GTM = Global Trade Management
SAP GTM (SAP Global Trade Management) is a
module like MM (Materials Management) or SD (Sales and Distribution)
within the SAP ECC (ERP), and it is to support a company for their
purchase and sales businesses. Like the MM and SD modules it is already
included into the SAP standard software. As the name "Global Trade
Management" suggests, this module was originally developed for the
trading business. But it can be used all over where goods will be
purchased and sold, and not only within trading companies.
So SAP GTM can be used pretty much in any other industry!
With SAP GTM you will get a better overview of
your trading business, eg documents flow, status of specified business
and completeness, as well a profit simulation and much more. The
handling for documents and processes are simplified compared to SD and
MM, because the amount of document numbers and transactions for
necessary work can be reduced. Further information are given for each of
the following points. Details can be found on each item with the
appropriate link.
The GTM consists four core elements:

-
Trading
Contract
The trading contract (TC) is the central document for order entry
(sales and purchase) in the GTM module. There are single sided TCs
to handle just a sales or a purchase order, as well two sided TCs to
handle a sales and a purchase within one single document at the same
time.
-
Expense
Management
Planned and unplanned additional costs (trading expenses) can easily
maintained directly in the trading contract. This can be done while
creating or changing a trading contract, but also at later moments
within the follow-on documents of the process. With maintainance of
expenses already in the trading contract
-
Position
Management / Association
With this you can link items of single sided sales and purchase
contracts for different usage. This is possible in the trading
contract as well within following process steps.
-
Trading
Execution Workbench
With the Trading Execution Workbench (TEW) you can automize steps of
follow-on processes and you can simplify them. For example, creation
and handling of deliveries or invoices can be controlled by TEW.
Status control / management:
With an own status management with release procedures you will
get a clear control over your trading contracts. For example, you can
control hereby if subsequent documents can be created. Completeness
checks as well risk checks can be managed within the trading contract as
well.
Enhancements / Project:
However, one additional important information to SAP GTM must be
mentioned also: not everthing as in the standard modules SD and MM is
given by SAP GTM!
Many things can not set up directly out of GTM to control SD and MM or
others, and must therefor be
developed within a implementation project. Reason for this is, that not
all in SD and MM already existing funtions are to find within SAP GTM.
Nevertheless even these things are also expected in GTM for handling a
daily businesses, since the trading contract shall be the central
element. Therefore the implementation of SAP GTM is very often a
developement project, which is connected to time and costs! Already for
the TEW it was mentioned, that you can define your own added process
steps.
SAP GTM is an open system with many expansion
options, which are very often used in all projects. Only on this way
most of the requirements of most trading companies and other industries
can be realized. And exactly these enhancements has to be done in time
within an implementation project!
In many implementation projects with SAP GTM I and my colleagues
collected a lot of experience with it. Many of these experiences we
merged into a template, which we offer now as an AddOn GTM X1. This will
still not replace an implementation project and it is not a ready to run
solution, but it will save a lot of time and budget within
implementation of SAP GTM!
|