Production planning apparatus and production planning method

• US 20050228521A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Toda, Masayuki, Enomoto, Mitsuhiro, Nakamura, Mitsunobu, Nomoto, Tazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention proposes a method for devising a production plan of a product to be produced through multiple production steps having different characteristics in a supply chain across multiple companies and/or multiple factories. The method divides a production step of the product into multiple production steps in advance based on a constraint to be considered when the production plan therefor is devised, defines identifiers for the multiple production steps, prestores the defined identifiers in a storage portion as step identification information, and prestores step information having at least correspondences between the production steps and items. In this case, a calculation processing portion identifies and determines production steps and order of calculations, which are involved in the production of the product, based on the shipping plan information, parts table and step information stored in the storage portion, determines which of first and second production plan calculation algorithms is to be executed based on the order of calculations and based on the step identification information stored for each production step, and calculates the production plan by using the determined algorithm.

Claims

1. A production planning apparatus for devising a production plan based on at least shipping plan information and parts table of a product,

the product planning apparatus comprising:

a calculation processing portion;

a storage portion; and

input/output means,

wherein the product planning apparatus divides a production step of the product into multiple production steps based on a constraint to be considered when a production plan therefor is devised, defines identifiers for the multiple production steps and prestores the defined identifiers in the storage portion as step identification information, and stores step information having at least correspondences between the production steps and items in the storage portion;

the calculation processing portion has;

a first calculation processing portion for calculating a production plan based on a first calculation algorithm;

a second calculation processing portion for calculating a production plan based on a second calculation algorithm; and

a calculation control portion for controlling the first and second calculation processing portions; and

the calculation control portion identifies and determines production steps and order of calculations, which are involved in the production of the product, based on the shipping plan information, parts table and step information and activates and controls one of the first and second calculation processing portion based on the step identification information to calculate a production plan for each production step based on the order of calculations.

2. The production planning apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the production planning apparatus stores, in the storage portion, setup time information indicating the setup share for each work schedule in each production step;

the calculation control portion activates and controls one of the first and second calculation processing portions based on setup time information to calculate a production plan.

3. The production planning apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first and second calculation processing portion and the calculation control portion support parallel calculations;

and

the calculation control portion controls the first and second calculation processing portion to operate in parallel.

4. A production planning method for devising a production plan based on at least shipping plan information and a parts table of a product,

the method comprising the steps of:

storing, in a storage portion, programs including a first production plan calculation algorithm suitable for calculating a plan for procuring or manufacturing a required amount (required amount) of a required item (item) by a required time (delivery time) for parts and a raw material based on a devised product-level shipping plan and a second production plan calculation algorithm suitable for calculating a work schedule by using operation times of steps and the delivery time of the product as constraints when multiple products must be produced in a step;

dividing the product production step into multiple production steps in advance based on constraints to be considered when the production plan is devised, defining identifiers for the multiple production steps, and storing the identifiers in the storage portion as step identification information in advance;

storing, in the storage portion, step information having at least correspondences between the production steps and the items; and

identifying and determining production steps and an order of calculations involved in the production of the product based on the shipping plan information, the parts table and the step information, determines which of the first and second production plan calculation algorithms is to be executed based on the order of calculations and based on the step identification information for production steps, and calculating the production plan by using the program including the determined algorithm.

5. The production planning method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

storing, in the storage portion, setup time information indicating a setup share of each work schedule in each production step; and

determining which of the first and second calculation algorithm is to be executed based on the setup time information instead of the step identification information and calculating the production plan by using the program including the determined algorithm.

6. The product planning method according to claim 4, in which calculation processing portions supporting parallel calculations are provided,

the method further comprising the step of:

performing calculations by executing the programs including the first and second calculation algorithms in parallel.