Planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain

• US 20050222887A1
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mohan, Mohit, Narayanan, Vasudevan, Jain, Nikhil T., Adgaonkar, Amol B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• 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 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation

Abstract

One embodiment includes a computer-implemented system for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain. The system accesses a logical representation of the supply chain and identifies one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain. The system selects one or more of the identified locations according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations and generates a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, the system comprising one or more memory units and one or more processing units collectively operable to:

access a logical representation of the supply chain;

identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain, a controlling location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved directly from at least one of the second locations, a staging location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved from at least one of the second locations through a controlling location;

according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations, select one or more of the identified locations; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations, generate a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

2. The system of claim 1, operable to:

identify one or more primary networks in the supply chain, a primary network comprising a series of one or more forward bills of distribution (BODs) that have been designated primary forward BODs according to one or more criteria;

select one or more of the identified primary networks; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations and the selection of one or more of identified primary networks, generate a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the second locations are outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

at least one of the second locations is a repair vendor outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain; and

the system is operable, in connection with planning the supply of items to the first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, to generate repair orders according to which unserviceable parts are moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location associated with supply chain to meet requirements for items at the first location associated with the supply chain.

5. The system of claim 1, operable to access a table of controlling locations and staging locations in the supply chain to identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations of the supply chain.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising a service parts planning system.

7. A computer-implemented method for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, the method comprising:

accessing a logical representation of the supply chain;

identifying one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain, a controlling location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved directly from at least one of the second locations, a staging location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved from at least one of the second locations through a controlling location;

according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations, selecting one or more of the identified locations; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations, generating a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

identifying one or more primary networks in the supply chain, a primary network comprising a series of one or more forward bills of distribution (BODs) that have been designated primary forward BODs according to one or more criteria;

selecting one or more of the identified primary networks; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations and the selection of one or more of identified primary networks, generating a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein one or more of the second locations are outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

at least one of the second locations is a repair vendor outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain; and

the method comprises, in connection with planning the supply of items to the first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, generating repair orders according to which unserviceable parts are moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location associated with supply chain to meet requirements for items at the first location associated with the supply chain.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising accessing a table of controlling locations and staging locations in the supply chain to identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations of the supply chain.

12. The method of claim 7, executed by a service parts planning system.

13. Software for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, the softwared embodied in computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

access a logical representation of the supply chain;

identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain, a controlling location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved directly from at least one of the second locations, a staging location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved from at least one of the second locations through a controlling location;

according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations, select one or more of the identified locations; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations, generate a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

14. The software of claim 13, operable to:

identify one or more primary networks in the supply chain, a primary network comprising a series of one or more forward bills of distribution (BODs) that have been designated primary forward BODs according to one or more criteria;

select one or more of the identified primary networks; and

according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations and the selection of one or more of identified primary networks, generate a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.

15. The software of claim 13, wherein one or more of the second locations are outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain.

16. The software of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of the second locations is a repair vendor outside the supply chain and substantially independent of control from the supply chain; and

the system is operable, in connection with planning the supply of items to the first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, to generate repair orders according to which unserviceable parts are moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location associated with supply chain to meet requirements for items at the first location associated with the supply chain.

17. The software of claim 13, operable to access a table of controlling locations and staging locations in the supply chain to identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations of the supply chain.

18. The software of claim 13, executed by a service parts planning system.

19. A system for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain, the system comprising:

means for accessing a logical representation of the supply chain;

means for identifying one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain, a controlling location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved directly from at least one of the second locations, a staging location comprising a location associated with the supply chain to which items are moved from at least one of the second locations through a controlling location;

means for, according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations, selecting one or more of the identified locations; and

means for, according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations, generating a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations.