SAP MM · Materials management · SAP S/4HANA
Optimise materials management – connecting supply and production
Reliable material supply is an essential prerequisite for stable production processes. Missing materials, inaccurate stock or poorly coordinated procurement processes can seriously affect production planning and manufacturing.
E&S Swiss Consulting supports manufacturing companies in analysing, designing and optimising their SAP materials management.
Our focus is the interplay of material master data, procurement, inventory management, MRP and production planning in SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA.
Typical challenges in SAP materials management
Materials management and production planning are closely linked. Errors or ambiguities in one area often affect the entire supply chain. Typical challenges are:
! Material shortages despite available stock
! Unreliable master data
! Excessive stock combined with limited material availability
! Manual coordination between purchasing, warehouse and production
! Unclear stock and material movements
! Poorly aligned MRP parameters
! Media breaks between procurement, inventory management and production planning
! Purchasing and production planning not aligned
We help identify the root causes and derive suitable improvements in processes, data and SAP system usage.
Our SAP Material Management consulting services
SAP procurement processes
Efficient procurement supports the timely provision of the materials needed.
We advise on the design and optimisation of:
- Purchase requisitions and purchase orders
- Procurement and approval processes
- Supplier-related material information
- Goods receipt processes
- Alignment between purchasing and MRP
- Integration of procurement into production supply
The focus is on traceable processes and demand-driven material supply.
Inventory management and material movements
Transparent stock and correctly posted material movements are essential for reliable planning data.
We support:
- Analysis and optimisation of inventory management
- Goods movements and posting processes
- Stock types and availability information
- Material staging for production
- Integration of goods receipts and material consumption
- Analysis of stock discrepancies and process errors
The goal is a consistent data basis for materials management, MRP and manufacturing.
Material master data and MRP
The quality of material master data has a direct impact on the results of material requirements planning.
We look in particular at:
- Material master and MRP parameters
- Lot sizes, lead times and safety stocks
- Procurement types and special procurement
- Data quality and maintenance processes
We combine technical SAP configuration with the requirements of operational processes.
Integrating SAP MM with SAP PP and PP/DS
Materials management and production planning should be considered as one connected process chain.
We support the alignment of:
- Material requirements planning and procurement
- Component availability for production orders
- Material staging and goods movements
- Production confirmations and material consumption
- Stock information and planning data
- SAP MM, SAP PP and SAP PP/DS
The goal is a reliable link between material supply, planning and manufacturing.
Integrated material flow between procurement, SAP MM and production
◆ Level 1
Procurement
Requirement · Purchase order · Goods receipt
↓ Goods receipts and delivery information
▣ Level 2
SAP MM – Materials management
Stock · Material master data · Goods movements
⇅ Interaction between materials management and production
↓ to production
Stock · Availability · Material staging
↑ to materials management
Material requirements · Consumption · Confirmations
⚙ Level 3
SAP PP / PP/DS – Production
Material requirements · Planning · Manufacturing · Consumption
Simplified functional view. Materials management and production planning influence each other; processes in the actual system may differ depending on the process and scenario.
Our consulting approach
01
Analyse
Examine existing materials management processes, master data, stock information and interfaces.
02
Design
Define target processes, responsibilities and improvement measures for material supply and SAP system usage.
03
Implement
Support the adjustment of processes, SAP settings, master data and integrations.
04
Optimise
Review material availability, stock quality and process stability and derive further improvements.
What are the benefits of optimised SAP materials management?
Well-aligned SAP materials management can help to:
✓ Detect material shortages earlier
✓ Make stock more transparent
✓ Reduce unnecessary inventory
✓ Align procurement processes better with production requirements
✓ Reduce manual coordination
✓ Improve master data quality and MRP
✓ Avoid production interruptions caused by missing materials
The improvements that can actually be achieved depend on the existing processes, data and framework conditions.
Looking at materials management and production planning together
Effective production planning needs reliable material availability.
Stock, lead times, MRP parameters and material movements directly influence which production orders can be planned and executed.
E&S Swiss Consulting therefore combines SAP Material Management consulting with an understanding of SAP PP, SAP PP/DS and the entire production process chain.
Consulting package
Inventory optimisation as a complementary consulting approach
Excessive stock ties up capital. Stock that is too low or poorly distributed, on the other hand, can impair delivery and production capability.
With our inventory optimisation consulting package, we look at the causes of existing stock and possible improvements in material and MRP planning.
The focus is on the relationships between stock levels, material availability, MRP parameters and process quality.
Experience with integrated industrial processes
Our consulting combines SAP expertise with an understanding of industrial material flows, production requirements and supply chain processes.
We help companies develop their materials management in a practical way and align it with related SAP processes.
Frequently asked questions about SAP MM
What is SAP MM?
SAP Material Management (MM) covers the core functions of materials management, in particular procurement, inventory management and material master data. The processes are closely linked to other SAP areas such as production planning, sales and invoice verification.
How are SAP MM and SAP PP related?
SAP MM provides important material and stock information and supports the procurement of required components. SAP PP uses this information for material requirements planning and production processes, among other things. Coordinated integration is essential for reliable material supply.
What role does material master data play in production planning?
Material master data contains important information such as procurement type, MRP procedure, lot sizes and lead times. Incorrect or unsuitable settings can lead to material shortages, unnecessary stock or implausible planning results.
How can material availability be improved?
A sensible starting point is to analyse stock, requirements, master data, MRP parameters and procurement processes. On this basis, targeted improvements can be developed and implemented in SAP.
Let us improve your materials management
Would you like to optimise your SAP MM processes, reduce material shortages or connect procurement and production planning more closely?
E&S Swiss Consulting supports you with analysis, design and implementation.