Buffer Positioning
Application component: Buffer Positioning
App type: Transactional
Line of business: Supply Chain
Leading industry: Cross Industry
Solution capability: Material Requirements Planning (S/4)
Scope items: Demand-Driven Buffer Level Management
Description:  With this app you can identify products to be buffered by analyzing the upstream and downstream of the products in your supply chain. In upstream, the longest path, which is the path in a BOM with the highest cumulated lead time, helps you decide where to position the buffers to protect the flow of a product on the supply side. In downstream, the immediate parent of a product in the BOM, the location of the next buffers in the BOM, and the finished products in the BOM, help you to protect the flow of a product on the demand side. 
An app to identify products to be buffered by analyzing the upstream and downstream of the products in your supply chain.
Key features:    View products based on filter criteria such as MRP area, plant, lead time indicator, variability indicator, and so on   Buffer or unbuffer products   Calculate the decoupled lead time (DLT) for one or more products   Choose a product to view contextual information and all possible actions that can be performed on that product by navigating to related apps   Navigate to view buffer analysis of a product in Upstream as well as Downstream   Change MRP Area of products with multiple MRP areas in the BOM and Recalculate DLT to calculate the new Lead Time and DLT in the table   Switch between table and network graph Note The table is displayed by default and all the products in the upstream of a buffered product are not displayed by default in either the table or the network graph.   Visualize the Longest Path, Product Flow, and BOM and BOM Usage with the help of network graphs   Change the orientation on the network graphs   Change MRP Area of products with multiple MRP areas in the Product Flow and Recalculate DLT to calculate the new Lead Time and DLT by clicking nodes in the network graph and choosing Show Details   Choose a product and view the buffer analysis of that product in a new tab   Switch between buffer analysis tabs to compare products   View and filter products according to their DD Scope by enabling the DD Scope filter from the Adapt Filters option. You can also view the products according to their Positioning status in the Positioning – Internal and Positioning – External tabs.   In addition, the app supports the following technical features and options:    This app includes SAP CoPilot, a contextual collaboration tool that allows you to create, collect, and share artifacts (such as notes, objects, messages, screenshots) based on the context of the screen you are currently working in.    
Business roles: Production Planner| Material Planner - External Procurement
Production Planner : 
Plans, monitors and adjusts material supplies produced internally and ensures material availability for sales order fulfillment and production supply. Collaborates internally with customer care and other production planners.

Material Planner - External Procurement: (is an add-on role to the Material Planner)
Ensures the availability of materials for production supply plans and monitors and adjusts material supplies procured externally. Collaborates internally with production planners and externally with suppliers.