Custom product estimating and order processing system

• US 5,570,291 A
• Filed: 08/31/1994
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Moore Wallace
• Original Assignee: Wallace Computer Services, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Morrison, Michael, Leatherman, Michael, Schnell, Waldo, Dudle, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US08/298,274
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 364/188, 364/146, 364/474.22, 364/468, 364/401-403
• US Class Current: 700/95
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32032 Salesman creates order, system answers back with price, estimated date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system and method for generating estimates and orders for the manufacture of custom items such as business forms is provided which stores estimate data at a central location, e.g., a corporate office, for access by sales representatives at remote sales sites. A sales representative creates an item specification for a form to be manufactured and electronically transmits it to the corporate office for estimate data. Data relating to the cost and list price to produce the form based on the item specification is transmitted to the sales representative. The sales representative determines a sell price from the pricing data, and generates a production order using the item specification and the estimate data, among other data. The production order is transmitted to a manufacturing plant for job execution. The system manages a centralized repository of item specification, estimate and customer contract data, among other types of data, for analysis and reporting which can be accessed by computers at different manufacturing plants and sales sites.

Claims

1. A system for ordering the manufacture of an item comprising:

a first computer comprising a monitor, a first memory device and an input device for use by an operator initiating an order to enter customer order data selected from the group consisting of customer biographical data, credit approval data, item identification data, quantity data, shipping data, handling data, storage data, item usage data, ordering data, planning data, and contract data, and specification data relating to the item to be manufactured, and to store said customer order data and said specification data in said first memory device;

a second computer comprising a second memory device for storing a database comprising data relating to features of different types of items, to different manufacturing processes, and to material and labor costs for producing the different types of items, said database being operable to store data relating to a contract for the manufacture of items, said second computer being programmable to also use said contract data to generate said estimate data, said second computer being programmable to receive from said first computer said specification data, to generate estimate data for manufacturing said item using said specification data and said database, and to transmit said estimate data to said first computer, said first computer being further programmable to generate a production order by retrieving said customer order data and said specification data using said first memory and automatically combining said retrieved data with said estimate data;

a third computer located at a manufacturing plant; and

a communication network, said first computer, said second computer and said third computer each being connected to said communication network, said third computer being operable to receive said production order via said communication network, said third computer being programmable to provide to said second computer at least one of a group of data types consisting of materials, labor and equipment available in the plant and used to fulfill said production order.

2. A method of ordering the manufacture of an item, comprising the steps of:

selecting the item to be manufactured from a plurality of items characterized by respective sets of parameters stored in a memory device using a first computer, at least one of said sets of parameters being different from the other said sets of parameters;

generating a specification for the item using said first computer by entering data relating to said set of parameters corresponding to the item to be manufactured using a first input device;

transmitting the specification to a second computer which is configured to maintain a substantially centralized database comprising pricing data;

generating estimate data using said second computer in accordance with said specification;

transmitting said estimate data to said first computer;

generating a first production order using said first computer in accordance with said specification and said estimate data;

transmitting said first production order to said second computer;

transmitting said first production order to a third computer at a manufacturing plant, said second computer being located at a corporate office and said first computer being located at a sales site remotely located from the corporate office; and

reviewing said first production order at said corporate office.

3. A method of ordering the manufacture of an item, comprising the steps of:

selecting the item to be manufactured from a plurality of items characterized by respective sets of parameters stored in a memory device using a first computer, at least one of said sets of parameters being different from the other said sets of parameters;

generating a specification for the item using said first computer by entering data relating to said set of parameters corresponding to the item to be manufactured using a first input device;

transmitting the specification to a second computer which is configured to maintain a substantially centralized database comprising pricing data;

generating estimate data using said second computer in accordance with said specification;

transmitting said estimate data to said first computer;

generating a first production order using said first computer in accordance with said specification and said estimate data;

transmitting said first production order to said second computer;

transmitting said first production order to a third computer at a manufacturing plant, said second computer being located at a corporate office and said first computer being located at a sales site remotely located from the corporate office; and

reviewing said first production order at said manufacturing plant and fulfilling said first production order if it is determined to be acceptable, and notifying said first computer if said first production order is determined to be unacceptable.

4. A method of ordering the manufacture of an item, comprising the steps of:

selecting the item to be manufactured from a plurality of items characterized by respective sets of parameters stored in a memory device using a first computer, at least one of said sets of parameters being different from the other said sets of parameters;

generating a specification for the item using said first computer by entering data relating to said set of parameters corresponding to the item to be manufactured using a first input device;

transmitting the specification to a second computer which is configured to maintain a substantially centralized database comprising pricing data;

generating estimate data using said second computer in accordance with said specification, said generating step comprising the step of determining pricing data from at least one table of data stored in a memory device that is accessible by said second computer, said pricing data comprising data that is specific to a particular customer with whom a contractual agreement is established and for which said table is modified in accordance with the terms of the contractual agreement; and

transmitting said estimate data to said first computer.

5. A method of ordering the manufacture of an item as claimed in claim 4, wherein said table is modified in accordance with at least one of a plurality of data types comprising of a price factor, an efficiency factor, a pricing rule, a volume discount, a characteristic of the item to be manufactured in accordance with the contractual agreement, an equipment set-up charge, a run charge and a material upcharge.