System and method for building loads from requisitions

• US 20060287926A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Patrick J., Sandvig, Dean J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A system and method of optimizing loads to be delivered on a particular date to a particular destination in response to a plurality of requisitions for various items to be delivered from various vendors to various destinations. Requisitions are arranged chronologically and line items are moved forward for early delivery to build optimized truck/container loads.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing loads to be delivered on a particular date to a particular destination in response to a plurality of requisitions for various items to be delivered from various vendors to various destinations, said method comprising:

Identifying requisitions to be delivered on or after the particular date to the particular destination from the same vendor;

Organizing the identified requisitions in a chronological order beginning with the particular date;

Beginning with the first requisition in the chronological order and considering subsequent requisitions in chronological order, organizing the requisitions into loads by consolidating at least some of the requisitions to create one or more optimized loads and/or a partial load;

When the consolidated requisitions result in a partial load, consolidating at least one or more of the requisitions subsequent to the requisition corresponding to the partial load until an optimized load is determined thereby creating a delivery schedule of optimized loads consolidated from the requisitions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said consolidating requisitions comprises consolidating item orders based on at least one of the following:

a minimum incremental order quantity for each item, a minimum total order quantity for each item, a optimum total order quantity for each item and a maximum total order quantity.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the delivery schedule for review and modification by an individual and implementing the modified delivery schedule.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein only requisitions within a defined time horizon are identified and organized.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

7. A method of optimizing loads to be delivered on a particular date to a particular destination from a plurality of requisitions for various items from various vendors for various destinations, said method comprising:

Identifying requisitions to be delivered on or after the particular date to the same destination from the same vendor;

Organizing the identified requisitions in a chronological order;

Beginning with the first requisition in the chronological order and considering subsequent requisitions in chronological order, consolidating items of the requisitions to form optimized loads.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said consolidating requisitions comprises consolidating item orders based on at least one of the following:

a minimum incremental order quantity for each item, a minimum total order quantity for each item, a optimum total order quantity for each item and a maximum total order quantity.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying the delivery schedule for review and modification by an individual and implementing the modified delivery schedule.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein only requisitions within a defined time horizon are identified and organized.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

13. A method of consolidating a plurality of requisitions for various items from various vendors to be delivered to a various destinations on or after a specified date to create one or more truckloads, each for delivery on the specified date or thereafter, said method comprising:

Identifying future requisitions from a particular vendor to a particular destination;

Organizing the identified requisitions in a chronological order beginning with the specified date;

Consolidating one or more requisitions for delivery on the specified date into one or more optimized load and a partial load;

Consolidating the partial load with at least part of a requisition for delivery on a date subsequent to the specified date and assigning the specified date as the delivery date for the consolidated partial load.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said consolidating requisitions comprises consolidating item orders based on at least one of the following:

a minimum incremental order quantity for each item, a minimum total order quantity for each item, a optimum total order quantity for each item and a maximum total order quantity.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying the delivery schedule for review and modification by an individual and implementing the modified delivery schedule.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein only requisitions within a defined time horizon are identified and organized.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein, in response to a change in a particular requisition relating to a particular item to be delivered at a particular destination at a particular date, repeating said organizing regarding requisitions for at least one of the following:

requisitions for the particular destination, requisitions on or after the particular date, and requisitions for the particular item.

19. A computer readable medium including instructions for consolidating a plurality of requisitions for various items from various vendors to be delivered to a various destinations on or after a specified date to create one or more truckloads, each for delivery on the specified date or thereafter, said instructions comprising instructions for:

Identifying future requisitions from a particular vendor to a particular destination;

Organizing the identified requisitions in a chronological order beginning with the specified date;

Consolidating one or more requisitions for delivery on the specified date into one or more optimized load and a partial load;

Consolidating the partial load with at least part of a requisition for delivery on a date subsequent to the specified date and assigning the specified date as the delivery date for the consolidated partial load.

20. The medium of claim 19 further including instructions for optimizing a layout of a load with respect to unloading and/or with respect to the anticipated deployment of the load at the particular destination.