Advanced logistics analysis capabilities environment

• US 9,372,917 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Saylor, Steven E., Miller, Adrienne P., Dailey, James K., Scheurman, Henry Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Azam
• Application Number:
  US12/695,672
• Time in Patent Office: 2,336 Days
• Field of Search: 707/802, 707/803
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system for modeling supply chain networks comprising a model manager, a node manager, a pipeline manager, a requisitions manager, and a supply control manager. The model manager is configured to initialize a model. The node manager is configured to initialize a number of nodes within the model. The pipeline manager is configured to generate a number of pipeline data objects describing supply chain relationships between a number of nodes. The requisitions manager is configured to generate and receive requests for supplies. The supply control manager is configured to send and receive supplies according to requests for supplies.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer system including a non-transitory computer-readable medium for modeling supply chain networks, the non-transitory system comprising:

a model manager configured to initialize a model, the model comprising a set of mathematical or logical relationships describing a behavior of a supply chain network;

a node identification manager configured to initialize a number of nodes within the model, wherein each of the number of nodes is a corresponding description within the model of a corresponding unique physical location where corresponding inventory assets, comprising services or physical objects, are created stored, sold, and replenished, and wherein the number of nodes comprises at least two nodes;

a pipeline manager configured to generate a number of pipeline data objects, wherein each pipeline data object corresponds to and is associated with a corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is one of;

a corresponding defined procurement relationship between the corresponding node and at least one other node in the model, or a corresponding strategy for replenishment of supplies for the corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is a data record in an expandable table of records, and wherein each data record is a table describing each corresponding defined procurement relationship or corresponding strategy for the corresponding node;

a requisitions manager configured to generate and receive requests for supplies from among any of the corresponding inventory assets; and

a supply control manager configured to send and receive the inventory assets according to requests for supplies, wherein the supply control manager is further configured to use ones of the number of pipeline data objects in determining sending and receiving of the inventory assets.

2. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a core database generated during initialization of a model by the model manager, the core database having a number of data structure definitions and parent lists for a number of databases.

3. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a token architecture configured to interface with user provided custom logic to interact with a number of code objects within the model, wherein the number of code objects remain unchanged by the custom logic.

4. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a user interface having a drag and drop feature configured to provide a user access to a number of code objects for the model.

5. The non-transitory computer system of claim 4, wherein the number of code objects are fully compiled, self-contained, blocks of code having a number of auto-build macros.

6. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1, wherein the model manager further comprises:

a model setup macro configured to generate the model having a core database; and

a database generator configured to generate the core database by importing a text file from a storage device of the system.

7. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1, wherein the node identification manager further comprises:

a node setup macro configured to locate and obtain global data structure information and a description of a local node data structure from a core database to build the local node data structure; and

a database generator configured to generate a node database referencing the node data stored in the core database.

8. The non-transitory computer system of claim 7, wherein the node identification manager is a first code object required by the node in order to add the pipeline manager, the requisitions manager, and the supply control manager to the node.

9. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1, wherein each node in the number of nodes has a corresponding node database in a number of node databases.

10. The non-transitory computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a token architecture configured to provide a messaging system between a number of code objects within the model to communicate ordering and replenishment events.

11. A method for modeling supply chain networks, the method comprising:

initializing a model using a model manager, the model comprising a set of mathematical or logical relationships describing a behavior of a supply chain network;

generating a core database using the model manager;

generating a number of nodes within the model using a number of code objects, wherein each of the number of nodes is a corresponding description within the model of a corresponding unique physical location where corresponding inventory assets, comprising services or physical objects, are created stored, sold, and replenished, and wherein the number of nodes comprises at least two nodes;

generating a number of pipeline data objects configured to describe supply chain relationships between the number of nodes within the model, wherein each pipeline data object corresponds to and is associated with a corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is one of;

a corresponding defined procurement relationship between the corresponding node and at least one other node in the model, or a corresponding strategy for replenishment of supplies for the corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is a data record in an expandable table of records, and wherein each data record is a table describing each corresponding defined procurement relationship or corresponding strategy for the corresponding node; and

running a simulation using the model and the number of pipeline data objects to analyze the supply chain relationships.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

generating a request for supplies using a requisitions manager from among any of the corresponding inventory assets; and

receiving the supplies according to the request for the supplies using a supply control manager, wherein the supply control manager is further configured to use ones of the number of pipeline data objects in determining receiving of the inventory assets.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a request for supplies using a requisitions manager from among any of the corresponding inventory assets; and

sending the supplies according to the request using a supply control manager, wherein the supply control manager is further configured to use ones of the number of pipeline data objects in determining sending of the inventory assets.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the number of code objects are fully compiled, self-contained, blocks of code having a number of auto-build macros.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

locating and obtaining global data structure information and a description of a local node data structure from the core database to build a local node data structure.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

generating a node database referencing the node descriptions stored in the core database for each of the number of nodes generated within the model.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a messaging system between the number of code objects within the model to communicate ordering and replenishment events using a token architecture.

18. A method for operating a supply chain network, the method comprising:

initializing a model using a model manager, the model comprising a set of mathematical or logical relationships describing a behavior of the supply chain network;

generating a core database using the model manager;

generating a number of nodes within the model using a number of code objects, wherein each of the number of nodes is a corresponding description within the model of a corresponding unique physical location where corresponding inventory assets, comprising services or physical objects, are created stored, sold, and replenished, and wherein the number of nodes comprises at least two nodes;

generating a number of pipeline data objects configured to describe supply chain relationships between the number of nodes within the model, wherein each pipeline data object corresponds to and is associated with a corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is one of;

a corresponding defined procurement relationship between the corresponding node and at least one other node in the model, or a corresponding strategy for replenishment of supplies for the corresponding node, wherein each pipeline data object is a data record in an expandable table of records, and wherein each data record is a table describing each corresponding defined procurement relationship or corresponding strategy for the corresponding node;

using the model and the number of pipeline data objects to analyze the supply chain relationships, wherein an analysis is formed; and

directing sending and receiving of the inventory assets according to the analysis.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

locating and obtaining global data structure information and a description of a local node data structure from the core database to build a local node data structure.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing a messaging system between the number of code objects within the model to communicate ordering and replenishment events using a token architecture.