Shipment management apparatus, shipment management method, and shipment management system

Abstract

To prevent a product with a scheduled release date from being delivered before the scheduled release date.SOLUTION: A shipment management apparatus 1 comprises: a setting reception unit 132 for receiving the setting of a scheduled release date as the date on which a product can be released; a work date determination unit 133 for determining a work start date on which the shipping preparation work of the product can be started based on the scheduled release date; and a data creation unit 134 for creating product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the work start date.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shipment management device, a shipment management method, and a shipment management system for managing the shipment of goods. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a shipping management system that ships products based on shipping instructions from a store and reports the delivery status of the products to the store (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-143538 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Some of the products to be delivered have a set release date. It is necessary to prevent such products from being shipped before the release date, and to prevent the products from being delivered before the release date.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to prevent a product with a scheduled release date from being delivered before the scheduled release date. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A shipping management device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a setting acceptance unit that accepts the setting of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of a product can begin, a work date determination unit that determines the work start date on which shipping preparation work for the product can begin based on the planned release date, and a data creation unit that creates product management data that includes product identification information for identifying the product and the work start date.

[0007] The setting reception unit may further receive, in association with the product, a setting for a shipping preparation period, which is the period required for shipping preparation work, and the work date determination unit may determine the work start date to be a day that is a period of time that corresponds to the shipping preparation period before the scheduled release date.

[0008] The work date determination unit may determine the possible work start date so that the possible work start date becomes earlier as the total number of the one or more types of products that can be sold from the scheduled release date increases.

[0009] The shipping management device may further have an order receiving unit that receives orders by acquiring order data indicating that the product has been ordered, and the work date determination unit may determine the date on which work can begin in response to the order receiving unit acquiring the order data.

[0010] When the order receiving unit acquires order data for a first product for which the planned release date is set and a second product for which the planned release date is not set, the order receiving unit may further receive an instruction to select either to ship the first product and the second product simultaneously on the planned release date of the first product, or to ship the second product first and then ship the first product on the planned release date, and the work date determination unit may determine a second work start date on which shipping preparation work for the second product can begin based on the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit.

[0011] If the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit indicates that the first product and the second product will be shipped simultaneously, the data creation unit may create shipping slip data for the first product and the second product, which states that the scheduled shipping date of the second product is after the scheduled release date of the first product.

[0012] If the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit indicates that the first product and the second product will not be shipped at the same time, the data creation unit may create first product management data for the first product in which the planned release date of the first product is entered as the planned shipping date, and second product management data for the second product in which a date earlier than the planned release date is entered as the planned shipping date.

[0013] The data creation unit may create the product management data including restriction information associated with the product indicating that shipping of the product is restricted, prior to the scheduled release date, and delete the restriction information associated with the product after the work start date.

[0014] The data creation unit may create shipping slip data for the product when an operation is performed to ship the product after the scheduled shipping date, and may output warning information when an operation is performed to ship the product before the scheduled release date.

[0015] A second aspect of the shipping management method of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving, by a computer, the setting of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of a product can begin; determining, based on the planned release date, a work start date on which shipping preparation work for the product can begin; and creating product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the work start date.

[0016] A third aspect of the shipping management system of the present invention comprises a shipping terminal used by a person performing shipping work, and a shipping management device capable of communicating with the shipping terminal, wherein the shipping terminal comprises an input receiving unit that receives input of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of a product can begin, and a transmission unit that transmits the planned release date to the shipping management device, and the shipping management device comprises a setting receiving unit that accepts setting of the planned release date received from the shipping terminal, a work date determination unit that determines a work start date on which shipping preparation work for the product can begin based on the planned release date, a data creation unit that creates product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the work start date, and a communication unit that transmits the product management data to the shipping terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a product with a scheduled release date from being delivered before the scheduled release date. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a shipping management system S. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a function for managing possible work start dates. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a shipping management device 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product management database. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for accepting a selection of whether to ship multiple products on the same day or to ship them separately. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for accepting the setting of a shipping preparation period. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the difference between same-day shipping and split shipping. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of product management data. [Figure 9]4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the shipment management device 1. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of product master data. [Figure 11] 10 is an example of order slip data. [Figure 12] 10 is an example of order slip detail line data. [Figure 13] 10 is an example of shipping slip data. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] [Outline of Shipping Management System S] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a shipping management system S. The shipping management system S is a system for shipping products ordered by a product purchaser U to a delivery address specified by the purchaser U. Fig. 1 illustrates an example in which a product is ordered from an online shop, but the store where the product is ordered is not limited to an online shop and may also be a physical store.

[0020] The shipping management system S comprises a shipping management device 1, multiple shipping work terminals 2, and multiple information terminals 3. The shipping management device 1 is a computer that accepts product orders and notifies a worker W at the warehouse where the products are stored of the date when they can begin work to prepare the products for shipping. The shipping preparation work is, for example, work to remove the products from the warehouse and pack them.

[0021] The shipping management device 1 receives order data from the online shop's server via a network (e.g., the Internet) in response to an order operation performed by a product purchaser U on the online shop's website using an information terminal 3 (e.g., a smartphone or computer). Upon receiving the order data, the shipping management device 1 registers the product corresponding to the order data in the product management database as a product to be shipped. Note that the shipping management device 1 may also receive the order data directly from the information terminal 3.

[0022] Furthermore, when a worker W accesses the product management database using the shipping work terminal 2, the shipping management device 1 provides the information required by the worker W. The worker W may include not only a person who performs product shipping work, but also a manager who does not perform product shipping work.

[0023] In this way, the shipment management device 1 has the functions of an order management system (OMS) and a warehouse management system (WMS), but the shipment management device 1 may have the functions of a warehouse management system but not the functions of an order management system. In this case, the shipment management device 1 receives order data from the order management system that accepts orders from the server of an online shop or the information terminal 3.

[0024] The shipping work terminal 2 is an information terminal used by the worker W, such as a smartphone or tablet. The shipping work terminal 2 transmits data for accessing the product management database based on the operation of the worker W to the shipping management device 1 via a transmission unit, and displays various data acquired from the shipping management device 1 on a display. The shipping work terminal 2 displays, for example, a list of data (e.g., management ID) for identifying the product for which the worker W is preparing to ship, along with other information about the product. The worker W can identify the product for which shipping work is to be performed by looking at the displayed information and perform the work to ship the product.

[0025] Incidentally, some products sold in stores have a scheduled release date, which is the date on which sales of the product can begin. It would be a problem if such a product were to be delivered before the scheduled release date. Therefore, the shipping work terminal 2 has an input receiving unit that receives input of the scheduled release date, which is the date on which sales of the product can begin, and a transmission unit that transmits the scheduled release date to the shipping management device 1. To prevent products with a scheduled release date from being accidentally delivered before the scheduled release date, the shipping management device 1 has a function to determine the date on which shipping preparation work can begin (hereinafter referred to as the "work start date") based on the scheduled release date and manage the work start date for each product in the product management database.

[0026] Details of the product management database will be described later, but in the product management database, the desired delivery date, the date work can begin, the scheduled release date, and the scheduled shipping date are registered for each ordered product. The desired delivery date is the date on which the purchaser U who ordered the product wishes the product to be delivered. As an example, on a screen for purchasing a product with a scheduled release date, the purchaser U can select a date after the scheduled release date as the desired delivery date.

[0027] The scheduled shipping date is set by, for example, the manager of the warehouse where the product is shipped. To prevent the product from being delivered before the scheduled release date, the scheduled shipping date is expected to be set after the scheduled release date. However, taking into account the time required for delivery, the scheduled shipping date may be set before the scheduled release date, so as to prevent delivery before the scheduled release date.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the function of managing the possible work start date. Fig. 2 shows the process flow in chronological order from when an order for a product is placed until the product is delivered.

[0029] When an order for a product is placed, worker W begins work to prepare the product for shipment. For products with a set scheduled release date, the product needs to be delivered after the scheduled release date. Therefore, the shipment management device 1 manages the date on which work can begin, for example, by setting a date before the scheduled release date that corresponds to the period required for the shipment preparation work (hereinafter referred to as the "shipment preparation period") so that the product is delivered after the scheduled release date. If the shipment preparation period is set to three days, the shipment management device 1 determines the date on which work can begin three days before the scheduled release date.

[0030] The shipping management device 1 changes the status of a product in the product management database for which the work start date has arrived to a shipping-awaiting status. The worker W can identify products that are awaiting shipping by searching the product management database using the shipping work terminal 2. By performing shipping preparation work for the identified products awaiting shipping in this way, the worker W can ship the products without delay on the scheduled shipping date that is set to be the same as or immediately after the scheduled release date. The configuration and operation of the shipment management device 1 will be described in detail below.

[0031] [Configuration of Shipping Management Device 1] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the shipment management device 1. The shipment management device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 has an order receiving unit 131, a setting receiving unit 132, a work date determination unit 133, and a data creation unit 134.

[0032] The communication unit 11 has a communication interface for receiving order data from the information terminal 3 used by the product purchaser U and for transmitting and receiving various types of data to and from multiple shipping work terminals 2. The communication unit 11, for example, inputs the received order data to the order reception unit 131. The communication unit 11 also inputs setting data received from the shipping work terminal 2 to the setting reception unit 132. The communication unit 11 transmits various types of data created by the data creation unit 134 to the shipping work terminal 2.

[0033] The storage unit 12 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 also stores various data used in the shipping of products. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores a product management database.

[0034] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the product management database. Figure 4 shows part of the data in the product management database displayed on the shipping terminal 2 as of March 7, 2024. In the product management database shown in Figure 4, each product is associated with a management ID (e.g., order code), status, product information, delivery address, delivery-related information, and total product quantity. The product information includes the product name and supplier name.

[0035] The status column shows the status of the ordered product and the date when work can begin. The date when work can begin for the product with management ID 0001 is March 7, 2024, so the status of that product is "waiting for shipment," indicating that preparation work for shipping can begin, and worker W can begin the work necessary to prepare for shipment. Worker W can begin preparing the shipment of the product with the status "waiting for shipment," and perform the shipping process on March 10 so that the product will be delivered on the desired delivery date of March 11. The shipping process involves printing the delivery company's delivery slip to be used for delivery and handing the product with the delivery slip attached to the delivery company.

[0036] On the other hand, the work start date for the products with management ID 0002 and management ID 0003 has not yet arrived as of March 7, 2024, so the status of these products is "pending." When worker W searches for products to perform shipping preparation work on, products with a status of "pending" are not displayed, which prevents worker W from starting shipping preparation work by mistake.

[0037] The storage unit 12 may store the planned release date in association with product identification information such as the product name or product model number, separately from the product management database. The storage unit 12 may also store the number of days before the desired delivery date that shipping preparation work can begin in association with the product's delivery temperature. The storage unit 12 may also store the number of days before the planned release date that shipping preparation work can begin. Specifically, the storage unit 12 may store a shipping preparation period in association with the product.

[0038] Next, the control unit 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to function as an order receiving unit 131, a setting receiving unit 132, a work date determination unit 133, and a data creation unit 134.

[0039] The order receiving unit 131 receives an order for a product by acquiring order data from a product purchaser U or a store via the storage unit 12. The order receiving unit 131 assigns a management ID to data included in the order data, such as the product name, quantity, purchaser name, purchase store name, delivery address, and desired delivery date, and registers the data in the product management database. When new order data is received, the order receiving unit 131 notifies the work date determination unit 133 that the order data has been received.

[0040] A purchaser U may purchase a first product with a set planned release date and a second product with no set planned release date. Alternatively, a purchaser U may purchase multiple products with different planned release dates. In such cases, the order receiving unit 131 acquires order data for a first product with a set planned release date and a second product with no set planned release date or a second product with an earlier planned release date than the first product. Upon acquiring such order data, the order receiving unit 131 may further accept an instruction to select either to ship the first product and the second product simultaneously on the planned release date of the first product, or to ship the second product first and then ship the first product on the planned release date of the first product.

[0041] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for accepting a selection of whether to ship multiple products on the same day or in installments. The order accepting unit 131 displays a screen for selecting either same-day shipping or installment shipping on the information terminal of the purchaser U, as shown in FIG. 5, via the communication unit 11, for example, and accepts an instruction as to whether to ship on the same day or installment shipping by acquiring data indicating the selection result of the purchaser U. The order accepting unit 131 notifies the work date determination unit 133 of the content of the accepted instruction.

[0042] The setting reception unit 132 receives various settings input by the worker W at the shipping work terminal 2 by acquiring setting data from the shipping work terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The setting data is, for example, data in which product identification information and a planned release date are associated, and the setting reception unit 132 receives the setting of the planned release date of the product from the shipping work terminal 2 used by the manager. When the setting reception unit 132 receives the setting data, it stores the planned release date in the memory unit 12 in association with the product identification information.

[0043] The setting receiving unit 132 may further receive, in association with a product, a setting for a shipping preparation period, which is a period required for shipping work. The setting receiving unit 132 receives, for example, setting data indicating how many days before the scheduled release date shipping preparation work may begin (i.e., setting data indicating the shipping preparation period starting from the scheduled release date). The setting receiving unit 132 may receive setting data indicating how many days before the desired delivery date shipping preparation work may begin (i.e., setting data indicating the shipping preparation period starting from the desired delivery date) for each of the cases where the product is a regular product, a refrigerated product, and a frozen product.

[0044] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for accepting the setting of a shipping preparation period. The setting acceptance unit 132 accepts the setting of the shipping preparation period by displaying a screen such as that shown in FIG. 6 on the shipping work terminal 2 via the communication unit 11 and having the worker W input a number indicating the shipping preparation period. The setting acceptance unit 132 may accept the setting of the shipping preparation period for each product. The setting acceptance unit 132 stores each of the accepted multiple shipping preparation periods in the memory unit 12.

[0045] The work date determination unit 133 determines the possible work start date on which work to ship a product can begin based on the scheduled release date. The work date determination unit 133 determines the possible work start date to be a date that is a period of time before the scheduled release date that corresponds to the shipping preparation period. If the shipping preparation period before the scheduled release date is three days, the work date determination unit 133 sets, for example, March 7, which is three days before the scheduled release date of March 10, as the possible work start date.

[0046] The work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can begin in response to the acquisition of order data by the order receiving unit 131. For example, in response to receiving a notification from the order receiving unit 131 that the order data has been acquired, the work date determination unit 133 refers to the storage unit 12 to determine whether a planned release date has been set for the product indicated by the order data.

[0047] When a planned release date is set for the product indicated by the order data, the work date determination unit 133 determines the date when work can start based on the shipping preparation period set by the setting reception unit 132. In the case of a product with a management ID of 0001 in FIG. 4, where the planned release date is March 10 and the set shipping preparation period is three days, the work date determination unit 133 determines March 7 as the date when work can start. There are cases where the shipping preparation period differs depending on the product. In such cases, the work date determination unit 133 may determine the date when work can start based on the shipping preparation period stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the product indicated by the order data.

[0048] The work date determination unit 133 may determine the possible work start date based on the desired delivery date and the setting of the product's delivery temperature. For example, in the case of a product with a management ID of 0002 in FIG. 4, the desired delivery date is March 12, the delivery temperature is set to "refrigerated," and the shipping preparation period corresponding to the "refrigerated" delivery temperature setting is two days. The work date determination unit 133 determines March 10 as the possible work start date. The planned release date of the product is March 8, and the possible work start date based on the planned release date is March 5. However, the work date determination unit 133 determines the later of the possible work start date based on the planned release date and the possible work start date based on the desired delivery date and the delivery temperature. By operating in this manner, the work date determination unit 133 can prevent the product from being delivered before the planned release date and prevent the quality of the product from deteriorating.

[0049] Incidentally, there are cases where a large quantity of products with a scheduled release date is ordered with a desired delivery date immediately after the scheduled release date. In such cases, it is expected that the product shipment preparation will not be completed in time within the preset shipping preparation period. Therefore, the work date determination unit 133 may determine the possible work start date so that the possible work start date increases as the total number of one or more types of products that can be sold from the scheduled release date increases.

[0050] As an example, the work date determination unit 133 calculates the number of products that can be prepared for shipment within the preparation period by multiplying the number of products for which a scheduled release date can be prepared for shipment within one day by the set shipping preparation period. If the number of ordered products is greater than the calculated number of products, the shipping preparation period is changed to the period required to prepare for shipment of all ordered products, and the work start date is determined based on the changed preparation period. The work date determination unit 133 changes only the shipping preparation period for the target product and does not change the shipping preparation periods for other products. By operating the work date determination unit 133 in this manner, it becomes possible to ship a large number of products on the scheduled release date. Note that the work date determination unit 133 may notify the shipping work terminal 2 that the shipping preparation period needs to be changed, and may change the shipping preparation period only on the condition that approval is received from worker W via the shipping work terminal 2.

[0051] As described above, a purchaser U may place an order for a first product with a scheduled release date and a second product with no scheduled release date at the same time. In such a case, the work date determination unit 133 determines different work start dates for each product based on the selection result of whether to ship the multiple products on the same day or in separate shipments. In other words, when the order data includes a first product with a scheduled release date and a second product with no scheduled release date, the work date determination unit 133 determines the work start date on which the shipment preparation work for the second product can begin based on the selection result of whether to ship the multiple products on the same day or in separate shipments received by the order receiving unit 131.

[0052] Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the difference between same-day shipping and divided shipping. Figure 7(a) is a diagram showing the date on which work can start in the case of same-day shipping. Figure 7(b) is a diagram showing the date on which work can start in the case of divided shipping.

[0053] When it is selected to ship the second product on the same day as the first product, the work date determination unit 133 determines the second work start date for the second product to be the same date as the first work start date for the first product, as shown in Figure 7(a).When it is selected to ship the second product separately from the first product, the work date determination unit 133 determines the second work start date for the second product to be a date earlier than the first work start date for the first product, as shown in Figure 7(b).

[0054] By having the work date determination unit 133 operate in this manner, when a first product and a second product are purchased, it is possible to meet the request of the purchaser U who wants the second product to be delivered as soon as possible while preventing the first product, which has a scheduled release date, from being delivered before the scheduled release date. Also, a purchaser U who does not want to be charged an additional shipping fee for the second product can select same-day shipping, which makes it possible to prevent the first product from being delivered before the scheduled release date while keeping the shipping fee as low as possible.

[0055] It is also possible that multiple products ordered simultaneously by the same purchaser U each have a scheduled release date, but the scheduled release dates are different. In such a case, if multiple products with different scheduled release dates are selected for same-day shipping, the work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can begin on the multiple products based on the latest scheduled release date. In other words, the work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can begin on the multiple products as the day that is the shipping preparation period before the latest scheduled release date.

[0056] On the other hand, when separate shipments of multiple products with different planned release dates are selected, the work date determination unit 133 determines the possible start date for work on the multiple products based on the planned release dates of each product. That is, the work date determination unit 133 sets the possible start date for work on the product with an earlier planned release date earlier than the possible start date for work on the product with a later planned release date. By operating in this manner, when multiple products have scheduled release dates, it is possible to prevent each of the multiple products from being shipped before their scheduled release dates.

[0057] The data creation unit 134 creates product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the available work start date. The product identification information may be the product name or a character string unique to the product that is composed of numbers or letters. The product identification information may be information represented by a combination of the management ID and product name shown in FIG. 4.

[0058] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of product management data. As shown in Fig. 8, the product management data associates the product name, product code, shipping unit of measure, delivery temperature, supplier, desired delivery date, scheduled shipping date, scheduled release date, and possible work start date. When the order receiving unit 131 receives an order, the data creation unit 134 registers new product management data in the product management database shown in Fig. 4 by referring to the product management data of the ordered product.

[0059] Furthermore, the data creation unit 134 creates shipping slip data for shipping the product, provided that the product is in a shipping awaiting status. The shipping slip data is, for example, data on a slip to be handed over to a delivery company together with the product when the delivery of the product is requested to the delivery company.

[0060] To prevent worker W from accidentally shipping a product before the scheduled shipping date, the data creation unit 134 may create product management data including restriction information associated with the product and indicating that shipping of the product is restricted, prior to the scheduled release date, and delete the restriction information associated with the product after the work start date. When restriction information is associated with a product, the data creation unit 134 does not create shipping slip data even if worker W performs an operation to create shipping slip data.

[0061] The data creation unit 134 creates shipping slip data for the product when an operation to prepare for shipping of the product is performed after the work start date, and outputs warning information when an operation to prepare for shipping of the product is performed before the scheduled release date. By operating the data creation unit 134 in this manner, it becomes possible for the worker W to start preparing for shipping at the appropriate time so that the product is shipped on the scheduled shipping date, and it is also possible to prevent the worker W from accidentally shipping the product before the scheduled release date.

[0062] When the order receiving unit 131 receives an order including multiple products, the data creation unit 134 creates different shipping slip data based on the selection result of same-day shipping or separate shipping received by the order receiving unit 131. When the selection result received by the order receiving unit 131 indicates that the first product and the second product will be shipped simultaneously, the data creation unit 134 creates shipping slip data for the first product and the second product that states that the scheduled shipping dates of the first product and the second product are after the scheduled release date of the first product.

[0063] On the other hand, if the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit 131 indicates that the first product and the second product will not be shipped at the same time, the data creation unit 134 creates first product management data for the first product in which the planned release date of the first product is entered as the planned shipping date, and second product management data for the second product in which a date earlier than the planned release date is entered as the planned shipping date. By operating in this manner, the data creation unit 134 can meet the needs of the product purchaser U while preventing a product with a set planned release date from being delivered before the planned release date.

[0064] [Processing flow in the shipping management device 1] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the shipment management device 1. The flowchart shown in Fig. 9 starts from the point when the purchaser U performs processing to purchase a product.

[0065] The order receiving unit 131 receives an order by acquiring order data from the shipping terminal 2 (S11). The work date determination unit 133 determines whether the order data includes multiple products (S12). If the work date determination unit 133 determines that multiple products are not included (NO in S12), the process proceeds to S14. If the work date determination unit 133 determines that multiple products are included (YES in S12), the work date determination unit 133 determines whether the multiple products need to be shipped on the same day or whether they need to be shipped separately (S13).

[0066] If the work date determination unit 133 determines that multiple products need to be shipped on the same day (YES in S13), the process proceeds to S14, where the latest scheduled release date among the multiple products is identified (S14). If there is a product among the multiple products for which a scheduled release date has not been set, the work date determination unit 133 identifies the latest scheduled release date among one or more scheduled release dates corresponding to one or more products for which a scheduled release date has been set.

[0067] Next, the work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can start for preparing shipment of the multiple products based on the identified scheduled release date and the shipping preparation period stored in the storage unit 12 (S15). The data creation unit 134 creates product management data including the identified possible work start date (S16) and stores the created product management data in the storage unit 12.

[0068] If it is determined in S13 that the products are not to be shipped on the same day (NO in S13), the work date determination unit 133 identifies the planned release date of each product (S17). The work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can begin for preparing for shipment of each of the multiple products, based on the planned release date of each product and the shipping preparation period stored in the memory unit 12 (S18). For products for which a planned release date is not set, the work date determination unit 133 determines the date on which work can begin based on the desired delivery date and the set delivery temperature.

[0069] [Example] In the above explanation, an example of a product management database has been shown in which product information is associated with the possible work start date, expected shipping date, and expected release date (Figure 4). However, the product management database may have any configuration, and this information may be managed in multiple databases in a distributed manner.

[0070] 10 to 13 are diagrams showing examples of multiple management data for realizing the functions of the product management database. Fig. 10 is an example of product master data. Fig. 11 is an example of order slip data. Fig. 12 is an example of order slip detail line data. Fig. 13 is an example of shipping slip data.

[0071] 10, a product master ID, a product code, a product name, and a planned release date are associated with each other. When the shipping management device 1 receives information about a product, including the planned release date, from a business that sells the product, the information about the product is registered in the product master data.

[0072] In the order slip data shown in Figure 11, the order slip ID and order code are associated. The order slip ID is also included in the order slip detail line data shown in Figure 12, which associates the order slip ID with information about the product. In the order slip detail line data shown in Figure 12, the order slip ID and shipping slip ID are associated.

[0073] In the order slip detail line data of Figure 12, the order slip with order slip ID 1 includes product A, product B, and product C. As such, there are cases where the multiple products included in a single order slip have different planned release dates. When multiple products are set to be shipped on the same day, the data creation unit 134 creates shipping slip data, as shown in Figure 13, by setting the latest planned release date of the multiple products as the planned release date corresponding to the order slip. In Figure 13, the planned release date corresponding to the shipping slip with shipping slip ID 1 (corresponding to the order slip with order slip ID 1) is set to May 1st, the planned release date of product C, which has the latest planned release date.

[0074] If multiple products are set to be shipped separately, the data creation unit 134 creates data in which multiple shipping slip IDs corresponding to multiple products are assigned to one order slip. In this case, the planned release dates corresponding to each shipping slip ID will be the planned release dates of each product.

[0075] [Effects of Shipping Management Device 1] As described above, the shipping management device 1 includes a work date determination unit 133 that determines the possible work start date for starting preparation work for shipping a product based on the scheduled release date, which is the date when sales of the ordered product can begin, and a data creation unit 134 that creates product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the possible work start date. With the shipping management device 1 configured in this way, even if there is a long period between the date the product is ordered and the scheduled release date, preparation for shipping the product is performed just before the scheduled release date, thereby preventing the product from being shipped before the scheduled release date.

[0076] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1. Shipping management device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Order Reception Department 132 Settings reception section 133 Work Day Determination Department 134 Data Creation Department 2. Shipping terminal 3. Information terminals

Claims

1. a setting reception unit that receives a setting of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of the product can begin; a work date determination unit that determines a work start date on which work to prepare for shipping of the product can begin based on the scheduled release date; a data creation unit that creates product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the available work start date; A shipping management device having the above.

2. the setting receiving unit further receives a setting of a shipping preparation period, which is a period required for shipping preparation work, in association with the product; the work date determination unit determines the possible work start date to be a date that is earlier than the scheduled release date by a period corresponding to the shipping preparation period; The shipment management device according to claim 1.

3. the work date determination unit determines the possible work start date so that the possible work start date becomes earlier as the total number of the one or more types of products that can be started to be sold from the scheduled release date increases. The shipment management device according to claim 1.

4. further comprising an order receiving unit that receives an order by acquiring order data indicating that the product has been ordered; the work date determination unit determines the work start date in response to the order receiving unit acquiring the order data; The shipment management device according to claim 1.

5. when the order receiving unit acquires order data for a first product for which the scheduled release date is set and a second product for which the scheduled release date is not set, the order receiving unit further receives an instruction to select either to ship the first product and the second product simultaneously on the scheduled release date of the first product, or to ship the second product first and then ship the first product on the scheduled release date; the work date determination unit determines a second work start date on which the shipping preparation work for the second product can be started based on the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit. The shipping management device according to claim 4.

6. when the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit indicates that the first product and the second product are to be shipped simultaneously, the data creation unit creates shipping slip data for the first product and the second product, which indicates that the planned shipping date of the second product is after the planned release date of the first product. The shipping management device according to claim 5 .

7. When the result of the selection received by the order receiving unit indicates that the first product and the second product will not be shipped simultaneously, the data creating unit creates first product management data for the first product in which the planned release date of the first product is entered as the planned shipping date, and second product management data for the second product in which a date earlier than the planned release date is entered as the planned shipping date. The shipping management device according to claim 5 .

8. the data creation unit creates the product management data including restriction information associated with the product and indicating that shipping of the product is restricted, at a time point prior to the scheduled release date, and deletes the restriction information associated with the product on or after the work start possible date. The shipping management device according to claim 1 .

9. the data creation unit creates shipping slip data for the product when an operation to ship the product is performed after the scheduled shipping date, and outputs warning information when an operation to ship the product is performed before the scheduled release date. The shipping management device according to claim 1 .

10. The computer executes A step of accepting the setting of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of the product can begin; determining a work start date on which preparation work for shipping the product can begin based on the planned release date; creating product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the available work start date; A shipping management method having the above.

11. The system includes a shipping operation terminal used by a person performing shipping operations, and a shipping management device capable of communicating with the shipping operation terminal, The shipping operation terminal includes: an input receiving unit that receives input of a planned release date, which is the date on which sales of the product can begin; a transmission unit that transmits the planned release date to the shipping management device; and The shipment management device a setting reception unit that receives the setting of the planned release date received from the shipping terminal; a work date determination unit that determines a work start date on which work to prepare for shipping of the product can begin based on the scheduled release date; a data creation unit that creates product management data including product identification information for identifying the product and the available work start date; a communication unit that transmits the product management data to the shipping terminal; A shipping management system with

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