EXPLOSIONS OF BILL-OF-MATERIALS LISTS

• US 20130054427A1
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kageyama, Yasuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 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 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies

Abstract

In a parallel explosion unit of a parallel explosion apparatus, a processing unit extracts an end product, extracts an assembly directly constituting the end product, and an determines whether or not a BOM tree having the assembly as a vertex is already broken down. When the BOM tree of the assembly is not yet broken down, the processing unit registers the number of units of each component constituting the assembly in an explosion result list and generates a tree-specific list in which the number of units of each component and a registration position of the component in the explosion result list are recorded. When the BOM tree of the assembly is already broken down, the processing unit adds the number of units of each component recorded in the tree-specific list to the number of units at the registration position of the component likewise recorded in the explosion result list.

Claims

1. A method for performing parallel explosions of bill-of-materials lists of a plurality of products in a way that a number of units of each of a plurality of components constituting each of the plurality of products is arranged in an area corresponding to the component, the method comprising:

a processing unit selecting a particular component directly constituting a particular product among the plurality of products;

the processing unit determining whether or not a bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is already broken down;

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is not yet broken down, the processing unit breaking down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into parallel explosion information and bill-of-materials explosion information, wherein the parallel explosion information comprises a number of units of each of a plurality of components constituting the particular component stored at a position corresponding to the particular product in an area corresponding to the component, and wherein the bill-of-materials explosion information comprises information specifying the number of units of each of the components and an area corresponding to each of the components in the parallel explosion information; and

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is already broken down, the processing unit adding the number of units of each of the components included in the bill-of-materials explosion information to the number of units stored in a position in the parallel explosion information that corresponds to the particular product in an area specified as corresponding to the component based on the information included in the bill-of-materials explosion information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit further uses as the area corresponding to each of the components constituting the particular component:

an area determined in accordance with a predetermined rule for the component if the number of the units of the component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

an area in which the number of units of the component is stored for the component if the number of units of the component is stored in the parallel explosion information.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

the processing unit breaking down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into parallel explosion information comprising the number of units of the particular component stored at the position corresponding to the particular product in the area corresponding to the particular component, and bill-of-materials explosion information comprising information specifying the number of units of the particular component and the area corresponding to the particular component in the parallel explosion information; and

the processing unit adding the number of units of the particular component included in the bill-of-materials explosion information to the number of units stored in a position in the parallel explosion information that corresponds to the particular product in the area specified as corresponding to the particular component based on the information included in the bill-of-materials explosion information.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

the processing unit using the area determined in accordance with the predetermined rule as the area corresponding to the particular component if the number of units of the particular component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

the processing unit using the area in which the number of units of the particular component is stored if the number of units of the particular component is stored in the parallel explosion information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising the processing unit, a computer readable memory and a computer readable tangible storage medium, wherein the computer readable program code is embodied on the computer readable tangible storage medium and comprises instructions that, when executed by the processing unit via the computer readable memory, cause the processing unit to perform the steps of;

selecting the particular component directly constituting the particular product among the plurality of products;

determining whether or not the bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is already broken down;

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is not yet broken down, breaking down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into the parallel explosion information and the bill-of-materials explosion information; and

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is already broken down, adding the number of units of each of the components included in the bill-of-materials explosion information to the number of units stored in the position in the parallel explosion information that corresponds to the particular product in the area specified as corresponding to the component based on the information included in the bill-of-materials explosion information.

6. A system, comprising:

a processing unit in communication with a computer readable memory and a tangible computer-readable storage medium;

wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, performs parallel explosions of bill-of-materials lists of a plurality of products in a way that the number of units of each of components constituting each of the plurality of products is arranged in an area corresponding to the component, by;

selecting a particular component directly as constituting a particular product among the plurality of products;

determining whether or not a bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is already broken down;

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is not yet broken down, breaking down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into a parallel explosion list and a bill-of-materials explosion list, wherein the parallel explosion list comprises a plurality of nodes respectively representing the components constituting the plurality of products, wherein the parallel explosion list comprises the number of units of each of the components stored in a position corresponding to the particular product in an array corresponding to the node representing the component among the plurality of nodes, wherein the bill-of-materials explosion list comprises a plurality of nodes respectively representing components constituting the particular component, wherein the bill-of-materials explosion list further comprises the number of units of each of the components and information specifying the node of the component in the parallel explosion list registered in the node representing the component among the plurality of nodes; and

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is already broken down, adding the number of units of the component registered in each of the nodes included in the bill-of-materials explosion list to the number of units stored in a position corresponding to the particular product in an array corresponding to the node in the parallel explosion list, wherein the node is specified as representing the component based on the information registered in each of the nodes included in the bill-of-materials explosion list.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a database that stores the bill-of-materials lists of the plurality of products; and

wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further;

generates an adjacency list based on the bill-of-materials lists of the plurality of products, the adjacency list having a plurality of nodes respectively representing the plurality of products and the components constituting the plurality of products;

stores the generated an adjacency list in the computer-readable memory; and

among the plurality of nodes included in the adjacency list, selects as the particular component a component represented by a node specified based on information which is registered in the bill-of-materials list and is held by the node representing the particular product.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further uses as the area corresponding to each of the components constituting the particular component:

an area determined in accordance with a predetermined rule for the component if the number of the units of the component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

an area in which the number of units of the component is stored for the component if the number of units of the component is stored in the parallel explosion information.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

breaks down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into parallel explosion information comprising the number of units of the particular component stored at the position corresponding to the particular product in the area corresponding to the particular component, and bill-of-materials explosion information comprising information specifying the number of units of the particular component and the area corresponding to the particular component in the parallel explosion information; and

adds the number of units of the particular component included in the bill-of-materials explosion information to the number of units stored in a position in the parallel explosion information that corresponds to the particular product in the area specified as corresponding to the particular component based on the information included in the bill-of-materials explosion information.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

uses the area determined in accordance with the predetermined rule as the area corresponding to the particular component if the number of units of the particular component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

uses the area in which the number of units of the particular component is stored if the number of units of the particular component is stored in the parallel explosion information.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processing unit, causes the computer processing unit to perform parallel explosions of bill-of-materials lists of a plurality of products in a way that the number of units of each of components constituting each of the plurality of products is arranged in an area corresponding to the component, by;

selecting a particular component directly as constituting a particular product among the plurality of products;

determining whether or not a bill-of-materials list of the selected particular component is already broken down;

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is not yet broken down, breaking down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into a parallel explosion list and a bill-of-materials explosion list, wherein the parallel explosion list comprises a plurality of nodes respectively representing the components constituting the plurality of products, wherein the parallel explosion list comprises the number of units of each of the components stored in a position corresponding to the particular product in an array corresponding to the node representing the component among the plurality of nodes, wherein the bill-of-materials explosion list comprises a plurality of nodes respectively representing components constituting the particular component, wherein the bill-of-materials explosion list further comprises the number of units of each of the components and information specifying the node of the component in the parallel explosion list registered in the node representing the component among the plurality of nodes; and

if determined that the bill-of-materials list of the particular component is already broken down, adding the number of units of the component registered in each of the nodes included in the bill-of-materials explosion list to the number of units stored in a position corresponding to the particular product in an array corresponding to the node in the parallel explosion list, wherein the node is specified as representing the component based on the information registered in each of the nodes included in the bill-of-materials explosion list.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to:

store the bill-of-materials lists of the plurality of products in a database;

generate an adjacency list based on the bill-of-materials lists of the plurality of products, the adjacency list having a plurality of nodes respectively representing the plurality of products and the components constituting the plurality of products;

store the generated adjacency list in the computer-readable memory; and

among the plurality of nodes included in the adjacency list, select as the particular component a component represented by a node specified based on information which is registered in the bill-of-materials list and is held by the node representing the particular product.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to use as the area corresponding to each of the components constituting the particular component:

an area determined in accordance with a predetermined rule for the component if the number of the units of the component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

an area in which the number of units of the component is stored for the component if the number of units of the component is stored in the parallel explosion information.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to:

break down the bill-of-materials list of the particular component into parallel explosion information comprising the number of units of the particular component stored at the position corresponding to the particular product in the area corresponding to the particular component, and bill-of-materials explosion information comprising information specifying the number of units of the particular component and the area corresponding to the particular component in the parallel explosion information; and

add the number of units of the particular component included in the bill-of-materials explosion information to the number of units stored in a position in the parallel explosion information that corresponds to the particular product in the area specified as corresponding to the particular component based on the information included in the bill-of-materials explosion information.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to:

use the area determined in accordance with the predetermined rule as the area corresponding to the particular component if the number of units of the particular component is not stored in the parallel explosion information; and

use the area in which the number of units of the particular component is stored if the number of units of the particular component is stored in the parallel explosion information.