TIME PHASE WORK POOL MANAGEMENT FOR RETURNED INVENTORY ASSET ROUTING

• US 20090299881A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Del Rosario, Francis E., Zemke, Matthew H., Knipfer, Ivory W., Erie, Clinton W., Eddy, Kael B.
• Granted Patent: US 10,083,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Embodiments of the present routing returned inventory assets and provide a method, system and computer program product for routing items in a manufacturing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for routing items in a manufacturing environment can be provided. The method can include defining attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment, defining a set of reuse strategies for use in the manufacturing environment, receiving a returned inventory asset in the manufacturing environment and obtaining at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset, comparing the obtained at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset to the set of reuse strategies to select the reuse strategy to apply to the returned inventory asset and applying the selected reuse strategy to the returned inventory asset to assign the returned inventory asset to one of the work pools in the manufacturing environment. The method can further include the transportation of the returned inventory asset to a temporary location other than the assigned work pool, and can include updating a returned inventory asset tracking record to indicate the assigned work pool.

Claims

1. A method for routing returned inventory assets in a manufacturing environment, the method comprising:

defining attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment;

defining a set of reuse strategies for use in the manufacturing environment;

receiving a returned inventory asset in the manufacturing environment and obtaining at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset;

comparing the obtained at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset to the set of reuse strategies to select a reuse strategy to apply to the returned inventory asset; and

,

applying the selected reuse strategy to the returned inventory asset to assign the returned inventory asset to one of the work pools in the manufacturing environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment comprises:

creating a work pool profile for at least one of the work pools; and

,

defining a work pool name, a work pool description, a work pool inventory location and a work pool maximum size for the work pool profile.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the returned inventory asset to a work pool having a logical location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the returned inventory asset to a temporary location other than the assigned work pool.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the returned inventory asset to the assigned work pool.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a returned inventory asset tracking record to indicate the assigned work pool.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein updating a returned inventory asset tracking record includes setting a work pool identifier flag to indicate an assignment to the work pool.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing the returned inventory asset tracking record for a work pool identifier, and prohibiting a second assignment of the returned inventory asset to the work pool having the work pool identifier that matches the work pool identifier flag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the obtained at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset to the set of reuse strategies to select a reuse strategy to apply to the returned inventory asset comprises selecting a reuse strategy based upon a priority value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining an automatic notify identifier from the returned inventory asset and if the obtained automatic notify identifier is turned on, automatically transmitting an auto notification to a contact terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request to expire a returned inventory asset activity;

setting a recycle time of the returned inventory asset to an expired state; and

,

transitioning the returned inventory asset to the next returned inventory asset activity designated by a reuse strategy record.

12. A system for routing returned inventory assets in a manufacturing environment, the system comprising:

a data store of manufactured items and work pools for storing the returned inventory assets;

an returned inventory asset routing engine communicatively coupled to a manufacturing system and the data store; and

returned inventory asset routing logic comprising program code enabled to define attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment, to define a set of reuse strategies for use in the manufacturing environment, to receive one of the returned inventory assets in the manufacturing environment and obtain characteristics of the returned inventory asset, to compare the obtained characteristics of the returned inventory asset to the set of reuse strategies and select a reuse strategy to apply to the returned inventory asset, and to apply the selected reuse strategy to the returned inventory asset to assign the returned inventory asset to storage in one of the work pools.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code enabled to define attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment, comprises program code enabled to create a work pool profile for at least one of the work pools and to define a work pool name, a work pool description, a work pool inventory location and a work pool maximum size for the work pool profile.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the returned inventory asset routing logic further comprises program code enabled to transport the returned inventory asset to a temporary location other than the assigned work pool.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the returned inventory asset routing logic further comprises program code enabled to update a returned inventory asset tracking record to indicate the assigned work pool.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for routing returned inventory assets in a manufacturing environment, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for defining attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment;

computer usable program code for defining a set of reuse strategies for use in the manufacturing environment;

computer usable program code for receiving a returned inventory asset in the manufacturing environment and obtaining at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset;

computer usable program code for comparing the obtained at least one attribute of the returned inventory asset to the set of reuse strategies to select a reuse strategy to apply to the returned inventory asset; and

,

computer usable program code for applying the selected reuse strategy to the returned inventory asset to assign the returned inventory asset to one of the work pools in the manufacturing environment.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein computer usable program code for defining attributes of work pools in the manufacturing environment comprises:

computer usable program code for creating a work pool profile for at least one of the work pools; and

,

computer usable program code for defining a work pool name, a work pool description, a work pool inventory location and a work pool maximum size for the work pool profile.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code for transporting the returned inventory asset to a temporary location other than the assigned work pool.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer usable program code for obtaining an automatic notify identifier from the returned inventory asset and if the obtained automatic notify identifier is turned on, automatically transmitting an auto notification to a contact terminal.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code for sending a request to expire a returned inventory asset activity;

computer usable program code for setting a recycle time of the returned inventory asset to an expired state; and

,

computer usable program code for transitioning the returned inventory asset to the next returned inventory asset activity designated by a reuse strategy record.