Functional Components of VDA

You can efficiently work in one of three types of processing environments according to the value specified on Reference File category N32.  A value of 1 indicates pure ODETTE/ANSI mode, 2 indicates pure VDA mode, and 3 indicates a mixed mode.  If you have entered a value of 1 or 2 in this category, MAC-PAC's checks and balances system will be enabled to ensure that the processing mode is consistent throughout the system. 

The VDA environment consists of some special processing features not parallel to those within ODETTE messaging.  The VDA Carrier Order Maintenance conversation allows you to print out a VDA-specific carrier order.  You may assign multiple shipping lists to one carrier order and ship the carrier order with the related shipping lists all at one time.  The carrier order (VDA 4920) includes carrier information such as gross and net weights, volume, transport advices, dangerous goods comments, related shipping lists and packing material.  You may post individual shipments or have the benefit of posting these shipments in batch, thus increasing your efficiency by saving time and repetitive data entry.

Through the Proposed Pickers List conversation planners using the VDA environment may create a variable configured list to view future shipping schedules to determine if an overshipment is reasonable.  A client will most likely want the overshipment if the freight costs are high and delivery frequency is low.  This list allows the supplier to see all future and currency scheduled shipments (including backorder and immediate requirements) up to a specified horizon for a selection of ship-to addresses, part numbers, planners and/or commodity codes.

Client/Supplier Relations

When a VDA client sends messages to the supplier, these messages replace the supplier's existing delivery schedule.  If the client believes that the supplier is late on the ordered shipments, the client can define additional quantities as backorder or as an immediate requirement (if quality problems rise).  The supplier understands that requests of this nature type 0 must be shipped as soon as possible.  Because the client always sends the cumulative receipt on which the demand calculation is based, the supplier is able to evaluate the consequences of these immediate delivery requests by calculating the cumulated demand figures of each release and comparing these values against his own cumulative shipped and cumulative prepared quantities.  Based on this evaluation, the supplier is able to efficiently control the distribution and production of the ordered goods even if the new delivery request has replaced the old demand schedule.

Cumulated Demand Figure

The cumulated demand figure is calculated on the supplier site based on the following formula for each release:

Shipping proposals which have been issued to the warehouse department and are still valid are not changed.  If the new delivery request increases the shipping quantity, an additional shipping proposal is printed.  However, if the client decreases the demand, the old shipping quantity remains valid until the shipment date of the shipping proposal is reached.  The cumulated prepared quantity is essential for the evaluation of the implications on the retrieval and shipment of goods based on the new delivery request.