Variant configuration in SAP allows companies to simplify manufacturing of products with many variations by defining configurable attributes, characteristics, and rules to dynamically generate bills of materials and routings based on customer specifications. Master data like characteristics, classes, configurable materials, super bills of materials, and super routings provide the configuration knowledge base. Sales orders then prompt for characteristic values, applying the configuration rules to select the appropriate components and operations for manufacturing the variant.

1. Engineer to order – With variant BOM & Variant
Routing (Variant Configuration)
VC is a tool which helps to simplify the complex manufacturing of final product with more varieties and Variation
of the input material. e.g. Automobile manufacturing, Furniture manufacturing.
Your company manufactures or sells products that are available in several different varieties. In order to reduce
your workload and storage costs, and to enable you to maintain every possible end product variant, you have
decided to use the SAP system for variant configuration.
Variant configuration in SAP R/3 lets you check the following as soon as you create a sales order:
 Whether the required variant can be produced (only variants that are technically possible can be
ordered)
 Whether the customer's specifications can be covered from stock and so on
The following objects make up the knowledge base of a configured material:
• The material master is where the configurable attribute is defined along with some additional
planning and control data.
• Characteristics and values must be created in the classification system and collected in variant
classes (class type 300).
• A super BOM must be created that contains all standard components and all possible variable
components, as well as assemblies that are required to configure a variant product.
• A super task list must be created that includes all operations, sub operations, sequences, and
production resources and tools (PRTs) required to manufacture all possible variants.
Dependencies provide the rules or logic for the configuration process. Configurable materials are often used in
specific industry sectors, such as aerospace and defence, the automotive industry, make-to-order production,
assemble-to-order production, and the hi-tech industry
Master Data for Variant Configuration:-
1. Characteristics: - Create characteristics and assign the values to the

5. 2. Class:-
In the variant configuration class of class type 300 (Variant) is used
Variant class
Classes of type 300 (or similar) collect and manage the characteristics for specifying a precise component
in the BOM.

7. 3. KMAT Material

9. Variant class assigned to KMAT

10. Variant BOM :

12. Has 0010 to 0060 operation in the BOM.
4. Variant Routing

14. Has 0010 to 0060 operation in the routing as well.
On selection of class characteristics (variable PC Configuration in this example) – the desired BOM
Components & routing operation has to be selected.
Lets create a Sales Order now:

17. System prompts to enter the class-characteristics values. Based on the selection - the desired BOM and
routing has to be selected form a manufacturing prospective.

20. Selected ‘MAKE-B’ and ‘320’
Which means operation ‘0040’ should be triggered in my BOM and ‘0040’ should be triggered in my
Routing from an engineering manufacturing prospective.

21. Save the sales order.

22. Run the MRP.

23. Planned order created for the sales order.
Lets convert the planed order to production order.

26. Production order # 1003386 created.
Lets check the VC rules are applied for the engineering BOM & Routing for manufacturing.

28. See MAKE_B320 selected in my BOM. Fine

29. See MAKE_B320 operation 00040 selected in my Routing. Fine
Variant confirm has been applied for our manufacturing in BOM and Routing. Now we can confirm the
production order. I see only operation 0040 getting confirmed in the order.

31. GR to the Order.