System and method for allocating manufactured products to sellers

• US 7,085,729 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JDA Software Group Incorporated (RedPrairie Holding Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Burchett, Christopher D., Kennedy, Brian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/504,247
• Time in Patent Office: 2,359 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/10, 705/22, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A software system is provided for managing available to promise (ATP) and making promises to fulfill customer requests. The software system includes a plurality of generic product models (600) each representing a generic product. Each generic product model (600) specifies one component of a plurality of possible components. A plurality of specific product models (602) each represent a specific product and each specify all components of the specific product. Each component specified by each specific product model (602) is specified by one of the generic product models (600) such that each specific product model (602) is related to a subset of the generic product models (600). A customer request matching a specific product then can be fulfilled by available-to-promise of the specific product or by available-to-promise of all related generic products. In addition, an organization in a seller hierarchy can retain product and designate first-come-first-served product. The organization also can define an ATP horizon to specify when forecasted product is actually available. Further, the organization can use an automatic allocation policy to allocate to members, and some forecast entries can be designated zero-ATP entries.

Claims

1. A system for allowing allocation of products among sellers, comprising:

at least one computer having at least one or more processing unit;

a hierarchy of at least two seller models, each representing a seller for a product having an associated product forecast model, the forecast model representing;

forecasted sales of the product through each seller according to a commitment level for the seller and forecasted sales through other sellers in the hierarchy;

planned supply of the product;

customer orders for the product through each seller; and

allocated supply of the product to each seller, representing the sum of promises from suppliers plus any customer promises;

at least one supplier model operable to indicate to the seller models, according to the forecasted sales, promised supply of the product;

at least one customer model operable to indicate to the seller models customer orders for the product; and

wherein the system is operable to indicate to each seller in the hierarchy the allocated supply of the product to the seller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the allocated supply is designated as retained product not available to promise (ATP).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount of product available to promise (ATP) at a seller for a forecast entry is determined according to an allocation policy.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the amount may be reduced to zero according to the allocation policy.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the allocation policy is selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served policy;

a per allocated policy;

a per committed policy;

a seller priority policy; and

a predetermined split policy.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further operable to distribute the allocated supply according to an allocation policy.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the allocated supply is distributed on a basis selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served basis;

a per allocated basis;

a per committed basis;

a seller priority basis; and

a predetermined split basis.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one specific product model representing a specific product and specifying the components of the specific product;

a plurality of generic product models each representing a generic product and specifying one component of a plurality of possible components of the specific product; and

wherein the system is further operable to provide a customer promise for the specific product according to the related generic products that are available to promise.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein generic-specific product relationships repeat throughout the seller hierarchy, there also being organization-member relationships between generic and specific products.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the forecast model has:

an associated forecast period; and

an associated available to promise (ATP) period that is shorter than the forecast period.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the forecast model is operable to reduce the forecasted sales and promised supply according to the customer orders without changing the allocated supply.

12. Software for allowing allocation of products among sellers, the software being embodied in a computer readable medium and when executed on a computer system operable to:

access a hierarchy of at least two seller models, each representing a seller for a product having an associated product forecast model, the forecast model representing;

forecasted sales of the product through each seller according to a commitment level for the seller and forecasted sales through other sellers in the hierarchy;

planned supply of the product;

customer orders for the product through each seller; and

allocated supply of the product to each seller, representing the sum of promises from suppliers plus any customer promises;

access at least one supplier model operable to indicate to the seller models, according to the forecasted sales, promised supply of the product;

access at least one customer model operable to indicate to the seller models customer orders for the product; and

indicate to each seller in the hierarchy the allocated supply of the product to the seller.

13. The software of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the allocated supply is designated as retained product not available to promise (ATP).

14. The software of claim 12, wherein the amount of product available to promise (ATP) at a seller for a forecast entry is determined according to an allocation policy.

15. The software of claim 12, wherein the amount may be reduced to zero according to the allocation policy.

16. The software of claim 12, wherein the allocation policy is selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served policy;

a per allocated policy;

a per committed policy;

a seller priority policy; and

a predetermined split policy.

17. The software of claim 12, further operable to distribute the allocated supply according to an allocation policy.

18. The software of claim 12, wherein at least some of the allocated supply is distributed on a basis selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served basis;

a per allocated basis;

a per committed basis;

a seller priority basis; and

a predetermined split basis.

19. The software of claim 12, further operable to:

access at least one specific product model representing a specific product and specifying the components of the specific product;

access a plurality of generic product models each representing a generic product and specifying one component of a plurality of possible components of the specific product; and

provide a customer promise for the specific product according to the related generic products that are available to promise.

20. The software of claim 19, wherein generic-specific product relationships repeat throughout the seller hierarchy, there also being organization-member relationships between generic and specific products.

21. The software of claim 12, wherein the forecast model has:

an associated forecast period; and

an associated available to promise (ATP) period that it shorter than the forecast period.

22. The software of claim 12, wherein the forecast model is operable to reduce the forecasted sales and promised supply according to the customer orders without changing the allocated supply.

23. A computer-implemented method operating on at least one computer system for allowing allocation of products among sellers, the computer system comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the method comprising:

using the computer system, representing at least two sellers in a hierarchy using corresponding seller models, each seller model representing a seller for a product having an associated product forecast model, the forecast model representing;

forecasted sales of the product through each seller according to a commitment level for the seller and forecasted sales through other sellers in the hierarchy;

planned supply of the product;

customer orders for the product through each seller; and

allocated supply of the product to each seller, representing the sum of promises from suppliers plus any customer promises;

using the computer system, indicating to the seller models, according to the forecasted sales and using at least one supplier model, promised supply of the product;

using the computer system, indicating to the seller models, using at least one customer model, customer orders for the product; and

using the computer system, indicating to each seller in the hierarchy the allocated supply of the product to the seller.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system, designating at least a portion of the allocated supply as retained product not available to promise (ATP).

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system, determining the amount of product available to promise (ATP) at a seller for a forecast entry according to an allocation policy.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the amount may be reduced to zero according to the allocation policy.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the allocation policy is selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served policy;

a per allocated policy;

a per committed policy;

a seller priority policy; and

a predetermined split policy.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system, distributing the allocated supply according to an allocation policy.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system, distributing at least some of the allocated supply on a basis selected from the group consisting of:

a first-come-first-served basis;

a per allocated basis;

a per committed basis;

a seller priority basis; and

a predetermined split basis.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system:

using at least one specific product model to represent a specific product, the specific product model specifying the components of the specific product;

using a plurality of generic product models to represent a plurality of corresponding generic products, the generic product models each specifying one component of a plurality of possible components of the specific product; and

providing a customer promise for the specific product according to the related generic products that are available to promise.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein generic-specific product relationships repeat throughout the seller hierarchy, there also being organization-member relationships between generic and specific products.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the forecast model has:

an associated forecast period; and

an associated available to promise (ATP) period that is shorter than the forecast period.

33. The method of claim 23, further comprising, using the computer system, reducing the forecasted sales and promised supply within the forecast model, according to the customer orders, without changing the allocated supply.