Method and system for managing supplies and performance in a collision center

• US 7,654,456 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BASF Corporation (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: BASF Corporation (BASF SE)
• Inventors: Roewer, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai; Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/290,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20070119916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/375, 235/382, 235/492, 235/376, 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 705/11, 705/1, 340/825.49, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A method and system for measuring performance and ordering supplies in a collision center includes an identification reader for reading product identification tags corresponding products removed from a supply of products. The identification reader also reads a repair order identification tag corresponding to a repair order of a vehicle under repair and a technician identification tag corresponding to a technician using the product(s) to repair the vehicle. The system further includes a computer having a plurality of database for storing repair order data, technician data, benchmark data, and inventory data. The computer receives data from the identification reader and computes a performance level of the technician by comparing the product(s) used by the technician to a standard benchmark. The computer also analyzes the inventory data and automatically generates a supply order for products that fall below an inventory level. The supply order is electronically sent to a supplier.

Claims

1. A method of computing performance in a collision center comprising the steps of:

removing at least one product from a supply of products for use by a technician in repairing a vehicle;

electronically reading a product code corresponding to a type and/or a quantity of each product removed from the supply of products;

electronically reading a repair order code corresponding to a repair order for the vehicle under repair wherein the repair order includes a description of repairs to be performed;

electronically reading a technician code corresponding to the technician using the at least one product to repair the vehicle;

transmitting the codes to a computer having a database;

retrieving a standard benchmark indicating type and/or quantity of each product recommended to perform repairs described in the repair order from the database; and

computing a performance level of the technician by the computer comparing the type and/or quantity of each product used by the technician to the standard benchmark.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically reading the product code is further defined as electronically reading the product code from a product radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag corresponding to the product.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically reading the product code is further defined as electronically reading the product code from a product barcode corresponding to the product.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of computing an inventory level of each product of the supply of products.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of computing a product cost for the repair order.

6. A system for measuring performance in a collision center comprising:

an identification reader for reading a product code from a product identification corresponding to a type and/or a quantity of a product removed from a supply of products, a repair order code from a repair order identification corresponding to a repair order of a vehicle under repair, and a technician code from a technician identification corresponding to a technician using the product to repair the vehicle;

a repair order database for storing repair orders which each include repairs to be performed to the vehicle;

a benchmark database for storing standard benchmarks indicating type and/or quantity of each product recommended to perform repairs described in each repair order;

a computer in communication with said identification reader and said databases for receiving said codes from said identification reader and computing a performance level of the technician by comparing the type and/or quantity of each product used by the technician to the standard benchmark.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising an inventory database in communication with said computer for storing inventory levels corresponding to each product in the supply of products.

8. A system as set forth in claim 6 wherein at least one of said identifications is further defined as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and wherein said identification reader is further defined as an RFID reader capable of reading data from said RFID tag.

9. A system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising a wireless network facilitating communication between said identification reader and said computer.