Material inventory management method and device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a material inventory management method and device, equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of data processing. The method comprises the steps that an agent program is deployed at a storage node, the agent program is used for periodically collecting material inventory information of the storage node, and a material inventory management strategy is obtained based on the material inventory information and demand information. Wherein the demand information refers to the predicted used or consumed quantity of the materials, and the management strategy is used for indicating allocation and use plans of the materials among different storage nodes. Therefore, real-time acquisition of the material inventory information can be realized by deploying the agent program at the storage node, and a scientific and reasonable management strategy is generated in combination with the material inventory information and the demand information, so that the problem of inventory excess or shortage caused by experience decision can be effectively avoided, reasonable allocation and efficient utilization of the materials are realized, and the management efficiency is improved. And the overall benefit of enterprise material inventory management is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of data processing technology, and in particular to methods, apparatus, equipment and storage media for managing material inventory. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of supply chain management, dynamic inventory balancing is a core element for enterprises to reduce operating costs and improve fulfillment efficiency. As enterprises expand their business scale and deepen their cross-regional layout, higher demands are placed on the real-time control of inventory at multiple warehousing nodes, the accurate matching of multi-level demand, and the efficient allocation of global resources.

[0003] Currently, existing technologies related to inventory balancing management can be mainly categorized into three types: First, e-commerce marketing-oriented inventory control solutions, which generate random probability values ​​for users and combine inventory attribute offsets with user purchase offsets, using a random reduction algorithm to match inventory with consumer behavior. Second, supply and demand balancing solutions in live-streaming e-commerce scenarios, which optimize inventory management by jointly analyzing live-streaming video segments, return probabilities, and replenishment strategies. Third, material balancing solutions in the aerospace manufacturing field, which balance procurement demand and inventory resources according to four resource categories: inventory, pending inspection, contracts, and plans, adjusting available quantities and generating net demand through material utilization rate and inspection consumption rate.

[0004] However, existing technologies generally have significant shortcomings: multi-warehouse storage data relies heavily on offline report synchronization, making it difficult to reflect the true inventory status in seconds, resulting in serious delays in inventory decisions; at the same time, there is a lack of automated matching and quantity offsetting mechanisms between demand plans and inventory data, requiring manual comparison and sequential deduction, which is not only inefficient but also prone to inventory management risks due to human error, and is far from meeting the needs of enterprises for large-scale and refined inventory control. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a method, apparatus, equipment and storage medium for managing material inventory, which can accurately acquire and allocate materials.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a method for managing material inventory. The method includes: deploying an agent program at a storage node, the agent program periodically collecting material inventory information from the storage node, and obtaining a material inventory management strategy based on the material inventory information and demand information. The demand information refers to the quantity of materials expected to be used or consumed, and the management strategy is used to indicate the allocation and usage plans of materials between different storage nodes.

[0008] The technical solution provided in this application enables real-time collection of material inventory information by deploying agent programs at warehousing nodes. Combined with material inventory information and demand information, it generates scientific and reasonable management strategies, which can effectively avoid the problem of excess or shortage of inventory caused by experience-based decision-making, realize the rational allocation and efficient utilization of materials, and improve the overall efficiency of enterprise material inventory management.

[0009] One possible implementation involves providing inventory information including the inventory SKU and its corresponding first quantity, and demand information including the demand SKU and its corresponding second quantity. Based on these two information, a management strategy for the inventory is derived. Specifically, when a material SKU matches a demand SKU, the management strategy for the target warehouse corresponding to that material SKU is determined based on the numerical relationship between the first and second quantities of the material SKU. Thus, the management strategy for the target warehouse's inventory can be accurately planned based on the numerical relationship between the first and second quantities of the material SKU.

[0010] Another possible implementation involves determining the inventory management strategy for the target warehouse corresponding to a given material SKU based on the numerical relationship between the first quantity of the material SKU and the second quantity of the demand SKU. Specifically, this can be achieved by generating an inventory locking strategy when the first quantity exceeds the second quantity. This strategy allocates the material SKU with the first quantity to the demand SKU with the second quantity. This ensures accurate allocation and rational inventory management when materials are sufficient, guaranteeing the smooth operation of critical business processes.

[0011] Another possible implementation involves generating an inventory locking strategy when the first quantity exceeds the second quantity. Specifically, this can be achieved by sending a locking instruction to the target warehouse's inventory management system when the first quantity exceeds the second quantity. The locking instruction includes at least one of the following: the material SKU, the actual locked quantity, the demand order number, and an unlocking trigger condition. The unlocking trigger condition includes at least one of two signals: a demand fulfillment completion signal or a demand cancellation confirmation signal. The inventory management system updates the inventory status of the first quantity of materials to "locked" and associates the demand order number and unlocking trigger condition. This allows for precise inventory control, ensuring materials are reserved when needed and preventing misuse for other demands. Associating the demand order number with the unlocking condition facilitates tracking and management, ensuring smooth demand fulfillment or timely inventory release, improving inventory turnover efficiency, and reducing operational risks and costs.

[0012] Another possible implementation of the above method includes: when the first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity, obtaining a third quantity corresponding to the material SKU from a warehouse other than the target warehouse through an allocation interface; and when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is less than or equal to the third quantity, generating a cross-warehouse node allocation strategy. When the target warehouse's inventory is insufficient, other warehouse resources can be quickly obtained through the allocation interface to generate a cross-warehouse allocation strategy, enabling efficient allocation of materials.

[0013] Another possible implementation involves generating a cross-warehouse node allocation strategy when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is less than or equal to the third quantity. Specifically, this can be achieved by generating a structured allocation instruction when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is less than or equal to the third quantity. This structured allocation instruction includes at least one of the following: supply warehouse code, supply material SKU, allocation quantity from the supply warehouse, and allocation priority. The allocation instruction is then sent to the supply warehouse's inventory management system, which allocates the supply material SKU through the inventory management system. This allows for efficient coordination of cross-warehouse material allocation, rational arrangement based on allocation priorities, ensuring timely and accurate material allocation, and guaranteeing the stable operation of the supply chain.

[0014] Another possible implementation method includes generating a replenishment strategy when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is greater than the third quantity. This replenishment strategy is used to replenish the difference between the absolute value of the difference and the third quantity. Therefore, replenishment can be carried out promptly when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is greater than the third quantity, ensuring that replenishment actions can be planned quickly and rationally when significant inventory shortages occur, thus guaranteeing the continuity and stability of material supply.

[0015] Another possible implementation involves generating a replenishment strategy when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is greater than the third quantity. Specifically, this can be achieved by generating a replenishment instruction when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities exceeds the third quantity. This instruction includes at least one of the following: the SKU of the replenished item, the quantity of the replenished SKU, and the replenishment time. The replenishment instruction is then sent to the target warehouse's inventory management system, which generates a replenishment notification. This approach allows for timely replenishment alerts when inventory is insufficient.

[0016] Another possible implementation is that the above requirement information includes at least one of the following: requirement number, requirement SKU, requirement quantity, requirement priority, and requirement deadline.

[0017] Secondly, a material inventory management device is provided, which includes: a data acquisition module and a management module.

[0018] The aforementioned data collection module is used to deploy agent programs at warehouse nodes, which periodically collect material inventory information from the warehouse nodes.

[0019] The aforementioned management module is used to derive material inventory management strategies based on material inventory information and demand information.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to obtain a management strategy for the inventory of the target warehouse corresponding to the material SKU, based on the numerical relationship between the first quantity corresponding to the material SKU and the second quantity corresponding to the demand SKU, when the material SKU and the demand SKU are matched.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to generate an inventory locking strategy when the first quantity is greater than the second quantity. The inventory locking strategy is used to allocate the first quantity of material SKUs to the second quantity of demand SKUs.

[0022] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to send a locking instruction to the inventory management system of the target warehouse when the first quantity is greater than the second quantity. The locking instruction includes at least one of the following: material SKU, actual locked quantity, demand order number, and unlocking trigger condition. The unlocking trigger condition includes at least one of the following: demand fulfillment completion signal and demand cancellation confirmation signal. Through the inventory management system, the inventory status of the first quantity of materials is updated to locked, and the demand order number and unlocking trigger condition are associated and stored.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to obtain the third quantity corresponding to the material SKU of the warehouse other than the target warehouse through the transfer interface when the first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity, and to generate a cross-warehouse node transfer strategy when the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is less than or equal to the third quantity.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to generate a structured transfer instruction when the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is less than or equal to the third quantity. The structured transfer instruction includes at least one of the following: supply warehouse code, supply material SKU, transfer quantity of supply warehouse, and transfer priority. The transfer instruction is then sent to the inventory management system of the supply warehouse, and the supply material SKU is transferred through the inventory management system.

[0025] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to generate a replenishment strategy when the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is greater than the third quantity. The replenishment strategy is used to replenish the difference between the absolute value of the difference and the third quantity.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned management module is also used to generate a replenishment instruction when the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is greater than the third quantity. The replenishment instruction includes at least one of the following: the replenishment SKU, the quantity of the replenishment SKU, and the replenishment time. The replenishment instruction is then sent to the inventory management system of the target warehouse, and the inventory management system generates a replenishment notification message.

[0027] Another possible implementation is that the above requirement information includes at least one of the following: requirement number, requirement SKU, requirement quantity, requirement priority, and requirement deadline.

[0028] The technical effects of any implementation method in the second aspect can be found in the technical effects of any implementation method in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] Thirdly, a computer device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one computer program, and the at least one computer program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the above-mentioned method for managing material inventory.

[0030] Fourthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein at least one computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the at least one computer program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the above-mentioned method for managing material inventory.

[0031] Fifthly, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned method for managing material inventory is implemented.

[0032] The solutions provided in aspects three through five above are used to implement the method provided in aspect one above, and their specific implementations will not be described in detail here. The technical effects corresponding to any implementation method of the solutions provided in aspects three through five above can be found in the technical effects corresponding to any implementation method in aspect one above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0033] It should be noted that any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects can be combined, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for managing material inventory provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a material inventory management strategy provided in this application embodiment;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a material inventory management implementation code provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a material inventory management device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and for simplification, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Unless otherwise specified, the above-mentioned orientational descriptions can be flexibly set in practical applications, provided that the relative positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings are satisfied.

[0043] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0044] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "communication" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. They can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0045] In embodiments of this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0046] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0047] In the embodiments of this application, at least one can also be described as one or more, and multiple can be two, three, four or more, and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0048] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0049] To facilitate understanding, the terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained first.

[0050] Dynamic inventory balancing refers to the process in supply chain management, production operations, or logistics management of continuously monitoring, adjusting, and optimizing the processes of material warehousing, outbound operations, storage, and demand forecasting to ensure that the supply capacity and demand consumption of materials remain relatively stable and matched amidst dynamic changes, thus avoiding extreme situations such as inventory backlog or shortages.

[0051] Stock Keeping Unit (SKU): A standardized code or code used in the retail, e-commerce, logistics and inventory management fields to uniquely identify and manage specific products, representing the smallest manageable unit of a product.

[0052] Inventory snapshot: refers to a static profile of the SKU-level inventory status of all warehousing nodes (such as warehouses, stores, and branch warehouses) at a specific point in time, including detailed data such as inventory quantity, status (available / locked / in transit), and location (warehouse / location).

[0053] Demand planning refers to the planning of the amount of materials needed in the future or at present, including the SKUs, quantities, timing, priority, and sources of the demand (such as sales orders, production material requisitions, and transfer requests).

[0054] It should be noted that all information (including but not limited to equipment information, network information, etc.), data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.), and signals involved in this application have been authorized by the subject or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use, and processing of related data must comply with relevant laws, regulations, and standards. For example, the material inventory information, demand information, etc. involved in this application were all obtained with full authorization.

[0055] The commonly used methods for managing material inventory in the industry can be mainly summarized into three categories, which will be briefly explained below.

[0056] For example, there are three main approaches: First, an e-commerce marketing-oriented inventory control solution. This solution generates random probability values ​​for users and combines them with inventory attribute offsets and user purchase offsets, using a random reduction algorithm to match inventory with consumer behavior. Second, a supply-demand balancing solution for live-streaming e-commerce scenarios optimizes inventory management through joint analysis of live-streaming video segments, return probabilities, and replenishment strategies. Third, a material balancing solution for the aerospace manufacturing sector balances procurement demand with inventory resources according to four categories: inventory, pending inspection, contracts, and plans. It adjusts available quantities and generates net demand by adjusting material utilization and inspection consumption rates.

[0057] However, the above technical solutions still have the following drawbacks:

[0058] (1) Insufficient timeliness of material inventory data collection: Inventory data in multi-warehouse and multi-region scenarios relies on offline report transmission, which cannot achieve real-time collection and updating at the millisecond / second level. As a result, the available inventory cannot truly reflect the actual status, directly causing inventory decision-making to lag and affecting demand response efficiency.

[0059] (2) Low degree of automation in supply and demand matching: There is a lack of automated matching and quantity offsetting mechanism between demand planning data and inventory snapshot data. It is necessary to rely on manual data comparison, sequential deduction and other operations, which not only has a long adjustment cycle, but is also prone to problems such as inventory mismatch and overselling due to human operation errors.

[0060] (3) Severe information silos in cross-organizational inventory: The inventory systems of subsidiaries and warehousing nodes under a group enterprise are independent of each other and information is not smooth. This results in redundant materials being unable to be adjusted and reused in a timely manner across organizations and nodes. At the same time, shortage categories need to be frequently initiated for emergency procurement, resulting in the dual pressure of high capital occupation and soaring operating costs.

[0061] (4) Insufficient system adaptability and scalability: Existing inventory management solutions are mostly designed for single business scenarios (such as live e-commerce, single industry batch processing, etc.), lacking a unified and balanced framework that supports multiple categories of materials and multiple procurement modes (such as centralized procurement, decentralized procurement, supplier-managed inventory procurement, etc.), making it difficult to horizontally expand to large-scale management scenarios of hundreds of warehouses and tens of millions of SKUs at the group level.

[0062] (5) Lack of closed-loop management throughout the entire process: The lack of online real-time monitoring and threshold warning mechanisms for core indicators such as inventory turnover rate, stockout rate, and inventory health makes it impossible to form a complete business closed loop of data collection, algorithm calculation, strategy execution and effect feedback, resulting in the inability to continuously iterate the effect of inventory optimization.

[0063] (6) Weak compliance and security control capabilities: The system's permission control is coarse-grained and has not achieved refined permission allocation based on roles and positions; at the same time, the operation logs are incomplete and cannot meet the management requirements of multi-level compliance audits and operation traceability of large enterprises such as central enterprises.

[0064] Based on this, this application proposes a method for managing material inventory, comprising: deploying an agent program at a storage node, the agent program being used to periodically collect material inventory information from the storage node, and obtaining a material inventory management strategy based on the material inventory information and demand information. Here, demand information refers to the quantity of materials expected to be used or consumed, and the management strategy is used to indicate the allocation and usage plans of materials between different storage nodes.

[0065] The method provided in this application embodiment can achieve real-time collection of material inventory information by deploying agent programs at warehouse nodes, and generate scientific and reasonable management strategies by combining material inventory information and demand information. This can effectively avoid the problem of excess or shortage of inventory caused by experience-based decision-making, realize the rational allocation and efficient utilization of materials, and improve the overall efficiency of enterprise material inventory management.

[0066] The solution provided in this application can be applied to Figure 1 In the computer system shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0067] For example, the computer system includes a computer device 100. The computer device 100 deploys an agent program at the storage node, which periodically collects material inventory information 101 from the storage node and obtains a material inventory management strategy 102 based on the material inventory information 101 and demand information.

[0068] Optionally, computer device 100 can be a device that directly collects material inventory information 101 from storage nodes. Alternatively, computer device 100 can be a device that derives a material inventory management strategy 102 based on the material inventory information 101 and demand information. The term "acquisition" used by computer device 100 includes any term with acquisition function such as querying, discovering, and retrieving, and this application does not limit this terminology.

[0069] Optionally, the computer device 100 can be a standalone physical server, a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, embedded hardware for real-time simulation, or a cloud server providing cloud computing services such as cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communication, middleware services, domain name services, security services, content delivery networks (CDNs), and big data and other basic cloud computing services. This application embodiment does not limit the implementation method or application scenario of the computer device 100.

[0070] Optionally, the computer device 100 may be a terminal device. Terminal devices include electronic devices with data processing and information interaction capabilities, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers, but are not limited thereto, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0071] The management of material inventory can be performed by the server, by the terminal device, or by a combination of both.

[0072] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing material inventory provided in an embodiment of this application. The method can be executed by a computer device. The computer device can be... Figure 1 Computer equipment 100.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown in the embodiments of this application, the method for managing material inventory may include:

[0074] Step S201: Deploy an agent program at the warehouse node. The agent program is used to periodically collect material inventory information of the warehouse node.

[0075] In this context, a warehousing node refers to a physical space, equipment unit, or logical unit within a warehousing system that has a specific function or location. A warehousing node does not refer to a single fixed object, but rather has different meanings depending on the specific scenario (such as physical warehouse operations, digital system management, or supply chain network planning).

[0076] For example, in digital system management, a warehouse node refers to a digital identifier used for managing and collecting data. It is a digital substitute for a physical warehouse entity in the system and is used to uniquely associate, manage, and collect various types of data from the physical node.

[0077] For example, in the warehouse node with the digital identifier EC-HD-A-001-03-05, EC represents e-commerce, HD represents East China warehouse, A represents area A, 001 represents shelf number 1, 03 represents the 3rd floor, and 05 represents compartment number 5.

[0078] A proxy program is a lightweight software that runs on a target device / node and has the ability to delegate execution. Its core function is to complete specific tasks on behalf of the upper-layer system and respond to instructions autonomously or passively without human intervention.

[0079] In this embodiment of the application, the agent program refers to a dedicated software module that is deployed and runs on the local hardware of the warehouse node and is specifically responsible for data acquisition and preprocessing, local real-time response, and data linkage with the upper-level management system.

[0080] Material inventory information refers to a set of structured data that reflects the storage status of materials at warehousing nodes.

[0081] Optionally, the material inventory information includes at least one of the following: material SKU, material inventory quantity, locked inventory quantity, inventory location code, inbound timestamp, and inventory status identifier, but is not limited thereto. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0082] A product SKU is the smallest unit used to uniquely identify the specifications of a specific product. For example, the SKU for Nongfu Spring natural water in a 500ml bottle is: SP-FD-001-NFSQ-500, which means SP (product)-FD (food)-001 (serial number)-NFSQ (Nongfu Spring)-500 (capacity 500ml).

[0083] Specifically, different sub-versions of the same product will correspond to different SKUs.

[0084] The quantity of materials in inventory refers to the total quantity of a specific SKU of materials actually stored in the warehousing nodes.

[0085] Locked inventory refers to inventory quantities that have been marked as unavailable for use by the system or manually. Reasons for locking typically include: orders have been generated but not yet shipped, inventory has been assigned to specific production tasks, and inventory is awaiting transfer to other warehouses. The locked status can be lifted after fulfillment / task cancellation, and its core function is to prevent overselling and duplicate allocation.

[0086] Inventory location coding refers to a structured code used to accurately identify the storage location of goods in a warehouse. It usually adopts a hierarchical structure of warehouse area + shelf + storage location + layer (for example, A1-05-12-03 represents warehouse area A1 - shelf 05 - storage location 12 - layer 3).

[0087] The warehousing timestamp refers to the precise time when materials complete warehousing acceptance and officially enter the warehousing and inventory system. The format is usually YYYY-MM-DDHH:MM:SS.

[0088] Inventory status identification refers to the classification and description of the core characteristics of materials in a warehouse, such as availability, physical attributes, and business relationship status, through identification, recording, or system marking. Essentially, it is an information tag for warehouse management, used to clearly define the current status of each batch / item of inventory.

[0089] Optionally, the inventory status identifier may include idle status, locked status, unavailable status, etc., but is not limited thereto. The comparison of the embodiments in this application does not impose specific limitations.

[0090] For example, each storage node (such as a shelf, receiving area, or outgoing area) deploys one or more agent programs, which collect material inventory information of the storage node.

[0091] Optionally, the agent program can trigger the collection of material inventory information of the warehouse node in two ways: timed triggering and passive triggering.

[0092] Timed trigger: Automatically collect material inventory information at a preset frequency (e.g., every 5 seconds).

[0093] Passive trigger: Data collection is triggered immediately when the inventory status of materials changes (such as warehousing, outbound, or inventory adjustment).

[0094] Step S202: Based on material inventory information and demand information, obtain material inventory management strategies.

[0095] Demand information refers to the specific requirements and related information for materials generated to meet certain objectives (such as production, sales, service, project execution, etc.).

[0096] Optionally, the demand information includes at least one of the following: demand order number, demand SKU, demand quantity, demand priority, and demand deadline, but is not limited thereto, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0097] A request number is a unique identifier assigned to each individual request or task.

[0098] The required SKU refers to the SKU code and corresponding description of the specific specifications of the required materials.

[0099] The quantity demanded refers to the specific amount of materials required for a given SKU.

[0100] Demand priority refers to the hierarchical classification of demands based on their urgency and importance.

[0101] The deadline for a requirement refers to the final time by which the requirement must be fulfilled.

[0102] For example, the demand information is as follows: Demand order number: BD-20241201-SP012; Demand SKU: SY-800 (Xinjiang grey dates 500g / bag), TG-300 (iron yam 2.5kg / serving); Demand quantity: 3000 bags of SY-800, 1800 servings of TG-300; Demand priority: medium-high; Demand deadline: warehouse and shelf placement must be completed before 24:00 on December 10, 2024.

[0103] Management strategies are used to guide the allocation and use of materials across different storage nodes.

[0104] Optionally, management strategies may include inventory locking strategies, cross-warehouse node transfer strategies, and replenishment strategies, but are not limited thereto, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on them.

[0105] Inventory lock-in strategy refers to a management mechanism that sets a specific quantity of inventory materials into a state where they cannot be freely used, through system rules.

[0106] Cross-warehouse node allocation strategy refers to the management rules and implementation plan for the flow of materials between multiple warehouses, which are distributed in different physical locations.

[0107] Replenishment strategy refers to the standardized management rules established to ensure that the quantity of materials at the storage nodes is maintained at a reasonable level that meets demand and does not backlog, including when to replenish, where to replenish, and how much to replenish.

[0108] For example, when the material SKU and the demand SKU are matched, the management strategy for the material inventory of the target warehouse corresponding to the material SKU is obtained based on the numerical relationship between the first quantity corresponding to the material SKU and the second quantity corresponding to the demand SKU.

[0109] The first quantity refers to the inventory quantity of the material corresponding to the material SKU, and the second quantity refers to the demand quantity corresponding to the demand SKU.

[0110] One possible way to achieve this is, such as Figure 3 As shown, an inventory locking strategy is generated when the first quantity is greater than the second quantity.

[0111] Inventory locking strategies are used to allocate a first quantity of material SKUs to a second quantity of demand SKUs.

[0112] Specifically, if the first quantity is greater than the second quantity, a locking command is sent to the inventory management system of the target warehouse. Through the inventory management system, the inventory status of the first quantity of materials is updated to locked, and the storage demand order number and unlocking trigger conditions are associated.

[0113] The locking instruction includes at least one of the following: material SKU, actual locked quantity, demand order number, and unlocking trigger condition, but is not limited thereto. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0114] The unlocking trigger conditions include at least one of the following: a demand fulfillment completion signal and a demand cancellation confirmation signal, but are not limited thereto. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0115] For example, in the inventory management system of an e-commerce platform's East China regional warehouse, the current inventory quantity of product A (SKU: SP-FD-001-NFSQ-500) is 100 units. A user places an order to purchase 20 units of product A (i.e., the required quantity).

[0116] The inventory management system compares the inventory quantity (100 pieces) with the demand quantity (20 pieces), which meets the locking condition. The agent program then sends a locking instruction to the inventory management system of the East China regional warehouse.

[0117] The locking instruction includes: Product A (SP-FD-001-NFSQ-500), locked quantity: 20 pieces; order number: order number DD20240904001.

[0118] After receiving the lock command, the warehouse storage management system in the East China region updated the inventory quantity of product A from 100 units to 80 units, and added 20 units of locked inventory. The lock record clearly marked the inventory status of product A as locked.

[0119] The East China regional warehouse binds the unlocking trigger condition in the lock record: demand fulfillment completion signal (goods A of order DD20240904001 has been shipped and confirmed as received) or demand cancellation confirmation signal (order DD20240904001 has been cancelled after review).

[0120] In another possible implementation, such as Figure 3As shown, if the first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity, the third quantity corresponding to the material SKU in the warehouse other than the target warehouse is obtained through the transfer interface.

[0121] If the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is less than or equal to the third quantity, a cross-warehouse node allocation strategy is generated.

[0122] Specifically, when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is less than or equal to the third quantity, a structured transfer instruction is generated and sent to the inventory management system of the supply warehouse, through which the supply material SKUs are transferred.

[0123] The structured transfer instruction includes at least one of the following: supply warehouse code, supply material SKU, transfer quantity of supply warehouse and transfer priority, but is not limited thereto. The embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0124] For example, a store warehouse (target warehouse) receives a promotional activity request and needs to prepare 500 cases of mineral water (SKU: S001) for the activity (required quantity = 500 cases). Through the agent program, it is found that the store warehouse currently only has 300 cases in stock (material inventory quantity = 300 cases).

[0125] The inventory quantity (300 boxes) is less than the required quantity (500 boxes), resulting in an inventory shortage. The inventory management system obtains the third quantity corresponding to SKU S001 of the material from a warehouse other than the target warehouse through the transfer interface.

[0126] For example, the third quantity corresponding to SKU S001 of materials in warehouses other than the target warehouse includes: Warehouse A: 120 boxes in stock; Warehouse B: 280 boxes in stock (that is, the third quantity is 120 + 280 = 400 boxes).

[0127] Since 500-300=200 is less than the third quantity of 400 boxes, the inventory management system generates the following transfer instruction based on the principles of proximity priority and sufficient inventory priority:

[0128] Transfer Order 1: Supply warehouse code: WH-SH-SJ (Warehouse A); Supply material SKU: S001 (mineral water); Transfer quantity of supply warehouse: 120 boxes; Transfer priority: high (delivery within 24 hours required).

[0129] Transfer Order 2: Supply warehouse code: WH-HZ-XH (B warehouse); Supply material SKU: S001 (mineral water); Transfer quantity of supply warehouse: 280 boxes; Transfer priority: high (delivery within 24 hours).

[0130] The transfer order is sent to the inventory management systems of warehouses A and B through the inventory management system interface. After receiving the order, warehouses A and B lock the corresponding quantity of mineral water inventory and wait for logistics and delivery arrangements.

[0131] After the target warehouse receives and puts the materials into storage, the inventory management system automatically updates the material inventory information of the three warehouses (target warehouse, warehouse A, and warehouse B): the inventory quantity of SKU S001 in the target warehouse increases by 400 boxes, the inventory quantity of SKU S001 in warehouse A decreases by 120 boxes, and the inventory quantity of SKU S001 in warehouse B decreases by 280 boxes.

[0132] In another possible implementation, such as Figure 3 As shown, a replenishment strategy is generated when the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is greater than the third quantity.

[0133] The replenishment strategy is used to replenish the difference between the absolute value of the difference and the third quantity.

[0134] Specifically, if the absolute value of the difference between the first and second quantities is greater than the third quantity, a replenishment instruction is generated and sent to the inventory management system of the target warehouse, which then generates a replenishment notification message.

[0135] The replenishment instruction includes at least one of the following: the SKU of the replenished item, the quantity of the replenished SKU, and the replenishment time, but is not limited thereto. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0136] For example, the target warehouse receives a joint order from three convenience stores to supply 1,000 cases of a certain brand of instant noodles (SKU: F007) (first quantity = 1,000 cases). The target warehouse currently only has 400 cases in stock (second quantity = 400 cases). If the stock is insufficient, cross-warehouse transfers are required. If transfers are not possible, replenishment will be carried out.

[0137] The first quantity (1000 boxes) is greater than the second quantity (400 boxes), so the initial gap difference is determined to be 1000 - 400 = 600 boxes (the quantity that needs to be transferred across storage nodes or replenished externally).

[0138] The inventory management system obtains the third quantity corresponding to material SKU F007 from warehouses other than the target warehouse through the transfer interface.

[0139] The third quantity corresponding to SKU F007 of materials in warehouses other than the target warehouse includes: Warehouse A: 350 boxes in stock; Warehouse B: 100 boxes in stock.

[0140] The total number of boxes that can be allocated is 350 + 100 = 450 boxes (that is, the total number of boxes that can actually be allocated is 450 boxes).

[0141] The initial shortage of 600 boxes is greater than the total adjustable quantity of 450 boxes, which satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the difference is greater than the third quantity. A replenishment strategy needs to be generated for the difference: Replenishment difference = Initial shortage - Total adjustable quantity = 600 - 450 = 150 boxes (the quantity that needs to be replenished through external suppliers).

[0142] The target warehouse's inventory management system generates a replenishment order for 150 boxes of instant noodles (SKU: F007). The replenishment order details are as follows: SKU: F007; Quantity: 150 boxes; Replenishment time: Must be received by September 6, 2024.

[0143] The inventory management system generates a replenishment reminder based on the replenishment instruction and pushes it to the workbench of the warehouse manager. The reminder message is: [Urgent Replenishment Reminder] SKU-F007 needs to be replenished with 150 boxes, and must be put into storage before September 6.

[0144] In summary, the technical solution provided in this application can achieve real-time collection of material inventory information by deploying agent programs at warehousing nodes, and generate scientific and reasonable management strategies by combining material inventory information and demand information. This can effectively avoid the problem of excess or shortage of inventory caused by experience-based decision-making, realize the rational allocation and efficient utilization of materials, and improve the overall efficiency of enterprise material inventory management.

[0145] The above embodiments have described in detail the process of managing material inventory. The following is a brief description of the implementation code for managing material inventory.

[0146] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a material inventory management implementation code provided in this application embodiment may include:

[0147] Step S401: Collect material inventory information.

[0148] For example, the warehouse agent program proactively sends a POST / commodity request to the get Stock By Id For Detail Page according to preset rules (every 5 seconds or when the inventory status changes) to obtain the current inventory information of the warehouse.

[0149] The Get Stock By Id For Detail Page returns inventory data in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) that includes inventory information such as item identifiers (e.g., SKUs) and inventory quantities.

[0150] The inventory management system encapsulates material inventory information into stock_snapshot events and sends them to the Kafka-stock_snapshot message queue to enable real-time broadcasting of inventory data for consumption by other modules.

[0151] Step S402: Match the demand information with the material inventory information to obtain the material inventory management strategy.

[0152] The demand planning center in the inventory management system publishes the demand events (demand_event, such as the demand generated by a sales order) corresponding to the demand information to the designated message queue.

[0153] The inventory management system obtains current demand information and material inventory information by executing the stock_snapshot (inventory snapshot data) from Kafka-stock_snapshot and the demand_event (demand event data) from the demand planning center through the inventory balancing service.

[0154] The inventory balancing service executes the pin lib Demand Plan logic, matching demand information with material inventory information at the row level (e.g., by individual material SKU) to determine whether the existing inventory can meet the demand.

[0155] If there is insufficient inventory in this warehouse, the inventory balancing service will call the query Purchase CatalogAdjust List interface to query adjustment solutions such as cross-warehouse transfers or procurement replenishment to supplement the inventory required to meet demand.

[0156] After the allocation is completed, the inventory balancing service generates an inventory_balanced event. This event contains the final matching results between demand information and material inventory information, such as decisions to use warehouse A to meet demand, allocate inventory from warehouse B, or trigger replenishment, generating allocation instructions and replenishment instructions, and publishing the inventory_balanced event to the message queue.

[0157] Step S403: The inventory management system executes the management strategy.

[0158] The inventory management system executes the inventory_balanced event and, based on the matching results between the demand information and the material inventory information contained in the event, performs management strategy operations.

[0159] For example, receiving allocation instructions and replenishment instructions completes the business loop of demand-inventory-execution.

[0160] In summary, the technical solution provided in this application achieves intelligent balance between inventory and demand by collecting inventory data in real time, accurately matching demand and inventory, and dynamically generating management strategies through cross-warehouse transfers and replenishment schemes. Simultaneously, event-driven mechanisms and message queues ensure efficient data flow, forming a demand-inventory-execution closed loop, effectively reducing the risks of stockouts and overstocking, and improving the precision of inventory management.

[0161] The foregoing mainly describes the solution provided in this application. Accordingly, this application also provides a material inventory management device for implementing the above-described method embodiments.

[0162] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a material inventory management device provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the material inventory management device may include a data acquisition module 501 and a management module 502. The data acquisition module 501 is used to perform... Figure 2 The operation of step S201 in the illustrated method, and Figure 4 The operation of step S401; the management module 502 is used to execute Figure 2 The operation of step S202, and Figure 4 The operations of steps S402 and S403.

[0163] In some embodiments, the inventory management device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function in order to achieve the above-described functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0164] This application embodiment can divide the material inventory management device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into a feature extraction module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0165] like Figure 6As shown, the computer device provided in this application embodiment may include a processor 601, a bus 602, a communication interface 603, and a memory 604. The processor 601, memory 604, and communication interface 603 communicate with each other via the bus 602. It should be understood that this application does not limit the number of processors and memories in the network device.

[0166] Bus 602 can be a PCI bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or a UB bus, etc. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 6 The bus 602 may be represented by a single line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The bus 602 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the network device (e.g., memory 604, processor 601, communication interface 603).

[0167] Processor 601 may include any one or more processors such as CPU, graphics processing unit (GPU), microprocessor (MP), or digital signal processor (DSP).

[0168] Memory 604 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). Processor 601 may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD).

[0169] The communication interface 603 uses transceiver modules, such as, but not limited to, network interface cards and transceivers, to enable communication between network devices and other devices or communication networks.

[0170] The memory 604 stores executable program code, and the processor 601 executes the executable program code to implement the functions of the aforementioned method embodiments. That is, the memory 604 stores instructions for executing the above-described material inventory management method.

[0171] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores at least one computer program, which is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the material inventory management method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0172] On another front, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the material inventory management method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0173] Through the above description of the implementation methods, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the module can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The specific working process of the system, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0174] Since the management module, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product in the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to the above methods, the technical effects they can achieve can also be referred to the above method embodiments. The embodiments of the present invention will not be repeated here.

[0175] The method steps in this embodiment can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the network device.

[0176] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions of the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable modules. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, a computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0177] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of managing inventory of goods, characterized by, The method comprises: deploying an agent program at a warehouse node, the agent program being configured to periodically collect inventory information of the warehouse node; based on the inventory information and demand information, obtaining a management strategy of the inventory, the demand information indicating an amount of the inventory expected to be used or consumed, and the management strategy indicating a plan for allocation and use of the inventory between different warehouse nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The inventory information includes a stock keeping unit (SKU) of the inventory and a first quantity corresponding to the SKU of the inventory, and the demand information includes a demand SKU and a second quantity corresponding to the demand SKU; The method further comprises: in a case where the SKU of the inventory matches the demand SKU, obtaining, based on a numerical relationship between the first quantity corresponding to the SKU of the inventory and the second quantity corresponding to the demand SKU, a management strategy of the inventory corresponding to a target warehouse of the SKU of the inventory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: in a case where the first quantity is greater than the second quantity, generating an inventory locking strategy, the inventory locking strategy being configured to allocate the first quantity of the SKU of the inventory to the second quantity of the demand SKU.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further comprises: in a case where the first quantity is greater than the second quantity, sending a locking instruction to an inventory management system of the target warehouse, the locking instruction including at least one of the SKU of the inventory, an actual locking quantity, a demand order number, and an unlocking trigger condition, the unlocking trigger condition including at least one of a demand fulfillment completion signal and a demand cancellation confirmation signal; updating, by the inventory management system, a state of the first quantity of the inventory to be locked, and associating and storing the demand order number and the unlocking trigger condition.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: in a case where the first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity, obtaining, through an allocation interface, a third quantity corresponding to the SKU of the inventory of a warehouse other than the target warehouse; in a case where an absolute value of a difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is less than or equal to the third quantity, generating a cross-warehouse node allocation strategy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The method further comprises: in a case where the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is less than or equal to the third quantity, generating a structured allocation instruction, the structured allocation instruction including at least one of a supply warehouse code, a supply SKU, an allocation quantity of the supply warehouse, and an allocation priority; sending the allocation instruction to an inventory management system of the supply warehouse; and allocating, by the inventory management system, the supply SKU.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, The method further comprises: In a case where an absolute value of a difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is greater than the third quantity, a replenishment strategy is generated, the replenishment strategy being used to replenish a difference between the absolute value of the difference and the third quantity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The case where the absolute value of the difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is greater than the third quantity includes: In a case where an absolute value of a difference between the first quantity and the second quantity is greater than the third quantity, a replenishment instruction is generated, the replenishment instruction including at least one of a replenishment SKU, a quantity of the replenishment SKU, and a replenishment time; The replenishment instruction is sent to an inventory management system of the target warehouse; A replenishment prompt is generated by the inventory management system.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The demand information includes at least one of the demand number, the demand SKU, a demand quantity, a demand priority, and a demand deadline.

10. An apparatus for managing inventory of goods, characterized by comprising: The device includes a collection module and a management module. The collection module is configured to deploy an agent program at a warehouse node, the agent program being configured to periodically collect material inventory information of the warehouse node. The management module is configured to obtain a management strategy of the material inventory based on the material inventory information and demand information, the demand information being a quantity of the material predicted to be used or consumed, and the management strategy being used to indicate a plan for allocation and use of the material between different warehouse nodes.

11. A computer device, comprising: The computer device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores at least one computer program, the at least one computer program being loaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for managing the material inventory according to any one of claims 1-9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores at least one computer program, and the at least one computer program is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for managing the material inventory according to any one of claims 1-9.

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