Methods, devices and systems for splitting an integrated manufacturing and distribution plan for use by separate manufacturing and distribution execution systems

• US 6,850,809 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chung, Byung-Hyun, Bloch, Michael, Callar, Joseph Del, Sarver, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US09/579,698
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 700 95-102, 700/115, 700/116, 700213-216, 700/106, 700/107, 705 7- 10, 705/22, 705/26, 705/1, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 700/96
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A consolidated plan splitting methodology sends distribution orders to a distribution execution system and planned production to a manufacturing execution system. Instructions from the planning system involving only movements of inventory within the distribution s system (e.g., warehouse to warehouse transfers) are passed directly to the distribution execution system. Instructions from the planning system involving movements of inventory where either the source or destination is in the manufacturing system causes a splitter located between the planning system and the distribution and manufacturing execution systems to carry out a decisional process wherein the movement of inventory is broken down into a selected number of distinct intermediate legs. Control of inventory balances is passed between the distribution and manufacturing execution systems as appropriate as the inventory moves from one execution system to another.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of splitting an integrated manufacturing and distribution plan stored in a planning system into a plan for distribution of an inventory and a separate manufacturing plan, the manufacturing plan being executable by a manufacturing execution system and the distribution plan being executable by a distribution execution system, the method comprising the steps of:

reading the integrated plan from the planning system;

discriminating between a planned manufacturing event and a distribution order in the integrated plan;

incorporating the planned manufacturing event directly into the manufacturing plan, and

routing the distribution order to at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans according to splitting logic adapted to operate on the distribution order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the splitting logic routes the distribution order to said at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans depending upon a source and a destination of the inventory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the incorporating step includes the step of selectively relinquishing control of the planned manufacturing event from the planning system to the manufacturing execution system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing step further includes the step of selectively relinquishing control of the inventory from the planning system to the distribution execution system and/or the manufacturing execution system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein splitting logic includes sequential steps of determining whether the distribution order specifies a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse, from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing warehouse and between distribution warehouses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse, control of the inventory is transferred from the planning system to the distribution execution system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of notifying the distribution execution system of the transferred control of the inventory.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing plant, control of the inventory is transferred from the planning system to the manufacturing execution system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of notifying the manufacturing execution system that the transferred inventory is incoming and of notifying the distribution execution system that the transferred inventory is outgoing.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory between distribution warehouses, the method further includes the steps of generating an inventory distribution order detailing a source distribution and a destination distribution warehouse.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the manufacturing plan in a manufacturing database administered by the manufacturing execution system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the distribution plan in a distribution database administered by the distribution execution system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated manufacturing and distribution plan includes a record of recommended shipments, vehicle loads and/or corresponding planned arrival dates of the recommended shipments necessary to effectuate the distribution and/or manufacturing plans and wherein the splitting logic selectively forwards at least a portion of the record to at least one of the distribution execution system and the manufacturing execution system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the splitting logic forwards the record of recommended shipments and vehicle loads to the distribution execution system and forwards the corresponding planned arrival dates to the manufacturing execution system.

15. A computer system adapted to split an integrated manufacturing and distribution plan into a plan for distribution of inventory and a separate manufacturing plan, comprising:

a planning computer system adapted to store the integrated manufacturing and distribution plan;

a manufacturing execution computer system adapted to store and execute the manufacturing plan;

a distribution execution computer system adapted to store and execute the distribution plan, and

a splitter, the splitter being configured to read the integrated plan from the planning computer system, to discriminate between a planned manufacturing event and a distribution order in the integrated plan, to incorporate the planned manufacturing event directly into the manufacturing plan and to route the distribution order to at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans according to splitting logic adapted to operate on the distribution order.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the splitting logic is adapted to route the distribution order to said at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans depending upon a source and a destination of the inventory.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the splitter is further adapted to recommend that the planning computer system selectively relinquish control of the planned manufacturing event to the manufacturing execution computer system upon incorporating the planned manufacturing event into the manufacturing plan.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the splitter is further adapted to recommend that the planning computer system selectively relinquish control of the inventory to the distribution execution computer system and/or the manufacturing execution computer system upon routing the distribution order to said at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the splitter is further configured to carry out the sequential steps of determining whether the distribution order specifies a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse, from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing warehouse and between distribution warehouses.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the splitter is further configured to recommend that the control of the inventory be transferred from the planning computer system to the distribution execution computer system when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the splitter is further configured to notify the distribution execution computer system of the transferred control of the inventory.

22. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the splitter is further configured to recommend that the control of the inventory be transferred from the planning computer system to the manufacturing execution computer system when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing plant.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the splitter is further configured to notify the manufacturing execution computer system that the transferred inventory is incoming and to notify the distribution execution computer system that the transferred inventory is outgoing.

24. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the splitter is further configured to generate an inventory distribution order detailing a source distribution and a destination distribution warehouse when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory between distribution warehouses.

25. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the integrated manufacturing and distribution plan includes a record of recommended shipments, vehicle loads and/or corresponding planned arrival dates of the recommended shipments necessary to effectuate the distribution and manufacturing plans and wherein the splitter is further adapted to selectively forward at least a portion of the record to at least one of the distribution execution computer system and the manufacturing execution computer system.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the splitter is further adapted to forward the record of recommended shipments and/or vehicle loads to the distribution execution computer system and to forward the corresponding planned arrival dates to the manufacturing execution computer system.

27. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a computer system, causes said computer system to split an integrated manufacturing and distribution plan stored in a planning system into a plan for distribution of inventory and a separate manufacturing plan, the manufacturing plan being executable by a manufacturing execution system and the distribution plan being executable by a distribution execution system, by carrying out the steps of:

reading the integrated plan from the planning system;

discriminating between a planned manufacturing event and a distribution order in the integrated plan;

incorporating the planned manufacturing event directly into the manufacturing plan, and

routing the distribution order to at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans according to splitting logic adapted to operate on the distribution order.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein the splitting logic routes the distribution order to said at least one of the manufacturing and distribution plans depending upon a source and a destination of the inventory.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein the incorporating step includes the step of selectively relinquishing control of the planned manufacturing event from the planning system to the manufacturing execution system.

30. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein the routing step further includes the step of selectively relinquishing control of the inventory from the planning system to the distribution execution system and/or the manufacturing execution system.

31. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein splitting logic includes sequential steps of determining whether the distribution order specifies a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse, from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing warehouse and between distribution warehouses.

32. The machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory from a manufacturing plant to a distribution warehouse, control of the inventory is transferred from the planning system to the distribution execution system.

33. The machine readable medium of claim 32 further comprising the step of notifying the distribution execution system of the transferred control of the inventory.

34. The machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein when the distribution is order includes a transfer of inventory from a distribution warehouse to a manufacturing plant, control of the inventory is transferred from the planning system to the manufacturing execution system.

35. The machine readable medium of claim 34, further comprising the steps of notifying the manufacturing execution system that the transferred inventory is incoming and of notifying the distribution execution system that the transferred inventory is outgoing.

36. The machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein when the distribution order includes a transfer of inventory between distribution warehouses, the method further includes the steps of generating an inventory distribution order detailing a source distribution and a destination distribution warehouse.

37. The machine readable medium of claim 27, further comprising the step of storing the manufacturing plan in a manufacturing database administered by the manufacturing execution system.

38. The machine readable medium of claim 27, further comprising the step of storing the distribution plan in a distribution database administered by the distribution execution system.

39. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein the integrated manufacturing and distribution plan includes a record of recommended shipments, vehicle loads and/or corresponding planned arrival dates of the recommended shipments necessary to effectuate the distribution and manufacturing plans and wherein the splitting logic selectively forwards at least a portion of the record to at least one of the distribution execution system and the manufacturing execution system.

40. The machine readable medium of claim 39, wherein the splitting logic forwards the record of recommended shipments and/or vehicle loads to the distribution execution system and forwards the corresponding planned arrival dates to the manufacturing execution system.