Methods and systems for managing production materials in vehicle factories

Abstract

A method and system for managing production materials in a vehicle factory are disclosed. The method includes: obtaining the current demand of the vehicle factory for a specific production material, the current demand being determined based on the current minimum safety stock level of the vehicle factory associated with the specific production material; determining a new minimum safety stock level for the vehicle factory associated with the specific production material, as a recommended minimum safety stock level; and determining a new demand of the vehicle factory for the specific production material, as a recommended demand level, based at least on the recommended minimum safety stock level.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle manufacturing, and more specifically, to methods and systems for managing production materials in a vehicle factory. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles are complex industrial products. Large vehicle factories often require the supply of thousands, even tens of thousands, of different production materials to manufacture them. Shortages of these materials can cause production halts, jeopardizing production safety. To ensure production safety, warehouses associated with vehicle factories typically store spare production materials. Some production materials may not have a significant correlation with vehicle production output. Therefore, determining the appropriate spare inventory levels for these materials often relies on human experience and requires manual consultation. Manually negotiating or adjusting spare inventory levels for each of the thousands of production materials is time-consuming. Moreover, in an effort to ensure production safety as much as possible, vehicle factory production technicians may tend to set excessively high spare inventory levels, resulting in a waste of storage space and capital. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a method for managing production materials in a vehicle factory, comprising: obtaining the current demand of the vehicle factory for a particular production material, the current demand being determined based on the current minimum safety stock level of the vehicle factory associated with the particular production material; determining a new minimum safety stock level for the vehicle factory associated with the particular production material as a recommended minimum safety stock level; and determining a new demand of the vehicle factory for the particular production material as a recommended demand level, at least based on the recommended minimum safety stock level.

[0004] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a computer system is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0005] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0006] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0007] The methods and systems disclosed herein can determine the optimal reserve quantity of production materials in a vehicle factory and manage the demand, allocation, transfer, and / or procurement of various production materials based on this optimal reserve quantity. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0009] This disclosure will become clearer with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating an environment in which the methods and systems of the present invention can be used according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 An exemplary flowchart of a method for managing production materials in a vehicle factory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 An exemplary flowchart of an additional method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of a process for replenishing production materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement and use the embodiments, and is provided in the context of a particular system and its requirements. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and systems without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments are not limited to those shown, but are to be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

[0016] To produce vehicles, large vehicle factories often require the supply of thousands or even tens of thousands of production materials. These production materials can be broadly divided into two categories. The first category of production materials can be called Serious Materials (SM), and the second category can be called Non-Serious Materials (NSM).

[0017] Critical materials can refer to parts that ultimately remain as part of the vehicle product. Examples of vehicle parts include, but are not limited to, one or more components used to assemble the frame, chassis, instruments, glass, interior trim, lights, fuel tank, powertrain, seats, bumpers, etc. The consumption of critical materials is directly related to vehicle production volume. Therefore, the appropriate reserve inventory level of critical materials can be determined based on the planned vehicle production volume of the vehicle factory.

[0018] In contrast to critical materials, non-critical materials refer to various materials used in the vehicle production process that do not typically remain on the vehicle product. Examples of non-critical materials include, for instance, general-purpose materials such as glue and absorbent paper, personal protective equipment such as gloves and helmets, measuring tools such as meters and calipers, machine tools such as wrenches and pliers, and so on. Non-critical materials are generally not specific to any particular vehicle model and can be used interchangeably between different vehicle production lines (or vehicle factories). The consumption of non-critical materials is generally not clearly correlated with vehicle production volume, making it difficult to determine the appropriate reserve inventory level for non-critical materials based on planned vehicle production output.

[0019] To prevent shortages of production materials (especially non-critical materials) from jeopardizing production security, a minimum safety stock level can be determined for each vehicle plant for each type of production material. The minimum safety stock level indicates the minimum quantity of production materials that should be held in the storage warehouse associated with the vehicle plant. If the quantity of a certain production material held in a storage warehouse serving the vehicle plant is less than the minimum safety stock level for that material, the material should be replenished to the storage warehouse until at least the minimum safety stock level is reached.

[0020] Minimum safety stock levels for each production material at each vehicle manufacturing plant can be established based on experience through manual negotiation. For example, inventory planners can consult with production technicians at each plant to set the minimum safety stock level for that plant's production materials. However, this manual negotiation process is time-consuming. Moreover, since vehicle production involves thousands of different production materials, it is difficult to frequently negotiate and update the minimum safety stock levels for each material. Furthermore, inappropriate (e.g., excessively high) minimum safety stock levels will lead to unnecessary storage of excessive spare production materials in warehouses, resulting in a waste of space and capital.

[0021] Therefore, this disclosure presents an improved method and system for managing production materials in a vehicle factory.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrates an environment 1000 in which the methods and systems of the present invention can be used according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 1As shown, environment 1000 may include one or more vehicle factories 1100, one or more storage warehouses 1200, an inventory management system 1300, and a material management platform 1400. Additionally or optionally, environment 1000 may also include suppliers 1500 and one or more user devices 1610 and 1620 of the vehicle factories.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, environment 1000 may include one or more vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3, collectively referred to as vehicle factory 1100. Vehicle factory 1100 may include, but is not limited to, workshops for producing, processing, or assembling vehicle products. Vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3 may be located in the same or different geographical areas. The production of vehicle products by vehicle factory 1100 consumes production materials, including critical and non-critical materials. Each of vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3 may submit a request for one or more production materials (e.g., the type and quantity of production materials) to a corresponding storage warehouse and obtain the requested production materials accordingly from the corresponding storage warehouse. Vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3 may produce vehicle products of the same model or different signals. For different models of vehicle products, the critical materials consumed may be different, but the non-critical materials consumed may be similar or the same.

[0024] Environment 1000 may further include one or more storage warehouses 1200-1, 1200-2, and 1200-3, collectively referred to as storage warehouse 1200. Each storage warehouse 1200 may be associated with a corresponding vehicle factory 1100 and store production materials for that vehicle factory 1100. Each storage warehouse 1200 may monitor the type and quantity of production materials stored in it. Each storage warehouse 1200 may be communicatively and logistically connected to the corresponding vehicle factory 1100. In one embodiment, each storage warehouse 1200 may be located near the corresponding vehicle factory 1100. In another embodiment, each storage warehouse 1200 may be included within the corresponding vehicle factory 1100. Each storage warehouse 1200 may provide requested production materials to the corresponding vehicle factory 1100 in response to a request from that vehicle factory 1100 for one or more production materials. Figure 1 In the example, storage warehouses 1200-1, 1200-2, and 1200-3 can serve vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3, respectively. In an alternative example, a single storage warehouse 1200 serves multiple vehicle factories 1100. In another alternative example, multiple storage warehouses 1200 can serve a single vehicle factory 1100.

[0025] According to embodiments of this disclosure, environment 1000 may include inventory management system 1300. Inventory management system 1300 may be communicatively connected to each storage warehouse 1200-1, 1200-2, and 1200-3. Inventory management system 1300 may be a single centralized system communicating with each storage warehouse. Alternatively, inventory management system 1300 may be a distributed system comprising subsystems associated with each storage warehouse 1200. Examples of inventory management system 1300 may include, but are not limited to, SAP (System Applications and Products) systems.

[0026] The inventory management system 1300 can be configured to monitor the types and quantities of production materials stored in various storage warehouses. In one example, when vehicle factory 1100-1 obtains a certain production material from storage warehouse 1200-1, the inventory management system 1300 can correspondingly reduce the recorded inventory quantity of that production material in storage warehouse 1200-1. In another example, when a certain production material is replenished to storage warehouse 1200-2, the inventory management system 1300 can correspondingly increase the recorded inventory quantity of that production material in storage warehouse 1200-2.

[0027] The inventory management system 1300 can also store and maintain the minimum safety stock level (represented herein by the MIN value) for each production material at each vehicle plant. When the current actual inventory level of a specific production material at a particular vehicle plant is less than the minimum safety stock level for that production material at that vehicle plant, the inventory management system 1300 can generate a demand for that specific production material for that particular vehicle plant. The generated demand level can indicate the minimum quantity of that specific production material that should be replenished to the storage warehouse associated with that vehicle plant. Different minimum safety stock levels can be stored for different production materials associated with the same vehicle plant. Different minimum safety stock levels can be stored for the same production material at different vehicle plants.

[0028] According to embodiments of this disclosure, environment 1000 may further include a material management platform 1400. The material management platform 1400 may be implemented on various computing devices and configured to provide the systems and methods of this disclosure. In one embodiment, the material management platform 1400 may be implemented on a different computing device and communicatively connected to the inventory management system 1300, such as... Figure 1 As shown. In an alternative embodiment, the material management platform 1400 can be implemented on the same computing device as the inventory management system 1300. Figure 5 An example of a computing device 5000 that can be used to implement the material management platform 1400 is described.

[0029] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to obtain various information from the inventory management system 1300, including but not limited to the demand for production materials for each vehicle plant, the minimum safety stock associated with production materials for each vehicle plant, the delivery history and consumption history of production materials for each vehicle plant, etc. The material management platform 1400 can also be configured to determine a new minimum safety stock and / or a new demand for production materials for each vehicle plant based on the obtained information. In some cases, the material management platform 1400 can send the new minimum safety stock and / or the new demand to the inventory management system 1300, replacing the current minimum safety stock and / or current demand currently stored in the inventory management system 1300.

[0030] According to embodiments of this disclosure, environment 1000 may additionally include supplier 1500. Supplier 1500 may be configured to deliver production materials associated with a purchase order to one or more designated storage warehouses in response to a purchase order from inventory management system 1300. Supplier 1500 is optional, therefore in Figure 1 It is shown in dashed lines. Although Figure 1 A single supplier is shown, but Environment 1000 can include more suppliers.

[0031] According to embodiments of this disclosure, environment 1000 may additionally include one or more user devices 1610 and 1620. User devices 1610 and 1620 may be devices associated with specific personnel in environment 1000. For example, user device 1610 may be a device associated with inventory planning personnel, while user device 1620 may be a device associated with production technicians in a vehicle factory. User devices 1610 and 1620 may be communicatively connected to material management platform 1400 to receive data and instructions from material management platform 1400, and / or send data and instructions to material management platform 1400, as further described below. User devices 1610 and 1620 are optional, therefore in Figure 1 It is shown in dashed lines.

[0032] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of components in the environment 1000 is merely illustrative. In alternative embodiments, the environment 1000 may include more or fewer components without limitation.

[0033] Figure 2 An exemplary flowchart of a method 2000 for managing production materials in a vehicle factory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Method 2000 may, for example, be... Figure 1The aforementioned material management platform 1400 is executed.

[0034] According to embodiments of this disclosure, method 2000 may begin at step 2100. In step 2100, the material management platform 1400 may obtain the current demand for a specific production material (e.g., a non-critical material) for a particular vehicle factory (e.g., vehicle factory 1100-1). This current demand may be determined based on the current minimum safety stock (MIN) associated with the specific production material at the vehicle factory.

[0035] In one example, the current demand could indicate the quantity of a specific production material that needs to be replenished from the storage warehouse associated with the vehicle factory to meet its minimum safety stock level. More specifically, the current demand (denoted by Qty) can be determined based on the current minimum safety stock level (MIN) set for the vehicle factory, the vehicle factory's consumption of the specific production material (denoted by C), and the current inventory level of the specific production material in the storage warehouse associated with the vehicle factory (denoted by S). For example, the current demand Qty could be determined as:

[0036] Qty=Maximum(MIN–(SC),0) (1)

[0037] Where Maximum() is the function to find the maximum value. Equation (1) shows that if MIN–(SC)>0, then the current demand Qty=MIN–(SC). Otherwise, the current demand Qty=0 (that is, no additional production materials are needed).

[0038] In one example, the inventory management system 1300 can calculate the current demand quantity Qty and send it to the material management platform 1400. In another example, the material management platform 1400 can retrieve the values ​​of C, S, and MIN from the inventory management system 1300 and calculate the current demand quantity Qty.

[0039] Then, method 2000 can proceed to step 2200. In step 2200, the material management platform 1400 can determine a new minimum safety stock level associated with a specific production material for the vehicle plant, as a recommended minimum safety stock level (denoted by MIN_rec).

[0040] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a materials management platform 1400 can automatically determine a new minimum safety stock level for a specific production material, as a recommended minimum safety stock level MIN_rec, based on various data associated with that material. This process may not require the involvement of inventory planners and / or production technicians at the vehicle plant. The materials management platform 1400 can obtain data associated with a specific production material from various data sources. As an example, the materials management platform 1400 can obtain this data from an inventory management system 1300. Additionally or optionally, one or more of this data may be stored at the materials management platform 1400 instead of the inventory management system 1300. This data associated with a specific production material can describe various characteristics of that material, including but not limited to its risk level, category, delivery times from suppliers, consumption during delivery times, etc. This data associated with a specific production material may also include one or more parameters associated with that material (such as a predetermined threshold Ht_threshold, safety factor N, etc., as described below).

[0041] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the materials management platform 1400 can determine a recommended minimum safety stock level MIN_rec based on the handover time (Ht) associated with a specific production material. The handover time associated with a specific production material relates to the length of time from the issuance of a purchase order for that specific production material to the delivery of that specific production material by the supplier. This length of time can be specific to the type and quantity of the specific production material, and one or more factors among the suppliers. As an example, the materials management platform 1400 can determine the handover time Ht associated with a specific production material based on the delivery history of that specific production material (e.g., obtained from or stored at the materials management platform 1400 from the inventory management system 1300) or any other information.

[0042] Specifically, if the value of Ht associated with a specific production material is less than the predetermined threshold Ht_threshold, then MIN_rec = MIN, meaning the recommended minimum safety stock level is equal to the current minimum safety stock level. Otherwise, candidate minimum safety stock levels (denoted by MIN_cand) can be calculated, and MIN_rec is determined as the smaller of MIN_cand and MIN. In this way, it can be ensured that the determined MIN_rec will not exceed the current minimum safety stock level MIN. Therefore, the recommended minimum safety stock level obtained by the material management platform 1400 will not change in the direction of increasing the minimum safety stock level.

[0043] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the value of Ht associated with a particular production material is less than a predetermined threshold Ht_threshold, a candidate minimum safety stock level MIN_cand can be further determined based on the consumption associated with that particular production material during the delivery period. Table 1 shows a specific example of using consumption to calculate MIN_cand.

[0044]

[0045] Table 1

[0046] N represents the safety factor, which can have a predetermined value. The value of N can gradually decrease as Ht increases. For example, corresponding to the four value ranges of Ht shown in Table 1, the value of N can be set to 1.5, 1.3, 1.1 and 1 respectively.

[0047] Dc represents the average consumption of a specific production material by the vehicle factory during all historical delivery periods. M_Dc represents the maximum consumption of a specific production material by the vehicle factory during all historical delivery periods. For example, if the inventory management system 1300 (or the material management platform 1400) records the consumption of a specific production material by the vehicle factory during all three past delivery periods as C1, C2, and C3, then the average consumption Dc and the maximum consumption M_Dc can be determined as follows:

[0048] Dc=(C1+C2+C3) / 3 (2)

[0049] M_Dc = Maximum(C1, C2, C3) (3)

[0050] In the example in Table 1, the predetermined threshold Ht_threshold is set to 1 (year) for example. Therefore, if Ht < 1, MIN_rec = MIN can be obtained. If Ht ≥ 1, different algorithms can be used to calculate the candidate minimum safety stock MIN_cand based on the category and consumption of the specific production material Dc and / or M_Dc.

[0051] Specifically, when a particular production material is in Category A (Category 1), the candidate minimum safety stock level MIN_cand can be calculated as follows:

[0052] MIN_cand=M_Dc*N (4)

[0053] When a specific production material is in Category B, the candidate minimum safety stock level MIN_cand can be calculated as follows:

[0054] MIN_cand=Maximum(Dc*N,M_Dc) (5)

[0055] When a specific production material is in Category 3 (Category C), the candidate minimum safety stock level MIN_cand can be calculated as follows:

[0056] MIN_cand=Dc (6)

[0057] After determining the candidate minimum safety stock MIN_cand, the smaller of the candidate minimum safety stock MIN_cand and the current minimum safety stock MIN can be determined as the recommended minimum safety stock MIN_rec, that is:

[0058] MIN_rec=Minimum(MIN_cand,MIN) (7)

[0059] Minimum() is the function that finds the minimum value.

[0060] It should be noted that the above description is merely an example embodiment for determining the recommended minimum safety stock MIN_rec. Alternative embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In one example, N may be set to a different value than the example values ​​in Table 1. In another example, N may be set to the same value for all values.

[0061] After determining the recommended minimum safety stock level MIN_rec, method 2000 can proceed to step 2300. In step 2300, the material management platform 1400 can determine the new demand for a specific production material at the vehicle plant, as the recommended demand level (denoted by Qty_rec), based at least on the recommended minimum safety stock level determined in step 2200.

[0062] In one example, the recommended demand Qty_rec can be determined based on the recommended minimum safety stock MIN_rec, the current minimum safety stock MIN, and the current demand Qty:

[0063] Qty_rec=Maximum(Qty+(MIN_rec-MIN),0) (8)

[0064] In another example, the recommended demand Qty_rec can be determined based on the recommended minimum safety stock MIN_rec, the vehicle factory's consumption of a specific production material (C), and the current inventory (S) of the specific production material in the storage warehouse associated with the vehicle factory:

[0065] Qty_rec=Maximum(MIN_rec–(SC),0) (9)

[0066] Equations (8) and (9) show that when MIN_rec = MIN, the recommended demand Qty_rec is equal to the current demand Qty; when MIN_rec < MIN, the recommended demand Qty_rec is less than the current demand Qty; if MIN_rec is small enough, the recommended demand Qty_rec may become 0 (i.e., no additional production materials are needed).

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, step 2100 may optionally include determining whether the current demand quantity Qty satisfies Qty>0 (i.e., replenishment of production materials may be necessary). If Qty>0, then proceed to step 2200. If Qty=0 (i.e., no replenishment of production materials is needed), then steps 2200 and 2300 are not performed. In the case of thousands of different production materials, this approach avoids performing steps 2200 and / or 2300 on production materials with sufficient inventory, thereby saving computational overhead.

[0068] In a preferred embodiment, step 2200 may optionally include determining whether the obtained new demand quantity MIN_rec satisfies MIN_rec≠MIN (i.e., the recommended demand quantity is different from the current demand quantity). If MIN_rec≠MIN, then proceed to step 2300. If MIN_rec = MIN (i.e., the recommended demand quantity is the same as the current demand quantity), then step 2300 can be omitted. In cases where there are thousands of production materials, this approach can further save computational overhead.

[0069] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the material management platform 1400 may also execute additional methods to update information associated with production materials and / or initiate processes for replenishing production materials. Figure 3 An exemplary flowchart of an additional method 3000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Method 3000 is optional and may be executed, for example, by a material management platform 1400 after step 2300 of method 2000.

[0070] Method 3000 can begin at step 3100. In step 3100, the material management platform 1400 can determine whether one or more preset conditions are met. As an example, one or more preset conditions may include, but are not limited to, combinations of conditions associated with the following: whether the risk level of a specific production material exceeds a predetermined risk level threshold; whether the recommended minimum safety stock level calculated for the vehicle factory for the specific production material is the same as the current minimum safety stock level; whether the recommended demand for the specific production material by the vehicle factory is greater than zero; whether the current price of the specific production material is greater than a predetermined price threshold, etc.

[0071] If one or more preset conditions are satisfied in step 3100, method 3000 may proceed to step 3200. In step 3200, the material management platform 1400 may be configured to send a confirmation request to the production technician at the vehicle plant. For example, the material management platform 1400 may send the confirmation request to the user device 1620 associated with the production technician. The confirmation request may include one or more request messages associated with the preset conditions satisfied in step 3100. The production technician may review the received request messages and (e.g., using the user device 1620) send a confirmation to the material management platform 1400. The confirmation may indicate that the production technician is aware of the one or more request messages included in the confirmation request and / or confirm that the one or more request messages are reasonable or correct.

[0072] Then, method 3000 can proceed to step 3300. In step 3300, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to determine whether confirmation has been received from the vehicle factory's production technicians. For example, if a denial is received from the vehicle technicians, or if no confirmation is received from the vehicle technicians within a specified time threshold, the material management platform 1400 can determine that no confirmation has been received from the vehicle factory's production technicians. The material management platform 1400 can record the sent request information and the received confirmation from the production technicians for traceability.

[0073] If no confirmation is received from production technicians in step 3300, method 3000 may proceed to step 3400, where the material management platform 1400 is configured to place the vehicle plant's demand for a specific production material in a pending state. In some examples, a manual consultation between inventory planners and production technicians may be triggered for the pending state.

[0074] In response to confirmation received from the production technician in step 3300, method 3000 may proceed to step 3500, where the material management platform 1400 may be configured to update information. For example, the material management platform 1400 may update the current minimum safety stock level for a specific production material to the recommended minimum safety stock level determined in step 2200, and / or update the current demand level for a specific production material to the recommended demand level determined in step 2300. The updated current minimum safety stock level may be stored as a minimum safety stock level for future use. The updated current demand level may be used in processes for replenishing production materials.

[0075] Then, method 3000 can proceed to step 3600. In step 3600, a process for replenishing production materials can be triggered based on the current demand (e.g., an updated current demand). This process can be used to replenish a specific production material in the current demand quantity to a storage warehouse associated with the vehicle plant, such that the storage warehouse has at least the current minimum safety stock level of that specific production material. As further described below, the process for replenishing production materials may include a transfer process for that production material, a procurement process, or a combination thereof.

[0076] Preferred embodiments of the preset conditions that can be used in step 3100 are described below. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the various preferred embodiments described, and that some or all of the various preferred embodiments can be combined.

[0077] In a preferred embodiment, the preset conditions in step 3100 may include a risk level exceeding a predetermined risk level threshold for a specific production material. For example, risk levels, such as high, medium, or low risk levels, or numerical risk levels, may be assigned to various production materials associated with the vehicle plant. The risk level associated with each production material can be used to measure the degree of risk that a shortage of that production material's inventory might pose to production safety. A predetermined risk level threshold may also be set, allowing the materials management platform 1400 to focus on the inventory of production materials exceeding the risk level threshold. The risk levels and predetermined risk level thresholds may be stored in the inventory management system 1300 or the materials management platform 1400. In step 3100, the materials management platform 1400 may be configured to retrieve the risk level associated with a specific production material and compare it to the predetermined risk level threshold to determine whether the risk level of the specific production material exceeds the predetermined risk level threshold. In response to determining that the risk level of a specific production material exceeds the predetermined risk level threshold, the materials management platform 1400 may send a confirmation request to the vehicle plant's production technicians in step 3200. One or more request messages in this confirmation request may contain an indication that the risk level of the specific production material exceeds the predetermined risk level threshold. In response to receiving confirmation from the production technician in step 3300, the material management platform 1400 may trigger a process for replenishing the specific production material in step 3600.

[0078] In another preferred embodiment, the preset conditions in step 3100 may include a recommended demand greater than zero and a recommended minimum safety stock different from the current minimum safety stock. A recommended minimum safety stock different from the current minimum safety stock means that the material management platform 1400 believes the current minimum safety stock may need adjustment. A recommended demand greater than zero means that there is still demand for the specific production material at the recommended minimum safety stock level. In this case, it is reasonable to send a confirmation request to the production technicians for confirmation. Therefore, in response to determining that the recommended demand is greater than zero and the recommended minimum safety stock is different from the current minimum safety stock, the material management platform 1400 may send a confirmation request to the vehicle factory's production technicians in step 3200. One or more request information in this confirmation request may, for example, include the recommended minimum safety stock and the recommended demand for the specific production material. In response to receiving confirmation from the production technicians, the material management platform 1400 may update the current demand for the specific production material to the recommended demand in step 3500, and update the current minimum safety stock for the specific production material to the recommended minimum safety stock. Then, in step 3600, the material management platform 1400 can trigger a process to replenish specific production materials based on the recommended demand (i.e., the updated current demand).

[0079] In another preferred embodiment, the preset conditions in step 3100 may include a recommended demand quantity greater than zero and a current price of the specific production material greater than a predetermined price threshold. As previously mentioned, a recommended demand quantity greater than zero means that there is still demand for the specific production material at the recommended minimum safety stock level. A current price of the specific production material greater than the predetermined price threshold means that high procurement costs may occur. In this case, it is reasonable to send a confirmation request to the production technicians for confirmation. Therefore, in response to determining that the recommended demand quantity is greater than zero and the current price of the specific production material is greater than the predetermined price threshold, the material management platform 1400 may send a confirmation request to the production technicians at the vehicle factory in step 3200. One or more request information in this confirmation request may, for example, include one or more of the recommended demand quantity, current price, or predetermined price threshold for the specific production material. In response to receiving confirmation from the production technicians, the material management platform 1400 may update the current demand quantity of the specific production material to the recommended demand quantity in step 3500. Then, the material management platform 1400 may trigger a process for replenishing the specific production material in step 3600 based on the recommended demand quantity (i.e., the updated current demand quantity).

[0080] According to embodiments of this disclosure, confirmation by a production technician is an optional step rather than a mandatory one. For example, if it is determined in step 3100 that one or more preset conditions are not met, one or more steps in method 3000 can be skipped and other steps can be performed directly.

[0081] In one example, if in step 3100 it is determined that the risk level of a specific production material does not exceed a predetermined risk level threshold and the recommended demand for that specific production material is zero, and the recommended minimum safety stock is different from the current minimum safety stock, then the material management platform 1400 can directly execute step 3500 to update the current demand for that specific production material to the recommended demand, and update the current minimum safety stock to the recommended minimum safety stock. That is, if the recommended minimum safety stock results in a recommended demand of zero (i.e., no process for replenishing production materials is triggered), the current minimum safety stock can be updated to the recommended minimum safety stock without confirmation from production technicians.

[0082] In one example, if in step 3100 it is determined that the risk level of a specific production material does not exceed a predetermined risk level threshold, the recommended demand for the specific production material is greater than zero, the recommended minimum safety stock is the same as the current minimum safety stock, and the current price of the specific production material is not greater than a predetermined price threshold, then step 3600 can be directly initiated without confirmation from production technicians. In other words, for production materials with a low risk level, where the minimum safety stock does not need adjustment, and where the current price is below the predetermined price threshold, the process for replenishing the specific production material can be triggered directly.

[0083] Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of a process 4000 for replenishing production materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Process 4000 may, for example, be executed by a materials management platform 1400 in step 3600 of method 3000. For clarity, it is assumed that in step 3600 it is determined that a particular production material should be replenished to vehicle plant 1100-1 based on the current demand Qty for that particular production material.

[0084] According to embodiments of this disclosure, process 4000 may begin at step 4100. In step 4100, the material management platform 1400 may be configured to determine multiple surplus inventory levels associated with a specific production material. Each of these surplus inventory levels is associated with each of the multiple vehicle factories managed by the material management platform 1400, excluding vehicle factory 1100-1. For example, as... Figure 1As shown, the material management platform 1400 can manage vehicle factories 1100-1, 1100-2, and 1100-3. Accordingly, the material management platform 1400 can determine the surplus inventory of a specific production material in each of the storage warehouses 1200-2 and 1200-3 associated with vehicle factories 1100-2 and 1100-3. The surplus inventory Qty_extra_i of a specific production material in each storage warehouse can be calculated as:

[0085] Qty_extra_i=Maximum((S_i–MIN_i),0) (10)

[0086] Where i represents the index of the i-th vehicle factory (excluding vehicle factory 1100-1) among multiple vehicle factories, S_i represents the current inventory of the specific production material in the storage warehouse associated with the i-th vehicle factory, and MIN_i represents the minimum safety stock of the specific production material associated with the i-th vehicle factory.

[0087] As can be seen from equation (10), if S_i–MIN_i>0, then the surplus inventory associated with the i-th vehicle factory is Qty_extra_i=S_i–MIN_i; otherwise, the surplus inventory is Qty_extra_i=0, that is, there is no surplus inventory of this specific production material associated with the i-th vehicle factory.

[0088] Then, process 4000 can continue to step 4200. In step 4200, the materials management platform 1400 can be configured to send a transfer request to each additional vehicle factory with a surplus inventory greater than zero, to transfer a specific production material from that additional vehicle factory to vehicle factory 1100-1. The vehicle factory receiving the transfer request can instruct its associated storage warehouse to transfer the surplus inventory of the specific production material to vehicle factory 1100-1. In this way, production materials can be transferred between multiple vehicle factories. Moreover, transferring production materials between multiple vehicle factories can be much faster than purchasing production materials. Sharing production materials can reduce procurement costs and procurement time. Sharing production materials is particularly suitable for non-critical materials, as non-critical materials are typically generic materials not specific to any particular vehicle model.

[0089] In a preferred embodiment, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to send transfer requests only to those vehicle factories in each other that are no more than a specified distance threshold from vehicle factory 1100-1. For example, transfer requests could be sent only to other vehicle factories located in the same city as vehicle factory 1100-1. This avoids the time and cost associated with long-distance transfers of production materials.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to send a transfer request to the production technician (e.g., user equipment 1620 associated with the production technician) of each additional vehicle plant with a surplus inventory greater than zero, requesting the production technician's confirmation. The additional vehicle plant may transfer the specific production material to vehicle plant 1100-1 only after the production technician's confirmation. If no confirmation is received from the production technician, the additional vehicle plant does not transfer the specific production material to vehicle plant 1100-1, and the surplus inventory Qty_extra_i corresponding to that additional vehicle plant in equation (10) can be set to zero.

[0091] Then, process 4000 can continue to step 4300. In step 4300, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to determine whether the specific production material replenished through the transfer process can meet the current demand for the specific production material of vehicle plant 1100-1. For example, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to update the current demand for the specific production material of the first vehicle plant based on the sum of multiple surplus inventory levels in step 4200. Specifically, the updated current demand Qty_update can be represented as:

[0092] Qty_update=Qty-∑Qty_extra_i (11)

[0093] Here, Qty is the current demand determined at the beginning of process 4000 (i.e., the current demand determined in step 3600), and ∑Qty_extra_i represents the sum of multiple surplus inventory quantities in step 4200.

[0094] If Qty_update is not greater than zero, the specific production material replenished through the transfer process will be able to meet the current demand for the specific production material in vehicle plant 1100-1, and process 4000 can end without triggering the procurement process.

[0095] If Qty_update is greater than zero, the specific production material replenished through the transfer process will not be able to meet the current demand for the specific production material at vehicle plant 1100-1, and process 4000 can continue to step 4400. In step 4400, the material management platform 1400 can be configured to trigger a procurement process. For example, the material management platform 1400 can send Qty_update to the inventory management system 1300 to instruct the inventory management system 1300 to initiate a procurement process. Alternatively, the material management platform 1400 can initiate a procurement process autonomously based on Qty_update. The procurement process allows the acquisition of the specific production material to be replenished from supplier 1500. The procurement process may include preparing a purchase order for the specific production material, approving the purchase order, sending the purchase order to supplier 1500, and monitoring the completion of the purchase order. As an example, the procurement process may be a call-off process, a one-time buy (OTB) process, a PRIE (Purchasing Requisition Immediate Execution) process, or any other procurement process.

[0096] Process 4000 allows the materials management platform 1400 to first initiate a transfer process between multiple vehicle plants to replenish a specific production material shortage at a particular vehicle plant (e.g., vehicle plant 1100-1), and then initiate a procurement process for the remaining demand that cannot be replenished through the transfer process. In this way, production materials can be shared to the greatest extent possible across multiple vehicle plants, reducing lengthy procurement processes, thereby reducing total inventory of production materials, saving inventory space, and lowering costs while ensuring the safety of production at each vehicle plant.

[0097] Although process 4000 describes a combination of transfer and procurement processes, in an alternative embodiment, only the procurement process may be executed to replenish specific production materials required by vehicle plant 1100-1. That is, material management platform 1400 may trigger the procurement process based on the current demand for specific production materials of vehicle plant 1100-1 determined in step 3600 of method 3000, without executing the transfer process described in steps 4100-4300.

[0098] According to embodiments of this disclosure, one or more of method 2000, additional method 3000, and process 4000 can be executed periodically. Furthermore, although this disclosure primarily describes these methods and processes for a single production material in a single vehicle plant, those skilled in the art will understand that these methods and processes can be executed for each vehicle plant, storage warehouse, and each production material associated with those vehicle plants, all associated with the material management platform 1400. For example, these methods and processes can be executed iteratively each day before starting production at each vehicle plant. The execution for multiple vehicle plants and / or production materials can be performed concurrently or sequentially.

[0099] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a computing device 5000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The computing device 5000 can be used to implement the material management platform 1400 of the present disclosure. The computing device 5000 can be implemented as a server, computer, tablet computer, smartphone, wearable device, etc. The computing device 5000 may include a communication module 5100, a storage module 5200, and a processing circuit 5300.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the communication module 5100 can perform communication between the computing device 5000 and other devices. According to an embodiment, the communication module 5100 can be adapted to different wired or wireless communication protocols, including but not limited to various Ethernet communications, fiber optic communications, cellular communications, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. According to an embodiment, the communication module 5100 can be implemented as a communication interface component such as an antenna device, radio frequency circuitry, and part of the baseband processing circuitry. The communication module 5100 is drawn with dashed lines because it can also be located within the processing circuitry 5300 or outside the computing device 5000.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the storage module 5200 can store information generated by the processing circuit 5300, information received from other devices via the communication module 5100, programs, machine code, and data used for operation of the computing device 5000, etc. The storage module 5200 is drawn with dashed lines because it can be located either within the processing circuit 5300 or outside the computing device 5000. The storage module 5200 can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. For example, the storage module 5200 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the processing circuit 5300 can be used to implement various functions of the computing device 5000. According to an embodiment, the computing device 5000 can be implemented as a material management platform 1400. Accordingly, the processing circuit 5300 can perform the corresponding methods and functions described herein. The processing circuit 5300 can be implemented as one or more processors, integrated circuits, field-programmable logic arrays, etc. The processing circuit 5300 can execute computer programs or instructions to perform one or more methods and functions described in this disclosure.

[0103] This disclosure can be implemented as a system, method, and / or computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to perform aspects of this disclosure.

[0104] Computer-readable storage media can be tangible devices capable of holding and storing instructions for use by an instruction execution device. Computer-readable storage media can be, for example (but not limited to), electronic storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes the following: portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital universal disc (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanical encoding devices (such as punch cards or recessed protrusions storing instructions thereon), and any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, computer-readable storage media is not to be construed as transient signals themselves, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses through fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

[0105] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from computer-readable storage media to various computing / processing devices, or downloaded via a network (e.g., the Internet, local area network, wide area network, and / or wireless network) to an external computer or external storage device. The network may include copper cables, fiber optic cables, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards them to computer-readable storage media within the respective computing / processing device.

[0106] Computer-readable program instructions used to perform the operations of this disclosure may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​(such as Smalltalk, C++, etc.) and conventional procedural programming languages ​​(such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages). The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network (including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry, including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs), may be personalized by utilizing state information from the computer-readable program instructions to perform aspects of this disclosure.

[0107] This document describes aspects of the present disclosure with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0108] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, these instructions create means for implementing the functions / behaviors specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other device to operate in a particular manner, thereby including an article of manufacture comprising instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / behaviors specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0109] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby causing the instructions to be executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to perform the functions / behaviors specified in one or more boxes of a flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0110] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a portion of a module, segment, or instruction containing one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the figures. For example, depending on the functions involved, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, or these blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order. It will also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or behavior or executes a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0111] Those skilled in the art should also understand that the various operations illustrated in sequence in the embodiments of this disclosure do not necessarily have to be performed in the illustrated order. Those skilled in the art can adjust the order of operations as needed. They can also add more operations or omit some operations as needed.

[0112] Various embodiments of this disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical application, or improvements to technology found in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for managing production materials of a vehicle factory, comprising: obtaining a current demand quantity of a vehicle factory for a particular production material, the current demand quantity determined based on a current minimum safety stock quantity of the vehicle factory associated with the particular production material, wherein the particular production material is a production material that is not a component part of a vehicle; determining a new minimum safety stock quantity for the vehicle factory associated with the particular production material as a recommended minimum safety stock quantity, wherein determining the new minimum safety stock quantity comprises: determining a delivery time associated with the particular production material based on a delivery history of the particular production material; determining whether the delivery time is less than a predetermined delivery time threshold; in response to the delivery time being less than the predetermined delivery time threshold: causing the new minimum safety stock quantity to be equal to the current minimum safety stock quantity; and in response to the delivery time not being less than the predetermined delivery time threshold: calculating a candidate minimum safety stock quantity, wherein the candidate minimum safety stock quantity is determined based on a consumption quantity of the particular production material by the vehicle factory during historical delivery times; and determining the new minimum safety stock quantity to be a lesser of the current minimum safety stock quantity and the candidate minimum safety stock quantity; and determining a new demand quantity of the vehicle factory for the particular production material based on the recommended minimum safety stock quantity as a recommended demand quantity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the current demand quantity indicates an amount of the particular production material that should be replenished in order to reach the current minimum safety stock quantity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that a risk level of the particular production material exceeds a predetermined risk level threshold, sending a confirmation request to a production technician of the vehicle factory; and in response to receiving a confirmation of the production technician: triggering a process for replenishing the particular production material.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the recommended demand quantity is greater than zero and the recommended minimum safety stock quantity is different from a current minimum safety stock quantity, sending a confirmation request to a production technician of the vehicle factory; in response to receiving a confirmation of the production technician: updating the current demand quantity to be the recommended demand quantity and updating the current minimum safety stock quantity to be the recommended minimum safety stock quantity; and based on the current demand quantity, triggering a process for replenishing the particular production material.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the recommended demand quantity is greater than zero and a current price of the particular production material is greater than a predetermined price threshold, sending a confirmation request to a production technician of the vehicle factory; and in response to receiving a confirmation of the production technician: updating the current demand quantity to be the recommended demand quantity; and based on the current demand quantity, triggering a process for replenishing the particular production material.

6. The method of any one of claims 3-5, further comprising: ​ ​ ​ in response to not receiving the confirmation from the production technician, placing a demand for the particular production material by the vehicle factory in a pending state.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that all of the following conditions are met, triggering a process for replenishing the particular production material without requiring confirmation from a production technician of the vehicle factory: the risk level of the particular production material does not exceed a predetermined risk level threshold; the recommended demand quantity is greater than zero; the recommended minimum safety stock quantity is the same as the current minimum safety stock quantity; and a current price of the particular production material is not greater than a predetermined price threshold.

8. The method of any one of claims 3-5 or 7, wherein, the process for replenishing the particular production material is a purchase process based on the current demand quantity.

9. The method of any one of claims 3-5 or 7, wherein, the vehicle factory is a first vehicle factory of a plurality of vehicle factories, the process for replenishing the particular production material includes a transfer process, the transfer process including: determining a plurality of surplus stock quantities associated with the particular production material, each surplus stock quantity associated with each additional vehicle factory of the plurality of vehicle factories other than the first vehicle factory; and sending a transfer request to each additional vehicle factory having a surplus stock quantity greater than zero to transfer the particular production material from the additional vehicle factory to the first vehicle factory.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: updating the current demand quantity for the particular production material by the first vehicle factory based on a sum of the plurality of surplus stock quantities; and in response to determining that the updated current demand quantity is greater than zero, triggering a purchase process based on the updated current demand quantity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, the purchase process includes at least one of: a protocol purchase process, a one-time purchase process, a PRIE purchase process.

12. A computing device comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11. ​

Images