Packaged Item

This page is accessed via Order Management > Material Management > Packaged Item.

Packaged Item is where you define the classification hierarchy between the items, packaged items, and packaging units. This information is used to properly package and ship items.

Note: Due to the flexibility presented to you in defining your packaged items, it is important to carefully read this entire topic before creating them.

There is some flexibility in how you can define the relationship between items, packaged items, and packaging units. Before defining these relationships, you need to consider how you connect items and packaged items.

After creating a new item, you can consider the item and the packaged item the same thing. This means you consider the item and the way it is packaged as the same thing. At some point, as described below, you will need to specify how these items/packaged items are shipped.

You can also consider the item and the packaged item as different things. This requires you to set up a packaged item for each way the item is packaged, and then define how each of these packaged items are shipped.

Regardless of which approach you take, you end up with the same result - it is just a matter of perspective. Do you look at items and packaged items as the same thing or do you consider an item and all the ways it can be packaged as separate entities?

The different ways you can define these relationships are described below in the Examples section.

Representative Packaged Items

A representative packaged item  is defined on a package item category. When order base lines are aggregated during planning, the representative packaged item for the category becomes the packaged item defined on the order release line.

You can group similar packaged items by associating the same package item category with them. In the following examples, packaged items for different office supplies are grouped in a category of "Office Supplies." The representative packaged item ID on the package item category is used with orders that have the Aggregate Lines check box selected on the order configuration. All order base lines that have the same category ID specified on their packaged item ID are aggregated to create one summary order release line. The newly created order release line’s packaged item ID will be set to this representative packaged item ID. This representative packaged item ID can refer to an existing packaged item ID that has the characteristics such as temperature, commodity, etc., that should be used during the planning phase on the order release. Alternatively this representative packaged item can be a separate packaged item ID that is added to model these aggregated lines. For example:

Scenario 1

Category ID Definition

• Office Supplies
  • Representative Packaged Item on Category
    • Pens

Packaged Items

• Pens
• Paper
• Notebooks
• Pencils

Category ID assigned to those packaged items

• Office Supplies

You set the representative packaged item to be Pens, in which case the order release line packaged item will be "Pens." For this scenario, the category ID of "Office Supplies" has a representative packaged item of "Pens."

Scenario 2

This scenario creates a dummy packaged item called "Office Supplies" so your order release line packaged item will be a generic name, rather than applying one packaged item name across multiple packaged items on the line, as was done in the previous example. The packaged items from the first scenario are used in this scenario as well.

Packaged Items

• Office Supplies (not an actual ordered item)
  • Category ID assigned to that packaged item:
    • [blank]

Category ID Definition

• Office Supplies
  • Representative Packaged Item on Category
    • Office Supplies (not an actual ordered item)

In this scenario you add a new packaged item for "Office Supplies," although this is not an actual ordered item. In this case, the order release line packaged item will say "Office Supplies."

Examples

These examples demonstrate two ways you can use the Packaged Item page.

Example 1

For this example you will be defining the packaged item with a fixed package unit.

1. Enter a Packaged Item ID such as 12PACK_COKE.
2. Select an Item ID, that is, the item for which you are defining a package unit. In this example, select COKE.
3. In the Packaging Unit drop-down list, select a packaging unit. For this example, choose 12PACK. After you have made your choice, notice that the Inner Packing Info section disappears as well as the Packaging Unit column in the TiHi section.
4. Enter the package weight, unit volume, unit length/width/height/diameter/diameter core and any other needed data in the header section.
5. In the TiHi section, click New TiHi, select a Transport Handling Unit, and enter values in the Number of Layers and Quantity per Layer fields. For this example, enter PALLET as the transport handling unit, 4 as the number of layers, and 6 as the quantity per layer.
6. The Inner Pack Count field gives you a place to enter how many of the item is packaged in this packaging unit. This information is for informational purposes only and will only be visible if you select Packaging Unit in the header section.
7. Enter any other relevant information in the other page sections.

Example 2

These steps are used to define a packaged item with a choice of packaging units, and how it will be packed on Transport handling unit. In this example you are shipping a box of pencils which contains a number of 10 piece packs of pencils. This box can be packaged in a small carton (with 100 boxes of pencils per carton) or a mid-sized carton (with 160 boxes of pencils). A 4X4 pallet can hold 4 layers with 6 small cartons per layer, or 2 layers with 4 mid-sized cartons per layer.

Note: The weight/volume, etc. you enter for this example is for one box of pencils.

1. Enter a Packaged Item ID such as BOX_OF_PENCIL.
2. Select an Item ID, that is, the item for which you are defining a package unit. In this example, select PACK_OF_PENCIL.
3. Allow the Packaging Unit field to remain empty. This means you are defining a packaged item which can be packed in several packaging units. You will need to define packaging unit in the following sections.
4. Enter the package weight, unit volume, unit length/width/height/diameter/diameter core and any other needed data in the header section.
5. In Inner Packing Info section, select a packaging unit (use small carton in this example), give an inner pack count (for this example, use 100), and save it.
6. In the TiHi section, click New TiHi, select a Packaging Unit (in this case SMALL CARTON), a Transport Handling Unit (in this example, 4X4 PALLET), and enter values in the Number of Layers (use 4 for this example) and Quantity per Layer (use 6) fields. Remember that you can use this page to define different combinations of packaging units and transport handling units.
7. Enter any other relevant information in the other page sections.

Adding Packaged Items

Note: All the calculations are based on TiHi setup for homogenous packaged items. If there is no TiHi on the packaged item then OTM will use the ship unit calculation where no nesting information is considered.

1. Enter a Packaged Item ID. This uniquely identifies the packaged item and tracks it throughout the order and shipment process. It specifies how an item is packaged and loaded into ship units. The ID can be alphanumeric.
2. Enter a description for the packaged item in the Description field.
3. If the packaged item contains a hazardous material, select the Hazardous option. The hazardous state of an item can be determined by the item itself, its packaging, its mode of transport, or the country of destination. See Hazardous Material Settings and Implications.
4. Enter an Item ID. This uniquely identifies the item and tracks it throughout order and shipment process.
5. Priority: There are multiple levels where Priority can be defined for an item to be used in equipment packing. This works in the following hierarchy: Ship unit (highest precedence), THU, Packaged Item (if multiple packaged items exist for a single ship unit, the one with the greater load configuration rank associated is considered) and finally, Item (lowest precedence). If the ship unit level priority is not defined, then the ship unit takes the priority defined on order. The priority used in equipment packing (derived from this hierarchy) is persisted on the shipment ship unit. This helps in understanding what priority is used when analyzing the shipments. These parameters need to be on to use ship unit level priorities: USE PRIORITY IN CONOPT SORTING and PRIORITY IN USE.
6. Enter a Hazmat Package Type ID. This can be used to give the packaged item a special description. If you are defining a hazardous material, use this field to describe it.
7. Select a packaging unit from the Packaging Unit drop-down list. This list contains all the values you have defined under Ship Unit Specifications in Power Data. The value that you select from the drop-down list identifies the physical characteristics of this packaged item.

   Note: Selecting a packaging unit is not required, however, you must define it in both Inner Packing Info and in the TiHi sections.

8. Select the Mixable option if the packaged item can be packed into a ship unit with other mixable packaged items.
9. Enter a Package Weight and select a unit of measure from the drop-down list beside it.
10. Enter a Unit Volume and select a unit of measure from the drop-down list beside it.

    Note: Use either the Unit Volume field or the Unit Length, Unit Width, and Unit Height fields. If the volume field is populated, Oracle Transportation Management will use that value as the packaged item volume. If not, then Oracle Transportation Management will use the length, width, and height values and calculate the packaged item volume. If all four fields are populated, OTM will use the volume field only.

11. If this is the default packaging for this item, select the Default Packaging option.
12. If the item has a cylindrical shape, record the diameter in the Diameter per Ship Unit field.
13. If the item has a cylindrical shape, enter the diameter of the inner packaging of the packaged item in the Core Diameter field.
14. If applicable, enter a Packaged Item Type ID.
15. Enter the item's Transport Handling Profile ID.
16. Optionally, enter a value in the Load Config Rule Rank field. If there are mixed packaged items in the ship unit, the one with the higher value of Load Configuration Rule Ranking will be used to determine the load configuration rule.
17. Select an inner pack packaging unit from the Inner Pack Packaging Unit drop-down list. For example, if your packaged item is a case of soda, the inner pack packaging unit is Can. This drop-down list contains all the values you have defined under Ship Unit Specifications in Power Data. This field is optional and is for information only.
18. Enter a value in the Inner Pack Size field. In the soda example, the inner pack size could be 12 (a 12 ounce can). This field is optional, and is for information only.
19. Enter a UOM Code in the Inner Pack Size UOM field. In the soda example, the inner pack size UOM code would be ounces. This field is optional, and is for information only.
20. Enter a Bulk Mixing Family if you want to be able to do bulk compartment mixing. To do so, the packaged items must belong to the same bulk mixing family. Additionally, the Container Optimization Logic Configuration parameter USE BULK EQUIPMENT GROUP LOGIC must be set to true.
21. Enter a Compartment Type Profile ID to ensure the packaged item is compatible with the compartment that OTM is considering for use.
22. Enter a Category ID. A category is used for grouping packaged items during the planning process. If you have the Aggregate Lines check box selected on the Order Configuration, when the order releaNesting Height Examplese lines are created, the packaged items with the same category will be grouped into one line, instead of across many lines.
23. Select the Nestable check box if the item can be nested inside another, such as a bucket.
24. Enter the Incremental Nesting Height and select the UOM. The incremental height is the additional height of each additional unit. This works in conjunction with the Unit Height field. OTM uses the unit height to get the height of the item. Then multiplies the incremental nesting height with the number of levels defined in the TiHi and adds the height of the THU to get the full height of the nestable items with the THU. See Ship Unit Height Calculation for requirements and an example.

Reference Numbers

Use these fields to assign reference numbers to the packaged item.

1. Enter a Reference Number Qualifier ID.
2. Enter a value in the Reference Number field.
3. Click Save.

Equipment Reference Units

You can select Equipment Reference Units (ERU) to limit the number of specific units being loaded on a specific equipment group. If any ERU level information is provided on the ship unit, it overrides any defined on the ship unit specification.

Note: Values entered in this section are used to populate the ERU section on the Shipment Ship Unit Manager.

1. Enter an Equipment Reference Unit ID.
2. Enter the number of reference units in the Number of Reference Units field.
3. Click Save for each equipment reference unit you enter.

Inner Packing Info

Use this section to define multiple packaging units for an item. For example you could package soda in a 12 pack box as well as a 24 pack box.

1. Select a packaging unit from the Packaging Unit drop-down list.
2. Enter a quantity in the Inner Pack Count field.
3. Click Save.

TiHi

TiHi is a term used in the Logistics industry. It refers to the number of boxes/cartons stored on a layer (the Ti or tier) and the number of layers high that these will be stacked on the pallet (the High or height). The information that appears here is read-only. To record new TiHi information, click New TiHi.

Hazmat Items

Use this section to add any Hazmat information that applies to the packaged item.

1. Enter a Hazmat Item ID
2. Enter the Hazmat Generic ID.

Consumption in Packaging Reference Units

1. Enter a Packaging Unit.
2. Enter a Packaging Reference Unit ID.
3. Enter a value in the Packaging Reference Unit Count field. This value may have up to 6 decimal places.
4. Click Save.
5. Repeat the process to add additional packaging units.
6. Click Finished.