Regenerative available to promise

• US 6,463,345 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jindani, Rahul, Nahar, Rahul, Rice, Robert Eugene, Dangat, Geetaram Savlaram, Peachey-Kountz, Penny Jeanette, Kuthethur, Srinivasa Govinda
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, PAUL L
• Application Number:
  US09/225,150
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 700/99, 700/106, 700/107, 705/10, 705/22, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 700/99
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A computer implemented Availability Checking Tool enabling tool users to execute within a common work environment, from common enterprise data, and considering assets and demands across multiple order management systems and manufacturing facilities within boundaries established by manufacturing specifications and process flows and business policies. The tool receives orders from multiple demand sources or ordering systems. Tool users can easily maintain a synergistic relationship between multiple ordering systems. A demand configurator coordinates product requests based on information from the demand source according to certain rules and priorities assigned to the product requests. A material resource engine manipulates data from the demand configurator and the rules to provide material supply information. A solver manipulates the material supply information from the resource engine and the rules to provide optimized product availability information. Thus, customer business rule level definitions are supported to provide the tool users with the power to micro-manage, optimally, enterprise assets and demands.

Claims

1. A system for determining product availability, comprising:

a) at least one demand source inputting demand information;

b) a demand configurator receiving demand information from each said at least one demand source and coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) a material resource engine providing material supply information responsive to supply data, said received demand information and according to product supply rules and priorities; and

d) a solver optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities,

wherein the demand configurator determines how supply is grouped for a plurality of customers in a plurality of forecast groups,

wherein the demand configurator comprises;

means for retrieving all said received demand information;

means for individually selecting orders from said all received demand information,

means for mapping currently available supply against demand for each of said individually selected orders; and

means for changing a demand class of each individually selected of said orders,

said demand class indicates whether an order is a backorder, a firm order, an order move-in, an order move-out or a new request.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing said received demand information and said individually selected orders.

3. A system for determining product availability, comprising:

a) at least one demand source inputting demand information;

b) a demand configurator receiving demand information from each said at least one demand source and coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) a material resource engine providing material supply information responsive to supply data, said received demand information and according to product supply rules and priorities; and

d) a solver optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities,

wherein the demand configurator determines how supply is grouped for a plurality of customers in a plurality of forecast groups,

wherein the solver comprises;

means for sorting said received demand information;

means for individually selecting orders from said sorted demand information;

means for netting supply for individually selected said orders;

means for applying business rules against netted said supply;

means for reallocating previously designated supply as currently available supply; and

means for reallocating previously designated anticipated supply as available supply and treating said available supply as currently available supply.

4. A computer implemented method for determining product availability comprising the steps of:

a) receiving demand information from one or more demand source;

b) coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) providing material supply information responsive to manufacturing and planning data from a planning source, said received demand information, and product supply rules and priorities; and

d) optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the step of coordinating request, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of plurality of demand classes.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of demand classes comprises backorders, firm orders, order move-ins, order move-outs and new requests.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the step of coordinating requests, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of a plurality of demand classes.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein currently available supply for a particular customer group is designated as currently available supply for a plurality of demand types.

9. A computer implemented method for determining product availability comprising the steps of:

a) receiving demand information from one or more demand source;

b) coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) providing material supply information responsive to manufacturing and planning data from a planning source, said received demand information, and product supply rules and priorities; and

d) optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities,

wherein in the step of coordinating requests, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of a plurality of demand classes,

wherein in the step of optimizing product availability, currently available product is allocated for a plurality of customers in a plurality of forecast groups,

wherein currently available supply for a particular customer group is designated as currently available supply for a plurality of demand types,

wherein anticipated supply for a particular customer group is designated as available supply.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein anticipated supply for a particular customer group is designated as available supply for a plurality of demand types.

11. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium for determining product availability, said computer program product having;

a) first computer program code for receiving demand information from one or more demand source;

b) second computer program code for coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) third computer program code for providing material supply information responsive to manufacturing and planning data from a planning source, said received demand information, and, further responsive to product supply rules and priorities; and

d) fourth computer program code for optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein in the second computer program code of coordinating requests, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of a plurality of demand classes.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein in the fourth computer program code of optimizing product availability, currently available product is allocated for a plurality of customers in a plurality of forecast groups.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein currently available supply for a particular customer group is designated as currently available supply for a plurality of demand types by the fourth computer program code.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium for determining product availability, said computer program product having;

a) first computer program code for receiving demand information from one or more demand source;

b) second computer program code for coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) third computer program code for providing material supply information responsive to manufacturing and planning data from a planning source, said received demand information, and product supply rules and priorities; and

d) fourth computer program code for optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities,

wherein in the second computer program code of coordinating requests, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of a plurality of demand classes,

wherein said plurality of demand classes in the second computer program code comprises backorders, firm orders, order move-ins, order move-outs and new requests.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium for determining product availability, said computer program product having;

a) first computer program code for receiving demand information from one or more demand source;

b) second computer program code for coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities;

c) third computer program code for providing material supply information responsive to manufacturing and planning data from a planning source, said received demand information, and product supply rules and priorities; and

d) fourth computer program code for optimizing product availability information responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities,

wherein in the second computer program code of coordinating requests, each order is assigned a demand type corresponding to one of a plurality of demand classes,

wherein in the fourth computer program code of optimizing product availability, currently available product is allocated for a plurality of customers in a plurality of forecast groups,

wherein currently available supply for a particular customer group is designated as currently available supply for a plurality of demand types by the fourth computer program code,

wherein anticipated supply for a particular customer group is designated as available supply by the fourth computer program code.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein anticipated supply for a particular customer group is designated as available supply for a plurality of demand types by the fourth computer program code.