International Business Machines Corporation

Thomas Robert Ervolina

Markus Ettl

Karthik Sourirajan

Feng Cheng

Pawan Raghunath Chowdhary

Young Min Lee

Anshul Sheopuri

Pu Huang

Jung-Mu Tang

Daniel Patrick Connors

Lianjun An

Daniel John Peters

Brian T Eck

Ramesh Srinivasan

Anthony V Ferreri

George W Reiche

Walter C Dietrich, Jr

John Peter Fasano

Yunhee Jang

Laurence Allan Phillips

Vikas Agrawal

Robert J Milne

Robert J Baseman

Brian Trevor Denton

Dharmashankar Subramanian

Robert A Orzell

Kaan Kudsi Katircioglu

William Grey

Ching-Hua Chen-Ritzo

Michael T Geroulo

Sarah Elizabeth Santo

Elizabeth Jodi Poole

Amanda Kotecki

Grant Lindsey MacKay

Goodwin R Chin

Samik Raychaudhuri

Michael Georg Pauliks

Michael Lee Bundy

Darrell Lavern Harrod

James Kanuch

Systematically and comprehensively identifying and evaluating structure changes in MRP runs. A multi-step process employs a crawler analytic to: transform dated structure inputs to time based patterns which represent effectivity windows within the plan horizon for child parts on BOM or interplant records; employ a multi-stage multi dimensional recursive optimizing pattern matcher method to associate effectivity window patterns, within the current cycle MRP input space, across a sequential series of MRP cycles, and across like entities, into transition sets which likely represent shifts in BOM content and/or interplant relationships; tie changes to top level demand drivers and effected component items; rationalize in and cross cycle, cross location, structure differences with trends in component and driver demand to identify candidate soft spots in part and/or relationship changes which can negatively impact the exploded demand result; distill the analysis to a consumable view which visually renders the problem and impact.

Validation of supply chain data structures

Market demand is estimated for a firm under crisis, beginning with an operational demand forecast of a firm as input, correcting that forecast to account for the impact of a pandemic or other extraordinary market-disrupting circumstance, and providing a corrected operational demand forecast as output. The correction to account for the impact of an extraordinary market-disrupting circumstance is based on an estimated economic impact of the disruption and an estimated reduction of the firm's sales force attributable to the disruption.

Method and system for estimating demand impact on a firm under crisis

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

Methods, systems and apparatus for providing a variety of end product build plans based on multiple business scenarios for exhausting excess inventory. Raw financial data and variable scaling factors are input into a scenario engine component along with a business objective that contains logic. The scaling factor may be embedded within the logic of the business objective, or it may be selected by a user to indicate the user's preferences. The scenario engine then applies the financial data and variable scaling factor inputs to the business objective logic to generate modified financial data. The logic of the business objective may also be manipulated to provide modified logic. The modified financial data, and optionally the modified logic, are then input into an optimizer component for determining multiple portfolios for end products that, if built, would consume excess inventory.

Method of generating multiple recommendations for multi-objective available-to-sell (ATS) optimization problem

A method and storage medium for utilizing excess inventory of parts that are used in end products and having part identifiers are provided. The method includes identifying an excess inventory of parts including part identifiers and a quantity associated with each part identifier. The method also includes identifying potential end products for manufacture comprising a Bill of Materials (BOM) for each end product and where each BOM calls out at least one part identifier in the excess inventory of parts. The method further includes determining a build plan including one or more of the potential end products, the build plan optimized to specific criteria and utilizing an amount of the excess inventory whereby the specific criteria include maximizing the quantity of the excess inventory utilized without exceeding a specific dollar value of additional parts purchased to produce the build plan.

Method, system, and storage medium for facilitating excess inventory utilization in a manufacturing environment

Methods, systems and apparatus for providing a variety of end product build plans based on multiple business scenarios for exhausting excess inventory. Raw financial data and variable scaling-factors are input into a scenario engine component along with a business objective that contains logic. The scaling factor may be embedded within the logic of the business objective, or it may be selected by a user to indicate the user's preferences. The scenario engine then applies the financial data and variable scaling factor inputs to the business objective logic to generate modified financial data. The logic of the business objective may also be manipulated to provide modified logic. The modified financial data, and optionally the modified logic, are then input into an optimizer component for determining multiple portfolios for end products that, if built, would consume excess inventory.

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

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system and storage medium for utilizing excess inventory comprising parts used in end products. The method comprises: translating sales specific terminology describing end products into bill of material terminology describing parts used in end products via a bill of material structure; and, utilizing the bill of material structure, determining an optimal build plan for end items that, if built, would consume a desired quantity and/or type of excess inventory. The invention also comprises a system and storage medium.

A value-based framework is used for managing inventory. This framework allows firms to set risk and return targets for inventory related capital investments and operational management. A set of possible inventory investments is generated, and a value of possible inventory investments is then computed. The value of possible inventory investments is computed by first decomposing cash flows associated with the inventory investment into a combination of cash flows that can be represented by a portfolio comprised of long and short positions in an underlying asset. Then a valuation methodology is used to compute the value of each long and short position in the portfolio. The values of each long and short position in the portfolio is summed to determine a value of the portfolio. The value of the inventory investment is set equal to the value of the portfolio. An inventory investment with a best value is selected.

Value-based framework for inventory management

A method and system for performing master planning priority assignment is presented. The method includes assigning a priority to a demand record that contains at least one demand attribute and a priority field. The assignment includes identifying a database that contains priority assignment rules for demand records and then querying the rule database to find the database record that corresponds to the particular demand record. The corresponding database record is found by matching the data in the attribute fields in the rule database and the demand record. The priority associated with the matching priority database record is assigned to the demand record. Additional embodiments include a system and storage medium for performing master planning priority assignment.

Method and system for master planning priority assignment

A decision-making method suitable for production planning in an uncertain demand environment. To this end, the method comprises combining an implosion technology with a scenario-based analysis, thus manifesting, a sui generis capability which preserves the advantages and benefits of each of its subsumed aspects.

Method for production planning in an uncertain demand environment

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Poughquag, NY, United States of America

Thomas Robert Ervolina