Every MRP exception, worked before your planners log in.
MRP finishes overnight and leaves behind thousands of exception messages that planners sort through by hand in MD04 and MD06. Artificio's MRP exception agents diagnose every message against live demand and supply, project each alternative, confirm dates with suppliers, and route the fix to the person who owns it. Nothing changes in SAP without that owner's approval, and every fix is verified after the next MRP run.
01Exception diagnosedPO 4500018832/10 needed 6 days earlier · customer order shortEXC 10
02Alternatives projectedpull-in vs. transfer vs. leave as isCOVERAGE
03Supplier asked to pull inPO line, qty & date, in supplier's languageSENT
04Confirmation postedsupplier confirmed 13 Nov · buyer approvedPOSTED
05Verified after next MRP runmessage gone, no new shortage elsewhereRESOLVED ✓
MD04ME22NConfirmation control
Diagnose every exception message with the evidence behind it
Route each fix to its owner: planner, buyer, production, master data
Verified after the next MRP run: a saved date isn't a fix
Every runExceptions diagnosed
ProjectedEvery alternative checked
ConfirmedSupplier dates in SAP
ApprovedBy the decision owner
VerifiedAfter the next MRP run
Watch an exception get worked
From the morning MRP run to an updated SAP.
The agent reads the exception list after every run, diagnoses each message against live demand and supply, and projects the alternatives. It confirms dates with suppliers, then routes the change to the owner who approves it. Nothing is written to SAP without that approval, and every fix is checked after the next MRP run. Runs on the ECC or S/4HANA you have today.
Directional estimate. Assumes 52 weeks and 1,880 working hours per planner. Excludes the harder-to-price value of fewer stockouts, lower expediting cost, and less excess inventory; we'll model those on the demo call.
MRP exception → agent action
Every exception message gets the right next step.
The agent finds the exact document behind each message, reads the demand, supply, stock, and planning settings around it, and treats SAP's suggested date as a starting point, not proof that a supplier or the shop floor can deliver it.
EXC 10 · Reschedule in
Supply needed earlier
Advances supply to the earliest feasible date. If only part can move, proposes that part plus a recovery for the rest.
Supplier confirmation, then buyer-approved date change
EXC 15 · Reschedule out
Supply arriving too early
Finds the latest safe date across every demand, safety stock included. Considers splitting, and never moves quantities already shipped.
Push-out or split, confirmed with supplier
EXC 20 · Cancel
Supply no longer needed
Confirms the surplus is real and considers reducing or postponing first. Asks the supplier about goods already produced and any charges.
Reduce or cancel only the true surplus, buyer approves
EXC 06 / 07 · Date in past
Start or finish date has passed
Finds out what actually happened: not delivered, delivered but not posted, or sitting in quality inspection. Never rewrites a historical start.
Status from supplier, warehouse, or quality
EXC 56 · Planning time fence
Shortage inside the firm zone
SAP won't plan here on its own. Treated as urgent: compares advancing a receipt, a stock transfer, and pulling production forward.
Same-day proposal to the planner
EXC 96 · Below safety stock
Buffer breach or real shortage?
Checks existing replenishment first. A one-day dip may be cheaper to accept than a duplicate requisition.
Accept, expedite, transfer, or new supply
EXC 25 / 26 · Excess
Too much supply
Acts on open receipts, largest and latest first, never on stock already on hand. Dedicated segment stock goes to its segment owner.
Postpone, reduce, or cancel receipts
EXC 02–05 · Opening date in past
Should already be ordered
Checks whether the requisition was converted and whether the remaining lead time can still meet demand, and says how late if not.
Buyer picks supplier, requisition converted
EXC 50–55, 61–70 · Master data
BOM, version, or settings wrong
Names the exact object that's wrong, the evidence, and the planning consequence. Never hides it with a date workaround.
Routed to master data or engineering
EXC 57–60 · Discontinued
Material being phased out
Finds the follow-up material and effective-out date, and states the split in quantities: what moves, what's reduced.
Planner decides, engineering owns the change
EXC 82 · Blocked
Item is blocked
Identifies the exact blocked object and whether the block is deliberate. A valid block stays; the agent looks for other supply instead.
Alternative supply, or owner's evidence to unblock
EXC 98 · Abnormal end
Planning didn't finish
Every other message on the material is unreliable, so the agent doesn't act on them. It asks IT to rerun planning and checks the next download.
Urgent request to the MRP administrator
The recommendation
One exception. A complete, explained decision.
Artificio doesn't just sort the exception list. For each message it states the cause with its evidence, projects coverage day by day for every realistic alternative (including leaving things as they are), and picks the smallest change that fixes the problem without creating a shortage somewhere else.
The proposal goes to the person who owns that decision: the buyer for purchase orders, the planner for requisitions and planned orders, production for production orders. It arrives already analyzed, with before and after values and the rationale written out. Approval takes seconds instead of a trip through MD04, ME23N, and an email thread.
Immediately before any change, the agent re-reads the document live. If SAP has moved on, the proposal is stale and it starts over.
RM-40021 / 1000 · Priority 1EXC 10
Supply element
PO 4500018832 / 10 / 1
Delivery date
20 Nov → 13 Nov
Needed available
14 Nov (GR time 1 day)
Affected demand
SO 120044 · 2,400 EA · not covered
Supplier response
Confirmed 13 Nov ✓
Owner
Buyer · purchasing group 012
Agent rationale
Projected stock falls below zero on 15 Nov and the customer order cannot be covered. The supplier confirmed 2,400 EA for 13 Nov. Coverage with the new date shows no shortage or excess elsewhere in the horizon.
Approve & post
Ask supplier again
Reject
Supplier PO acknowledgment
Confirmed supplier dates, back in SAP automatically.
Most exceptions trace back to one thing: SAP doesn't know when the material is really coming. Artificio sends POs to suppliers and collects their acknowledgments. When an exception needs a different date or quantity, it asks the supplier for exactly that: earlier, later, a status update, a reduction, or a cancellation. The confirmed answer goes into SAP, so the next MRP run plans on reality.
1
Request sent
POs to acknowledge, or the exact change an exception needs, in the supplier's own language.
2
Reply collected
Supplier answers by email, with no portal login. Every outgoing email is approved unless you make it automatic.
3
Compared, not guessed
Dates and quantities checked line by line. Changes, conflicts, and refusals go to the buyer.
4
SAP updated
Confirmed dates posted to the PO confirmation once the buyer approves.
5
Verified
Checked after the next MRP run. If SAP didn't take it, the buyer hears.
Silent suppliers get escalated, not forgotten.
When a supplier doesn't respond, the agent follows your escalation matrix: a reminder, then the next contact, then the buyer, on the schedule you set.
Day 0PO sent to order deskSENT
Day 2Reminder + account manager copiedREMIND
Day 4Escalated to supplier sales leadESCALATE
Day 5Handed to the buyer with optionsBUYER
Catch planned delivery times that are wrong.
Requisition dates are only as good as the planned delivery times in SAP, and those are often out of date. The agent compares what suppliers actually confirm against the planned delivery time on the material and info record, and flags raw materials where the gap is driving bad requisition dates.
RM-40021SAP: 14 days · confirmed avg: 23 daysREVIEW
RM-38810SAP: 30 days · confirmed avg: 29 daysOK
Beyond the planner
Every fix goes to the team that owns it.
Most exceptions aren't fixed by a planner moving a date. A wrong production version belongs to master data, a planning run that didn't finish belongs to IT, and goods that arrived but were never posted belong to the warehouse. The agent sends each team a precise request they can act on without opening SAP, then follows up until the exception is actually gone.
PLANNER
Proposals & policy
Requisition and planned-order dates, safety stock, master plan gaps, discontinued materials. Routed by MRP controller.
BUYER
Purchase orders
Supplier confirmations, reductions, cancellations, and source selection, with supplier answers and any charges attached.
PRODUCTION
Production orders
Order dates, operations outside basic dates, and whether an order can still finish on time. Routed by production scheduler.
MASTER DATA · ENGINEERING
BOMs, versions & blocks
The exact object that's wrong and the evidence. Engineering is brought in for BOM content and discontinuations.
LOGISTICS · WAREHOUSE
Transfers & postings
Stock transfers between plants, checked so the giving plant stays covered, and receipts that arrived but were never posted.
IT
Planning that didn't finish
Urgent rerun requests for materials where MRP ended abnormally, confirmed in the next morning's download.
Verified, not assumed
A saved date is not a resolved exception.
Most automation stops when the change is posted. Artificio waits for SAP's next planning run, re-reads the fresh data, and projects coverage again. It closes the case only when every affected demand is covered and no new shortage or excess has appeared anywhere else.
If the gap is only partly closed, the case says so in quantities and dates. A message disappearing is never taken as proof the problem is solved.
SAFEGUARDS ON EVERY CHANGEAUDITED
Live re-read before writing
✓ stale proposals restart
SAP moved on since proposal
✓ write refused
Changes per step
one at a time
On first failure
stop & report
After next MRP run
✓ coverage re-projected
Outcome
resolved / partially resolved
The problem with the exception list
MRP runs overnight. The exception list waits for a human.
SAP MRP is good at telling you what's wrong. It doesn't fix it. Every run produces reschedule, cancel, and past-due messages across thousands of materials, and planners work through them one by one, checking stock, chasing suppliers, and keying changes. The list grows faster than the team can clear it, so the noise hides the exceptions that actually cause stockouts. Artificio's agents work the list for them.
Analyze
Read the run, not just the message
Exception messages from every MRP run
Pegged demand and open supply
Stock, safety stock, and lead times
Priority by customer impact and value
Act
Take the next step
Reschedule, cancel, or convert supply
Contact suppliers for new dates
Propose transfers and alternate sources
Escalate what needs a decision
Involve
Keep the owner in charge
Planner, buyer, or production approves
Written rationale for every action
Master data never changed by the agent
Full audit trail in and outside SAP
Why Artificio
No new planning system. Just the exception list, handled.
The usual fixes are more planners, more spreadsheets, or a separate supply-chain planning suite with its own data model and rollout. Artificio works on the SAP MRP you already run.
Capability
Manual MD04 / MD06 triage
Spreadsheets & BI reports
Artificio
Works every exception after every run
✗ backlog
✗ reports only
✓
Analyzes pegged demand & supply
by hand
partial
✓
Contacts suppliers for dates
email by email
✗
✓ with escalation
Writes changes back to SAP
by hand
✗
✓
Explains each recommendation
in the planner's head
✗
✓ written rationale
Routes fixes to the owning team
email & meetings
✗
✓ with follow-up
Owner approves every SAP change
n/a
n/a
✓
Verifies the fix after the next MRP run
✗ rarely
✗
✓
Runs on existing ECC, no ABAP
n/a
varies
✓
Time to deploy
n/a
weeks
~weeks
What changes
Planners plan. The agents handle the follow-up.
Taking the manual triage out of MRP doesn't just save time. It changes what the whole supply chain can trust.
For planners
An exception list that clears itself
Start the day with actions, not messages
Only real decisions reach the queue
Rationale ready for every recommendation
Time back for actual planning
For procurement
Suppliers on the record
Every PO acknowledged with a date
No more chasing by email thread
Escalation that runs on its own
Lead-time accuracy by supplier
For operations & finance
Fewer surprises
Shortages caught days earlier
Less expediting and premium freight
Excess stopped before it arrives
MRP planning on confirmed dates
Two ways onto the floor
Digital app or paper capture: same SAP result.
Not every plant wants to change how operators work on day one. Artificio supports both routes into SAP PP.
this page
Digital operator app
Operators clock in and out live on a tablet or terminal. Real-time status, actual costing, and supervisor dashboard.
alternative
Paper capture → SAP
Keep your existing time tickets and confirmation slips. Artificio reads them and posts the PP confirmations. See SAP PP paper capture →
Implementation
Live in weeks: no SAP core changes, no new planning system.
Artificio connects through standard SAP interfaces, so there's no ABAP development and no change to how MRP runs.
1Week 1
Connect SAP
Secure connection via OData / RFC. Read access to MRP results, materials, POs, and requisitions. No core changes.
2Week 2
Set the owners
Map MRP controllers, production schedulers, buyers, and teams. Load supplier contacts and your escalation matrix.
3Week 3
Shadow mode
The agent diagnoses and proposes but changes nothing. Owners mark each proposal agree, partly agree, or disagree, so you measure accuracy first.
4Week 4
Switch on changes
Enable SAP changes when you're ready. Every change is still approved by its owner and verified after the next run.
For SAP teams
Standard SAP interfaces. No screen-scraping.
Artificio works from your morning SAP planning download and confirms anything decision-critical with live reads through standard OData services: API_PURCHASEORDER_PROCESS_SRV, API_PURCHASEREQ_PROCESS_SRV, API_SCHED_AGRMT_PROCESS_SRV, API_PLANNED_ORDERS, API_PRODUCTION_ORDER_2_SRV, API_MATERIAL_STOCK_SRV, and API_PRODUCT_SRV. Changes use the same standard interfaces and your existing configuration. Supplier confirmations are posted to the PO's confirmation control, so MRP uses them on the next run. No custom ABAP, no changes to your MRP settings, and a full audit trail on every change.
OData
ECC & S/4HANA
Purchase orders
Requisitions
Scheduling agreements
Planned orders
Production orders
Confirmation control
Questions planners & SAP teams ask
Answers before the demo.
Which MRP exceptions can the agents handle?
Reschedule in and out, cancel, start, finish and opening dates in the past, shortages inside the planning time fence, safety-stock breaches, excess, blocked items, discontinued materials, and master data problems such as a missing BOM or an invalid production version. If planning ended abnormally, the agent asks IT for a rerun before acting on anything else for that material.
Does the agent change SAP without approval?
No. Every change is approved by the person who owns that decision: the buyer for purchase orders, the planner for requisitions and planned orders, production for production orders. Cancellations, reductions, and new supply always need a person. Master data, BOMs, and blocks are never changed by the agent; it routes them to the owning team.
What is shadow mode?
In shadow mode the agent does everything except change SAP. It diagnoses, projects alternatives, and proposes, and the owner marks each proposal agree, partly agree, or disagree. You see how often it's right before you switch on changes.
How does supplier PO acknowledgment work?
The agent sends POs to the supplier contact and asks for the exact change an exception needs, in the supplier's language. It compares the reply line by line and posts clean confirmations to the PO in SAP once the buyer approves. Changes, conflicts, and refusals go to the buyer. Non-responding suppliers are escalated through your escalation matrix and then handed to the buyer.
What if SAP changed after the proposal was made?
The agent re-reads the document live immediately before any change. If the date, quantity, status, or the demand it covers has moved, the proposal is stale and the agent starts the diagnosis again. Changes are made one at a time and stop at the first failure.
How do you know the exception is really fixed?
After a change, the agent waits for SAP's next planning run, re-reads the fresh data, and projects coverage again. The case closes only when every affected demand is covered and no new shortage or excess appeared elsewhere. Otherwise it's marked partially resolved, with the remaining gap stated.
Does it work with SAP ECC?
Yes. It runs on ECC 6.0 and S/4HANA using standard interfaces: OData, BAPI, and RFC. No migration is needed, and the same workflows carry forward when you move to S/4HANA.
Does it replace our MRP run or planning configuration?
No. SAP stays the system of record and MRP runs exactly as it does today. Artificio works the output: the exception messages, the open supply, and the follow-up with suppliers and planners.
Does it require ABAP development?
No custom ABAP is required for the standard flow. Artificio reads MRP results and updates POs and requisitions through standard SAP interfaces using your existing configuration.
Security & compliance
Enterprise security across every solution
ISO 27001:2013 certified, SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, GDPR and HIPAA ready. Every agent action is logged, auditable, and runs in isolated environments.
ISO 27001:2013
SOC 2 Type II
GDPR ready
HIPAA ready
Live demo
See your own MRP exceptions worked in your own SAP.
Share an export of last week's exception list. We'll show the agents analyze it, prepare the actions, and confirm dates with suppliers in a sandbox, live on the demo call.
