Production instructing apparatus for feeding required quantities of materials to meet an appointed delivery date

• US 5,325,304 A
• Filed: 05/02/1991
• Issued: 06/28/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAMMELL, JAMES P
• Application Number:
  US07/695,046
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 364/403, 364/401, 364/468, 364/478
• US Class Current: 700/100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A production instructing apparatus which is provided with a file for storing the state of every product being manufactured and every stock product and a file for storing the producing capacity of each producing apparatus calculates the feeding quantity for each process for the insufficient quantity of the products through comparison of the shipping quantity of the products with the state of the products being manufactured and stock products, calculates the feeding date of required articles for the insufficient quantity of the products to the producing apparatus on the basis of the calculated feeding quantity and producing capacity, determines the scheduled date for delivery from the calculating result, judges whether or not the products are in time for the appointed delivery date by comparing the scheduled date for delivery with the appointed delivery date, and instructs feeding of materials, half finished products and the like for the products which would miss the appointed delivery date to the producing apparatus so that the products are produced preferentially. Accordingly, it can be prevented that the appointed delivery date be missed and the useless stock be generated while the feeding instruction is made precisely.

Claims

1. A production instructing apparatus which allocates products being manufactured in the producing apparatuses of respective producing processes and stock products to an order of the products in an appointed quantity and of an appointed delivery date of a customer, and instructs feeding of required products, not being manufactured or in stock, to said production apparatus so that the appointed quantity of products can be delivered at the appointed delivery date to fill said order of products, said production apparatus comprising,

a first memory means for storing data specifying the quantity of ordered products being manufactured and in stock,

a second memory means for storing the producing capacity of the ordered products of said respective producing apparatuses and a first schedule showing vacancies in a production schedule of said respective producing apparatuses;

a first calculating means for calculating the necessary feeding quantity of required ordered products by subtracting the amount of ordered products being manufactured and in stock stored in said first memory means from the appointed quantity of ordered products, for calculating the latest feeding start date for beginning producing the required quantity of ordered products for delivery prior to the appointed delivery date based on producing capacity stored in said second memory means, for calculating a calculated schedule of production of said necessary feeding quantity in vacancies in the production schedule of said respective producing apparatuses based on the schedule stored in said second memory, with said calculated schedule including a scheduled shipping date indicating when said necessary feeding quantity will be ready to ship; and

an instructing means for instructing feeding of said required articles to said producing apparatuses according to the calculated schedule of production of said necessary feeding quantity of ordered products if said scheduled shipping date is prior to said appointed delivery date.

2. A production instructing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said instructing means comprises a reading means for reading out the producing capacity stored in said second memory means, a second calculating means for calculating a process feeding date for respective producing processes on the basis of the producing capacity read out by said reading means and the latest feeding date calculated by said first calculating means, and for calculating a scheduled date for delivery by adding a transporting time to the scheduled shipping date, a first comparing means for comparing the calculated scheduled date for delivery with the appointed delivery date, and a preferential process means for instructing feeding of said necessary feeding quantity of required articles in order to preferentially produce said necessary feeding quantity of the products if said scheduled date for delivery is not prior to said appointed date for delivery.

3. A production instructing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said preferential processing means comprises a third calculating means for calculating a priority scheduling delivery date for delivery on the basis of a special production period shorter than said standard production period, a second comparing means for comparing the calculated priority scheduling delivery date for delivery with the appointed delivery date, and an instructing means for instructing a change from the appointed delivery date to a revised delivery date if said second comparing means indicates that the priority scheduling delivery date is later that the appointed delivery date.