Sentient Optimization for Continuous Supply Chain Management

• US 20080221953A1
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyer, Anand
• Granted Patent: US 11,403,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for incrementally adjusting a supply chain plan. The system includes a database operable to store data associated with one or more supply chain entities and a server system coupled with the database. The server system receives one or more perturbations in supply chain plan inputs from one or more of the supply chain entities, wherein the perturbations are received during a period of time separating a supply chain planning session from a subsequent supply chain planning session and accesses the data stored in the database associated with the one or more supply chain entities. The server system also incrementally and optimally adjusts the supply chain plan based on the one or more received perturbations and the data stored in the database and communicates the incrementally adjusted supply chain plan to the one or more supply chain entities.

Claims

1. A system for incrementally adjusting a supply chain plan, comprising:

a database operable to store data associated with one or more supply chain entities;

a server system coupled with the database and operable to;

receive one or more perturbations in supply chain plan inputs from one or more of the supply chain entities, wherein the perturbations are received during a period of time separating a supply chain planning session from a subsequent supply chain planning session;

access the data stored in the database associated with the one or more supply chain entities;

incrementally adjust the supply chain plan based on the one or more received perturbations and the data stored in the database; and

communicate the incrementally adjusted supply chain plan to the one or more supply chain entities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more perturbations may be selected from the group consisting of new unforecasted orders, new orders, changes to existing orders, changes to existing forecasts, changes to in-transit shipments, changes to work in progress, changes to work in process, changes in inventory, new capacity, reduced capacity, and changes to external supply.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more perturbations may be classified into one or more categories.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more categories are selected from the group consisting of supply changes, inventory changes, capacity changes, and demand changes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is further operable to generate one or more workflows to incrementally adjust the supply chain plan during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more workflows are selected from the group consisting of a planning in increments with time advance workflow and a planning in increments with no time advance workflow.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data reflecting supply chain plans generated by one or more planning engines.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data associated with rules, parameters, constraints, policies, and supply chain planning data.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more cluster solvers associated with the server for solving a limited cluster of problems associated with the one or more perturbations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more cluster solvers are solvers selected from the group consisting of a manufacturing planning solver, a distribution planning solver, and an order planning solver.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more cluster solvers provide a sequence for solving the one or more perturbations based on classifications of categories of the one or more perturbations.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more cluster solvers solve infeasibilities associated with the one or more perturbations received during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.

13. A method for incrementally adjusting a supply chain plan, comprising:

storing data associated with one or more supply chain entities;

receiving one or more perturbations in supply chain plan inputs from one or more of the supply chain entities, wherein the perturbations are received during a period of time separating a supply chain planning session from a subsequent supply chain planning session;

accessing the data stored in the database associated with the one or more supply chain entities;

incrementally adjusting the supply chain plan based on the one or more received perturbations and the data stored in the database; and

communicating the incrementally adjusted supply chain plan to the one or more supply chain entities.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more perturbations may be selected from the group consisting of new unforecasted orders, new orders, changes to existing orders, changes to existing forecasts, changes to in-transit shipments, changes to work in progress, changes to work in process, changes in inventory, new capacity, reduced capacity, and changes to external supply.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more perturbations may be classified into one or more categories.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more categories are selected from the group consisting of supply changes, inventory changes, capacity changes, and demand changes.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating one or more workflows to incrementally adjust the supply chain plan during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more workflows are selected from the group consisting of a planning in increments with time advance workflow and a planning in increments with no time advance workflow.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data reflecting supply chain plans generated by one or more planning engines.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data associated with rules, parameters, constraints, policies, and supply chain planning data.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

solving a limited cluster of problems associated with the one or more perturbations using one or more cluster solvers.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more cluster solvers are solvers selected from the group consisting of a manufacturing planning solver, a distribution planning solver, and an order planning solver.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more cluster solvers provide a sequence for solving the one or more perturbations based on classifications of categories of the one or more perturbations.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more cluster solvers solve infeasibilities associated with the one or more perturbations received during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.

25. Software for incrementally adjusting a supply chain plan, the software embodied in a computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

store data associated with one or more supply chain entities;

receive one or more perturbations in supply chain plan inputs from one or more of the supply chain entities, wherein the perturbations are received during a period of time separating a supply chain planning session from a subsequent supply chain planning session;

access the data stored in the database associated with the one or more supply chain entities;

incrementally adjust the supply chain plan based on the one or more received perturbations and the data stored in the database; and

communicate the incrementally adjusted supply chain plan to the one or more supply chain entities.

26. The software of claim 25, wherein the one or more perturbations may be selected from the group consisting of new unforecasted orders, new orders, changes to existing orders, changes to existing forecasts, changes to in-transit shipments, changes to work in progress, changes to work in process, changes in inventory, new capacity, reduced capacity, and changes to external supply.

27. The software of claim 26, wherein the one or more perturbations may be classified into one or more categories.

28. The software of claim 27, wherein the one or more categories are selected from the group consisting of supply changes, inventory changes, capacity changes, and demand changes.

29. The software of claim 25, further operable to:

generate one or more workflows to incrementally adjust the supply chain plan during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.

30. The software of claim 29, wherein the one or more workflows are selected from the group consisting of a planning in increments with time advance workflow and a planning in increments with no time advance workflow.

31. The software of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data reflecting supply chain plans generated by one or more planning engines.

32. The software of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the one or more supply chain entities comprises data associated with rules, parameters, constraints, policies, and supply chain planning data.

33. The software of claim 25, further operable to:

solve a limited cluster of problems associated with the one or more perturbations using one or more cluster solvers.

34. The software of claim 33, wherein the one or more cluster solvers are solvers selected from the group consisting of a manufacturing planning solver, a distribution planning solver, and an order planning solver.

35. The software of claim 33, wherein the one or more cluster solvers provide a sequence for solving the one or more perturbations based on classifications of categories of the one or more perturbations.

36. The software of claim 33, wherein the one or more cluster solvers solve infeasibilities associated with the one or more perturbations received during the period of time separating the supply chain planning session from the subsequent supply chain planning session.