Automotive Logistics · Packaging
Packaging Data Sheet (PDS)
ESS Hub supports Packaging Data Sheet (PDS) processes for automotive supplier collaboration, connecting packaging information with the wider supplier logistics process.
A Packaging Data Sheet defines or documents the packaging concept used for a material or part, helping the customer and supplier align on how the product should be packed and prepared for shipment.
In automotive supplier processes, packaging readiness may also need to be considered together with product-quality readiness such as PPAP before shipment or ASN creation, depending on the customer's business rules. ESS Hub supports this as a configurable business rule; how ESS Hub handles readiness is described on this page.
On this page, PDS means Packaging Data Sheet — a packaging definition in the logistics domain. It is not PPAP, the production part approval process in supplier quality.
Definition
What is a Packaging Data Sheet?
A Packaging Data Sheet (PDS) defines or documents the packaging concept used for a material or part, helping the customer and supplier align on how the product should be packed and prepared for shipment. It is agreed between the customer's logistics or packaging planning and the supplier, and it is maintained per part — typically also per receiving plant — so that every shipment of that part is packed the same way.
Depending on the customer process, the packaging information associated with a PDS commonly includes the packaging type, the container, the quantity per package, inner and outer packaging, the handling-unit structure, dimensions and weight, returnable packaging and labeling requirements. These are examples of packaging information commonly associated with a PDS, not a list of ESS Hub fields.
In ESS Hub today, a packaging data sheet carries the part number, the plant, a version, the packaging specification — box type, parts per box, boxes per pallet, pallet type — and a status: Active, Pending confirmation or Superseded.
Distinction
Packaging Data Sheet vs PPAP
| PDS — Packaging Data Sheet | PPAP — Production Part Approval Process | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Packaging definition and confirmation | Production-part approval |
| Focus | How the part is packaged and prepared for logistics | Evidence that the supplier's production process can meet the defined requirements |
| Domain | Packaging / logistics | Supplier quality |
| In ESS Hub | Packaging (PDS) in the supplier's logistics workspace | PPAP in Supplier Quality |
PDS and PPAP address different questions, but both may contribute to whether a part is considered ready for the operational shipping process. Neither replaces the other: an approved PPAP says nothing about packaging, and a confirmed PDS says nothing about production-part approval. PPAP Supplier Collaboration
Process
Packaging process in ESS Hub
The packaging process as it exists in ESS Hub today. The PDS is defined on the customer side and provided to ESS Hub per implementation; the supplier reviews and confirms it in the Packaging (PDS) area, and the confirmed specification becomes the operational packaging data of the ASN packing step. There is no buyer approval step of a supplier packaging proposal in the current product.
Relationships
Packaging linked to the part
A packaging data sheet in ESS Hub is linked to the supplier, the part and the plant, and it is versioned. There is no separate packaging master or customer-level packaging catalogue in the current product.
- Supplier
- The packaging data sheets shown are those of the signed-in supplier's parts.
- Part
- One PDS per part number …
- Plant
- … and per receiving plant: the same part can have a different packaging data sheet for another plant.
- Version
- Versions are numbered (v1, v2 …); a new version supersedes the previous one.
- Specification
- Box type · parts per box · boxes per pallet · pallet type.
- Status
- Active · Pending confirmation · Superseded.
Handling units
Packaging and handling units
In the ASN packing step the supplier builds pallets with boxes for the selected call-offs; the quantities per box and boxes per pallet come from the part's packaging data sheet, and ESS Hub checks that all quantities are packed. The pallet is the parent handling unit and the boxes are its children; each handling unit receives an SSCC when the shipment is created, and the structure is carried into the DESADV. Returnable packaging is followed separately, in empties accounts per plant with balances and postings. Package types beyond pallet and box, mixed-load handling units and SAP Handling Unit Management are not part of the current product. ASN & DESADV
Labels
Packaging and automotive labels
Labels follow the packed handling units, not the packaging data sheet directly: once packing is saved, ESS Hub generates the handling-unit labels — GTL master and single labels based on VDA 4994 and an AIAG B-10 label type — as PDF and ZPL. The PDS defines the packaging; it is not a label specification. Automotive Labels
Confirmation
PDS review and confirmation
What ESS Hub provides for the packaging data sheet today, in the product's own terms:
- Review & confirm: the supplier opens a pending PDS, sees its specification and confirms it — the status moves from Pending confirmation to Active
- Statuses: Active, Pending confirmation, Superseded
- Versions: a new PDS version for the same part and plant supersedes the previous one
- Onboarding checklist: “confirm your pending packaging data sheet” is one of the first steps for a new supplier in the workspace
- Audit trail: PDS status changes are one of the event types in the enterprise audit trail
This is a supplier confirmation of a customer-issued packaging data sheet. A packaging proposal submitted by the supplier for buyer approval, and a comment or rejection workflow on the PDS, are not part of the inspected build and are not claimed here.
Readiness · packaging
PDS and shipment readiness
In some automotive processes, an approved packaging definition is a prerequisite for shipment. ESS Hub supports this: PDS / packaging readiness can be used as a prerequisite for ASN / shipment readiness — where configured in the customer process, the supplier cannot proceed with the ASN / shipment process until the required packaging readiness condition is satisfied. Independently of such a rule, the packing step always uses the PDS values of the part, and a part without a packaging data sheet is flagged with a warning and default quantities. Which PDS status counts as ready is defined according to the implemented customer process.
Readiness · quality
PPAP and shipment readiness
PPAP status may also be used by automotive organizations as a prerequisite for production or shipment according to their supplier-quality process. ESS Hub supports this: PPAP / quality readiness can be used as a prerequisite for ASN / shipment readiness — where configured, the supplier is not allowed to proceed with the ASN / shipment process for a part whose required PPAP readiness condition is not satisfied. PPAP information, documentation and status live in the Supplier Quality environment; which PPAP status counts as ready is defined according to the implemented customer process. PPAP Supplier Collaboration
Readiness model
PDS + PPAP readiness
A supported ESS Hub business-rule capability. A part's readiness for shipment is two questions — is the packaging defined and confirmed, and is the part approved for production. ESS Hub can require packaging readiness, quality readiness or both before the supplier proceeds with the ASN / shipment process; the exact readiness conditions and the statuses that satisfy them depend on the implemented customer process.
Three kinds of statement
How ESS Hub handles readiness
Three kinds of statement are kept apart on this page:
- Product capability (confirmed by the product owner): ESS Hub supports business rules in which PDS / packaging readiness and PPAP / quality readiness are prerequisites for ASN / shipment readiness, individually or together; where configured, the supplier cannot proceed with the ASN / shipment process until the required conditions are satisfied.
- Visible in the current application build: the Packaging (PDS) area with statuses Active, Pending confirmation and Superseded and supplier confirmation; PDS values as the packing defaults, with a warning and default quantities for a part without a packaging data sheet; PPAP information and status in Supplier Quality; the shipment process's own controls — one plant per shipment, labels once packing is saved, DESADV waiting for the confirmed transport order where that rule is enabled, invoicing only after acknowledgement. The specific readiness-rule configuration screen, the message shown to a blocked supplier and the status names used by a readiness rule are not documented here because they were not inspected in the build.
- Customer-specific configuration: whether PDS, PPAP or both are required, which status values satisfy the condition and how the rule is enforced are defined according to the implemented customer process — the capability is not enabled identically for every customer.
Rule behaviour
Warning vs blocking
ESS Hub can apply process controls according to the implemented business rules, and distinguishes a warning from a hard block. The exact behaviour shown to a supplier when a readiness condition fails is not described here because it was not inspected in the build; the rules are configured per customer, not a free-form rule engine.
- Warning
- The supplier can continue but is informed. Visible in the build: the packing step warns when a part has no packaging data sheet and applies default quantities; the step also shows whether all quantities are packed or a remainder is unpacked.
- Hard block
- The supplier cannot proceed with the controlled action. Where configured, a failed readiness condition — PDS / packaging readiness, PPAP / quality readiness or both — prevents the supplier from proceeding with ASN creation / submission. Other hard blocks visible in the build: DESADV generation waits for the confirmed transport order where that rule is enabled; the electronic invoice cannot be generated before the shipment is acknowledged; the PDF invoice copy can be configured to require the transmitted electronic original; a dispatched shipment can no longer be cancelled by the supplier.
- Status-dependent rules
- Rules depend on the status of the relevant record: the packaging data sheet or PPAP for readiness rules; the shipment, transport order, acknowledgement or invoice for the shipment-flow rules.
- Approval-type rules
- Bank-detail changes are approval-controlled on the enterprise side.
Precision
ASN blocking
ESS Hub can enforce shipment-readiness rules before ASN processing. Where configured, PDS / packaging readiness and PPAP / quality readiness can be required before the supplier is allowed to proceed with the ASN / shipment process.
This allows packaging and quality prerequisites to become operational process controls rather than status information only.
The exact readiness conditions, status values and enforcement rules are defined according to the implemented customer process. The capability is a supported ESS Hub capability applied according to the implementation; it is not enabled identically for every customer.
Configuration
Customer-specific business rules
Automotive customers define different readiness conditions, and ESS Hub applies them as configured business rules: which readiness conditions — PDS / packaging readiness, PPAP / quality readiness or both — must be satisfied before ASN / shipment processing, and which statuses satisfy them. The build also shows a defined set of Process Options that enterprise administrators configure per customer in Portal Administration: the call-off confirmation lead time, whether suppliers may propose alternatives, whether partial deliveries are allowed, the window in which a shipment may be cancelled, whether DESADV generation waits for the confirmed transport order, automatic acknowledgement of the shipment on APERAK, and whether the electronic invoice is mandatory before a PDF copy. Rules are configured per customer implementation, not built by suppliers in a free-form rule builder.
Conceptual chain
From packaging confirmation to shipment
The chain from demand to shipment in which packaging and quality readiness both play a part. In ESS Hub the shipment-process steps — call-offs, packing, labels, dispatch, DESADV — carry their own controls, and, where configured, PDS / packaging readiness and PPAP / quality readiness are enforced as prerequisites before the supplier proceeds with the ASN. Which readiness conditions apply is defined per customer implementation. Scheduling Agreements & Call-Offs · VDA 4987
Integration
SAP / ERP context
Relevant master and process information — packaging data sheets, scheduling agreements, PPAP requirements — may originate from or be synchronized with the customer's SAP or ERP landscape, depending on the implementation. No specific SAP packaging, handling-unit or PPAP objects are claimed here; the interfaces are defined per implementation. SAP Integration · Technical architecture
Product evidence
Packaging in ESS Hub
Two questions
Why packaging and quality readiness are separate
Packaging readiness answers: “How should this part be packaged and shipped?” — the packaging data sheet, the handling-unit structure, the labels.
Quality readiness answers: “Is the part and its process approved according to the applicable quality process?” — PPAP in supplier quality.
Shipment readiness may depend on one, on the other or on both, depending on the customer's process. Keeping the two apart matters for the records as well: a confirmed PDS is a logistics record maintained per part and plant; a PPAP is a supplier quality record with its own documentation and status. In ESS Hub they live in different areas — Packaging (PDS) in logistics, PPAP in Supplier Quality — and remain separate records; a configured readiness rule can require one, the other or both before the ASN. Logistics in ESS Hub · Supplier Quality in ESS Hub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a Packaging Data Sheet (PDS)?
A Packaging Data Sheet (PDS) defines or documents the packaging concept used for a material or part, helping the customer and supplier align on how the product should be packed and prepared for shipment. In automotive supplier logistics it typically states the container, the quantity per package and the packaging hierarchy for a part; in ESS Hub a PDS carries the part, the plant, a version, the packaging specification and a status.
Does ESS Hub support Packaging Data Sheets?
Yes. ESS Hub keeps packaging data sheets per part and plant in the supplier's Packaging (PDS) area — version, specification (box type, parts per box, boxes per pallet, pallet type) and status (Active, Pending confirmation, Superseded). The supplier reviews and confirms a pending PDS, and the ASN packing step uses the PDS quantities.
Is PDS the same as PPAP?
No. PDS is the packaging data sheet — a packaging definition in the logistics domain. PPAP is the production part approval process — production-part approval evidence in the supplier quality domain.
What is the difference between PDS and PPAP?
A PDS answers how a part is packaged and prepared for shipment; PPAP provides the evidence that the supplier's production process can meet the defined requirements. They belong to different domains — packaging and logistics versus supplier quality — and neither replaces the other, although both may contribute to whether a part is considered ready for the operational shipping process in a customer's automotive process.
Can ESS Hub manage packaging information?
Yes. ESS Hub manages packaging data sheets per part and plant with version, specification and status; the packing step of the ASN builds pallets and boxes from that specification; returnable packaging is followed in separate empties accounts per plant.
Can ESS Hub manage handling units?
Yes. In the ASN packing step the supplier builds pallets with boxes — parent and child handling units with the quantity per box — and each handling unit receives an SSCC when the shipment is created.
Can ESS Hub connect packaging information with ASN?
Yes. The quantities per box and boxes per pallet from the part's packaging data sheet are the defaults of the ASN packing step, and the resulting handling-unit structure is part of the shipment and of the DESADV generated from it.
Can ESS Hub connect packaging information with automotive labels?
Yes. Handling-unit labels — GTL master and single labels based on VDA 4994 and an AIAG B-10 label type — are generated from the packed handling units of the shipment; the PDS itself is not a label specification.
Can PDS approval be required before shipment?
Yes. ESS Hub can use PDS / packaging readiness as a prerequisite for the ASN / shipment process where configured.
Can PPAP approval be required before shipment?
Yes. ESS Hub can use PPAP / quality readiness as a prerequisite for the ASN / shipment process where configured.
Can ESS Hub block ASN creation if PDS is not approved?
Yes. Where configured in the customer process, ESS Hub can prevent the supplier from proceeding with the ASN / shipment process when the required PDS / packaging readiness condition is not satisfied.
Can ESS Hub block ASN creation if PPAP is not approved?
Yes. Where configured, PPAP / quality readiness can be enforced as a prerequisite for ASN / shipment processing.
Can ESS Hub require both PDS and PPAP readiness?
Yes. ESS Hub can support readiness rules in which both packaging readiness and quality readiness are required before the supplier proceeds with the ASN / shipment process.
Can these rules be configured by customer process?
Yes. Which readiness conditions apply — PDS, PPAP or both — and which status values satisfy them are defined according to the implemented customer process; the rules are configured per customer implementation, together with the other process options of the portal.