Order assembly production system and method

• US 20030004595A1
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kunieda, Yukio, Tanaka, Tamotsu, Seimiya, Hiromi
• Granted Patent: US 6,876,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An order assembly production system comprises means for showing an order-entry screen to select a frame of a product to be manufactured and an essential unit, means for generating a main body model number based on items selected on the order-entry screen, means for creating a manufacturing parts list for each main body model number based on a product components list showing a list of units as the selectable essential units of each model and the items selected on the order-entry screen, and means for settling delivery time based on a production schedule formed every model and the manufacturing parts list of each main body model number and instructing to start production.

Claims

1. An order assembly production system comprising:

first means for showing an order-entry screen to select a frame of a product to be manufactured and an essential unit; and

second means for generating a main body model number based on items selected on the order-entry screen.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

and the essential unit comprises at least one of a memory, a hard disk, an optical disk drive, a communicating function, an operating system, and a preinstalled software program.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

the order-entry screen can select an option unit comprising at least one of a mouse, an add-on memory, various I/F cards, and a third-party option; and

said second means generates a set manufacturing model number based on the main body model number and a model number of the selected option unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

the order-entry screen can select an accessory service comprising at least one of assembly packaging, adjustment of attachments, introduction and instruction, maintenance, an operating service, and a recall service; and

said second means generates a set manufacturing model number based on the main body model number and a model number of the selected accessory service.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

third means for showing a retrieval screen on which a retrieving condition is inputted; and

fourth means for retrieving a model based on the retrieving condition inputted on the retrieval screen to display constitutional items of the retrieved model.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the retrieving condition includes any of a price of the product, the frame, and the essential unit.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for determining whether a combination of the items selected on the order-entry screen can be realized based on a product components list, in which selectable units for each model are registered, to warn that the combination of the items is impossible.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for showing another item as a candidate, which can be combined to the items selected on the order-entry screen, based on a product components list in which selectable units for each model are registered.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for forming a manufacturing parts list including names and numbers of parts needed to manufacture the product based with reference to the main body model number based on a product components list in which selectable units for each model are registered.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for settling a price of the product with reference to the main body model number based on a product components list in which selectable units for each model and the prices of the units are registered.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for forming a production schedule for each model, the production schedule showing a prescribed number of units and a number of real orders with respect to each essential unit.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising third means for dividing a product with a certain main body model number into units based on a manufacturing parts list including names and numbers of parts needed to manufacture the product with the main body model number when an order with the main body model number is inputted, to refer to a production schedule, and to answer the latest delivery time among delivery times of the units as delivery time of the ordered product with the main body model number.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

and the essential unit comprises at least one of a memory, a hard disk, an optical disk drive, a communicating function, an operating system, and a preinstalled software program.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

the order-entry screen can select an option unit comprising at least one of a mouse, an add-on memory, various I/F cards, and a third-party option; and

said second means generates a set manufacturing model number based on the main body model number and a model number of the selected option unit.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the product to be manufactured comprises a personal computer;

the order-entry screen can select an accessory service comprising at least one of assembly packaging, adjustment of attachments, introduction and instruction, maintenance, an operating service, and a recall service; and

said second means generates a set manufacturing model number based on the main body model number and a model number of the selected accessory service.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

showing a retrieval screen on which a retrieving condition is inputted; and

retrieving a model based on the retrieving condition inputted on the retrieval screen to display constitutional items of the retrieved model.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the retrieving condition includes any of a price of the product, the frame, and the essential unit.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising step of determining whether a combination of the items selected on the order-entry screen can be realized based on a product components list, in which selectable units for each model are registered, to warn that the combination of the items is impossible.

20. The method according to claim 13, further comprising step of showing another item as a candidate, which can be combined to the items selected on the order-entry screen, based on a product components list in which selectable units for each model are registered.

21. The method according to claim 13, further comprising step of settling a price of the product with reference to the main body model number based on a product components list in which selectable units for each model and the prices of the units are registered.

22. The method according to claim 13, further comprising step of forming a production schedule for each model, the production schedule showing a prescribed number of units and a number of real orders with respect to each essential unit.

23. The method according to claim 13, further comprising step of dividing a product with a certain main body model number into units based on a manufacturing parts list including names and numbers of parts needed to manufacture the product with the main body model number when an order with the main body model number is inputted, to refer to a production schedule, and to answer the latest delivery time among delivery times of the units as delivery time of the ordered product with the main body model number.

13. An order assembly production method comprising the steps of:

showing an order-entry screen to select a frame of a product to be manufactured and an essential unit;

generating a main body model number based on items selected on the order-entry screen;

creating a manufacturing parts list for each main body model number based on a product components list showing a list of units as the selectable essential units of each model and the items selected on the order-entry screen; and

settling delivery time based on a production schedule formed every model and the manufacturing parts list of each main body model number and instructing to start production.

24. An order assembly production system comprising:

means for presenting an order entry screen to select a frame of a custom-made model produced according to an order from a customer and a plurality of units incorporated in the frame;

means for assigning a type number to a custom-made model based on the frame and the units selected based on the presented order entry screen; and

means for preparing a parts list based on the selected frame and units in accordance with the assigned type number.

25. An order assembly production method, comprising steps of:

presenting an order entry screen to select a frame of a custom-made model produced according to an order from a customer and a plurality of units incorporated in the frame;

assigning a type number to a custom-made model based on the frame and the units selected based on the presented order entry screen; and

preparing a parts list based on the selected frame and units in accordance with the assigned type number.