Method for Manufacturing With Engineering Change Override

• US 20080275583A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Syme, Fraser Allan, Zemke, Matthew H., Knipfer, Ivory Wellman
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/100
• 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 illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for processing orders. A request for delivery by a requested delivery date is received for an order having an original delivery date. The ordered product is broken down into one or more materials required for manufacturing the ordered product. For at least one material required for manufacturing the ordered product, a date when an engineering change becomes effective for the material is specified. An alternate bill of materials is created based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the material. An alternate manufacturing plan based on the alternate bill of materials is created. Manufacturing is initiated based on the alternate manufacturing plan. If manufacturing can be completed in time for delivery by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date of the order is replaced with the requested delivery date.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A computer program product comprising stored in a computer usable medium including computer usable program code when executed by a computer for processing orders, said computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a request for delivery of an order by a requested delivery date;

computer usable program code, responsive to receiving the request for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date, for specifying a date when an engineering change becomes effective for at least one material required for the order outside of a material requirements planning system, wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is the date when a manufacturing operation changes from the at least one material to a different version of the at least one material based on factors not accounted for by a current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is specified manually or programmatically for overriding the current date;

computer usable program code for creating an alternate bill of materials based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective;

computer usable program code for creating an alternate manufacturing plan based on an alternate bill of materials for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date; and

computer usable program code for initiating the manufacturing operation based on the alternate manufacturing plan.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein the requested delivery date is earlier than the original delivery date.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the specifying and creating functions are performed by a component responsible for material requirements planning, and the initiating function is performed by a component responsible for manufacturing.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date, the requested delivery date is committed for the order and the original delivery date is updated with the requested delivery date.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein an original manufacturing plan is associated with the order, and wherein if the alternate manufacturing operation cannot be completed by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date is left unchanged, the order is manufactured based on the original manufacturing plan, and the manufacturing operation is applied towards a second order.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date the original manufacturing plan is replaced with the alternate manufacturing plan.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein an original bill of materials is associated with the order, and wherein the original bill of materials is based on the current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and the alternate bill of materials is based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the order is one of a customer order and a field order.

17. (canceled)

19. A data processing system for processing orders, the data processing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for delivery of an order by a requested delivery date;

specifying means, responsive to receiving the request for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date, for specifying a date when an engineering change becomes effective for at least one material required for the order outside of a material requirements planning system, wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is the date when a manufacturing operation changes from the at least one material to a different version of the at least one material based on factors not accounted for by a current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is specified manually or programmatically for overriding the current date;

first creating means for creating an alternate bill of materials based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective;

second creating means for creating an alternate manufacturing plan based on an alternate bill of materials for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date; and

initiating means for initiating the manufacturing operation based on the alternate manufacturing plan.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein the requested delivery date is earlier than the original delivery date.

21. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein a component means responsible for material requirements planning comprises the specifying means, the first creating means, and the second creating means, and a component means responsible for manufacturing comprises the initiating means.

22. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date, the requested delivery date is committed for the order and the original delivery date is updated with the requested delivery date.

23. The data processing system of claim 22, wherein an original manufacturing plan is associated with the order, and wherein if the alternate manufacturing operation cannot be completed by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date is left unchanged, the order is manufactured based on the original manufacturing plan, and the manufacturing operation is applied towards a second order.

24. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date the original manufacturing plan is replaced with the alternate manufacturing plan.

25. The data processing system of claim 22, wherein an original bill of materials is associated with the order, and wherein the original bill of materials is based on the current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and the alternate bill of materials is based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material.

27. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the order is one of a customer order and a field order.

26. (canceled)

28. An apparatus for processing orders, the apparatus comprising:

an order management component for receiving a request for delivery of an order by a requested delivery date;

a material requirements planning component, responsive to receiving the request for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date, for specifying a date when an engineering change becomes effective for at least one material required for the order outside of the material requirements planning component, wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is the date when a manufacturing operation changes from the at least one material to a different version of the at least one material based on factors not accounted for by a current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is specified manually or programmatically for overriding the current date, for creating an alternate bill of materials based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective, for creating an alternate manufacturing plan based on the alternate bill of materials for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date; and

a manufacturing component for initiating the manufacturing operation based on the alternate manufacturing plan.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the order has an original delivery date, wherein an original manufacturing plan is associated with the order, wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date, the requested delivery date is committed for the order, the original delivery date is updated with the requested delivery date, and the original manufacturing plan is replaced with the alternate manufacturing plan;

and

wherein if the alternate manufacturing operation cannot be completed by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date is left unchanged, the order is manufactured based on the original manufacturing plan, and the manufacturing operation is applied towards a second order.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein an original bill of materials is associated with the order, and wherein the original bill of materials is based on the current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and the alternate bill of materials is based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material.

31-33. -33. (canceled)