Graphical user interface for capacity-driven production planning tool

• US 20030050826A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cargille, Brian D., Callioni, Gianpaolo, Johnson, M. Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

Production planning systems and methods are described that enable production planners to see how capacity decisions affect total production costs and to understand the cost trade offs between excess capacity and inventory and, thereby, enable them to make appropriate manufacturing capacity level and inventory level decisions. In one aspect, a graphical user interface separates the presentation of production planning information from the underlying representation of production planning calculations and interrelationships. The graphical user interface frees a production planner from having to handle the underlying references directly and, thereby, allows the production planner to focus instead on the contexts and concepts of production planning (e.g., making strategic decisions regarding excess capacity levels and inventory levels).

Claims

1. A production planning system, comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to receive values for one or more capacity attributes characterizing a manufacturing line configured to produce one or more products, and to display one or more inventory investment amounts computed based upon the received capacity attribute values and needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for the one or more products over an exposure period with a target service level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a capacity attributes section prompting a user to input values for one or more of the following capacity attributes characterizing the manufacturing line:

shift length;

number of shifts in a given unit of time;

mean time line is inoperable;

mean set-up time;

set-up time variability; and

production scheduling variability.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to receive values for one or more production attributes characterizing the one or more products.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface includes a production attributes section prompting a user to input values for one or more of the following production attributes for each of the one or more products:

mean demand;

demand uncertainty;

line cycle time; and

average time between builds.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a total inventory investment section for displaying a total inventory investment amount needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for all of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a product-specific inventory investment section for displaying a respective inventory investment amount needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for each of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display one or more computed manufacturing capacity levels needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for the one or more products over an exposure period with a target service level.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface includes a total manufacturing line capacity section for displaying one or more measures of total line utilization needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for all of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface includes a product-specific manufacturing line capacity section for displaying a respective measure of manufacturing line responsiveness for each of the products.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display a graph of total production cost plotted as a function of excess manufacturing line capacity.

11. A production planning method, comprising:

receiving values for one or more capacity attributes characterizing a manufacturing line configured to produce one or more products; and

displaying one or more inventory investment amounts computed based upon the received capacity attribute values and needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for the one or more products over an exposure period with a target service level.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising prompting a user to input values for one or more of the following capacity attributes characterizing the manufacturing line:

shift length;

number of shifts in a given unit of time;

mean time line is inoperable;

mean set-up time;

set-up time variability; and

production scheduling variability.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving values for one or more production attributes characterizing the one or more products.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising prompting a user to input values for one or more of the following production attributes for each of the one or more products:

mean demand;

demand uncertainty;

line cycle time; and

average time between builds.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a total inventory investment amount needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for all of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a respective inventory investment amount needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for each of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying one or more computed manufacturing capacity levels needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for the one or more products over an exposure period with a target service level.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying one or more measures of total line utilization needed to cover expected demand and expected demand uncertainty for all of the products over an exposure period with a target service level.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying a respective measure of manufacturing line responsiveness for each of the products.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a graph of total production cost plotted as a function of excess manufacturing line capacity.