Decision support system for the management of an agile supply chain

• US 5,953,707 A
• Filed: 02/21/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Bakkalbasi, Omer, Huang, Ying, Krasinski, Raymond J., Desiraju, Ramakrishna, Begue, Christophe, Federgruen, Awi, Boey, Peter, Chan, Lap Mui Ann, Bhaskaran, Krishnakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRECCA, MICHELE S
• Application Number:
  US08/802,961
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7, 705/8, 705/1, 706/925, 706/926
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/925 Business

Abstract

A decision support system for the management of an agile supply chain that provides an architecture including a server side and a client side. The server side includes a decision support system database that interfaces with a model engine that performs analysis of the data to support planning decisions. The server side includes a server manager that coordinates requests for service and information. The client side includes decision frames that present the various view points available in the system to the users. A frame manager coordinates the requests from decision support frames to access the needed data and models. The decision support frames provide a view into the supply chain and integrate analytical models responsive to the view point of a business process such as demand management. The frames include a supply management frame, a demand management frame, a vendor managed replenishment frame, a Planning, Sales and Inventory planning frame, and a distribution network design frame. The frame manager includes a system integrator and a functional integrator. A database management system manages the supply and maintenance of information needed by the modeling processes through the frame manager. A domain management process limits data available to saidl frame responsive to a user selection. The system also includes a demand and supply reconciliation process; a capacity planning process; a vendor managed replenishment process; and a scenario management process.

Claims

1. A decision support system, comprising:

a user interface;

decision support frames configured to provide a view into a supply chain wherein said user interface is configured to provide a user access to said decision support frames;

a model engine comprising modeling processes configured to analyze the supply chain; and

a frame manager configured to manage the execution of the modeling processes to provide information for said frames.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a database management system configured to supply database information to the modeling processes and said frame manager.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said system comprises a server mode including said engine and said frame manager and a client mode comprising said frames.

4. A system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a database configured to store said database information, wherein said database comprises an inventory data space, a supply data space and a demand data space.

5. A system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a database configured to store said database information, wherein said database includes a supply chain network including a component supply node, a production node, an inventory node and a demand node.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said modeling processes comprise a component procurement policy development module, a finished goods distribution network design module, an aggregate production planning module, a finished goods inventory management module, a sales forecasting and planning module, a market data analysis module and a vendor managed replenishment module.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said frame manager comprises a system integrator and a functional integrator.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supply chain includes sales, inventory and production.

9. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a demand and supply reconciliation process configured to reconcile production. sales and inventory and determine a feasibility capacity plan responsive to supply constraints.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a demand and supply reconciliation process configured to reconcile production, sales and inventory and provide a vendor replenishment plan responsive to predicted sales and supply constraints.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the plan considers production capacity, inventory and point-of-sale information.

12. A system as recited in claim 10, whrein the vendor replenishment plane is configured to provide a strategic analysis using quantative models.

13. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a demand and supply reconciliation process configured to reconcile production, sales and inventory and configured to reconcile a top-down forecast with a bottom-up forecast.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein said bottom-up forecast includes an expert based model.

15. A decision support system, comprising:

decision support frames configured to integrate analytical models of a supply chain responsive to a view point of a business process. and an interface configured to query the decision support frames.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein said frames comprise a supply management frame, a demand management frame, a vendor managed replenishment frame, a planning, sales and inventory frame and a distribution network frame.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising a domain management process configured to limit data available to said frames and configured to respond to a user selection.

18. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising a scenario management process configured to provide scenarios for comparison of management plans.

19. A decision support system, comprising:

a client comprising;

an interface, and decision support frames configured to provide a view into production, sales and inventory of a supply chain, said frames configured to integrate analytical models of the supply chain responsive to a view point of a business process, said frames comprising a supply management frame, a demand management frame, a vendor managed replenishment frame, a planning, sales and inventory frame and a distribution network frame, wherein said interface is configured to query said decision support frames; and

a server comprising;

a model engine comprising;

modeling processes configured to analyze the supply chain, said modeling processes comprising a component procurement policy development module, a finished goods distribution network design module, an aggregate production planning module, a finished goods inventory management module, a sales forecasting and planning module, a market data analysis module and a vendor managed replenishment module; and

a demand and supply reconciliation process configured to reconcile production, sales and inventory by reconciling a top-down forecast with a bottom-up forecast including an expert based model;

a capacity process configured to determine feasibility of a capacity plan responsive to supply constraints;

a replenishment process configured to provide a vendor replenishment plan responsive to predicted sales and supply constraints and configured to reconcile a top-down forecast with a bottom-up forecast;

a scenario management process configured to provide scenarios for comparison of management plans;

a frame manager configured to manage the execution of the modeling processes and to provide information for said frames, said frame manager comprising a system integrator and a functional integrator;

a database management system configured to supply database information to the modeling processes and said frame manager; and

a domain management process configured to limit data available to said frames and configured to be responsive to a user selection.