International Business Machines Corporation

Karthik Sourirajan

Markus Ettl

Thomas Robert Ervolina

Lianjun An

Pawan Raghunath Chowdhary

Anshul Sheopuri

Pu Huang

Young Min Lee

Paolina Centonze

Feng Cheng

Mary Elizabeth Helander

Daniel John Peters

Chad Boucher

Laurence Allan Phillips

Yu Tang

Soumyadip Ghosh

Amit Dhurandhar

Aliza Rivka Heching

Shubir Kapoor

Kaan Kudsi Katircioglu

Zhengliang Xue

Bala Ramachandran

Ching-Hua Chen-Ritzo

Mamnoon Jamil

Rajesh Kumar Ravi

John Peter Fasano

Robert James Wittrock

William Stephen Schaefer

Bruce C Graves

Mondher Ben-Hamida

Blair A Binney

Yadav P Singh

Mondhar Ben-Hamida

Kaan K Katircloglu

Roman Kapuscinski

A method for planning under uncertainty is disclosed. The method includes steps of processing a stochastic programming formulation based on forecast values of at least one of product and service configurations, and determining a resource requirements plan for one or more planning periods in a non-deterministic bill of resources of at least two levels.

Method and structure for risk-based resource planning for configurable products

Managing spend compliance may include receiving a set of spend transaction records containing one or more spend attributes, one or more compliance business rules and one or more investment scenarios that increase spend compliance. The compliance business rules may be applied to the transaction records and segments of transactions with predetermined high savings opportunities may be determined. A prioritized investment plan over one or more time periods that yield optimized return on investment may be generated based on applying the segments of transactions and the investment scenarios.

Optimizing procurement spend compliance

A control methodology and component in Business Performance Management (BPM) Systems. This enables firms to exploit control theoretic techniques for Business Performance Management. Information from BPM systems is used to calibrate models of the business process. This model is then used to assess and optimize control actions to manage business performance, on the basis of which a control action is selected for business process execution.

Method and apparatus combining control theory and business performance management

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for carbon management for sourcing and logistics. In one embodiment, the method comprises using a computer for quantifying both a cost and a carbon impact of one or more logistics policies relating to a manufacturing process; and minimizing the cost and carbon impact using a defined equation including a first component representing a transportation cost, and a second component representing a carbon cost. In an embodiment of the invention, the quantifying includes using an analytics engine to quantify the cost and carbon impact. The analytics engine may include a shipment analysis module to calculate an optimal transportation policy, a sourcing analysis module for testing alternate sourcing options, a scenario analysis module to find an optimal order frequency, and a sensitivity analysis module to test the impact of various changes.

Carbon management for sourcing and logistics

The present invention provides a method, system and computer program product for implementing an automated inventory replenishment process between a manufacturer and a business partner. In one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided comprising the business partner purchasing and maintaining an inventory of goods from the manufacturer, and the manufacturer providing price protection to the business partner for the purchasing of the goods. This embodiment further comprises managing said inventory by using an automated process that takes into account said price protection for the purchasing of the goods.

Business partner collaboration and buy analysis

Proactive demand shaping of configurable products with uncertain demand computes a lower bound and an upper bound on optimal profit by considering future demand distribution of one or more products, supply outlook of one or more components and customer behavior. The upper bound and the lower bound solutions are used to generate one or more rationing heuristics. Simulation may be used to determine a rationing policy to implement in practice.

Proactive demand shaping for a configurable product portfolio with uncertain demand

Win probability estimation model that statistically computes the probability of winning a bid at a given price, and profit optimization models that compute the optimal price for a bid balancing the probability of winning a bid at a price with the profitability of the bid at the given price. In one stage, an expected profit margin of a product may be formulated as a function of its profit margin and win probability to compute its optimal profit margin. In another stage, an expected profit for one or more product accessories may be formulated as a function of the profit margin and their conditional win probability given the server win to compute their optimal profit margins. The conditional win probabilities for the product accessories may be modeled as a function of the utilities of the various purchase options that contain the product and that accessory.

Configuration pricing strategies for multi-commodity request-for-quotes

A system and method evaluate product substitutions along multiple criteria in response to a sales opportunity, for instance, providing sales recommendations of configurable products in response to a customer request based on propensity functions. A customer propensity is determined to estimate attractiveness of a substitute product to a customer based on one or more attributes. A seller propensity is determined to estimate attractiveness to a seller of selling the substitute product based on one or more attributes. The customer propensity and the seller propensity are combined to find a plurality of substitute products.

Method and system for evaluating product substitutions along multiple criteria in response to a sales opportunity

The adaptive product conditioning is a computer-implemented method for identifying product configurations that can be provided to customers in reaction to supply imbalances. The methodology uses data mining techniques to collect and analyze business level meta data to coordinate supply and sales goals in terms of optimizing profits or managing product and technology transitions.

Adaptive product configuration model

A method and system for managing inventory under price protection plan determine an inventory replenishment plan for one or more goods considering a price protection agreement including at least length of price protection between at least two supply chain partners in a supply chain having decentralized control over a predetermined time period.

Method for managing inventory under price protection

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White Plains, NY, United States of America

Karthik Sourirajan