Method for Simultaneously Considering Customer Support Dates and Customer Request Dates

• US 20090210279A1
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Milne, Robert J., Denton, Brian T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 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 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention disclosed here is a method for achieving simultaneous consideration of multiple customer demand dates within an advanced planning system. The invention provides a method of production planning that considers multiple due dates. The invention solves a production planning model based upon the second (commit) date to produce a first solution, sorts the demand records in order of importance, and then re-solves the production planning model based upon the first (request) date to produce a second solution. The re-solving process is performed on each demand item in the sorted order of importance. The invention optimizes between the first solution and the second solution. Before re-solving the production planning model, the invention changes the lower bound constraints on backorder variables. The re-solving process changes the required date for a single demand item, and this re-solving process is repeated for all demand items that have a first (request) date that is before a corresponding required date. The invention reports the optimal solution produced during the optimizing process. The system and method integrate the consideration of multiple demand dates with an advanced planning system for optimizing established planning objectives (e.g. customer service, short lead times, low inventory, and prioritized allocation of supply and capacity) to compute a feasible production plan for the division.

Claims

1. A method of production planning that considers multiple due dates for providing the same resource to the same demand item, wherein said multiple due dates comprise a first date when said resource can be provided to said demand item, and a later second date when said resource must be provided to said demand item, said method comprising:

creating, from a single part number, a first part number associated with providing said resource to said demand item by said first date;

creating, from said single part number, a second part number associated with providing said resource to said demand item by said second date;

performing production planning for both said first part number and said second part number to determine when said resource can be provided to said demand item; and

selecting one of said first part number and said second part number to satisfy said demand item.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein said first part number has a different priority than said second part number.

3. The method in claim 1, further comprising reporting to said demand item whether said resource will be supplied by said first date or said second date.

4. The method in claim 1, further comprising creating duplicate binning records to separately provide resources to supply said first part number and said second part number.

5. The method in claim 1, wherein said process of production planning simultaneously and separately processes objective functions and constraints for said first part number from said second part number.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein said second part number and said first part number comprise artificial part numbers that are based on said single part number.

7. The method in claim 1, wherein said process of production planning simultaneously performs production planning for other resources and other demand items.

8. A method of production planning that considers multiple due dates for providing the same resource to the same demand item, wherein said multiple due dates comprise a first date when said resource can be provided to said demand item, and a later second date when said resource must be provided to said demand item, said method comprising:

solving a production planning model based upon said first date to produce a first solution;

re-solving said production planning model based upon said second date to produce a second solution; and

optimizing between said first solution and said second solution.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said re-solving processing is based on iterative solutions of a linear program.

10. The method in claim 8, further comprising before re-solving said production planning model, sorting demand records in order of importance.

11. The method in claim 10, wherein said re-solving is performed on each demand item in the sorted order of importance.

12. The method in claim 8, further comprising before re-solving said production planning model, changing lower bound constraints on backorder variables.

13. The method in claim 8, further comprising reporting the optimal solution produced during said optimizing process.

14. The method in claim 8, wherein said re-solving process changes the required date for a single demand item, and wherein said re-solving process is repeated for all demand items that have a first date that is before a corresponding second date.

15. A program storage device readable by machines, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of production planning that considers multiple due dates for providing the same resource to the same demand item, wherein said multiple due dates comprise a first date when said resource can be provided to said demand item, and a later second date when said resource must be provided to said demand item, said method comprising:

creating, from a single part number, a first part number associated with providing said resource to said demand item by said first date;

creating, from said single part number, a second part number associated with providing said resource to said demand item by said second date;

performing production planning for both said first part number and said second part number to determine when said resource can be provided to said demand item; and

selecting one of said first part number and said second part number to satisfy said demand item.

16. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said first part number has a different priority than said second part number.

17. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said method further comprises reporting to said demand item whether said resource will be supplied by said first date or said second date.

18. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said method further comprises creating duplicate binning records to separately provide resources to supply said first part number and said second part number.

19. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said process of production planning simultaneously and separately processes objective functions and constraints for said first part number from said second part number.

20. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said second part number and said first part number comprise artificial part numbers that are based on said single part number.

21. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said process of production planning simultaneously performs production planning for other resources and other demand items.