«Obsolescence» process

Obsolescence management in SAP EHS is managed with an Identifier NAM / Z_PLC. Obsolescence indicator is necessary to quickly focus on active products and several reporting and KPI already include criteria to exclude “Obsolete products” based on this criteria. This process must be applied in the same way for all WP1 products if we want to guarantee a consistency in the database.

How to put in “OBSOLETE” a product?

1/ Before to put in “historical” status, check the validity of articles

• The Product Steward of the GBU must make sure that all the material codes of the product are put in obsolete before asking to put in historical the product. This is to prevent future sales of the product without SDS.
• Blocking the articles is an action done by the administrator data of each GBU (request of Supply chain) and this action is external to EHS.
• In WP1, the obsolescence is precised by *OBS*

• In PF1, the obsolescence is precised by "####” at the end of the material description

2/ In CG50, put all versions in status "Historical"

• Select the specification in CG50
• Select all existing variants (1) or F9
• Put on the button “Set to Historical” (2)

There is no link today between Z_PLC status OBS and document with Value Documents status Historical. So if you want to hide reports for a Obsolete product, you should set each document status = "Historical”.

3/ “Z_PLC”

In the Identifier of the concerned product, enter the ID Categ. “Nam” and the ID type “Z_PLC” .

In “Identifier”, write only “ OBS ”

and the system automatically generates a complete information with “ Obsolete+date+user name who fulfill the data ”

There is a transaction in the rules which allows to automatically put a list of obsolete specifications:

> Run the rule expert : Z_PLC_INIT

> Select the rule

> Update the specification with the correct identifier*

4/ Visual information in NAM PROD

To easily see in the database that the product is “obsolete”, we recommend to add the denomination “OBSOLETE” or *OBS* before the name of the product in the nam prod.

This action must be done by the data administration for all GBUs without matgroup in WP1 (Novecare, Silica, Aroma, SP Chem/Fluoro-organ, Sp Chem/Rare Earth, Fibras, Coatis, Technology Solutions, Composite Materials). For the other GBUs that manage logisticis in PF1 (Soda Ash, Peroxides, Sp Chem/AFM, Sp Chem/Fluor, SSP), the change of NAM_PROD is done by the SDS writer.

5/ Obsolescence Consistency Report

The SDS Writers should ensure that we do not author and revise SDSs for obsolete products. In order to help performing such checks, we developed consistency reports that compare the obsolescence status in the EHS module (in WP1) with the status in the material master module (in WP1 or PF1).

Some reports have been developed to keep consistency between Identifiers and allow to compare the product life cycle identifier maintained by the Product Steward in EHS (NAM Z_PLC) with the commercial product name maintained in the material master by the GBU data administrator and transferred to EHS (NAM PROD):

- The transaction “ ZWEHS029” in WP1 :

o Selection of All products with description including “OBS” and identifier Z_PLC not maintained

o Action required: create a NAM Z_PLC in EHS to set the products as obsolete in EHS as well

- The transaction “ZWEHS032” in WP1:

o Selection of All products with identifier Z_PLC active and Product description does not include OBS

o Action required: check with the GBU Data administrator why the product is not set as obsolete in the material master

There is also a consistency report on Material:

- The transaction code « ZZE_MAT_OBSOLESCENCE » in PF1 :

o Selection screen based on material description with ### and product identifier Z_PLC not available

o Action required: create a NAM Z_PLC in EHS to set the products as obsolete in EHS as well