Business support device, business support method, and business support program

Abstract

This reduces the burden of ordering tasks that require ordering quantities exceeding the standard amount. [Solution] The discrimination unit determines whether the order quantity of the item to be procured is less than the predetermined order quantity. If the order quantity of the item to be procured is less than the predetermined order quantity, the list display control unit refers to the planned order data for the item to be procured from the supplier, including the planned order quantity and the planned use date of the item, and displays the planned order quantities in a list on the display unit in order of planned use date. The order flag display control unit then adds order flag information to the items on the display unit indicating that an order should be placed for the items whose added value, obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date, is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity. The order data generation unit generates order data for the items whose added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, and the output control unit outputs the generated order data to the output target device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-163516) discloses a trading plan device that executes a trading plan in response to market trends, fluctuations in demand, or the operating status of customers, and determines the amount of orders placed with customers and the market, as well as the order timing, based on the results.

[0003] In this trading plan device, an order quantity planning unit determines the amount of transactions with a plurality of customers from the cumulative amount of transactions and estimated data on future amounts related to demand and customers. The order-by-time planning unit generates order placement data including data on the order price or order quantity related to order placement during a planned trading period, which is a subdivided period within the passage of time during the trading period when transactions can be made.

[0004] The future amount estimation unit estimates the estimated amount of data related to the error in the future amount estimated from the actual value. Then, when the difference between the total amount of transactions with all customers and the future demand amount deviates by a predetermined value or more, the order quantity planning unit increases or decreases the transaction quantity with any one of the customers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] For example, in the food industry, raw material wholesalers generally do not accept orders below a set quantity. Therefore, those responsible for ordering had to check the order quantity each time and adjust it to ensure it was above the set quantity, which was a very cumbersome task.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program that can reduce the burden of ordering work that requires ordering more than a predetermined quantity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the business support device according to the present invention includes: a determination unit that determines whether the order quantity of a purchased item specified by the operator is less than the predetermined order quantity stored in the predetermined order quantity master table; a list display control unit that, if the determination result is obtained that the order quantity of a purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, refers to the planned order data stored in the planned order data storage unit, which includes the planned order quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the planned order quantities in a list on the display unit in order of planned use date; an order flag display control unit that displays on the display unit order flag information indicating that the purchased item to be ordered is a purchased item for which an order will be placed, for purchased items whose added value, obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date, is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; an order data generation unit that generates order data for purchased items whose added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; and an output control unit that outputs the generated order data to an output target device.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the business support method according to the present invention includes: a determination step in which a determination unit determines whether the order quantity of a purchased item specified by the operator is less than the predetermined order quantity stored in the predetermined order quantity master table; a list display control step in which, if the determination result is obtained that the order quantity of a purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, the list display control unit refers to the planned order data stored in the planned order data storage unit, which includes the planned order quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the planned order quantities in a list on the display unit in order of planned use date; an order flag display control unit displays on the display unit order flag information indicating that the purchased item to be ordered is the purchased item for which an order will be placed, for the purchased items whose added value obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; an order data generation step in which an order data generation unit generates order data for purchased items whose added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; and an output control step in which an output control unit outputs the generated order data to an output target device.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the business support program according to the present invention causes the computer to function as follows: a determination unit that determines whether the order quantity of a purchased item specified by the operator is less than the predetermined order quantity stored in the predetermined order quantity master table; a list display control unit that, if the determination result is obtained that the order quantity of a purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, refers to the planned order data stored in the planned order data storage unit, which includes the planned order quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the planned order quantity in a list on the display unit in order of planned use date; an order flag display control unit that displays on the display unit an order flag information indicating that the purchased item should be ordered if the added value obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; an order data generation unit that generates order data for purchased items whose added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity; and an output control unit that outputs the generated order data to an output target device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This invention can reduce the burden of ordering tasks that require ordering quantities exceeding a predetermined amount. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the business support device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a default quantity master table. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a lead time master table. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a master table for the number of days added to the shelf life. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of each function realized by the control unit of the business support device in this embodiment executing the business support program. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the flow of order support operations in the business support device of the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of planned manufacturing data. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of planned order data. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of an order entry screen for entering order information. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of an alert message displayed when the order quantity is less than the supplier's predetermined quantity. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of a planned purchase list that is displayed when the order quantity is less than the supplier's predetermined quantity. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of an order confirmation screen used to confirm an order for a quantity exceeding the supplier's predetermined quantity. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of order data generated when an order is confirmed on the order confirmation screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a business support device that supports an ordering operation for a raw material wholesaler in the food industry that requires an order quantity of more than a specified amount when ordering a product to be purchased will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is applicable to any industry and business type as long as it is an ordering operation for a business that requires an order quantity of more than a specified amount at the time of ordering a product to be purchased, and is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0014] (Overview) It is common for raw material wholesalers in the food industry not to accept orders with an order quantity less than the specified amount. For this reason, the person in charge of ordering has to check the order quantity each time an order is placed and adjust the order quantity to be more than the specified amount.

[0015] In addition, food manufacturers that handle raw materials with a short expiration date at multiple factories need to order the raw materials required by each factory immediately. If it is discovered after placing an order that the order is less than the specified amount, the ordering operation has to be redone. For this reason, visual inspections are carried out at the time of ordering, but when manufacturing is carried out at multiple factories, it is necessary to consider the planned use of raw materials at other factories and adjust the order quantity, which takes time and there is a problem of work mistakes.

[0016] The business support device of the embodiment issues an alert when the order quantity is less than the specified amount, and the business support device of the embodiment automatically adjusts the order quantity. As a result, visual inspection at the time of ordering is not required, and manual adjustment of the order quantity is also not required. In addition, by enabling automatic adjustment of the order quantity by the business support device of the embodiment, labor saving of the ordering operation and prevention of work mistakes are achieved.

[0017] (Hardware Configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, the business support device 1 of the embodiment includes a storage unit 2, a control unit 3, a communication interface unit 4, and an input / output interface unit 5. An input device 6 and an output device 7 are connected to the input / output interface unit 5.

[0018] Output device 7 may include a display unit of a monitor device (including a household television), a printing device, or a speaker device.

[0019] The input device 6 can include a keyboard, mouse, and microphone, as well as a monitor that works in conjunction with the mouse to provide a pointing device function.

[0020] The communication interface unit 4 is connected to a network 50, such as a wide-area network like the Internet or a private network like a LAN (Local Area Network). A supplier terminal device 51, which is used to purchase ingredients such as cabbage and carrots (an example of ingredients to be procured), is connected to the network 50. In addition, factory terminal devices 52 of multiple factories, such as the Chiba factory and the Saitama factory, which process the procured ingredients, are connected to the network 50. In this embodiment, the business support device 1 is, for example, a terminal device of the Tokyo factory.

[0021] For the memory unit 2, a storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive) can be used.

[0022] The storage unit 2 stores a business support program that reduces the burden of ordering tasks that require ordering quantities exceeding a predetermined amount. The storage unit 2 also includes storage areas for a predetermined order quantity master table 11, a lead time master table 12, a shelf life addition days master table 13, an order schedule data storage unit 14, an order data storage unit 15, and a manufacturing schedule data storage unit 16.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the Order Quantity Master Table 11 stores the supplier name and the minimum order quantity (order quantity) required when placing an order with that supplier. In the example in Figure 2, the supplier name is "○○ Trading Co., Ltd.", and when placing an order for goods with "○○ Trading Co., Ltd.", the order quantity is "1500 cases".

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the lead time master table 12 stores the supplier name and the order lead time associated with that supplier. The "order lead time" is the number of days from the order date to the delivery date. In this example, it is "3 days".

[0025] The Shelf Life Addition Days Master Table 13 stores the number of days added to the shelf life of purchased goods, as shown in Figure 4. In the example in Figure 4, the number of days added to the shelf life of cabbage is set to "2 days," and the number of days added to the shelf life of carrots is set to "10 days."

[0026] (Functional configuration of business support equipment) Next, the control unit 3 executes the business support program stored in the memory unit 2, and functions as a discrimination unit 21, display control unit 22, calculation unit 23, order data generation unit 24, output control unit 25, and notification control unit 26, as shown in Figure 5.

[0027] The display control unit 22 includes the functions of the list display control unit 27, the added value display control unit 28, and the order flag display control unit 29.

[0028] Furthermore, the calculation unit 23 includes the functions of the planned order quantity calculation unit 30, the planned arrival date calculation unit 31, and the estimated best-before date calculation unit 32.

[0029] In this example, the discrimination unit 21 to the estimated expiration date calculation unit 32 are described as being implemented by software using a business support program. However, all or part of the discrimination unit 21 to the estimated expiration date calculation unit 32 may be implemented by hardware. In either case, the same effects as described later can be obtained.

[0030] The discrimination unit 21 determines whether the order quantity of the item to be purchased (for example, cabbage, carrots, etc.) specified by the operator (purchasing staff) is less than the predetermined order quantity stored in the predetermined order quantity master table 11.

[0031] If the discrimination unit 21 determines that the order quantity of the items to be procured is less than the predetermined order quantity, the list display control unit 27 refers to the order schedule data stored in the order schedule data storage unit 14, which includes the order quantity of the items to be procured from the supplier and the planned use date of the items to be procured (see Figure 8), and displays the order quantities in a list on the display unit (output device 7) in order of planned use date (see Figure 11).

[0032] The order flag display control unit 29 adds the planned order quantities from the list of purchased items in order of planned use date, and displays order flag information on the display unit for purchased items where this added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity (see the checkmark in Figure 11).

[0033] The order data generation unit 24 generates order data for items to be purchased where the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity (see Figure 13).

[0034] The output control unit 25 outputs the generated order data to the output target device. The "output target device" corresponds to, for example, the output device 7, and can be a display device, a printing device, or a speaker device. The output control unit 25 converts the order data into display information, print information, or audio information and supplies it to the corresponding device. This makes it possible to obtain display output, print output, or audio output of the order data. In addition, the "output target device" can be the storage unit 2, an external storage device, or a server device on a network, and the order data may be output to or transmitted to these devices for storage.

[0035] The added value display control unit 28 displays the added value of the planned order quantity (the total number of items shown in Figures 9 and 11), which has been processed in order of planned use date, on the display unit. The order data generation unit 24 generates order data in response to the operator's specified operation when the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity (see the example in Figure 11).

[0036] Furthermore, the order schedule data storage unit 14 stores order schedule data, including the planned order quantity and planned use date, generated for each type of item to be procured and for each factory that processes the item (see Figure 8). The list display control unit 27 displays the order schedule data, including the planned order quantity and planned use date, generated for each type of item to be procured and for each factory that processes the item, in a list on the display unit (see Figure 11).

[0037] The notification control unit 26 controls the notification unit to perform a predetermined notification operation indicating that the order quantity is less than the predetermined order quantity when the determination unit 21 determines that the order quantity of the purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity (see Figure 10). Figure 10 shows an example of displaying an alert using the output device 7 (display unit) as the notification unit. If alert notification is to be made by printing, a printer can be provided as the output device 7 to make the alert notification. If alert notification is to be made by voice message or electronic sound, a speaker can be provided as the output device 7 to make the alert notification.

[0038] The expected arrival date calculation unit 31 calculates the expected arrival date by adding the lead time (the number of days required from the order date to the arrival date of the purchased goods, as stored in the lead time master table 12) to the planned order date of the purchased goods entered by the operator (see Figure 8).

[0039] The estimated expiration date calculation unit 32 calculates the estimated expiration date of the purchased items by adding the number of days to be added to the expiration date, which is the number of days to be added as an estimate of the expiration date of the purchased items and is stored in the expiration date addition days master table 13, to the calculated expected arrival date (see Figure 11).

[0040] The list display control unit 27 displays the calculated estimated expiration date along with the planned use date and planned order quantity of the purchased items on the display unit (see Figure 11).

[0041] Furthermore, the list display control unit 27 displays in the display unit, in a predetermined display format, that any purchased items whose planned use date exceeds the expected expiration date will not be included in the calculation of the planned order quantity (see the records for cabbage from the Chiba factory and cabbage from the Saitama factory in Figure 11).

[0042] (Order support operation) Next, the product ordering support operation in the business support device 1 of this embodiment will be explained. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the flow of this ordering support operation. As shown in Figure 6, in step S1, the business support device 1 of this embodiment generates and registers manufacturing schedule data that summarizes the manufacturing plan for a certain period of time for products to be manufactured by purchasing, processing, and manufacturing goods.

[0043] In step S2, order schedule data is generated for each manufacturing plant and each product based on the production schedule data. In step S3, orders are entered via the order entry screen based on the order schedule data.

[0044] In step S4, the ordered quantity entered (the sum of the ordered quantities from each factory = total number of units) is compared with the predetermined order quantity for that supplier stored in the predetermined order quantity master table 11 to determine whether the ordered quantity is less than the predetermined order quantity (predetermined quantity check). If the ordered quantity is less than the predetermined order quantity, a predetermined alert is displayed, and the planned usage list is shown.

[0045] In step S5, the order quantity is automatically adjusted based on the planned usage list so that it is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity. In step S6, when the automatically adjusted order quantity is confirmed by the operator, order data is automatically generated and registered. Based on this order data, an order is placed with the supplier terminal device 51.

[0046] The following describes the operation of each step in detail.

[0047] (Step S1) In step S1, the ordering person enters the planned manufacturing date for each product for each factory via a production plan input screen (not shown). The control unit 3 functions as a manufacturing plan data generation unit (not shown) based on the business support program, generates the manufacturing plan data shown in Figure 7, and stores it in the manufacturing plan data storage unit 16 shown in Figure 1.

[0048] Figure 7 is an example of production schedule data showing that stir-fried cabbage will be manufactured at the Tokyo factory on July 12, 2024, stir-fried carrots at the Chiba factory on July 13, 2024, stir-fried cabbage will be manufactured at the Chiba factory on July 14, 2024, stir-fried carrots will be manufactured at the Saitama factory on July 14, 2024, and stir-fried cabbage will be manufactured at the Saitama factory on July 15, 2024.

[0049] (Step S2) Next, in step S2, the ordering person inputs the planned order quantity for each product at each factory, taking into account the current inventory level of each product, via an order planning data input screen (not shown). As a result, the control unit 3 functions as an order planning data generation unit (not shown), and as shown in Figure 8, generates order planning data including the planned order quantity, planned order date, planned arrival date, and planned use date (= planned manufacturing date) entered for each factory, and stores it in the order planning data storage unit 14 shown in Figure 1.

[0050] The planned order quantity is calculated by subtracting the current inventory quantity from the total quantity required to manufacture the product. For example, if the Tokyo factory requires 1500 cases of cabbage for its stir-fried cabbage product and currently has 500 cases in stock, the planned order quantity would be "1000 cases". Similarly, if the Chiba factory requires 600 cases of carrots for its stir-fried carrot product and currently has 300 cases in stock, the planned order quantity would be "300 cases".

[0051] The purchasing manager then enters the planned order quantity as the amount obtained by subtracting the current inventory quantity from the total quantity required for manufacturing the product.

[0052] Furthermore, if the total required quantity for manufacturing the product is set to the same amount each time, for example, 1500 cases, and the inventory quantity has been registered in advance during the previous manufacturing run, then the control unit 3 may be made to function as the order flag display control unit 29, and the planned order quantity may be automatically calculated by subtracting the current inventory quantity from the total required quantity, which is a fixed amount.

[0053] The planned order date is the date on which each factory plans to place an order for the goods, and it is entered manually by the person in charge of ordering.

[0054] The expected arrival date is calculated by the expected arrival date calculation unit 31 by adding the number of days of the order lead time (3 days in this example) set in the lead time master table 12 to the order date of each factory, as shown in Figure 8. Specifically, in the case of the Tokyo factory, the expected arrival date calculation unit 31 calculates the expected arrival date of July 11, 2024, by adding the number of days of the order lead time of "3" to the order date of July 8, 2024. Similarly, in the case of the Chiba factory, the expected arrival date calculation unit 31 calculates the expected arrival date of July 12, 2024, by adding the number of days of the order lead time of "3" to the order date of July 9, 2024.

[0055] The planned usage date is determined by the order schedule data generation unit (not shown in the diagram), which uses the planned manufacturing date from the manufacturing schedule data shown in Figure 7 as the planned usage date for the order schedule data.

[0056] (Step S3) Next, the ordering person specifies the display of the order input screen via the input device 6. In response to this specification, the display control unit 22 displays the order input screen shown in Figure 9 via the output device 7. The ordering person enters the name of the factory that will place the order (business unit code A100) and the desired order date. The example in Figure 9 shows an example where "July 8, 2024" is entered as the desired order date.

[0057] The display control unit 22 refers to the order schedule data shown in Figure 8, detects the product name, order quantity, expected arrival date, and supplier name corresponding to the entered factory name (Tokyo factory with business code A100) and desired order date (July 8, 2024), and displays them in the order details display field as shown in Figure 9.

[0058] In this example, the product name "Cabbage," the planned order quantity of "1000 cases," and the expected arrival date of "July 8, 2024" will be displayed in the order details section.

[0059] Furthermore, the display control unit 22 displays the total number of items obtained by adding the planned order quantities displayed in the order details display field on the order input screen. In this example, since the planned order quantity is "1000 cases", the displayed total number of items will be "1000 cases".

[0060] (Step S4) Next, when the ordering person operates the "Register" button 60 on the order input screen, the discrimination unit 21 compares the total number of items to be ordered, "1000 cases," with the predetermined order quantity stored in the predetermined order quantity master table 11, and determines whether the total number of items is less than the predetermined order quantity. In this example, the predetermined order quantity is "1500 cases," and the total number of items is "1000 cases," so the discrimination unit 21 determines that the total number of items is less than the predetermined order quantity.

[0061] If the determination result indicates that the total quantity is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, the display control unit 22 displays the order confirmation screen, described later, via the output device 7 using Figure 12.

[0062] The discrimination unit 21 determines that if the total quantity is less than the predetermined order quantity, it violates the contract with XX Trading Co., Ltd., which stipulates that orders must be "1500 cases or more" per order. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, the notification control unit 26 generates an alert indicating that the order is less than the predetermined quantity, such as "The order is less than the predetermined quantity from the supplier. The usage list will be output," and displays it via the output device 7.

[0063] This alert indicating that the amount is below the specified threshold may be output as display data, as an alert sound (voice message or electronic sound) via a speaker device, or as a printed document via a printer.

[0064] Furthermore, the list display control unit 27 generates the usage schedule list shown in Figure 11 based on the order schedule data shown in Figure 8, and displays the order schedule quantities for each factory in a list. Specifically, the list display control unit 27 displays the order date, expected arrival date, order schedule quantity for each factory, default order quantity (= default order quantity), total quantity, etc., for this usage schedule list.

[0065] In this example, the order date is "July 8, 2024," which is entered on the order entry screen. The expected arrival date is "July 11, 2024," which is calculated by the expected arrival date calculation unit 31 by adding the order lead time of "3 days," set in the lead time master table 12, to the order date of "July 8, 2024."

[0066] The planned order quantities are those for each factory. In this example, the Tokyo factory plans to order 1,000 cases of cabbage, the Chiba factory plans to order 300 cases of carrots, the Chiba factory plans to order 300 cases of cabbage, the Saitama factory plans to order 300 cases of carrots, and the Saitama factory plans to order 400 cases of cabbage.

[0067] Furthermore, the list display control unit 27 displays the factory name, supplier name, product name, planned order quantity, expected expiration date, planned use date, and order flag in the display field for the details of the planned orders for each factory.

[0068] The expected expiration date is calculated by the expected expiration date calculation unit 32, which adds the number of days to be added to the expiration date of each product, as set in the expiration date addition days master table 13, to the expected arrival date.

[0069] In this example, the number of days added to the expiration date for the cabbage is "2 days," and the expected arrival date is "July 11, 2024." Therefore, the expected expiration date for the cabbage at each factory is entered as "July 13, 2024." Similarly, the number of days added to the expiration date for the carrots is "10 days," and the expected arrival date is "July 11, 2024." Therefore, the expected expiration date for the carrots at each factory is entered as "July 21, 2024."

[0070] Here, when the list display control unit 27 displays the details of the planned orders for each factory, it arranges the details of each factory in columns in order of the closest planned use date. That is, in this example, the details of the cabbage product from the Tokyo factory have a planned use date of "July 12, 2024", so the list display control unit 27 displays it as the first column item. Similarly, the details of the carrot product from the Chiba factory have a planned use date of "July 13, 2024", so the list display control unit 27 displays it as the second column item. Furthermore, the details of the cabbage product from the Chiba factory have a planned use date of "July 14, 2024", so the list display control unit 27 displays it as the third column item.

[0071] By displaying the items in order of planned usage date, it becomes easier to understand the planned order quantities for each factory.

[0072] (Step S5) Furthermore, the order flag display control unit 29 selects items whose total quantity is equal to or greater than the default order quantity by displaying a checkmark. In this example, the default order quantity is "1500 cases". Therefore, the order flag display control unit 29 selects "1000 cases" of cabbage from the Tokyo factory by displaying a checkmark. The calculation unit 23 calculates the total quantity by adding the planned order quantities of the items selected by the order flag, but at this point, it is "1000 cases", which is less than the default order quantity.

[0073] Therefore, the order flag display control unit 29 selects "300 cases" of carrots from the Chiba factory by displaying a checkmark. The calculation unit 23 adds "1000 cases" of cabbage from the Tokyo factory and "300 cases" of carrots from the Chiba factory to obtain a total quantity of "1300 cases," but even at this point, it is still less than the predetermined order quantity of "1500 cases."

[0074] Here, the next planned order quantity to be added is "300 cases" of cabbage from the Chiba factory. However, the estimated best-before date for the "300 cases" of cabbage from the Chiba factory is earlier than the planned use date. The list display control unit 27 displays the item with an estimated best-before date earlier than the planned use date in a state where it cannot be selected. The item with "400 cases" of cabbage from the Saitama factory also has an estimated best-before date earlier than the planned use date, so it is also displayed in a state where it cannot be selected.

[0075] Thus, since items with an expected expiration date earlier than the planned usage date cannot be selected, the order flag display control unit 29 selects "300 cases" of carrots from the Saitama factory by displaying a checkmark. The calculation unit 23 adds up "1000 cases" of cabbage from the Tokyo factory, "300 cases" of carrots from the Chiba factory, and "300 cases" of carrots from the Saitama factory to obtain a total quantity of "1600 cases". As a result, the total quantity is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity of "1500 cases". The added value display control unit 28 displays the total quantity of "1600 cases" in the planned usage list.

[0076] As described above, the business support device 1 of this embodiment can automatically select and display the planned order quantity that is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity. Therefore, the work of setting the order quantity to be equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity can be significantly reduced. In addition, since items whose expected expiration date is earlier than the planned use date can be made unavailable for selection, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of ordering products whose expiration date is earlier than the planned use date, and to set the order quantity to be equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity for appropriate products whose expiration date is after the planned use date.

[0077] (Step S6) Next, once it is confirmed that the total quantity exceeds the predetermined order quantity, the ordering person operates the "Register" button 61. This causes the display control unit 22 to display the order details corresponding to the items in the planned usage list selected by the order flag on the order confirmation screen shown in Figure 12. Specifically, the display control unit 22 displays the business unit code (Tokyo factory of A100), order date (July 8, 2024 in this example), supplier (XX Trading Co., Ltd.), planned order date (July 8, 2024 in this example), and order details on the order confirmation screen.

[0078] As for the order details, the display control unit 22 displays the details of the "1000 cases" of cabbage from the Tokyo factory (scheduled arrival date: July 11, 2024), the "300 cases" of cabbage from the Chiba factory (scheduled arrival date: July 11, 2024), and the "300 cases" of carrots from the Saitama factory (scheduled arrival date: July 11, 2024), which were selected by the order flag.

[0079] Furthermore, the display control unit 22 displays the total quantity of "1600 cases," which is the sum of the quantities for each factory in the order details, on the order confirmation screen. After the ordering person confirms the order details on this order confirmation screen, they operate the "Register" button 62.

[0080] As a result, the order data generation unit 24 generates order data, including the factory name, supplier name, product name, planned order quantity, order date, and expected arrival date, based on the contents of the order confirmation screen, as shown in Figure 13, and stores it in the order data storage unit 15 shown in Figure 1. This order data is transmitted to the supplier terminal device 51 via the communication interface unit 4 and network 50 by the control unit 3 at a predetermined timing.

[0081] (Effects of the embodiment) As is clear from the above description, the business support device 1 of this embodiment can automatically adjust order quantities and can also alert users when an order is placed for less than the specified quantity. This eliminates the need for visual inspection at the time of ordering and also eliminates the need for manual work to adjust order quantities.

[0082] Therefore, when ordering quantities exceeding the standard amount are required, the burden on the ordering staff can be reduced, leading to labor savings and prevention of errors.

[0083] [Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] This invention can contribute to improving operational efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions by companies, and therefore can contribute to SDGs Goals 8 and 9.

[0084] Furthermore, this invention can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and electronic processes, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 12, 13, and 15.

[0085] Furthermore, this invention can contribute to strengthening control and governance, and therefore can contribute to achieving the 16 goals of the SDGs.

[0086] [Other embodiments] The present invention can be implemented in various different forms within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, even in embodiments other than those described above.

[0087] For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically may be performed manually. Alternatively, all or part of the processes described as being performed manually may be performed automatically by known methods or the like.

[0088] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, registration data for each process, information including parameters such as search conditions, screen examples, and database configuration shown in the specification or drawings can be arbitrarily changed.

[0089] Furthermore, with respect to the business support device 1, each component shown in the diagram is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to have the physical configuration shown. For example, the processing functions of the business support device 1, particularly the processing functions performed by the control unit 3, may be implemented in whole or in any part by a program interpreted and executed by the control unit 3 (CPU: Central Processing Unit), or by hardware using wired logic.

[0090] The program is recorded on a non-temporary, computer-readable recording medium containing programmed instructions for the information processing device to execute the processes described in the embodiment, and is mechanically read by the business support device 1 as needed. In other words, the storage unit 2, such as ROM or HDD, records a computer program that works in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) to give instructions to the control unit 3 (CPU) and perform various processes. This computer program is loaded into RAM, unpacked, and executed by the control unit 3 as appropriate.

[0091] Furthermore, the business support program for this business support device 1 may be stored on another server device connected to the business support device 1 via any network, and all or part of it may be downloaded and executed as needed.

[0092] Furthermore, the business support program for executing the processes described in the embodiment may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, or it may be configured as a program product.

[0093] Here, any "portable physical medium" can be used as the "recording medium," such as memory cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) cards, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), MOs (Magneto-Optical Disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) Discs.

[0094] Furthermore, "program" refers to a data processing method written in any language or writing method, regardless of whether it is source code or binary code.

[0095] Furthermore, the term "program" is not necessarily limited to a single, monolithic entity, but also includes those that are distributed as multiple modules or libraries, and those that work in cooperation with other programs, such as an operating system, to achieve their functions.

[0096] Furthermore, for the specific configuration, reading procedure, and post-reading installation procedure for the business support device 1 of the embodiment, well-known configurations or procedures can be used.

[0097] The storage unit 2 is a storage means such as memory devices like RAM and ROM, fixed disk devices like hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and stores various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processing or website provision.

[0098] Furthermore, the business support device 1 may be composed of a known personal computer device or an information processing device such as a workstation, or it may be composed of an information processing device to which any peripheral devices are connected. In addition, the information processing device may be implemented by implementing software (including programs or data, etc.) that realizes the processing described in the embodiment.

[0099] Furthermore, the specific forms of distribution and integration of the devices are not limited to those shown in the figures, and all or part of them can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating them in any unit according to various additions or functional loads. In other words, the embodiments described above can be selectively implemented by arbitrarily combining the embodiments described above. [Industrial applicability]

[0100] The present invention is particularly suitable for supporting ordering operations in industries that require ordering quantities exceeding a specified amount when ordering goods to be procured. For example, it can be applied to supporting ordering operations for raw material wholesalers in the food industry. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0101] 1 Business support equipment 2 Storage section 3. Control Unit 4. Communication Interface Section 5 Input / Output Interface Section 6 Input devices 7 Output device 11 Order Quantity Master Table 12 Lead Time Master Table 13. Master Table for Adding Days to Shelf Life 14. Order Schedule Data Storage Unit 15 Order Data Storage Unit 16. Manufacturing Plan Data Storage Unit 21 Discrimination part 22 Display Control Unit 23 Calculation Section 24 Order Data Generation Department 25 Output control unit 26. Notification Control Unit 27 List Display Control Unit 28 Addition Value Display Control Unit 29 Order Flag Display Control Unit 30. Order Quantity Calculation Unit 31. Calculation section for expected arrival date 32. Estimated Best Before Date Calculation Unit 50 Networks 51 Supplier terminal equipment 52 Factory Terminal Equipment

Claims

1. A determination unit that determines whether the order quantity of the item to be purchased specified by the operator is less than the order quantity stored in the order quantity master table, If a determination result is obtained that the order quantity of the purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, the list display control unit refers to the order schedule data stored in the order schedule data storage unit, which includes the order schedule quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the order schedule quantity in a list on the display unit in order of the planned use date and the planned use date. The order flag display control unit displays on the display unit an order flag information indicating that an order should be placed for the purchase items whose added value, obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date, is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, among the purchase items whose planned order quantities are listed in the order of purchase items. An order data generation unit that generates order data for the purchase target such that the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, An output control unit that outputs the generated order data to the output target device, A business support device having the following features.

2. The system further includes an added value display control unit that displays the added values ​​of the planned order quantity, which have been added up in order of the planned usage dates, on the display unit. The order data generation unit generates the order data in response to the operator's specified operation when the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity. The business support device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

3. The order schedule data storage unit stores order schedule data, which includes the order schedule quantity and the planned use date, generated for each type of item to be procured and for each factory that processes the item to be procured. The list display control unit displays the order schedule data, including the planned order quantity and planned use date, generated for each type of item to be procured and each factory that processes the item to be procured, in a list on the display unit. The business support device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

4. The system further includes a notification control unit that controls the notification unit to perform a predetermined notification operation to indicate that the order quantity of the purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, when the determination unit obtains a determination result that the order quantity is less than the predetermined order quantity. A business support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

5. An incoming date calculation unit calculates the incoming date by adding the lead time, which is the number of days required from the order date to the arrival of the purchased item stored in the lead time master table, to the planned order date of the purchased item entered by the operator. The system includes an estimated expiration date calculation unit that calculates an estimated expiration date, which is the expected expiration date of the purchased item, by adding the number of days to be added to the estimated expiration date of the purchased item, which is the number of days to be added as a guideline for the expiration date of the purchased item, stored in the expiration date addition days master table, to the calculated expected arrival date. The aforementioned list display control unit displays the calculated estimated expiration date along with the planned use date and planned order quantity of the purchased items in the display unit. The business support device according to claim 4, characterized by the following:

6. The list display control unit displays on the display unit, in a predetermined display format, that among the purchased items displayed in the list, those purchased items whose planned use date exceeds the expected expiration date will not be included in the calculation of the planned order quantity. The business support device according to claim 5, characterized by the following:

7. The discrimination unit performs a discrimination step in which it determines whether the order quantity of the item to be purchased specified by the operator is less than the order quantity stored in the order quantity master table. If the list display control unit determines that the order quantity of the purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, it refers to the order schedule data stored in the order schedule data storage unit, which includes the order schedule quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the order schedule quantity in a list on the display unit in order of the planned use date and the planned use date. The order flag display control unit performs an order flag display control step in which, among the purchased items whose planned order quantities are listed, the added value obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, and displays order flag information on the display unit indicating that the purchased item is to be ordered. The order data generation unit performs an order data generation step in which it generates order data for the purchase target such that the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, The output control unit performs an output control step in which it outputs the generated order data to the output target device, A business support method that has the following characteristics.

8. Computers, A determination unit that determines whether the order quantity of the item to be purchased specified by the operator is less than the order quantity stored in the order quantity master table, If a determination result is obtained that the order quantity of the purchased item is less than the predetermined order quantity, the list display control unit refers to the order schedule data stored in the order schedule data storage unit, which includes the order schedule quantity of the purchased item to the supplier and the planned use date of the purchased item, and displays the order schedule quantity in a list on the display unit in order of the planned use date and the planned use date. The order flag display control unit displays on the display unit an order flag information indicating that an order should be placed for the purchase items whose added value, obtained by adding the planned order quantities in order of planned use date, is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, among the purchase items whose planned order quantities are listed in the order of purchase items. An order data generation unit that generates order data for the purchase target such that the added value is equal to or greater than the predetermined order quantity, Output control unit outputs the generated order data to the output target device. A business support program designed to function as such.

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