Patent Application
20080004741
The following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the drawings:
As used herein, when introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. An “intelligent agent” is a specialized software entity which autonomously performs tasks on behalf of users based on instructions given to it by the users, including communicating and exchanging data with other intelligent agents. “Available to Promise” (or ATP) is uncommitted existing inventory (or uncommitted planned inventory expected to be available by a desired delivery date). A “squared set” solution to a demand request means that sufficient Available to Promise inventory has been identified to satisfy the total demand.
Referring to the drawings, shown in
The system 100 further comprises a Tier 1 supply entity database server 120, a Tier 1 supply entity process server 122, and a Tier 1 supply entity message client 124, all associated with the Tier 1 supply entity, and all operatively coupled to one another and to the network 110. A Tier 1 supply entity intelligent agent 324 runs on the Tier 1 supply entity process server 122.
Though not illustrated, each additional supply entity in each additional Tier 1 through N similarly has associated with it a supply entity database server, a supply entity process server, and a supply entity message client. For example, as illustrated, in Tier N, the Mth supply entity has a database server 130, a process server 132 running a supply entity intelligent agent 326, and a message client server 134, all operatively couple to one another and to the network 110.
With reference to
Still further, the solver product 300 includes means (third computer program code) for executing a step 206 of the method 200 of generating and communicating an evaluation of available to promise supply capability for each of the supply entities. The evaluation is made by each supply entity intelligent agent reviewing information resident in the associated supply entity database.
The solver product 300 further includes means (fourth computer program code) for executing a step 208 of method 200 of generating an optimal allocation of the ATP inventory based on the ATP supply capability. Preferably, the means for generating the optimal allocation of ATP inventory includes means for generating and communicating a sequence of demand problems. Preferably, the demand problems are sequentially incremented by a predefined amount. Each demand problem is evaluated end to end though the supply chain 10, resulting in a series of squared set solutions. Preferably, system 100 further includes means (fifth computer program code) for executing a step 210 of method 200 of communicating acceptance of ATP components to the plurality of supply entities.
With reference now to
a. customer supplier relationships or, from a network point of view, the sender and receiver of the message;
b. a sequence ID to uniquely identify the message and enable a response to trace back to a request;
c. message directive which identifies the process behavior that's driven by the message;
d. demand ID, that is a specific final assembly, sub assembly, or component;
e. demand priority or relative business value of the demand;
f. customer demand quantity; and
g. supplier commit quantity, that is level of demand supported.
The exchange of messages 140 is accomplished by a network incoming message evaluation process 340 and a network outgoing message generation process 380. With reference to
a. a cascade demand explode evaluation sub-process 344;
b. an evaluation of available supply sub-process 346;
c an evaluation of multiple sources for available supply sub-process 348;
d a commitment of a reserved supply sub-process 350;
e. a supply response request sub-process 352;
f. a request of multiple sources for a supply response sub-process 354;
g. a release of a reserved supply sub-process 356;
h. a response to a single source availability check sub-process 358; and
i. a response to a multi-source availability check sub-process 360;
j. a support evaluation completion message evaluation sub-process 362.
Incoming messages 140 are identified and routed to the appropriate tier using an identification and routing sub-process 342.
With reference now to
a. an upstream cascade demand explode response sub-process 382;
b. an upstream supply availability check response sub-process 384;
c. a multi-source supply availability check response sub-process 386;
d. an upstream commitment of reserved supply response sub-process 388;
e. an upstream supply response request sub-process 390;
f. an upstream multi-source supply response sub-process 392;
g. a downstream response to an availability check sub-process 394;
h. an upstream release of reserved supply sub-process 396;
i. a downstream multi-source response to an availability check sub-process 398; and
j. a support evaluation complete message generation sub-process 400.
Outgoing messages 140 are identified and routed to the appropriate tier by an identification and routing sub-process 402.
The system 100 thus uses a star type architecture with any to any communication capability through a message exchange. Anywhere from 1 to M supply chain players in 1 to N supply chain tiers, each representing a role specific demand or supply business entity communicate with their suppliers and/or customers by posting messages to a message exchange, and periodically polling for and pulling from the message exchange any incoming mail from suppliers and/or customers. A specific supply chain player can only see messages addressed to their business entity.
It will be noted that while the message server 106 has a message que that contains snippets of demand and supply information, there is no queryable central data repository as is found in the centralized supply chain model 30. Messages 140 flow through the message que on their way from the sender to the receiver. Messages 140 stay in the message que only until a receiver picks them up.
The typical collaboration dialogue used by the centralized model 30 or the loosely coupled model 60 entail a multi-item request followed by a multi-item response. That is, prior art models might in a single request ask a supplier to evaluate its ability to support a demand statement consisting of multiple demand items. And the supplier in turn provides a single response which covers their ability to supply all demand items in the request. Unlike the typical solution dialogue, the message 140 employed by the network based demand supply rationalization method 200 equates to a request to evaluate a support position for a single demand item. It is the carefully sequenced end to end evaluation of a series of single item message objects that allows the network base demand supply optimization method 200 to effect a coordinated inter entity, inter level priority driven squared set allocation of supply to a multi item demand statement.
From the foregoing it can be seen that the present invention provides an available to promise inventory allocation tool providing both the time-efficient closed-form optimal allocation solutions characteristic of centralized supply chain models as well as the cost and flexibility benefits of the loosely coupled supply chain models.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
