Glossary
Packaging unit (pack size)
A packaging unit (pack size) is the quantity of an article that is packed and sold together, for example a box of 100 screws, a pack of 6 or a coil of 50 m. Orders are placed in whole packaging units.
In short
A packaging unit decides how an article is bought and sold. Orders are placed in whole packaging units, such as a box of 100 screws or a coil of 50 m.
BMEcat 2005.2 describes it in the order details of a product. ORDER_UNIT is the unit in which the product can be ordered, and CONTENT_UNIT is the unit of the product itself. NO_CU_PER_OU gives the number of content units per order unit, with a default of 1.
Three more fields set the price and quantity rules. PRICE_QUANTITY is the quantity the price refers to (default 1), QUANTITY_MIN is the minimum quantity (default 1), and QUANTITY_INTERVAL gives the steps in which the article can be ordered, counted in order units.
Example
An installer asks for 230 cable ties. They come in bags of 100, so the order line becomes 3 bags, which is 300 pieces. A minimum quantity of 2 bags would not change the result here, but a quantity interval of 5 bags would.
The BMEcat specification gives a second case. A shirt can only be ordered in packs (PK) of six, and at least one pack must be ordered. The content unit is C62, which stands for one unit, and each pack holds six of them.
What to watch for
Check whether a minimum quantity or a price quantity refers to packs or to pieces. The same applies to the quantity on a purchase order.
LV quantities rarely fit pack sizes, so the remainder is a cost.
The quantity interval counts in order units. The first step is the minimum order quantity.
A different packaging unit can mean a different article number.
Not to be confused with
Unit of measure: the unit itself, such as a piece or a metre. The packaging unit says how many of them come in one pack.
Minimum order quantity (Mindestbestellmenge): the smallest order, which can be several packs.
Price unit: the quantity a price refers to.
<PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>
<ORDER_UNIT>PK</ORDER_UNIT>
<CONTENT_UNIT>C62</CONTENT_UNIT>
<NO_CU_PER_OU>6</NO_CU_PER_OU>
<PRICE_QUANTITY>1</PRICE_QUANTITY>
<QUANTITY_MIN>1</QUANTITY_MIN>
<QUANTITY_INTERVAL>1</QUANTITY_INTERVAL>
<QUANTITY_MAX>1000</QUANTITY_MAX>
</PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>In Mercura
If the catalogue sets a delivery quantity for an article, Mercura rounds the converted quantity up to the next full multiple of it.
Related terms
Unit of measure (UoM)
A unit of measure (UoM) is the unit in which a quantity is counted or measured, such as piece, metre, square metre, kilogram or pack. Every order line, LV position and catalogue article has one.
Purchase order (PO)
A purchase order (PO) is the buyer's document that orders goods or services from a supplier. It states the PO number, the buyer, the ship-to address, the line items, the requested dates and the terms.
Part number cross reference
A part number cross reference is a table that maps one part number to an equivalent one: the product of a competitor to your own, a customer number to your article number, or an old number to its successor.
On mercura.ai