BIG DATA SOURCING SIMULATOR

• US 20160110681A1
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brereton, JoAnn Piersa, Deshpande, Ajay Ashok, Hampapur, Arun, He, Miao, King, Alan Jonathan, Liu, Xuan, Milite, Christopher Scott, Park, Jae-Eun, Uichanco, Joline Ann Villaranda, Xing, Songhua, Fei, Hongliang, Ramamurthy, Vadiraja, Li, Yingjie, Hendrix, Kimberly D., Zheng, Xiao Bo, lgrejas, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 10,685,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A simulator is configured to simulate the fulfillment of orders by nodes. Each node has an inventory of products and is capable of shipping the products to destinations in response to receipt of a corresponding order. The simulator divides the nodes into groups and assigns a different priority to each group based on input provided by a user to the simulator to generate an ordered sequence of priorities. The simulator maintains safety stock data corresponding to each node that indicates minimum quantities of the products required to be present at the corresponding node. The simulator selects a current priority of the sequence and next simulates a first group among the groups having the current priority fulfilling the orders for a given product among the products while a quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group is below the minimum quantity in the corresponding safety stock data.

Claims

1. A simulator configured to simulate fulfillment of orders by a plurality of physical distribution nodes, the simulator comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing a computer program configured to simulate the fulfillment of the orders; and

a processor configured to execute the computer program,

wherein each node has an inventory of products and is capable of shipping the products to destinations in response to receipt of a corresponding order,

wherein the computer program divides the nodes into groups and assigns a different priority to each group based on input provided by a user to the simulator to generate an ordered sequence of priorities,

wherein the computer program maintains safety stock data corresponding to each node that indicates minimum quantities of the products required to be present at the corresponding node, and

wherein the computer program selects a current priority of the sequence and next simulates a first group among the groups having the current priority fulfilling the orders for a given product among the products while a quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group is below the minimum quantity in the corresponding safety stock data.

2. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program selects a next priority of the sequence when the quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group reaches the quantity in the corresponding safety stock data, and next simulates a second group among the groups having the next priority fulfilling the orders for the given product.

3. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program runs a process in the background that periodically updates the quantity of the products at each node based on actual inventory data from those nodes.

4. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program determines which of the nodes of the first group is closest to the destinations of the orders and has a quantity of the given product below a quantity in the corresponding safety stock data, and simulates the determined node fulfilling the orders for the given product.

5. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily vary at least one of the minimum quantities in the safety stock data prior to the simulation.

6. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily vary at least one of the priorities prior to performing the simulation.

7. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily add at least one node with an inventory of products to the physical distribution nodes prior to performing the simulation.

8. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily reduce or increase an average number of units processed by one of the nodes prior to performing the simulation.

9. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily designate that at least one of the orders be split into multiple orders for fulfillment by at least two of the nodes during the simulation.

10. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the computer program enables the user to temporarily designate a plurality of the orders be consolidated into a single order for fulfillment by a single one of the nodes during the simulation.

11. A method of simulating fulfillment of orders by a plurality of physical distribution nodes, the method comprising:

dividing the nodes into related groups based on input provided by a user, where each node has an inventory of products and is capable of shipping the products to destinations in response to receipt of a corresponding order;

assigning a different priority to each group to generate an ordered sequence of priorities;

selecting a current priority of the sequence; and

simulating a first group among the groups having the current priority fulfilling the orders for a given product among the products while a quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group is below a minimum required quantity.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting a next priority of the sequence when the quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group reaches the minimum required quantity; and

simulating a second group among the groups having the next priority fulfilling the orders for the given product.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising periodically updating the quantity of the products at each node based on actual inventory data from those nodes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the simulating comprises:

determining which of the nodes of the first group is closest to the destinations of the orders and has a quantity of the given product below the minimum required quantity; and

simulating the determined node fulfilling the orders for the given product.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the simulating comprises:

querying the user to change the minimum required quantity; and

simulating the first group fulfilling the orders for the given product using the changed minimum required quantity.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising;

querying the user to change one of the priorities;

generating a new ordered sequence of the priorities;

selecting a current priority of the new sequence; and

simulating a second group among the groups having the current priority of the new sequence fulfilling the orders.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to the dividing, the method comprises querying the user to add at least one temporary node with an inventory of products to the physical distribution nodes.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to reduce or increase an average number of units processed by one of the nodes.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to designate that at least one of the orders be split into multiple orders for fulfillment by at least two of the nodes.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to designate a plurality of the orders be consolidated into a single order for fulfillment by a single one of the nodes.

21-30. -30. (canceled)