Flexible ordering of inventory from material sources according to material requirements for manufacturing operations

• US 7,346,530 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Beebe, Melissa, Rastogi, Shafali, Jones, Kevin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US09/774,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,603 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method, computer system, computer program product, and signal embodied on a carrier wave for scheduling delivery of material to a manufacturer with a plurality of manufacturing lines. Each manufacturing line may include at least one operation, and deliveries are made according to the material requirements for the operation. Parts and/or raw materials are requested and delivered to an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line in the factory from in-house and external inventory based upon the work scheduled for that operation. Deliveries are scheduled continuously to allow changes in truck arrival schedules from material sources and changes in material requirements. Requests for materials to be delivered are delayed until the last possible moment for making the request to allow for these changes and to ensure that inventory is stored at a manufacturing line and/or operation for minimum time prior to the time the material is needed.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling deliveries of material comprising:

obtaining a material requirement for an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line, the material requirement comprising an identified material and a material need-by time, the obtaining being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source, the identifying being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement, the determining being performed by a module executing on a computer system, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time, delaying processing of the material requirement, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time, determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists, and

when a later opportunity exists, delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material, and

when a later opportunity does not exist, requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck and scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck.

2. A method for scheduling deliveries of material comprising:

repeating a series of steps, the series comprising;

obtaining a material requirement for an operation on a manufacturing line from a plurality of material requirements, each material requirement of the plurality of material requirements comprising an identified material and a material need-by time, the obtaining being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source, the identifying being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement, the determining being performed by a module executing on a computer system, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time, delaying processing of the material requirement, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time, determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists, and

when a later opportunity exists, delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material, and

when a later opportunity does not exist, requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck and scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the repeating the series of steps is performed at a fixed time interval.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the repeating the series of steps is performed essentially continuously.

5. A method for scheduling deliveries of material comprising:

repeating a series of steps essentially continuously, the series comprising;

obtaining a material requirement for an operation on a manufacturing line from a plurality of material requirements, each material requirement of the plurality of material requirements comprising an identified material and a material need-by time, the obtaining being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source, the identifying being performed by a module executing on a computer system;

determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement, the determining being performed by a module executing on a computer system, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time, delaying processing of the material requirement, and

when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time, determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists, and

when a later opportunity exists, delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material, and

when a later opportunity does not exist, requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck and scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck.

6. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory, the memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor, the instructions comprising;

instructions for repeating a series of steps essentially continuously;

instructions for each step in the series of steps comprising;

instructions for obtaining a material requirement for an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line, the material requirement comprising an identified material and a material need-by time;

instructions for identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source;

instructions for determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement;

instructions for delaying processing of the material requirement when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time;

instructions for determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time;

instructions for delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material when a later opportunity exists;

instructions for requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist; and

instructions for scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist.

7. A computer program product for causing a computer system to execute instructions comprising:

instructions for repeating a series of steps essentially continuously;

instructions for each step in the series of steps comprising;

instructions for obtaining a material requirement for an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line, the material requirement comprising an identified material and a material need-by time;

instructions for identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source;

instructions for determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement;

instructions for delaying processing of the material requirement when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time;

instructions for determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time;

instructions for delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material when a later opportunity exists;

instructions for requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist; and

instructions for scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist; and

a computer-readable medium for storing the instructions for repeating, the instructions for obtaining, the instructions for identifying, the instructions for determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement, the instructions for delaying processing, the instructions for determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time, the instructions for delaying requesting, and the instructions for requesting, and the instructions for scheduling.

8. A signal embodied in a computer readable medium, the signal causing a computer system to execute instructions comprising:

instructions for repeating a series of steps essentially continuously;

instructions for each step in the series of steps comprising;

instructions for obtaining a material requirement for an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line, the material requirement comprising an identified material and a material need-by time;

instructions for identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source;

instructions for determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement;

instructions for delaying processing of the material requirement when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time;

instructions for determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time;

instructions for delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material when a later opportunity exists;

instructions for requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist; and

instructions for scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck when a later opportunity does not exist.