International Business Machines Corporation

Robert A Orzell

Robert J Milne

Shivakumar P Patil

Brian Trevor Denton

Chi-Tai Wang

Sanjay R Hegde

Alfred Degbotse

Geetaram Savlaram Dangat

Chih-Kuan Yen

Mahesh Chandra Pati

Xueqing Tang

Thomas Robert Ervolina

Jacqueline N Ward

Satyadeep Vajjala

Shuchen Li

Anand R Gokhale

Robert L Reid

Yuchung Wong

Samik Raychaudhuri

John P O'Neil

The invention provides a method of rescheduling timing of when items on purchase orders are scheduled to be received in a linear programming production planning system. This methodology performs a pre-processing rescheduling of the timing of purchase order receipts into the earliest time period allowable in a pre-processing step. After this pre-processing, the invention solves the core production planning system equations using the rescheduled purchase order receipts. Then, the invention performs post-processing rescheduling, which sorts the purchase order receipts according to rescheduling flexibility, and subsequently sequentially reschedules the timing of each of the purchase order receipts in the order established by the sorting process. This process of sequentially rescheduling reschedules the timing of purchase order receipts into the latest time period allowable.

Method for purchase order rescheduling in a linear program

A production planning technique inputs demands for products. Each of the demands having multiple due dates, and the multiple due dates having different priorities. An explosion process utilizing linear programming and heuristics is performed to identify demands for components that are used to make the products (the explosion process maintains the multiple due dates and corresponding priorities for the components) and performs an implosion process utilizing linear programming and heuristics to assign resources to the components considering the multiple due dates and corresponding priorities.

Large scale supply planning

A method of iterative negotiation for improved production planning between one or more purchasers and suppliers in a supply chain. The method includes a purchaser in a supply chain generating a request schedule that is communicated to a supplier. In response to the request schedule the supplier generates a commit schedule and communicates it back to the purchaser. Through the iterative negotiation process (ask-answer) one or more interpolation constraints are generated based on the supplier's commit schedules. Upon completion of the ask-answer process purchaser solves a final advanced planning system (APS) based on said one or more interpolation constraints and generates a final production plan. The invention can be employed to integrate the collaboration among purchasers and suppliers 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).

System for and method of interpolation for supply chain planning

The invention disclosed here is a method for achieving simultaneous consideration of multiple independent dates associated with a single demand. The method iterates through the demands to match the demands with the supply quantities respecting demand priorities which vary over time and demand quantities which may perish over time. One embodiment of the invention allocates demand to supply through an iterative process beginning with earlier demand requirement dates and concluding with later demands which may preempt supply from earlier demands depending upon their relative priorities. An additional embodiment transforms the demands to create multiple demand records, each having an associated priority, such that a single original demand record is transformed into a plurality of related demand records, each having an associated priority. The component supply quantities are accumulated into period ending inventories. The method matches the multiple demand records (in priority sequence) to the period ending inventories.

Supply consumption optimization and multiple component utilization

The methodology disclosed herein calculates the dates that product must come to stock for every component in the supply chain as needed to meet exit demands associated with a plurality of due dates and priorities. Every planned product stock is thus associated with multiple stock dates and associated priorities as is every planned manufacturing start and every shipment.

Method for calculating a materials requirements plan for demands containing multiple demand dates and priorities

A method, a system for practicing the method and a storage device storing the method for identifying product assets in a supply chain used to satisfy customer demands. The method including: receiving a feasible schedule of all components to be assembled into products; receiving customer schedules for delivery of the products; and generating from the feasible schedule, from the customer schedules and from bills of materials listing all components required for a particular product, a set of demand pegging records, the demand pegging records associating a quantity and an availability date of each component of each product with a required quantity of each of the products, each demand pegging record consistent with the feasible schedule.

Method for identifying product assets in a supply chain used to satisfy multiple customer demands

A production planning method inputs demands for products. The demands have multiple due dates, and the multiple due dates have different priorities. The method performs an explosion process utilizing linear programming and heuristics to identify demands for components that are used to make the products (the explosion process maintains the multiple due dates and corresponding priorities for the components) and performs an implosion process utilizing linear programming and heuristics to assign resources to the components considering the multiple due dates and corresponding priorities.

A method determines production starts in a manufacturing environment by inputting production starts. The method groups the production starts into production lots according to grouping rules and assigns start dates and associated priorities to each of the production lots based on business priorities. Each production start date of a production lot can have a different priority. The method sorts the production lots according to the associated priorities and the start dates. Then the method capacitates the production lots by iterating through the production lots to assign production capacity to the production lots in order of the associated priorities and the start dates.

Method for resource allocation and re-grouping recognizing competing priorities which vary by date

A method and system for resource rationing which employs decision rules for the optimal allocation of supply and capacity over time that satisfy two key requirements (a) being consistent with accepted operational objectives (e.g. low inventory, short lead times, prioritized allocation of supply and capacity) and (b) allowing for the timely computation of a feasible production schedule. The method and system is generally characterized in that it is able to divide each of the priority ranked scheduled releases (Material Requirements Planning (MRP)) into 'N' separate and smaller sized scheduled releases where the priority of each of the 'N' releases may be equal to the priority of the original release. The &#x201c;N&#x201d; separate and smaller sized scheduled releases are sorted according to priority and then used to determine an optimal supply schedule for allocating resources including component supply and assembly capacity.

Method for allocating limited component supply and capacity to optimize production scheduling

The invention provides a method and system for determining a production plan that includes a first step that determines the minimum number of manufacturing starts that are required to meet contractual obligations; and a second step which determines a production plan satisfying the minimum manufacturing starts together with other customer demands. More specifically, the invention presents a method of allocating production starts (e.g., wafer starts) in a manufacturing facility (e.g., wafer foundry) using a linear programming production planning system which performs a first stage of linear programming to satisfy only contractually mandated minimum production starts constraints followed by a second stage of linear programming to satisfy the additional constraints, once the minimum starts constraints are satisfied.

Method for optimizing foundry capacity

A method and system for efficient allocation of limited manufacturing resources over time to meet customer demand. At the enterprise planning level this typically requires determination of a feasible production schedule for an extended supply chain. The method and system utilizes a new and unique type of systematic decomposition based on both product and process considerations. This approach simultaneously reduces the model size (and therefore computation time) and increases modeling flexibility from strictly linear programming based decision making to include more general nonlinear programming characteristics.

Decomposition system and method for solving a large-scale semiconductor production planning problem

A method and system for controlling sequential capacity allocation through modification of traditional low level codes (LLC). The method and system of the present invention employs a systematic set of decision rules for interactively adjusting LLCs so that they are consistent with interdependencies of resources among parts due to resource sharing.

Method of calculating low level codes for considering capacities

A computer-implemented decision-support tool serves as a solver to generate a projected supply planning (PSP) or estimated supply planning (ESP) match between existing assets and demands across multiple manufacturing facilities within the boundaries established by the manufacturing specifications and process flows and business policies to determine what supply can be provided over what time-frame by manufacturing and establishes a set of actions or guidelines for manufacturing to incorporate into their manufacturing execution system to ensure that the delivery commitments are met in a timely fashion. The PSP or ESP tool resides within a data provider tool that pulls the required production and distribution information. PSP matching is driven directly by user-supplied guidelines on how to flow or flush assets 'forward' to some inventory or holding point. After the supply plan is created, the analyst compares this plan against an expected demand profile.

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Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Robert A Orzell