System and method for determining a promise date for a demand in a business environment

• US 20080065407A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kinaxis Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kinaxis Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Ticala, Vasile, Klett, Robert, Crozman, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and a system for determining a promise date for a demand whose supply depends on constraints in a business environment. According to the present invention, information related to the business environment is stored within a data storage means. The present invention provides a processor coupled to the data storage means from which it requests and retrieves data. The processor also determines a plan date for each supply in the supply structure. The plan date is determined, from a highest level to a lowest level in the supply structure, based on existing and planned supply in the supply structure. After determining a plan date, the processor determines an available date for each supply in the supply structure. The available date is determined, from the lowest level to the highest level in the supply structure, based on the availability of each supply in the supply structure, and the plan date determined for each supply. Finally, the processor generates a promise date for the demand for the item based on each available date determined for a corresponding supply in the supply structure. The present invention advantageously generates promise dates based on information available in real-time on both the supply structure and the capacity constraints for a given item.

Claims

1. A system for determining a promise date for a demand in a business environment based on a demand produced for the item and a supply structure for fulfilling the demand, the system comprising:

a data storage means for storing data information related to the business environment; and

a processor for generating a promise date for the demand, the processor being coupled to the data storage means;

whereby the processor requests and retrieves data information related to the business environment from the data storage means, and

whereby the processor determines a plan date for each supply in the supply structure based on an existing and planned supply in the supply structure, from a highest-level to a lowest-level in the supply structure, and determines an available date for each supply in the supply structure based on i) the availability of each supply in the supply structure, and ii) the plan date determined for each supply, from the lowest-level to the highest-level in the supply structure, and generates the promise date for the demand for the item based on the available date determined for each supply in the supply structure while maintaining promise dates previously fulfilled for past demands.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the available date is determined by the processor based on the availability of capacity constraints required to fulfill the supply.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plan date is determined by the processor based on the availability of at least one capacity constraint required to fulfill a supply.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the each supply and the each demand are assigned a priority value.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data storage means includes means for storing a plurality of versions of the data information.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the data storage means are coupled to a plurality of data storage means that store information related to the business environment.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor runs continuously.