, the system moved 50% of the original order into the future so its activities were outside of the period concerned (day 2). Step 3
To level the resource load on day 3, the system moved the new order from day 5 to day 6. Example 2: Leveling the Capacity of a Transportation Resource Step 1
An order with a quantity of 30 pieces is to be transferred to a different location. The time of receipt at the destination location is day 3 at 12:00:00 h. The shipment duration is 24 h. Therefore, the activity loads the resource from day 2, 12:00:00 h until day 3, 12:00:00 h. The following data was defined for the transportation lane: Resource: TRES1 Shipment duration: 24 h Resource consumption 1 PC = 10 TO Step 2
Heuristic-based capacity leveling leveled the resource load on day 2 by moving 10 pieces to day 4. Step 3
To level the resource load on day 3, the system moved another 10 pieces to day 5. 3-Comparison of the Capacity Leveling Methods The following three maincapacity leveling methods are available in Supply Network Planning (SNP): Heuristic-based capacity leveling Optimization-based capacity leveling Your own method connected using the Business Add-In /SAPAPO/SNP_CAP Which method you should choose depends on the individual circumstances. However, the main features of the two methods provided by SAP are described below to assist you in deciding which to use. Heuristic-Based Capacity Leveling Features Heuristic-based capacity leveling starts from the start or end of the planning horizon depending on the scheduling direction you chose (forward or backward), and compares the resource capacity load in each period with the required load that you defined. If the system detects a resource overload, it first selects all the activities or orders that are causing the overload in the period concerned. The system then sorts these orders according to the priority you specified and, in turn, moves orders or partial order quantities into later or earlier periods until the maximum resource capacity level has been achieved. During forward scheduling, the system moves the orders into the future so that the first activity that uses the resource to be leveled starts after the period with the overload. During backward scheduling, the system moves the orders into the past so that the final activity that uses the resource to be leveled is completed before the start of the period with the overload. When moving orders, the system takes into account the lot size values and rounding values defined in master data (for information about constraints, see Consideration of Lot Sizes and Other Master Data). Performance The runtime of heuristic-based capacity leveling depends on the number of orders to be processed and the number of periods. Runtime is influenced by the following factors in particular: Number of products at the resource Ratio of the lot size to the total quantity Extent of the resource overload Choice of periods (day, week, month) Length of the planning horizon See also Heuristic-Based Capacity Leveling: Examples Optimization-Based Capacity Leveling Features Optimization-based capacity leveling uses the SNP optimizer to clear resource overloads. The system actions are as follows: Der Optimierer ermittelt zunchst alle Produktionsprozessmodelle (... ... 1. The optimizer first determines all the production process models (PPMs) or production data structures (PDS) and transportation lanes that use the resource to be leveled. It then determines all the location products that belong to this master data plus the relevant master data and transaction data for these products. 2. The optimizer generates a special optimization problem for capacity leveling based on the data determined and the settings made by the user (scheduling direction, for instance). The optimizer automatically sets the costs that are taken into account for this problem (costs for storage, delay, or non-delivery for instance). It ignores any costs defined by the user. The costs are only used to control capacity leveling. They have no business significance. 3. The optimizer solves the optimization problem generated. To do this, it first deletes all orders and stock transfers for the resource to be leveled and then completely replans it. If alternative PPMs, PDS, or transportation lanes are available, it bases its selection on procurement priority, if possible. The optimizer makes sure that the resource to be leveled is not overloaded and takes care not to move the planned orders and stock transfers too far beyond or prior to the original receipt due dates. It prefers to create receipts that are too early (resulting in the creation of stock on hand) rather than too late (resulting in the creation of shortfall quantities), if possible. 4. The optimizer creates new orders and stock transfers. It then also creates the orders and stock transfers that it was initially unable to schedule due to the limited resource capacity. In backward scheduling, it creates the orders and stock transfers for the original receipt due date; in forward scheduling, it creates them in the last possible period of the planning horizon. Performance The following factors have a significant influence on the runtime of optimization-based capacity leveling: The length of the planning horizon and the number of periods within it The number of alternative transportation lanes and PPMs or PDS The number of products for which there are planned orders or stock transfers The following factors do not have a significant influence on the runtime of optimization- based capacity leveling: The number of planned orders or stock transfers for a product within a period Lot sizes Extent of the resource overload Comparison of the Methods The features of the two methods are compared in the following table: Heuristic Optimizer Type of processing Order-based processing: Only orders that are moved are changed (liveCache, R/3) This is beneficial if there are many orders but only a few that are overloading the resource Period-based and quantity-based processing: All existing orders are deleted and recreated after capacity leveling Resource capacity level Not always optimal in configurations such as that described in Heuristic-Based Capacity Leveling: Examples Almost always optimal Changes to plan Few Completely new plan Priority rule observance Order size Product priority (sorting in ascending or descending order) No Overloads moved during backward scheduling Always Only if there is sufficient capacity free in the target period Location of receipt and issue The receipt has to be within the planning horizon and outside of the SNP production horizon or stock transfer horizon. The receipt and issue have to be within the planning horizon and outside of the SNP production or stock transfer horizon. Bucket offset Is ignored (see period factor) The bucket offset for PPMs or PDS is always 1 The bucket offset for transportation lanes is always 1 Period factor The period factor of the PPM/PDS or transportation lane is taken into account (if not defined, the period factor of the location product is taken into account) Is ignored (see bucket offset)
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