Warehouse Execution System

How can I operate SAP EWM® with less scanning effort?

Why is manual scanning the biggest weak point in every SAP project?

Are there ways to operate SAP EWM® without manual scanning?

Yes, but the answer depends on how deep the problem runs.

Anyone who occasionally has scan errors has a training problem. Anyone who is permanently dealing with inventory discrepancies, incorrect bookings and search runs has a structural problem: SAP EWM® depends on manual scans and every scan is a potential source of error. This cannot be solved with stricter scanning requirements or more controls, but only by removing the scan from the process altogether.

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What options are there for reducing the scanning effort in SAP EWM®?


Simplifying and consolidating scanning requirements

The simplest organisational intervention: consolidate booking steps, reduce scan points, simplify processes. Cost: low. Impact: limited. SAP EWM® operates at handling unit level and requires granular bookings. Anyone who skips steps loses transparency. The underlying problem remains: every remaining scan is still a source of error.


RFID as a scanning substitute

RFID tags on pallets and storage locations enable automatic bookings without an active scanning step. Less manual effort, fewer scan errors. But: RFID requires infrastructure investment, is susceptible to interference from metal and moisture, and does not work reliably in all warehouse environments. In outdoor warehouses, chemical storage or with unpackaged goods in particular, RFID quickly reaches its limits.


LiDAR-based real-time capture with WES

A Warehouse Execution System (WES) with LiDAR sensor technology captures all warehouse movements automatically without a forklift truck operator needing to scan a barcode or press a button. The system knows at all times, to the centimetre, where every pallet is located and which movement is currently taking place. This data flows automatically and bidirectionally back into SAP EWM®: no manual intermediate step, no transfer error, no time delay. No scan = no scan error.

What does manual scanning in SAP EWM® actually cost?

In everyday operations, scanning effort feels like an unavoidable part of running a warehouse. In total, it is a significant cost factor, particularly in SAP EWM® environments that depend on granular bookings.

  • Scan errors and their consequences: Manual barcode scanning is structurally error-prone. Damaged labels, unstable Wi-Fi, time pressure and forgotten bookings mean that a significant proportion of all warehouse movements are recorded incorrectly or not at all. In SAP EWM, this leads directly to incorrect allocation, search runs and delivery delays.
  • Correction effort: Every incorrect booking in SAP® must be corrected manually. The more complex the EWM setup, the more expensive every correction in time, in staffing costs and in IT costs.
  • Increased effort during migration: Anyone migrating from SAP WM® to EWM expects improvement. What many only discover once live: EWM requires more booking steps than WM. The scanning effort increases noticeably.
  • Labour shortages as a multiplier: Every hour a forklift truck operator spends scanning is an hour that cannot be used for value-adding transport. In times of labour shortages, this is particularly costly.

SAP EWM® plans. The WES makes sure the data is correct.

The result is an SAP® that your planners can trust again.

Scan-free SAP EWM®: how it works in practice

The identpro Warehouse Execution System (WES) sits directly between SAP EWM® and the physical warehouse. SAP EWM® issues the instructions: what is to be stored, moved and dispatched. The WES handles execution: it receives orders from EWM, distributes them intelligently across the available fleet and captures every warehouse movement automatically via LiDAR sensor technology with an accuracy of ±5 cm.

The result flows bidirectionally back into SAP EWM® via standard interfaces such as SAP® IDoc, OData and REST without custom development, without infrastructure modifications. SAP® receives the data it needs for reliable planning and allocation in real time. Without a single manual scan.

Implementation requires no structural modifications. Existing forklift trucks are retrofitted with an IoT kit. The system runs as a cloud-based SaaS solution and is compatible with SAP ECC® and SAP S/4HANA® both with embedded EWM and decentralised EWM.

Scan-free SAP EWM®: what other companies say

Refresco – Beverage industry

Refresco operates SAP EWM® at its largest German site in Erftstadt in combination with the identpro WES. Previously the site ran on SAP WM® with hand scanners. With all the familiar problems: scan errors, empty runs, limited transparency.

After implementing the scan-free WES, Refresco transports well over 25% more pallets with an unchanged fleet. The empty run rate fell by 50%. Bookings are fully automatic without a single manual scan during live operations.

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Warsteiner – Brewery & beverage industry

Warsteiner operates the identpro WES at two sites in combination with SAP EWM®. The goal was scan-free internal transport between the Warstein and Paderborn sites as well as a significant simplification of returnable container handling.

Today, all confirmations to SAP EWM® are fully automatic. For the returnable container receipt process, which previously required several scanning steps, four clicks on the forklift truck terminal are now sufficient or no scan at all.

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Frequently asked questions about SAP EWM® and scan-free operations

Yes, but experience shows that a staged implementation is advisable. Technically it is possible to implement WES and SAP EWM® simultaneously. In practice, however, it becomes clear that employees on the shop floor struggle when they have to learn two new systems at the same time. Anyone who implements the WES before the SAP EWM® rollout gives their team time to get used to digital warehouse control and starts the EWM rollout with an already experienced workforce and a clean data foundation. Anyone who implements the WES afterwards closes the data gaps that become visible during live EWM operations. Both sequences work.

Yes. Integration is carried out via standard interfaces such as SAP® IDoc, OData and REST — no custom development, no system change required. The WES adds the real-time layer to the existing EWM that has been missing until now. Existing processes, storage locations and master data remain unchanged.

RFID requires tags on every pallet and infrastructure throughout the warehouse. It is susceptible to interference from metal, moisture and dense storage environments. The identpro LiDAR solution requires neither tags on the goods nor infrastructure in the warehouse. The sensor technology is mounted on the forklift truck and captures movements automatically, regardless of packaging material, storage conditions or environment.

Yes. LiDAR-based localisation works both in enclosed warehouses and outdoors, regardless of lighting conditions, weather or temperature. This is a decisive advantage over RFID and barcode systems, particularly for warehouses with mixed environments.

SAP EWM® can only be as good as the data it receives.

Manual scanning is not a reliable data source — it is a structural weak point. Talk to us about how to operate your warehouse scan-free.

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Related Topics

How can I shorten the onboarding time of new warehouse staff?

How can I reduce empty runs of my forklift trucks?

How can I reduce the time my forklift operators spend searching?

What causes inventory discrepancies in the warehouse? 

Do you want to digitize your warehouse, gain more transparency and exploit the full potential of your resources?

We at IdentPro support you in this endeavor and would like to shape with you the future of intralogistics. Schedule a personal consultation now!

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