Method and process for managing inbound and outbound merchandise shipments

• US 20040193502A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Harel, Orit, Holzman, Ziv, Heitner, Ami
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A computer program, method, and systems for monitoring inbound documents. Each of these inbound documents, which concerns the delivery of inbound merchandise to a processing center, itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise. Outbound documents, each of which concerns the shipping of outbound merchandise from the processing center, are also monitored. These outbound documents each itemize one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise. The available products itemized in one or more inbound documents are compared to the needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs. If such a match occurs, the matched available and needed products are linked, such that an outstanding order for a needed product is fulfilled with an available product.

Claims

1. A computer program, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a computer having a display and a pointing device operatively coupled to a cursor displayed on the display to:

monitor inbound documents that itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise;

monitor outbound documents that itemizes one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise;

compare available products itemized in one or more inbound documents to needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs; and

link the matched available and needed products to fulfill an outstanding order for the needed product with the available product.

2. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to define a minimum pick quantity, wherein the minimum pick quantity specifies the minimum quantity of an available product that may be used to fulfill an outstanding order for a needed product.

3. The computer program of claim 2 wherein the minimum quantity is a case of available product.

4. The computer program of claim 2 wherein the minimum quantity is a pallet of available product.

5. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to assign each of the inbound and outbound containers to a bay, wherein the inbound merchandise is unloaded from the inbound container in the bay to which the inbound container is assigned, and the outbound merchandise is loaded into the outbound container in the bay to which the outbound container is assigned.

6. The computer program of claim 5 wherein the container is a trailer.

7. The computer program of claim 5 wherein the container is a railroad car.

8. The computer program of claim 5 wherein the bay is a garage door.

9. The computer program of claim 5 wherein the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to assign one or more cross-docking areas to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise, wherein the available products, which are unloaded from an inbound container, are placed in the cross-docking area and divvied up to fulfill multiple outstanding orders for needed products.

10. The computer program of claim 9 wherein the instructions to assign one or more cross-docking areas include instructions to define a maximum cross-dock number, wherein the maximum cross-dock number specifies the maximum number of cross-docking areas available to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise.

11. The computer program of claim 9 wherein the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to designate a storage area for any residual available products that are unmatched after all outstanding orders have been fulfilled.

12. The computer program of claim 11 wherein the storage area is a storage bin.

13. The computer program of claim 11 wherein the storage area is a cold storage area.

14. The computer program of claim 11 wherein the instructions to designate a storage area include instructions to define a time limit before which any matching of residual available products must occur.

15. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to define the value added services to be applied to one or more of the available products.

16. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions to define the value added services include instructions to assign one or more VAS areas to the one or more available products to which value added services are applied.

17. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to define a consolidation shipping task, wherein the inbound merchandise from a plurality of inbound containers is consolidated into one or more outbound containers having a common destination.

18. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the instructions to compare the available products include instructions to define a distribution shipping task, wherein portions of the inbound merchandise from one or more inbound containers is distributed amongst a plurality of outbound containers.

19. The computer program of claim 1 further comprising instructions to allow a user to administer the warehouse execution planning system.

20. A warehouse execution planning method comprising:

monitoring inbound documents, each of which concerns the delivery of inbound merchandise to a processing center, wherein each inbound document itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise;

monitoring outbound documents, each of which concerns the shipping of outbound merchandise from the processing center, wherein each outbound document itemizes one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise;

comparing the available products itemized in one or more inbound documents to the needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs; and

linking the matched available and needed products to fulfill an outstanding order for the needed products with the available products.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein comparing the available products includes defining a minimum pick quantity, wherein the minimum pick quantity specifies the minimum quantity of an available product that may be used to fulfill an outstanding order for a needed product.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the minimum quantity is a case of available product.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the minimum quantity is a pallet of available product.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and comparing the available products includes assigning each of the inbound and outbound containers to a bay, wherein the inbound merchandise is unloaded from the inbound container in the bay to which the inbound container is assigned, and the outbound merchandise is loaded into the outbound container in the bay to which the outbound container is assigned.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the container is a trailer.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the container is a railroad car.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the bay is a garage door.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein comparing the available products includes assigning one or more cross-docking areas to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise, wherein the available products, which are unloaded from an inbound container, are placed in the cross-docking area and divvied up to fulfill multiple outstanding orders for needed products.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein assigning one or more cross-docking areas includes defining a maximum cross-dock number, wherein the maximum cross-dock number specifies the maximum number of cross-docking areas available to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein comparing the available products includes designating a storage area for any residual available products that are unmatched after all outstanding orders have been fulfilled.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the storage area is a storage bin.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the storage area is a cold storage area.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein designating a storage area includes defining a time limit before which any matching of residual available products must occur.

34. The method of claim 20 wherein comparing the available products includes defining the value added services to be applied to one or more of the available products.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein defining the value added services includes assigning one or more VAS areas to the one or more available products to which value added services are applied.

36. The method of claim 20 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and comparing the available products includes defining a consolidation shipping task, wherein the inbound merchandise from a plurality of inbound containers is consolidated into one or more outbound containers having a common destination.

37. The method of claim 20 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and comparing the available products includes defining a distribution shipping task, wherein portions of the inbound merchandise from one or more inbound containers is distributed amongst a plurality of outbound containers.

38. The method of claim 20 further comprising allowing a user to administer the warehouse execution planning method.

39. A warehouse execution planning system comprising:

an inbound document monitoring process for monitoring inbound documents, each of which concerns the delivery of inbound merchandise to a processing center, wherein each inbound document itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise;

an outbound document monitoring process for monitoring outbound documents, each of which concerns the shipping of outbound merchandise from the processing center, wherein each outbound document itemizes one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise;

a matching process for comparing the available products itemized in one or more inbound documents to the needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs; and

a linking process, responsive to a match occurring between an available product and a needed product, for linking the matched available and needed products, so that an outstanding order for a needed product is fulfilled with an available product.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the matching process includes an execution process for defining a minimum pick quantity, wherein the minimum pick quantity specifies the minimum quantity of an available product that may be used to fulfill an outstanding order for a needed product.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the minimum quantity is a case of available product.

42. The system of claim 40 wherein the minimum quantity is a pallet of available product.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the matching process includes a bay scheduling process for assigning each of the inbound and outbound containers to a bay, wherein the inbound merchandise is unloaded from the inbound container in the bay to which the inbound container is assigned, and the outbound merchandise is loaded into the outbound container in the bay to which the outbound container is assigned.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the container is a trailer.

45. The system of claim 43 wherein the container is a railroad car.

46. The system of claim 43 wherein the bay is a garage door.

47. The system of claim 43 wherein the matching process includes a cross-docking area designation process for assigning one or more cross-docking areas to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise, wherein the available products, which are unloaded from an inbound container, are placed in the cross-docking area and divvied up to fulfill multiple outstanding orders for needed products.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the cross-docking area designation process includes an area limiting process for defining a maximum cross-dock number, wherein the maximum cross-dock number specifies the maximum number of cross-docking areas available to one or more of the available products included in the inbound merchandise.

49. The system of claim 47 wherein the matching process includes a storage process for designating a storage area for any residual available products that are unmatched after all outstanding orders have been fulfilled.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the storage area is a storage bin.

51. The system of claim 49 wherein the storage area is a cold storage area.

52. The system of claim 49 wherein the storage process includes a batch process for defining a time limit before which any matching of residual available products must occur.

53. The system of claim 39 wherein the matching process includes a VAS definition process for defining the value added services to be applied to one or more of the available products.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the VAS definition process includes a VAS area designation process for assigning one or more VAS areas to the one or more available products to which value added services are applied.

55. The system of claim 39 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the matching process includes a consolidation designation process for defining a consolidation shipping task, wherein the inbound merchandise from a plurality of inbound containers is consolidated into one or more outbound containers having a common destination.

56. The system of claim 39 wherein the inbound merchandise is delivered to the processing center in one or more inbound containers, the outbound merchandise is delivered from the processing center in one or more outbound containers, and the matching process includes a distribution designation process for defining a distribution shipping task, wherein portions of the inbound merchandise from one or more inbound containers is distributed amongst a plurality of outbound containers.

57. The system of claim 39 further comprising a user interface for allowing a user to administer the warehouse execution planning system.

58. Apparatus for managing merchandise, the apparatus comprising digital circuitry configured to perform the following actions:

monitor inbound documents, each of which concerns the delivery of inbound merchandise to a processing center, wherein each inbound document itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise;

monitor outbound documents, each of which concerns the shipping of outbound merchandise from the processing center, wherein each outbound document itemizes one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise;

compare the available products itemized in one or more inbound documents to the needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs; and

link the matched available and needed products, so that an outstanding order for a needed product is fulfilled with an available product.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the apparatus comprises a programmable processor and the apparatus is configured by instructions stored in a memory for execution by the processor.

60. A method for providing on a computer display device a display of a warehouse execution planning system, the method comprising:

monitoring inbound documents, each of which concerns the delivery of inbound merchandise to a processing center, wherein each inbound document itemizes one or more available products included in the inbound merchandise;

monitoring outbound documents, each of which concerns the shipping of outbound merchandise from the processing center, wherein each outbound document itemizes one or more needed products to be included in the outbound merchandise;

comparing the available products itemized in one or more inbound documents to the needed products itemized in one or more outbound documents to determine if a match occurs; and

linking the matched available and needed products, wherein an outstanding order for a needed product is fulfilled with an available product.