Method, apparatus and program storage device for providing an advanced material management center

• US 20060229756A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Aiso, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/99
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing an advanced material management center is disclosed. A segregated delivery delay/component buffer area is maintained at a manufacturing site for holding material before transfer to the manufacturer. The content of the buffer area is owned by the supplier. Materials may be provided to the buffer area by a just-in-time warehouse or by a supplier. The quantity of any particular material at the buffer area is smaller than normally held at the just-in-time warehouse or provided by a supplier and therefore requires much less storage space. However, the buffer area provides quick availability to inventory and allows for improved maintenance and availability of inventory.

Claims

1. An advanced material management center, comprising:

a buffer area, located at a manufacturing site, for receiving lots of materials for use in producing an end item, the lots of material at the buffer area being owned by at least one vendor;

an inventory database, for identifying the lots of materials held in the storage area; and

a materials management system for receiving request for material needed during manufacturing of an end item, comparing the request to materials held in the storage area and identifying materials for issue in response to the request.

2. The advanced material management center of claim 1, wherein the database is operatively coupled to a just-in-time warehouse disposed at a location proximate to the manufacturing site, the just-in-time warehouse querying the database to determine a status of materials at the buffer area and pushing materials to the buffer area when the just-in-time warehouse determines that inventory of a type of material at the buffer area is below a threshold.

3. The advanced material management center of claim 1, wherein the buffer area receives materials from a just-in-time warehouse.

4. The advanced material management center of claim 1, wherein the buffer area receives materials from vendors.

5. An advanced material management center, comprising:

memory for storing data concerning inventory for manufacturing an end item; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, the processor configured for receiving requests for materials needed at a manufacturing line of a manufacturing site, issuing an order to transfer material from inventory in a storage area located at the manufacturing site to a manufacturing line inventory warehouse, for recording delivery of the transferred materials at the manufacturing line inventory warehouse and for transferring ownership of the transferred materials from a vendor to an owner of the manufacturing site.

6. The advanced material management center of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for issuing purchase orders to vendors for materials.

7. The advanced material management center of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured for recording confirmed delivery dates for the materials ordered from the vendor.

8. The advanced material management center of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for recording delivery of materials.

9. The advanced material management center of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured for identifying a location where materials are delivered and for recording the name of the materials, the quantity and the location the materials were delivered.

10. The advanced material management center of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for issuing a pull signal to a just-in-time warehouse located proximate to the manufacturing site to cause materials associated with the pull signal to be delivered from the just-in-time warehouse to a storage area at the manufacturing site.

11. The advanced material management center of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving a query from a just-in-time warehouse for determining whether any materials at the storage area are below a threshold, the just-in-time warehouse delivering from the just-in-time warehouse to the storage area any materials determined to be below a threshold.

12. A system for managing inventory for a manufacturing line, comprising:

a first warehouse located proximate to a manufacturing facility, the first warehouse receiving bulk materials from at least one supplier, the at least one supplier maintaining ownership of the bulk materials at the first warehouse;

a second warehouse located at the manufacturing facility, the second warehouse receiving smaller lots of materials, wherein the smaller lots of materials are owned by the at least one supplier; and

a receiving area located at the manufacturing facility, the receiver area receiving from the second warehouse materials needed at the manufacturing line, wherein ownership of the materials received from the second warehouse is transferred to the owner of the manufacturing facility.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the smaller lots are provided directly from a supplier.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the smaller lots are provided from the first warehouse.

15. A method for managing material for a manufacturing line, comprising:

providing at a manufacturing site a buffer area for receiving lots of materials for use in producing an end item by a manufacturer, the lots of material at the buffer area being owned by at least one vendor;

providing an inventory database for identifying the lots of materials held in the buffer area; and

providing a manufacturing line inventory warehouse for holding inventory for the manufacturing line received from the buffer area, inventory at the manufacturing line inventory warehouse being under ownership of the manufacturer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a request at the buffer area for material needed at the manufacturing line inventory warehouse for manufacturing an end item;

comparing the request to materials held in the buffer area; and

identifying materials for issue to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse and transfer of ownership of the materials moved to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse to the manufacturer.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a query from a just-in-time warehouse disposed at a location proximate to the manufacturing site, the query determining a status of materials at the buffer area; and

pushing materials to the buffer area when the just-in-time warehouse determines that inventory of a type of material at the buffer area is below a threshold.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the providing at a manufacturing site a buffer area for receiving lots of materials receiving materials from a just-in-time warehouse located proximate to the manufacturing site.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the providing at a manufacturing site a buffer area for receiving lots of materials receiving materials from vendors.

20. A method for providing an advanced material management center, comprising:

storing data concerning inventory for manufacturing an end item;

receiving requests for materials needed at a manufacturing line of a manufacturing site;

transferring material owned by at least one vendor from inventory in a storage area located at the manufacturing site to a manufacturing line inventory warehouse; and

transferring ownership of the transferred materials from a vendor to an owner of the manufacturing site.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising issuing purchase orders to vendors for materials.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising recording confirmed delivery dates for the materials ordered from the vendor.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising recording delivery of materials.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising identifying a location where materials are delivered and recording the name of the materials, the quantity and the location the materials were delivered.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising issuing a pull signal to a just-in-time warehouse located proximate to the manufacturing site to cause materials associated with the pull signal to be delivered from the just-in-time warehouse to a storage area at the manufacturing site.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising receiving a query from a just-in-time warehouse for determining whether any materials in the storage area are below a threshold and delivering from the just-in-time warehouse to the storage area any materials determined to be below a threshold.

27. A method for managing inventory for a manufacturing line, comprising:

receiving bulk materials from at least one supplier at a first warehouse proximate to a manufacturing facility;

maintaining ownership of the bulk materials by the at least one supplier at the first warehouse;

receiving smaller lots of materials owned by the at least one supplier at a second warehouse located at the manufacturing facility;

receiving, at a receiving area located at the manufacturing facility, materials needed at the manufacturing line from the second warehouse; and

transferring ownership of the materials received from the second warehouse to the owner of the manufacturing facility.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the receiving smaller lots of materials further comprises receiving smaller lots of materials directly from a supplier.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the receiving smaller lots of materials further comprises receiving smaller lots of materials from the first warehouse.

30. A program storage device, comprising:

program instructions executable by a processing device to perform operations for managing material for a manufacturing line, the operations comprising;

providing an inventory database for identifying inventory materials for use in producing an end item by a manufacturer held in a buffer area, the inventory materials owned by at least one vendor; and

managing inventory material in the database including movement of the material between the buffer area and a manufacturing line inventory warehouse and transferring ownership of material moved to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse to the manufacturer.

31. The program storage device of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a request to move material at the buffer area to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse;

comparing the request to materials held in the buffer area; and

identifying materials for issue to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse; and

transferring ownership of the materials moved to the manufacturing line inventory warehouse to the manufacturer.

32. The program storage device of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a query for determining a status of materials at the buffer area; and

pushing materials from a just-in-time warehouse to the buffer area when the query determines that inventory of a type of material at the buffer area is below a threshold.

33. A program storage device, comprising:

program instructions executable by a processing device to perform operations for providing an advanced material management center, the operations comprising;

storing data concerning inventory for manufacturing an end item;

receiving requests for materials need at a manufacturing line of a manufacturing site;

transferring material owned by at least one vendor from inventory in a storage area located at the manufacturing site to a manufacturing line inventory warehouse; and

transferring ownership of the transferred materials from a vendor to an owner of the manufacturing site.

34. The program storage device of claim 33 further comprising issuing purchase orders to vendors for materials.

35. The program storage device of claim 34 further comprising recording confirmed delivery dates for the materials ordered from the vendor.

36. The program storage device of claim 33 further comprising recording delivery of materials.

37. The program storage device of claim 36 further comprising identifying a location where materials are delivered and recording the name of the materials, the quantity and the location the materials were delivered.

38. The program storage device of claim 33 further comprising issuing a pull signal to a just-in-time warehouse located proximate to the manufacturing site to cause materials associated with the pull signal to be delivered from the just-in-time warehouse to the storage area at the manufacturing site.

39. The program storage device of claim 33 further comprising receiving a query from a just-in-time warehouse for determining whether inventory of material in the storage area is below a threshold and directing transfer from the just-in-time warehouse to the storage area materials determined to be below a threshold.

40. A program storage device, comprising:

program instructions executable by a processing device to perform operations for managing inventory for a manufacturing line, the operations comprising;

managing movement of bulk materials from at least one supplier at a first warehouse proximate to a manufacturing facility;

maintaining ownership of the bulk materials by the at least one supplier at the first warehouse;

managing movement of smaller lots of materials owned by the at least one supplier at a second warehouse located at the manufacturing facility;

managing movement materials needed at the manufacturing line from the second warehouse to a receiving area located at the manufacturing facility; and

transferring ownership of the materials received from the second warehouse to the owner of the manufacturing facility.

41. The program storage device of claim 40, wherein the managing movement of smaller lots of materials further comprises recording receipt of the smaller lots of materials directly from a supplier.

42. The program storage device of claim 40, wherein the managing movement of smaller lots of materials further comprises recording receipt of the smaller lots of materials from the first warehouse.