Material and inventory control system for a demand flow process

• US 6,594,535 B1
• Filed: 01/11/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JCIT International, Inc. (DemandPoint, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Demand Flow Institute, LLC
• Inventors: Costanza, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US09/229,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95-97, 700/99, 700/106, 700/107, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31376 MFL material flow
• 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 material flow design system for a mixed-model demand flow manufacturing line is presented. The material flow system utilizes a replenishment card/replenishment container system of material management. The material flow design system defines the size of replenishment containers and the location of material deduct points in the production path. The material flow design system may further include a design system for designing an inventory control system. The inventory control system involves locating backflush and intermediate backflush locations on the production path and deduct points in the material flow sequence. An inventory monitoring system monitors material flow, deducts material from inventories at deduct points, and credits material to inventory indicated by the deduct points when products produced by the manufacturing line flow through material backflush points defined in the manufacturing line.

Claims

1. A material flow design system, comprising a computer system executing a software program having software segments for:

determining a material requirements for a manufacturing line, the material requirements including at least one material required by the manufacturing line, the determining act comprising;

obtaining a bill-of-material for each product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including at least one material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product;

adding each of the at least one material from the bill-of-material for each product to the material requirements; and

wherein the manufacturing line includes at least one process, the material requirements includes materials requirements at each of the at least one process of the manufacturing line, and the material requirements further include an overall materials requirements for the manufacturing line;

determining whether each of the material included in the material requirements of the manufacturing line is purchased or manufactured in an independent production path;

if the material requirements are purchased, defining at least one replenishment material pull sequence for each of the at least one material of the material requirements, the replenishment material pull sequences including at least one point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line, the defining act comprising;

determining at least one process that requires the material;

determining a point-of-usage re-supply to the at least one process; and

determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and an external raw inventory storage; and

if the material requirements are purchased, sizing replenishment containers, the replenishment containers located at each of the at least one point-of-usage of the at least one replenishment material pull sequence, the sizing act comprising;

determining a replenishment time for each replenishment container, each point-of-usage in the replenishment material pull sequence includes a replenishment container and a replenishment signal;

determining a signal type for the replenishment signal, where the signal type is either a single card signal or a multiple card signal;

defining a signal card for the replenishment signal; and

calculating the size of the container based on parameters that include the replenishment time, a demand at capacity for material at the point-of-usage, a package size for purchased material, and the signal type.

2. A material flow design system, comprising a computer system executing a software program having software segments for:

determining a material requirements for a manufacturing line, the material requirements including at least one material required by the manufacturing line, the determining act comprising;

obtaining a bill-of-material for each product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including at least one material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product;

adding each of the at least one material from the bill-of-material for each product to the material requirements; and

wherein the manufacturing line includes at least one process, the material requirements includes materials requirements at each of the at least one process of the manufacturing line, and the material requirements further include an overall materials requirements for the manufacturing line;

determining whether each of the material included in the material requirements of the manufacturing line is purchased or manufactured in an independent production path;

if the material requirements are manufactured in an independent production path, defining at least one replenishment material pull sequence for each of the at least one material of the material requirements, the replenishment material pull sequences including at least one point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line, the defining act comprising;

determining at least one process that requires the material;

determining a point-of-usage re-supply to the at least one process; and

determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and an external raw inventory storage; and

if the material requirements are manufactured in an independent production path, sizing replenishment containers, the replenishment containers located at each of the at least one point-of-usage of the at least one replenishment material pull sequence, the sizing act comprising;

calculating a run to replenishment amount for the independent production path;

calculating replenishment times;

calculating the material needed;

determining a signal type for the replenishment signal by calculating whether a single signal card or a multiple signal card system is used;

defining a signal card for the replenishment signal based on the signal type; and

calculating a quantity of material required for each container, wherein each point-of-usage in the replenishment material pull sequence includes a container and a replenishment signal.

3. A method for designing a material flow system, comprising:

determining a material requirements for a manufacturing line, the material requirements including at least one material required by the manufacturing line, the determining act comprising;

obtaining a bill-of-material for each product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including at least one material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product;

adding each of the at least one material from the bill-of-material for each product to the material requirements; and

wherein the manufacturing line includes at least one process, the material requirements includes materials requirements at each of the at least one process of the manufacturing line, and the material requirements further include an overall materials requirements for the manufacturing line;

determining whether each of the material included in the material requirements of the manufacturing line is purchased or manufactured in an independent production path;

if the material requirements are purchased, defining at least one replenishment material pull sequence for each of the at least one material of the material requirements, the replenishment material pull sequences including at least one point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line, the defining act comprising;

determining at least one process that requires the material;

determining a point-of-usage re-supply to the at least one process; and

determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and an external raw inventory storage; and

if the material requirements are purchased, sizing replenishment containers, the replenishment containers located at each of the at least one point-of-usage of the at least one replenishment material pull sequence, the sizing act comprising;

determining a replenishment time for each replenishment container, each point-of-usage in the replenishment material pull sequence includes a replenishment container and a replenishment signal;

determining a signal type for the replenishment signal, where the signal type is either a single card signal or a multiple card signal;

defining a signal card for the replenishment signal; and

calculating the size of the container based on parameters that include the replenishment time, a demand at capacity for material at the point-of-usage, a package size for purchased material, and the signal type.

4. A method for designing a material flow system, comprising:

determining a material requirements for a manufacturing line, the material requirements including at least one material required by the manufacturing line, the determining act comprising;

obtaining a bill-of-material for each product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including at least one material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product;

adding each of the at least one material from the bill-of-material for each product to the material requirements; and

wherein the manufacturing line includes at least one process, the material requirements includes materials requirements at each of the at least one process of the manufacturing line, and the material requirements further include an overall materials requirements for the manufacturing line;

determining whether each of the material included in the material requirements of the manufacturing line is purchased or manufactured in an independent production path;

if the material requirements are manufactured in an independent production path, defining at least one replenishment material pull sequence for each of the at least one material of the material requirements, the replenishment material pull sequences including at least one point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line, the defining act comprising;

determining at least one process that requires the material;

determining a point-of-usage re-supply to the at least one process; and

determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and an external raw inventory storage; and

if the material requirements are manufactured in an independent production path, sizing replenishment containers, the replenishment containers located at each of the at least one point-of-usage of the at least one replenishment material pull sequence, the sizing act comprising;

calculating a run to replenishment amount for the independent production path;

calculating replenishment times;

calculating the material needed;

determining a signal type for the replenishment signal by calculating whether a single signal card or a multiple signal card system is used;

defining a signal card for the replenishment signal based on the signal type; and

calculating a quantity of material required for each container, wherein each point-of-usage in the replenishment material pull sequence includes a container and a replenishment signal.

5. A method in a material flow design system for controlling a material flow to a manufacturing line including at least one process, the method comprising:

(a) determining a material requirements for the manufacturing line, the material requirements including a material required by the manufacturing line to produce a product, the material being purchased from an external raw storage;

(b) defining a replenishment material pull sequence for the material purchased from the external raw storage, the replenishment material pull sequence including a point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line, the defining act (b) comprising;

(i) determining the process that requires the material;

(ii) determining a first point-of-usage re-supply associated with the process; and

(ii) determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the first point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and the external raw storage; and

(c) sizing replenishment containers located at the point-of-usage of the replenishment material pull sequence.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the sizing act (c) comprises:

(i) determining a replenishment time for each replenishment container;

(ii) determining a signal type for a replenishment signal located at the point of usage, wherein the signal type is determined to be either a single signal card system or multiple signal card system;

(iii) defining a signal card for the replenishment signal; and

(iv) calculating the size of the container based on parameters that include the replenishment time, a demand at capacity for material at the point-of-usage, a package size for purchased material, and the signal type.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the determining act (a) comprises:

(i) obtaining a bill-of-material for the product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including the material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product; and

(ii) adding the material from the bill-of-material for the product to the material requirements.

8. A method in a material flow design system for controlling a material flow to a manufacturing line including at least one process, the method comprising:

(a) determining a material requirements for the manufacturing line, the material requirements including a material required by the manufacturing line to produce a product, the material being manufactured in an independent production path;

(b) defining a replenishment material pull sequence or the material purchased from the external raw storage, the replenishment material pull sequence including a point-of-usage associated with a process located on the manufacturing line and the point-of-usage including a replenishment signal; and

(c) sizing replenishment containers located at the point-of-usage of the replenishment material pull sequence, the sizing act (c) comprising;

(i) determining a signal type for the replenishment signal wherein the signal type is determined to be either a single signal card system or multiple signal card system;

(ii) defining a signal card system for the replenishment signal based on the signal type; and

(iii) calculating a quantity of the material required for each container.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein the determining act (a) comprises:

(i) obtaining a bill-of-material for the product produced by the manufacturing line, the bill-of-material including the material required by the manufacturing line to produce the product; and

(ii) adding the material from the bill-of-material for the product to the material requirements.

10. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein the defining act (b) comprises:

(i) determining the process that requires the material;

(ii) determining a first point-of-usage re-supply associated with the process; and

(ii) determining whether any other point-of-usage re-supplies should be utilized to replenish the first point-of-usage re-supply between the point-of-usage and the external raw storage.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the defining act (c)(ii) defines the signal card as being either a single card system or a multiple card system.