Stock flow management system and method

• US 8,725,598 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Alfandary, Shai, Libfeld, Zahi, Holzman, Ziv, Diga, Michal, Harel, Orit, Hadari, Malkiel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, TALIA F
• Application Number:
  US12/136,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier includes instructions that, when executed, perform operations that modify stock levels of a storage location in a logistic environment system. The operations include receiving information indicating a stock level change at storage location database objects that each represent a storage location for stock in a logistic environment. A storage location database object has associated with it a rule, a stock amount value specifying an amount of stock for the storage location, and a threshold that indicates a stock level to be maintained for the storage location. The operations also include determining, using the rule, if the stock level change would cause the stock amount value to cross the threshold, and if so, generating a request to modify the amount of stock at the storage location so that the stock amount value does not cross the threshold.

Claims

1. A non transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations that modify stock levels of a storage location in a logistic environment system, the operations comprising:

instantiating, by the computer system, a storage location database object;

receiving, at the storage location database object that is running on the computer system, information indicating a future change at one or more future times in a level of physical stock at a physical storage location in a logistic environment, wherein the storage location database object is one of a plurality of storage location database objects that represent a plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment, wherein the storage location database object has associated with it a rule, a stock amount value specifying an amount of physical stock for the storage location, and a threshold that indicates a level of physical stock to be maintained for the physical storage location, and wherein the stock amount value is based upon a current amount of physical stock at the storage location and future scheduled changes to the level of physical stock at the physical storage location;

determining, by the storage location database object using the rule, that the future change in the level of physical stock will cause the stock amount value to cross the threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the storage location database object manages the level of physical stock only at the physical storage location and other storage location database objects from the plurality of storage location database objects manage levels of physical stock at other physical storage locations from the plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment; and

in response;

generating, by the storage location database object, a request to modify the amount of physical stock at the physical storage location so that the stock amount value does not cross the threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the generated request is provided by the storage location database object to a centralized execution object that is configured to execute the request generated by the storage location database object and requests generated by the other storage location database objects.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the rule is associated with multiple storage location database objects.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the physical storage location represented by the storage location database object is one of multiple levels of a hierarchy of physical storage locations.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the future change in the level of physical stock is based on expected changes in the level of physical stock at the one or more future times.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining if the future change in the level of physical stock will cause the stock amount value to cross a second threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the second threshold is associated with the storage location database object and indicates a second stock level to be maintained for the physical storage location.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise generating a second request to remove or add physical stock to the physical storage location so that the stock amount value does not cross the second threshold at the one or more future times.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise assigning to the request a priority that indicates a status of urgency to complete the request relative to other requests.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of physical stock indicated by the threshold is a replenishment level that indicates a level of physical stock at which the physical storage location should receive more physical stock.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise associating with the generated request a stock identifier that specifies the physical stock to be received at the physical storage location.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of physical stock indicated by the threshold is a cleanup level that indicates a level of physical stock at which physical stock should be removed from the physical storage location.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the storage location database object represents a physical storage location that is a resource that manipulates physical stock.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the resource is a vehicle for moving the physical stock.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the resource is a human worker for moving the physical stock.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the resource is production machinery that executes operations on physical stock.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the storage location database object represents a physical storage location that is a container for holding physical stock.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the threshold is based on constraints decomposed from a global maximizing function that takes into account the requirements of multiple physical storage locations in the logistic environment.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the future change in the level of physical stock is selected from a group consisting of an incoming stock request, an outgoing stock request, a user-initiated replenishment request, a user-initiated clean-up request, a timer event indicating a predetermined amount of time will have passed at the one or more future times, and a request to run a report.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising receiving a user assigned value for the threshold.

19. A logistic environment system for maintaining stock levels by an object representing a storage location, comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodied in a storage device for storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to instantiate and run;

a storage location database object that represents a physical storage location for physical stock in a logistic environment, wherein the storage location database object is adapted to receive information indicating a future change at one or more future times in a level of physical stock at the physical storage location in the logistic environment, wherein the storage location database object is one of a plurality of storage location database objects that represent a plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment, and wherein the storage location database object manages the level of physical stock only at the physical storage location and other storage location database objects from the plurality of storage location database objects manage levels of physical stock at other physical storage locations from the plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment;

wherein the storage location database object is further adapted to access and use the following;

a stock amount value associated with the storage location database object, wherein the stock amount value specifies an amount of physical stock for the physical storage location and wherein the stock amount value is based upon a current amount of physical stock at the physical storage location and future scheduled changes to the level of physical stock at the physical storage location;

a threshold associated with the storage location database object, wherein the threshold indicates a level of physical stock to be maintained for the physical storage location; and

a rule associated with the storage location database object that the storage location database object uses i) to determine that the future change in the level of physical stock will cause the stock amount value to cross the threshold at the one or more future times and, in response, ii) to generate a request to remove or add physical stock to the physical storage location so that the stock amount value does not cross the threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the generated request is provided by the storage location database object to a centralized execution object that is configured to execute the request generated by the storage location database object and requests generated by the other storage location database objects.

20. A method for modifying stock levels of a storage location in a logistic environment system, comprising:

receiving, at a storage location database object that is running on a computer device, information indicating a future change at one or more future times in a level of physical stock change at physical a storage location in a logistic environment, wherein the storage location database object is one of a plurality of storage location database objects that represent a plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment, wherein a storage location database object has associated with it a rule, a stock amount value specifying an amount of physical stock for the storage location, and a threshold that indicates a level of physical stock to be maintained for the physical storage location, and wherein the stock amount value is based upon a current amount of stock at the storage location and future scheduled changes to the level of physical stock at the physical storage location;

determining, by the storage location database object on the computer device using the rule, that the future change in the level of physical stock will cause the stock amount value to cross the threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the storage location database object manages the level of physical stock only at the physical storage location and other storage location database objects from the plurality of storage location database objects manage levels of physical stock at other physical storage locations from the plurality of different physical storage locations in the logistic environment; and

in response;

generating, by the storage location database object on the computer device, a request to modify the amount of physical stock at the physical storage location so that the stock amount value does not cross the threshold at the one or more future times, wherein the generated request is provided by the storage location database object to a centralized execution object that is configured to execute the request generated by the storage location database object and requests generated by the other storage location database objects.