Sales plan evaluation support system

• US 8,046,252 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Urano, Maho, Taguchi, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Application Number:
  US11/769,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7.25
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• 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 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A technique is provided that supports making evaluations of impact on a business performance indicator, which varies depending on timing at which a change of plan is decided. A sales plan evaluation support system, includes: a unit which obtains master information that includes a sales plan of a product and is used as input for material requirements planning (MRP) calculation; a first MRP calculating unit which obtains a first order-placement plan through MRP calculation by using the master information as input, the first order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product; a revision timing setting unit which sets timing for revising the sales plan; a master modifying unit which modifies the master information; and a second MRP calculating unit which obtains a second order-placement plan through MRP calculation by using an order-placement plan having an order-placement date preceding the revision timing included in the first order-placement plan, as an order-placement plan which has been implemented prior to the revision timing, and by using, as input, master information modified by the master modifying unit, the second order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product.

Claims

1. A sales plan evaluation support system, comprising:

means which obtains master information that includes a sales plan of a product and is used as input for material requirements planning (MRP) calculation;

a first MRP calculating means which obtains a first order-placement plan through MRP calculation using the master information as input, the first order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product;

revision timing setting means which sets timing for revising the sales plan;

master modifying means which modifies the master information; and

a second MRP calculating means which obtains a second order-placement plan through MRP calculation by using an order-placement plan having an order-placement date preceding the revision timing included in the first order-placement plan as an order-placement plan which has been implemented prior to the revision timing, and by using, as input, master information modified by the master modifying means, the second order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product.

2. A sales plan evaluation support system according to claim 1, wherein:

the master information comprises;

a sales plan of a product, which includes information on a product to be sold, an item count thereof, and a manufacture completion date thereof;

a lead time for procuring and manufacturing a required item for the product;

an initial inventory of the required item; and

an ordered-item count and an order-placement date for the required item which has already been ordered; and

the first MRP calculating means and the second MRP calculating means each calculate a business performance indicator which includes at least one of information items on incoming quantity, outgoing quantity, order quantity, inventory quantity, and in-progress quantity, for each item.

3. A sales plan evaluation support system according to claim 2, further comprising display means which displays, in a graph, the revision timing together with the business performance indicator.

4. A sales plan evaluation support system according to claim 2, further comprising:

means which stores a unit price for each item;

means which obtains a business performance indicator converted into an amount of money by using the unit price for each item; and

display means which displays, in a graph, the revision timing together with the business performance indicator converted into an amount of money.

5. A sales plan evaluation support system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second MRP calculating means identifies, with respect to each of the required items, an Parent-Product-at-the-point-of-order for which the required item is ordered, and an applied-usage product for which the required item received based on the order is used; and

the sales plan evaluation support system further comprises display means which displays, in a graph, one of an order amount and an incoming amount, of the Parent-Products-at-the-point-of-order and the Parent-Products-at-the-point-of-production relating to the required items.

6. An evaluation support method for a sales plan evaluation support system, comprising:

a step which obtains master information that includes a sales plan of a product and is used as input for material requirements planning (MRP) calculation;

a first MRP calculating step which obtains a first order-placement plan through MRP calculation using the master information as input, the first order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product;

a revision timing setting step which sets timing for revising the sales plan;

a master modifying step which modifies the master information; and

a second MRP calculating step which obtains a second order-placement plan through MRP calculation by using an order-placement plan having an order-placement date preceding the revision timing included in the first order-placement plan as an order-placement plan which has been implemented prior to the revision timing, and by using, as input, master information modified by the master modifying step, the second order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product;

wherein the evaluation support method is implemented at least in part, by a hardware processor and memory.

7. A program which causes a computer to function as a sales plan evaluation support system, the program causing the computer to function as:

means which obtains master information that includes a sales plan of a product and is used as input for material requirements planning (MRP) calculation;

a first MRP calculating means which obtains a first order-placement plan through MRP calculation using the master information as input, the first order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product;

revision timing setting means which sets timing for revising the sales plan;

master modifying means which modifies the master information; and

a second MRP calculating means which obtains a second order-placement plan through MRP calculation by using an order-placement plan having an order-placement date preceding the revision timing included in the first order-placement plan as an order-placement plan which has been implemented prior to the revision timing, and by using, as input, master information modified by the master modifying means, the second order-placement plan including an ordered-item count and an order-placement date of a required item for the product.