SAP Batch management

Batch Management

Purpose

Many business organizations are faced with increasingly strict regulations where environmental and consumer protection are concerned, and greater requirements regarding product liability legislation. General and standardized logistics concepts are also required due to market concentration, within the European Union for example. In the USA, for example, the Federal Drug Administration has set standards for manufacturing procedures, as well as for storage and distribution of foods and pharmaceutical products.

The FDA defines a batch as the quantity of any drug produced during a given cycle of manufacture. The essence of a manufacturing batch is therefore its homogeneity.

In the R/3 System, a batch is thus a quantity of a certain material produced in one manufacturing process, that thus represents one homogeneous, non-reproducable unit with unique specifications.

Batch management enables the administration and processing of a batch in all areas of logistics. It also enables clear, universal documentation and identification of batches throughout the entire logistics chain. Batch management is used particularly in the following industrial sectors:

• Chemicals

• Pharmaceuticals

• Cosmetics

• Hygiene and sanitation

• Food

• High tech industries

• Automotive

It can also be used in almost any other industrial sector.

Integration

Batch management is linked with all other applications in logistics. You can trace batches throughout the complete supply chain: from the point of entry into the manufacturing process through Purchasing, until they leave the production plant through Sales and are delivered to the customer.

 

The individual application areas in logistics are:

• Inventory management

• Production

• Sales & Distribution

• Warehouse Management

• Quality Management

Features

• Batch Level and Batch Number Assignment

You use this function to specify that the batch number is to be unique.

• Batch Specifications

You use this function to describe each batch uniquely using characteristics and characteristic values. You specify the permitted value range in the allocated material master record.

• Batch Status Management

You use this function to indicate whether a batch is usable or unusable. You set this status

• Manually in the batch master record or in goods receipt
• Automatically in the usage decision in quality management

• Batch determination

You use this function to search for batches using various selection criteria. You can carry out batch determination in the following areas:

• Inventory management
• Production
• Sales & Distribution
• Warehouse Management

• Batch Where-Used List

• The batch record contains all quality-relevant planned and actual data for the production of a batch and complies with the GMP guidelines (Good Manufacturing Practices) for the pharmaceutical industry and food industry.
• The path of the batch from Procurement to delivery to your customer is shown in the batch where-used list.

For further information see section Archiving Batch Records under BC - SAP ArchiveLink - Scenarios in Applications.

• Active Ingredient Management

You use this function to administrate and process materials with active ingredients that are to be handled in batches.