Collaborative method of managing inventory

• US 20080004997A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Deevers, Susan Lynn, Simon, Roland James, Slocum, Gregory Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A collaborative inventory management method for managing material inventory sourced by a customer from a plurality of suppliers includes: designating at least one supplier as a steady supplier to the customer; designating at least one second supplier as a lead supplier to the customer; allocating a supply split between the steady supplier and the lead supplier for supplying material to customer over a period of time; providing customer inventory level data (I) and usage forecast data (U) from the customer to the lead supplier; providing a customer shipment schedule to the steady supplier; providing an order create (OC) and ship notice (SN) from the steady supplier to the customer; transforming the (OC) and (SN) to contain selective quantity and date of shipment data (Q/D); sending Q/D data to the lead supplier; and planning by the lead supplier of shipments to manage (I) responsive to actual usage by the customer and shipment of material from the steady supplier to customer and in accordance with the supply split.

Claims

1. A collaborative inventory management method for managing material inventory sourced by a customer from a plurality of suppliers, comprising:

a. designating at least one supplier as a steady supplier to the customer;

b. designating at least one second supplier as a lead supplier to the customer;

c. allocating a supply split between the steady supplier and the lead supplier for supplying material to customer over a period of time;

d. providing customer inventory level data (I) and usage forecast data (U) from the customer to the lead supplier;

e. providing a customer shipment schedule to the steady supplier;

f. providing an order create (OC) and ship notice (SN) from the steady supplier to the customer;

g. transforming the OC and SN to contain selective quantity and date of shipment data (Q/D);

h. sending Q/D data to the lead supplier; and

i. planning by the lead supplier of shipments to manage (I) responsive to actual usage by the customer and shipment of material from the steady supplier to customer and in accordance with the supply split.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a receipt from the customer to the lead supplier and the steady supplier for quantities of material received by the customer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein further comprising factoring in-transit shipment time between the steady supplier and the customer in the planning by the lead supplier of shipments necessary from the lead supplier to manage (I).

2. The method according to claim 2, wherein transforming the OC and SN to quantity and date of shipment data (Q/D) further comprises the step of selectively screening the data to exclude sensitive business information of the steady supplier.

5. A collaborative inventory management method for managing material inventory sourced by a customer from a plurality of suppliers, comprising:

a. designating a supplier as a steady supplier to the customer;

b. designating at least one second supplier as a lead supplier to the customer;

c. allocating a supply split (SS) between the steady supplier and the lead supplier for supplying material to customer over a period of time (T);

d. providing customer inventory level data (I) and usage forecast data (U) over (T) from the customer to the lead supplier;

e. providing a customer shipment schedule to the steady supplier;

f. sharing planned steady supplier shipment data (PS) over (T) with the lead supplier prior to the beginning of (T+At);

g. calculating from (I), (U), (PS), a future inventory level (FI);

h. determining shipment levels from the lead supplier needed to meet (FI) based on (SS).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein sharing planned steady supplier shipment data (PS) with the lead supplier further comprises the selectively screening (PS) to exclude lead supplier access to sensitive business information of the steady supplier.