Integrating event-based production information with financial and purchasing systems in product manufacturing

• US 7,357,298 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Nygaard, Kurt Sigurd, Shaffer, Gregory Duncan, Pokorny, Michael Roy, Stambuk, Jose Andres, Barber, Douglas Gordon Barron, Bush, Perry A., Hise, John Harland, Hoo, Winnie Shi Mei Shun, Markham, Charles Earl, Matheus, Jon Ray, Mork, Jamie Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, STEVE S
• Application Number:
  US10/306,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/376, 235/380, 705/1, 705/8, 702/200, 702/202, 702/206
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0285 using neural networks and fuzzy logic
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/048 Fuzzy inferencing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H

Abstract

Integrating event-based production information with financial and purchasing systems in product manufacturing. Some of the disclosed embodiments include a method of tracking production information, a method of analyzing event-based production information to provide financial reports, a method of adapting an online production documentation system to provide financial report data, and a production documentation system. Also disclosed are computer-readable media for storing a data structure representing an event-based delay or waste record populated during manufacturing, and a method of automatically generating an alert and providing an associated financial report in a process for manufacturing a product associated with an event-based information system. The embodiments are operable in an intelligent manufacturing system including a process for converting raw materials to a product, a process control system including one or more sensors capable of generating an alarm in response to an event that results in one of waste, machine delay, or decrease product quality, a data logger associated with the process control system for obtaining event parameters associated with the event, a database on a server for recording event parameters obtained by the data logger, and a reporting system cooperatively associated with the database for reporting productivity parameters regarding the process derived at least in part from the event parameters.

Claims

1. A method for tracking production information, the method comprising:

collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product, the production information comprising event data pertaining to at least one of waste and delay, wherein the product comprises a component and wherein the production information indicates that the component has failed;

storing the collected production information in a database for processing;

providing access to the stored production information to a financial system and/or a purchasing system for generation of a financial report based on the stored production information; and

implementing remedial action responsive to generation of the financial report, wherein the remedial action comprises ordering a replacement for the failed component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises providing the stored production information to the financial system and/or the purchasing system in response to a request from such system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the production information pertains to converting machine productivity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting comprises capturing automatic delay information on an event basis.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the capturing comprises creating a delay record in a database when a converting line halts during manufacture of the product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting comprises capturing waste information on an event basis.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the capturing comprises creating a waste record in a database when a converting line halts during manufacture of the product.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial system and/or purchasing system comprises one or more of the following:

an inventory control system, a maintenance and reliability engineering system, a customer relationship management system, a data warehousing system, a manufacturing execution system, an enterprise resource planning system, and a maintenance scheduling system.

9. A method for tracking production information, the method comprising:

collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product, the production information including event data pertaining to at least one of waste and delay summarized from a plurality of converting lines, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

storing the collected production information in a database for processing; and

providing access to the stored production information to a financial system and/or a purchasing system for generation of a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generation comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count.

10. A method for tracking production information, the method comprising:

collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product, the collecting including capturing automatic delay information on an event basis, the capturing including creating a delay record in a database when a converting line halts during manufacture of the product, and the delay record including at least one of a delay duration and a timestamp, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

storing the collected production information in a database for processing; and

providing access to the stored production information to a financial system and/or a purchasing system for generation of a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generation comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count.

11. A method for tracking production information, the method comprising:

collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product, the collecting including capturing waste information on an event basis, the capturing including creating a waste record in a database when a converting line halts during manufacture of the product, and the waste record including at least one of a waste code, a defect count, and a timestamp, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

storing the collected production information in a database for processing; and

providing access to the stored production information to a financial system and/or a purchasing system for generation of a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generation comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count.

12. A method for analyzing production information to provide financial reports, the method comprising:

obtaining event-based production information pertaining to at least one of waste and delay from a documentation system in a manufacturing system, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

storing the received production information in a database for processing; and

generating a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generating the financial report comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining, from a documentation system, production information comprising data from a plurality of converting lines in a plurality of manufacturing plants.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating comprises analyzing the stored production information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the production information comprises event data.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a request from a user for the financial report, and wherein the generating occurs in response to the received request.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the generated financial report in the database for a preset time interval.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising correlating productivity, waste, delay, and one or more raw materials.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the production information comprises raw material data, and wherein the generating comprises linking the raw material data to an intermediate or finished product.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the production information comprises raw material, waste, and delay data, and wherein the generating comprises linking the raw material data to the waste data and/or the delay data.

21. A method for analyzing production information to provide financial reports, the method comprising:

obtaining event-based production information pertaining to at least one of waste and delay from a documentation system in a manufacturing system, wherein the product comprises a component and wherein the production information indicates that the component has failed;

storing the received production information in a database for processing;

generating a financial report based on the stored production information; and

implementing remedial action responsive to generating the financial report, wherein the remedial action comprises ordering a replacement for the failed component.

22. A method for analyzing production information to provide financial reports, the method comprising:

obtaining event-based production information pertaining to at least one of waste and delay from a documentation system in a manufacturing system;

storing the received production information in a database for processing;

generating a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generating the financial report comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield; and

storing at least one conversion factor, product dimension, and/or material add-on in the database for access during the measuring.

23. A method for analyzing production information to provide financial reports, the method comprising:

obtaining event-based production information pertaining to at least one of waste and delay from a documentation system in a manufacturing system, wherein the production information comprises a plurality of product counts into and out of a packaging subsection during manufacturing of a product;

storing the received production information in a database for processing; and

generating a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generating the financial report comprises measuring packaging system waste and yield by comparing the plurality of product counts.

24. A production documentation system comprising:

a first database storing event-based production information collected during manufacturing, the production information including automatically generated records pertaining to at least one of waste and delay, the records each having an event code, a timestamp, and a measure of lost production associated with the event, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

a report component for creating a financial report by accessing the stored production information, wherein creating the financial report comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count; and

a second database storing the created reports.

25. The production documentation system of claim 24, wherein the production information comprises event data.

26. The production documentation system of claim 24, wherein the report component and the second database comprise a financial system.

27. The production documentation system of claim 24, wherein the financial system comprises a purchasing system.

28. One or more tangible computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

a control system for collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product;

a database module for storing the collected production information in a database for processing; and

a report module for creating a financial report by accessing the stored production information, wherein the report module comprises a user interface for receiving a request for the report from a user and delivering the report in response to the received request.

29. A method for tracking production information, the method comprising:

collecting event-based production information during manufacture of a product, the production information comprising event data, a first product count at material start, and a second product count at material expire;

storing the collected production information in a database for processing; and

providing access to the stored production information to a financial system and/or a purchasing system for generation of a financial report based on the stored production information, wherein generation comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count.

30. A production documentation system comprising:

a first database storing event-based production information collected during manufacturing, the production information including automatically generated records, the records each having an event code, a timestamp, and a measure of lost production associated with the event, wherein the production information comprises a first product count at material start and a second product count at material expire;

a report component for creating a financial report by accessing the stored production information, wherein creating the financial report comprises measuring material consumption to calculate a product yield by comparing the first product count and the second product count; and

a second database storing the created reports.