Superhub / Forward Stocking Location

End-to-End Operating Model — Cloud Supply Chain & Global Operations
1–2d
Transit SLA
93%
US Coverage
~$30M
CapEx Savings
5,560
Total Positions
Legend
Physical move
System / ERP
Exception
Decision
System signal
Physical doc
Freight move
1
Plan & Forecast
IBP demand planning
2
Build & Replenish
SI Factory → FSL
3
Store & Manage
FSL warehouse ops
4
Distribute
FSL → Data Center
5
Receive & Live
DC dock → install
🏭
System Integrator
Ingrasys · Wiwynn · Lenovo
Quanta · ZT
5 SIs · 19 factories
~2 WEEKS
1
Build FG Racks
Manufacture L11 Storage, Compute, GPU racks at SI factory per Build Order
Build OrderProduction
2
Serialize & GR
RSN assignment, goods receipt, as-built BOM/genealogy
ASNOBD
3
STO Collaboration
Ack STO from MSFT, prep outbound shipment
STO AckPGI
Route Decision
~70% direct to DC
~30% through FSL
IFS/IBP + OFM
Return & Rework
Returns from FSL; rework/disposition
📊
Microsoft
CSCP · SCOM · SCOPe
IFS · SAP IBP
Planning & ERP
P1
FG Demand Forecast
IBP generates inventory plan; automated WH levels
IBP Plan
ERP
P2
Create STO
Stock Transfer Order: SI Factory → FSL
STO via SAP
P3
IFS/IBP Routing
FSL vs Direct; OFM human-in-loop
OFM Approval
RDD
P4
Create Ship PO
Ship PO when DC calls for inventory (RDD)
Ship PO
P5
Invoice & Settle
P2P; FG on SI books until DC GR → MS books
InvoiceAsset Xfer
🚚
TMC / RMS
Managed Freight
(MMF)
All FSL freight
4
Book Inbound
Assign carrier, schedule SI factory pickup
Carrier Booking
GROUND
REGIONAL
5
Inbound Transit
Ground trucking SI → FSL (no cross-border)
In-Transit
10
Book Outbound
Assign carrier, schedule FSL pickup
Carrier Booking
1-2 DAYS
1-2 DAYS
11
Outbound Transit
93% US DCs ≤2d; hero regions 100%; cross-border 3-5d
In-Transit
🏢
3PL Warehouse
DSV / DBS
Cherry Valley IL
Venlo NL
6
Receive & Inspect
Verify RSN, condition, qty vs STO
GR Confirm
7
Store (FIFO)
US: 2,160/3,300
EMEA: 2,260 pos
On SI books; non-valuated
WMS
8
Inventory Mgmt
Cycle counts, adjustments, state transfers, holds
Adj/Count
24 HRS
9
Pick, Prep & Stage
DC calls → DSV picks per Ship PO; stages for load
OBD ≥1d prior
Returns to SI
Rework/damage → blocked stock → STO back
🏗
Data Center
CO+I · DC Ops
150+ Global DCs
End customer
12
Dock & Receive
GR at DC; FG → MS books; asset settlement
GRInvoice
13
Install & Go Live
Rack install → W2L live; RSN lifecycle complete
W2L Live

🎯 Purpose & Business Case

  • Reduce DC delivery transit from 5-7 days → 1-2 days
  • Enable Warehouse to Live (W2L) build-to-stock model
  • Support +25% YoY cloud demand with improved predictability
  • Deliver CapEx savings by reducing in-transit inventory
  • Reduce carbon emissions ~60% via consolidated distribution

📈 Key Performance Metrics

FSL → DC Transit1-2 days (93% US)
Hero Regions100% ≤ 2 days
Prior Baseline5-7 biz days
Volume via FSL~30%
CapEx Savings~$30M
Transport Savings$4M-$8M/yr
CO2 Reduction60%

🏛 Governance

  • US Ops: Horacio Ochoa Gomez
  • EMEA Ops: Altani Blakos
  • 3PL: DSV/DBS (both sites)
  • Freight: MMF via RMS/TMC (all legs)
  • Inventory: SI books until DC GR
  • Trade: SI is IOR/EOR at FSL
  • US Go-Live: Feb 2024 (Cherry Valley)
  • EMEA Go-Live: Sep 2024 (Venlo)

Scope

In Scope
  • L11 Storage, Compute, GPU racks
  • All 5 SIs (19 factories, 7 countries)
  • US FSL — Cherry Valley, IL
  • EMEA FSL — Venlo, NL
  • STO + Ship PO flows
  • Returns & rework
  • Serialization tracking (RSN)
Out of Scope
  • T2 component hubs (Arrow/DSV VMI)
  • India / Brazil / Australia FSLs
  • SI-managed freight (WWT)
  • Build order execution

Key Abbreviations

FSL — Forward Stocking Location
STO — Stock Transfer Order
Ship PO — Ship Purchase Order
ASN — Adv. Shipment Notice
OBD — Outbound Delivery
GR — Goods Receipt
PGI — Post Goods Issue
RSN — Rack Serial Number
MMF — MS Managed Freight
W2L — Warehouse to Live
BTS — Build to Stock
BTO — Build to Order
IOR/EOR — Importer/Exporter of Record
IBP — Integrated Biz Planning
IFS — Intelligent Fulfillment Sys
RDD — Requested Delivery Date

🔌 STO Signal Chain — SI Factory → FSL (14 Steps)

StepActionOwnerSystem SignalDirection
1Demand & Supply Planning at FSLMicrosoft (IBP)IBP PlanInternal
2Create STO RequestMicrosoft (SAP ECC)STO via UOSMS → SI
3Receive STO, create in SI systemsSISTO AckSI → MS
4Confirm STO to ship from factorySISTO ConfirmSI → MS
5Send confirmed STO to TMCMicrosoftSTO to TMCMS → TMC
6Create load plan from STOTMCLoad Plan signalTMC → MS
7Send Load Plan to SIMicrosoftLoad PlanMS → SI
8SI creates OBD from Load PlanSIOBDSI → MS → SAP
9Pick, Pack, Ship per STO + Load PlanSIPGI / Loaded ASN (with RSN)SI → MS → DBS
10Track in-transit milestonesTMCMilestone signalsTMC → MS
11Receive products at FSLDBS (DSV)GR @ FSL (with RSN)DBS → MS
12Send GR to SIMicrosoftGR @ FSLMS → SI
13SI posts GR in their systemsSIInternal GRSI internal
14E2E Serialization & Lifecycle trackingAllRSN eventsCross-system
Source: Superhub Overview — Purpose & Processes (Master File), Slide 7; SC Core Services Solution Design §3.2.1

📦 Safety Stock & Stocking Rules

  • Safety stock targets aligned monthly across CSCP based on Weeks of Supply (WoS) targets
  • Only onboarded SIs stock at FSL: Ingrasys, Lenovo, Wiwynn (Quanta onboarding planned)
  • Only high-volume SKUs: minimum 20 racks per SKU at FSL; low-volume SKUs held at factory
  • Only Direct Warranty (DW) at FSL — SAP plans at MSPN level and cannot stock both SIW and DW (system design constraint)
  • Some inventory kept at factory for direct-to-DC shipments (geography + customs driven)
  • Actual on-hand at FSL includes cycle stock — ~20% higher than safety stock targets
Americas flow-through rate80%
EMEA flow-through rate50%
Min racks per SKU at FSL20
Americas FSL capacity3,300 positions
EMEA FSL capacity2,260 positions
Source: FSL Safety Stock Strategy (Sep 2024)

⚙️ System Architecture (16 Key Systems)

SystemPurpose
SAP ECCCore P2P, inventory, financials, returns
SAP IBPUnified demand/supply planning
SAP MDG S/4Master data (+ OnePDM, D365, SKURef)
SAP CS (S/4 Add-On)Corporate Serialization & asset lifecycle
SAP GTSGlobal trade management & reporting
SAP Ariba SCCForecast/PO/RMA supplier collaboration
CSCP Sourcing 365Supplier negotiations, FG purchase prices
TMC (Navisphere)Freight mgmt & carrier tracking
DBS WMS3PL warehouse inventory management
StratusShipment tracking & milestone visibility
UOSUnified Order Service (signal routing)
OSSOrder Status Service (tracking)
CO+I AppsDC asset & inventory movements
CDE / EDLData lake reporting (Power BI)
MS-Auth / MS-InvoiceContract approvals & supplier invoicing
VertexTax calculation on procurement
Source: Superhub Overview IT Engg, Slides 9-10

🚀 Ship PO Signal Chain — FSL → DC (10 Steps)

StepActionOwnerSystem Signal
1DC capacity planning & reservationSCOM / CPDemand signal
2Create Ship POMicrosoft (POA → SAP ECC)Ship PO via UOS
3Ship PO sent to SI (B2B) + TMCUOS → Supplier Collab GatewayShip PO + Orders IDOC
4TMC creates load planTMCLoad Plan to LP Service → SI + LSDO
5DSV/DBS creates OBD from load planDBS (FSL)OBD → Unified Shipment Service
6DSV/DBS picks, packs, ships; sends ASNDBS (FSL)ASN (with RSN) → UOS → SAP (PGI)
7TMC tracks in-transit milestonesTMCMilestone signals → MS
8DC receives goods (GDCO)CO+I / DC OpsGR signal → GR Service → SAP ECC
9GR acknowledgment flows to SI + StratusSAP → Func. Ack → OSS → GatewayGR Ack + Invoice trigger
10Asset settlement & financial closeMicrosoft (SAP ECC)FG → MS books; invoice & payment
Source: SC Core Services Solution Design §3.2.2; Superhub Overview IT Engg, Slides 12-18

🏠 Warehouse Specs

  • US (Cherry Valley, IL): 350,000 sq ft facility
  • EMEA (Venlo, NL): 22,000 sqm (+ 22,000 sqm available for expansion)
  • Fully integrated with SAP ECC (system of record)
  • DBS WMS manages physical inventory ops
  • FIFO withdrawal enforcement

🚚 Network Coverage

  • 1-day delivery: 73% of US DCs (IL, VA, TX, IA hub)
  • 2-day delivery: 93% of US (adds WA, AZ, QC)
  • Hero regions: 100% within 2 days
  • Satellite regions: 98% (exception: Quebec)
  • EMEA: 50% flow-through from Venlo

📑 Source Documents

  • Superhub Overview — Purpose & Processes (Master, 32 slides)
  • Superhub Overview — IT Engineering (40 slides)
  • FSL Safety Stock Strategy (Sep 2024)
  • SC Core Services Solution Design (Aug 2023)
  • Superhub Spec ENG Final
  • FSL Architecture Design Review (77+ slides)
  • FSL Operating Models (5 slides)
  • BCL Interview — Aaron Bowman (May 2026)
42%
ICMs for LP cleanup

Of ICMs generated in Mar-May 2025, 42% were for LP / OBD / ASN cleanup.

9
Cancellation scenarios

9 scenario types drive the current load plan cancellation and change-management workload.

0
Automated today

0 automated — all LP change management remains manual and ICM-dependent today.

🔄 Normal LP Lifecycle

Baseline signal chain for serialized FSL shipments. Scenario selection below highlights where this chain is disrupted.
1
IBP STRDemand / reservation signal
2
SAP STO (blocked)Ship order created but waiting on LP
3
TMC Load PlanCarrier and route logic assigned
4
LP to SIDistribution unblocks STO
5
RSN AssignmentRack serialized to shipment
6
OBDOutbound delivery created
7
PGIGoods issue posted
8
ASNShipment notice sent
9
PickupCarrier takes possession
10
In-TransitMilestones flowing to Stratus
11
GR at DestinationReceipt closes shipment lifecycle
LP Distributed = Point of No Change — after distribution, every reroute or cancel/new action ripples into RSN, OBD, ASN, pickup, and reporting integrity.

⚠️ Pain Points

42% of ICMs are LP cleanup. Manual OBD / ASN deletion remains the dominant exception pattern for serialized FSL shipments.
  • No LP quantity validation today — LP qty > PO qty can pass through unchanged
  • No persistent end-to-end shipment object — cancel-and-recreate is the only operating pattern
  • SI can reject POA-initiated changes — rejection scenarios are still TBD
  • Single LP per shipment limitation remains in place; multi-LP initiative is in progress with Eliza Serrao
  • Manual cleanup spans Logistics Ops, RMS, SI, and engineering teams

🧭 Cancellation Scenario Matrix

Click any scenario to highlight the impacted lifecycle steps and review the cancel / change cascade.
Select a scenario to highlight the lifecycle steps most likely to be changed, cancelled, or recreated.
Featured
In-Transit Reroute Value Stream Map
Primary exception flow when a serialized shipment is already moving and the destination DC changes. Steps 5-6 are the current pain-point zone because LP cancel signals and OBD / ASN cleanup still require manual intervention and engineering support.
Current-state risk Once the original LP is distributed, system cleanup lags the physical truck unless LP, OBD, ASN, and RSN states are all reset together.
SCOM / OFMJCAB approval workflow
1 · Trigger
DC / Region Change Request
In-transit MDM reroute need identified and JCAB opened.
2 · JCAB Review
Standard answer is reject
Per SOP, racks in transit should be rejected unless leadership overrides.
3 · Exception
Override Approved
SCOM leadership + CP approve exception with reason code.
Cloud Logistics OpsCoordination bridge
4 · Notify RMS
Reroute instruction sent
New destination DC and handling path sent to RMS.
RMS / TMCLP cancel / create + carrier mgmt
5 · Cancel LP
Original LP cancellation
Cancellation signal sent to Microsoft and SI; downstream state now diverges.
7 · Create LP
New LP created
New destination, carrier, and schedule issued for reroute path.
8 · Distribute LP
RMS → Stratus → SI
New LP distribution unblocks the replacement STO path.
SAP ECCSTO, PGI, GR, RSN lifecycle
6 · Cleanup
⚠️ OBD / ASN cleanup
Today manual via ICM; target state auto-deletes docs and reverts RSNs to ATP.
12 · Settlement
Invoice + lifecycle close
Financial and RSN state updated after reroute completion.
SIOBD / ASN regeneration
9 · New OBD / ASN
Documents recreated
SI creates new OBD, keeps 1 LP : 1 OBD : 1 line / RSN relationship, and issues ASN.
CarrierPhysical truck movement
10 · Redirect
Physical redirect
Truck is diverted to the approved destination DC.
Destination DCReceipt and confirmation
11 · Delivery
Receive and GR
Racks arrive at the new DC and goods receipt is posted.

📝 Business Requirements Summary

PrioIDRequirement
P01Validate load plan quantity against PO / STO quantity; LP quantity must be less than or equal to the PO quantity.
P02Send RMS an error when LP quantity is incorrect so RMS can correct and resend the signal.
P03When a load plan is cancelled, Microsoft should automatically delete OBD and ASN, send the cancel signal to SI / DSV, and revert impacted RSNs back to ATP.
P04Partners (SI / DSV) must delete all associated OBD / ASN documents when they receive a load plan cancellation signal.
P05Retired in the June 2025 draft — internal auto-clear-on-partner-cancel language was struck through and superseded by the broader automation requirements above.
P06RSNs associated with the cancelled ASN must revert to ATP inventory status.
P07Block SI / DSV from uploading OBD / ASN documents against a cancelled load plan.
P08Send a NACK when SI / DSV attempts to upload OBD / ASN documents against a cancelled load plan.
P09Allow RMS to send create and cancel LP signals as required, while preventing status changes after a cancel signal is sent to Microsoft and SI.
P010Allow SI to update OBD prior to ASN submission when actual shipment execution differs from the original OBD.
P011Validate that OBD / ASN quantity equals LP quantity.
P012Differentiate secondary load plans for two-leg shipments so reverse logistics and similar patterns do not double count inventory.
P113Provide monitoring between the LP cancel signal sent to partner and partner acknowledgement, potentially through an actionable dashboard.
Source detail condensed from the FSL Load Plan Change Management BRD desired-future-state table.
Source: FSL Load Plan Change Management BRD (Charlotte Byers/SCOM, June 2025) + BCL Interview (Aaron Bowman, May 2026) | MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL