Planning coordination systems for coordinating separate factory planning systems and a method of operation

• US 5,983,194 A
• Filed: 02/25/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JDA Software Group Incorporated (RedPrairie Holding Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hogge, John C., Kennedy, Brian M., Oren, Lamott G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US08/805,683
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/11, 705/28, 705/29, 364/468.01, 364/468.02, 364/468.03, 364/468.05, 364/468.06, 364/468.24
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32331 Network of coordinating planning systems for each cell, factory
• 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: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A planning coordination system (30) and method are provided that automatically coordinate a planning system (32) associated with a first factory (28) with separate planning systems (16, 24, 40) of a plurality of factories (12, 20, 36) in a manufacturing chain. The planning coordination system (30) communicates with the planning system (32) of the first factory (28) and communicates with separate planning coordination systems (14, 38) of the other factories (12, 36) with which the first factory (28) has demand and supply part relationships. The planning coordination system (30) receives and processes demands and responses communicated by the planning coordination systems (14, 38) of the other factories (12, 36). The planning coordination system (30) provides planning information to the planning system (32) of the first factory (28) and obtains information about products to be produced and parts needed from an output plan (34) of that planning system (32). The planning coordination system (30) communicates responses to the planning coordination system (14) of each factory (12) from which a demand was received in order to provide supply part information and communicates a demand to the planning coordination system (38) of each factory (36) from which parts are needed in order to provide demand part information. The planning coordination system (30) repeats receiving, processing, providing, obtaining and communicating such that the planning system (32) of the first factory (30) can adjust the output plan (34) responsive to the demands and responses communicated between the first factory (28) and the other factories (12, 36).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of using a planning coordination protocol to negotiate demands and responses between a host planning system associated with a first factory with separate planning systems of at least one other factory in a manufacturing chain, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving input demands for a product supplied by said first factory;

delivering output responses for said product;

delivering output demands to said other factory;

receiving input responses from said other factory; and

processing each input response by determining if the input response satisfies an associated output demand, and if not, providing data representing the unsatisfied demand to the planning system, and providing an output response that reflects unsatisfied demand;

wherein the processing is iterative such that an exchange of demands and responses results in a predetermined termination condition and wherein the exchange of demands and responses is independent of planning capability data used by the planning systems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing comprises:

reading responses received from the plurality of other factories;

determining whether any response is deficient with respect to an associated demand;

providing information to the planning system for adjusting the output plan according to deficiencies in any response;

reading demands received from the plurality of other factories;

providing information to the planning system for adjusting the output plan to accommodate supplying the demands;

determining a quantity produced and time needed to supply each demand; and

determining parts needed from factories in the plurality of other factories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving demands and responses comprises:

determining whether a total amount of time waiting is equal to a wait time period;

waiting for an amount of time equal to a scan time period if the total amount of time waiting is not equal to the wait time period;

determining whether a response has been received from each factory in the plurality of other factories to which a demand was communicated; and

returning to determining unless a response has been received from each factory in the plurality of factories to which a demand was communicated or unless the time waiting is equal to the wait time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the demands include a product number, a due date and a quantity needed data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the responses include a product number, a promise date and a quantity promised data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first factory comprises a first manufacturing plant and one factory in the plurality of other factories comprises a second manufacturing plant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first factory comprises a first product group located within a manufacturing plant and the at least one other factory comprises a second product group located within the manufacturing plant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first factory comprises a first machine group located within a manufacturing plant and the at least one other factory comprises a second machine group located within the manufacturing plant.

9. A planning coordination system for providing a protocol to coordinate a planning system of a host factory with separate planning systems of other factories in a manufacturing chain:

a communication system operable;

to receive input demands for a product supplied by said host factory, to communicate output responses indicating a number of said product to be supplied by said host factory, to communicate output demands to a planning coordination system of at least one other factory in the manufacturing chain, and to receive input responses from the planning coordination system of the other factory; and

a processing system coupled to the communication system and operable;

to process each said input response to determine if said input response satisfies an associated output demand, and if not, to provide data representing unsatisfied demand to the host planning system, and to provide an output response that reflects the unsatisfied demand;

wherein the communication system and the processing system are iteratively operable, such that an exchange of demands and responses results in a predetermined termination condition and such that the exchange of demands and responses is independent of planning capability data used by the planning system.

10. A computer-implemented method of negotiating demands and responses among plurality of separate factories having separate planning systems in a manufacturing chain, comprising the steps of:

connecting a planning coordination system to an associated planning system in each of a plurality of separate factories in a manufacturing chain;

interconnecting each planning coordination system with other planning coordination systems according to the manufacturing chain;

communicating demands from each planning coordination system to other planning coordination systems, wherein each demand represents a quantity of a product to be provided;

communicating responses from each planning coordination system to other planning coordination systems wherein each response represents promises to supply said product; and

iteratively repeating communicating demands and communicating responses such that demand and supply information is automatically communicated between factories having supply and demand part relationships until a predetermined termination condition is reached;

wherein said process of communicating demands and responses is independent of planning capability data used by said planning systems.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each planning system is associated with a factory that is a manufacturing plant.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each planning system is associated with a factory that is a product group located within a manufacturing plant.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each planning system is associated with a factory that is a machine group located within a manufacturing plant.

14. A demand/response negotiation protocol system for a factory network having a plurality of factories in a manufacturing chain, each factory having a separate planning system, the factory network comprising:

a first factory comprising;

a first planning system operable to generate and to adjust a first output plan for the first factory; and

a first planning coordination system coupled to the first planning system, wherein the first planning coordination system is operable to access the first output plan;

a second factory comprising;

a second planning system, separate from the first planning system, operable to generate and to adjust a second output plan for the second factory; and

a second planning coordination system coupled to the second planning system and to the first planning coordination system, wherein the second planning coordination system is operable to access the second output plan;

the first factory and the second factory in a manufacturing chain and having demand and supply part relationships with one other;

the first planning coordination system operable to communicate a demand to the second planning coordination system;

the second planning coordination system operable to receive and process the demand communicated by the first planning coordination system and to communicate a response to the first planning coordination system, wherein the response is based upon the output plan of the second factory;

the first planning coordination system further operable to receive and process the response communicated by the second planning coordination system, so as to determine whether said response meets the demand from the first factory, and to provide data representing the results of the determination to the first planning system;

wherein said first planning coordination system and said second planning coordination system are operable to iteratively exchange demands and responses until a predetermined termination condition is reached, and wherein said exchange of demands and responses is independent of planning capability data used by the planning systems.

15. The factory network of claim 14, wherein the first factory comprises a first manufacturing plant and the second factory comprises a second manufacturing plant.

16. The factory network of claim 14, wherein the first factory comprises a first product group located within a manufacturing plant and the second factory comprises a second product group located within the manufacturing plant.

17. The factory network of claim 14, wherein the first factory comprises a first product group located within a manufacturing plant and the second factory comprises a second machine group located within the manufacturing plant.

18. The factory network of claim 14, wherein the response communicated by the second planning coordination system is based upon fixed lead times for parts needed to fill the response assumed by the second planning system.