Supplier selection device, supplier selection method, and program

Abstract

This system provides a streamlined quotation process for both suppliers and buyers, regardless of the experience or knowledge of the person requesting the quote. [Solution] The supplier selection device of the present invention comprises a storage unit that stores equipment information owned by each supplier, a communication unit that receives the conditions for the work to be requested from a buyer terminal, and a candidate selection unit that selects candidate suppliers based on the equipment information owned and the conditions. Preferably, the storage unit also stores equipment operation information for each piece of equipment owned, and the candidate selection unit selects candidate suppliers based on the equipment operation information as well. Even more preferably, the storage unit also stores quality information that has been previously evaluated by the buyer for each piece of equipment owned, and the candidate selection unit selects candidate suppliers based on the quality information as well.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a destination selection device, a destination selection method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the work of a buyer requesting a quotation from a supplier has generally been performed manually. Therefore, if the person requesting the quotation does not have sufficient experience and knowledge, there is a possibility of requesting a quotation from a supplier who cannot handle the work to be requested. In that case, there is also a possibility that the supplier will waste resources in preparing the quotation.

[0003] Here, a system that can semi-automatically perform the process from a quotation request to a quotation response has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a manufacturing order support system that semi-automatically generates quotation information based on amount information registered in advance in association with product specification information specified from specification selection information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the manufacturing order support system described in Patent Document 1, since the information on the facilities owned by each contractor (supplier) is not taken into account when determining the destination of the quotation request, there is a possibility of requesting a quotation from a contractor who cannot handle it depending on the detailed product specifications of the order target.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a system that can streamline the quotation operations of both suppliers and buyers regardless of the experience and knowledge of the quotation requester.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the aforementioned problems, and one embodiment thereof, a supplier selection device, comprises a storage unit that stores equipment information owned by each supplier, a communication unit that receives the conditions for the work to be requested from a buyer terminal, and a candidate selection unit that selects candidates for the supplier based on the equipment information owned and the conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of the estimation support system. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of equipment information stored in the equipment database. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of equipment operation information stored in the equipment operation database. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of master information stored in a master database. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of work performance information stored in the work performance database. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the processing flow in the estimation support system. [Figure 7] A diagram illustrating an example of the conditions for the requested work. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of the selection results. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a quotation response. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Configuration of the Quotation Support System> Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of the quotation support system. As shown in Figure 1, the quotation support system of this embodiment consists of a quotation management cloud server 100 (quotation management device), a supplier selection server 200 (supplier selection device), a buyer terminal 300 (client terminal device), and a supplier terminal 400 (contractor terminal device). In Figure 1, only one supplier terminal 400 is shown, but in reality, a large number of supplier terminals 400 are connected to the quotation management cloud server 100 via a network 500 such as the internet.

[0011] (Estimate management cloud server) The following description of the estimate management cloud server 100 assumes a cloud-type server built with a large group of computers, but it may also be a server built with a single computer. As shown in Figure 1, the estimate management cloud server 100 includes a processor 110, memory 120, communication unit 130, and storage 140. In Figure 1, the functions conceptually performed by the processor 110 are shown as the equipment information management unit 121 and the estimate management unit 122. The programs for realizing these functions are stored in the memory 120. The programs may be provided pre-installed in ROM or similar media, or provided or distributed as installable or executable files recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Furthermore, the programs may be stored on a computer connected to the network 500 and provided or distributed by downloading them via the network 500.

[0012] The Equipment Information Management Unit 121 stores and manages equipment ownership information and equipment operation information received from the buyer terminal 300 in the storage 140. The Quotation Management Unit 122 manages the quotation process conducted between the buyer terminal 300 and the supplier terminal 400. Note that equipment ownership information includes not only large machinery and equipment, but also all resources possessed by the supplier, such as jigs and fixtures, human know-how and other technologies, and the number of personnel with those technologies.

[0013] The communication unit 130 is an interface for exchanging data with the request selection server 200, the buyer terminal 300, and the supplier terminal 400 via the network 500. The storage 140 has an owned equipment database 141 and an equipment operation database 142.

[0014] Figure 2 shows an example of equipment information stored in the equipment database. As shown in Figure 2, the equipment database 141 stores equipment information for each supplier, including the models of equipment they own, their specifications, and performance data. This information is acquired by the communication unit 130 of the quotation management cloud server 100 from the supplier terminal 400 via the network 500 and stored in the equipment database 141 by the equipment information management unit 121.

[0015] The specifications include information on shape, machinable dimensions, machinable weight, machining accuracy, and compatible material types, while the performance information includes information on the actual drawing numbers. The shape item corresponds to the shape of the workpiece (part) that can be machined by the equipment, such as round or square parts. The machinable dimensions item corresponds to the dimensions that the equipment can machine, specifically the dimensions of the long side or small diameter, the short side or large diameter, the thickness or length, etc. The machinable weight item corresponds to the weight of the workpiece that the equipment can machine. The machining accuracy item corresponds to the accuracy guaranteed by the machining performed by the equipment, such as dimensional tolerances and geometric tolerances. The compatible material types item defines the material types of workpieces that can be machined by the equipment.

[0016] The performance information includes information such as the drawing numbers of the workpieces processed in the past using the equipment in question. This performance information is stored not only in the equipment database 141 of the estimate management cloud server 100, but also in the work performance database 242 of the supplier selection server 200, as described later. Furthermore, since the equipment information is considered when selecting a supplier, additional information that suppliers can use to appeal to buyers may be added via the supplier terminal 400 as needed.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of equipment operation information stored in the equipment operation database. As shown in FIG. 3, in the equipment operation database 142, as equipment operation information, for each supplier, information such as the model of the equipment it holds, its load status, and whether it can handle short delivery dates is stored. The communication unit 130 of the quotation management cloud server 100 acquires this information from the supplier terminal 400 via the network 500 and accumulates it in the equipment operation database 142 by the equipment information management unit 121.

[0018] The item of load status defines the current (latest) congestion status of the work by the equipment. The item of whether short delivery dates can be handled defines whether it is possible to handle delivery in a shorter period than normal for the work on the equipment.

[0019] (Request Destination Selection Server) As shown in FIG. 1, the request destination selection server 200 includes a processor 210, a memory 220, a communication unit 230, and a storage 240. In FIG. 1, the functions conceptually executed by the processor 210 are shown as a master management unit 221, a work performance management unit 222, and a candidate selection unit 223. Programs for realizing these functions are stored in the memory 220.

[0020] The master management unit 221 accumulates the equipment information held and equipment operation information acquired from the quotation management cloud server 100 as part of the master information in the storage 240, or accumulates the quality information and additional information acquired from the buyer terminal 300 as other parts of the master information in the storage 240. The work performance management unit 222 accumulates the work performance information acquired from the quotation management cloud server 100 in the storage 240, or searches for drawing numbers similar to the requested work from the drawing numbers included in the accumulated work performance information. The candidate selection unit 223 selects candidates for the request destination based on the conditions acquired from the buyer terminal 300 and the master information accumulated in the storage 240.

[0021] The communication unit 230 is an interface for exchanging data between the estimate management cloud server 100 and the buyer terminal 300 via the network 500, etc. Since the supplier selection server 200 is assumed to be a server built by the buyer, a dedicated communication line different from the network 500 may be used for the connection between the supplier selection server 200 and the buyer terminal 300. The storage unit 240 includes a master database 241 and a work performance database 242.

[0022] Figure 4 shows an example of master information stored in the master database. As shown in Figure 4, the master database 241 stores quality information and additional information for each piece of equipment owned by each supplier, in addition to the aforementioned owned equipment information and equipment operation information. The owned equipment information and equipment operation information are received by the communication unit 230 of the supplier selection server 200 from the quotation management cloud server 100, and the master management unit 221 adds or updates them as part of the master information. The quality information and additional information are received by the communication unit 230 of the supplier selection server 200 from the buyer terminal 300, and the master management unit 221 adds or updates them as part of the other master information. The quality information and additional information are added when new owned equipment information is added as part of the master information, or updated when the buyer performs a periodic review.

[0023] Quality information includes buyer evaluations of items such as processing skills, inspection equipment, and surface treatment. The processing skills item corresponds to the quality evaluation of various skills performed by the equipment, and examples of skills include polishing, riveting, press-fitting, and welding. The inspection equipment item corresponds to the presence or absence of various inspection equipment equipped by the equipment, and examples of inspection equipment include three-dimensional measuring machines, image measuring machines, and roundness measuring machines. The surface treatment item corresponds to the feasibility of surface treatment on the equipment, and examples of surface treatments include treatments such as Ep-Fe / Cu5,Ni10 and Ep-Cu / Ni5. Note that the evaluation of each item may change due to technical guidance, etc., so it will be reviewed periodically.

[0024] Additional information includes items other than quality, such as partner priority. The partner priority item is used to pre-specify suppliers that the buyer wants to prioritize based on their business policy. Additionally, items such as delivery date, price, and average workload may be stored in the master database 241 as additional information. This is intended to equalize the workload of each supplier and the workload among suppliers.

[0025] Figure 5 shows an example of work performance information stored in the work performance database. As shown in Figure 5, the work performance database 242 stores performance information such as supplier name, equipment model, order date and time, delivery date and time, and drawing number of the work object for each ID of work previously requested by the buyer. Work performance information is obtained, for example, by the communication unit 230 of the request selection server 200 from the estimate management cloud server 100, and the work performance management unit 222 adds it to the work performance database 242. In this embodiment, work performance information is stored in the work performance database 242, but work performance information may also be stored in the master database 241.

[0026] (Buyer terminal) The buyer terminal 300 is a terminal device owned by the buyer and, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a communication unit 310, a control unit 320, a storage unit 330, an input unit 340, and an output unit 350.

[0027] The communication unit 310 is an interface for exchanging data with the estimate management cloud server 100 and the supplier selection server 200 via the network 500, etc. The control unit 320 is composed of a CPU and other components and controls the entire buyer terminal 300. The storage unit 330 stores various data and programs used by the control unit 320. The input unit 340 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse and is used when the buyer inputs quality information for each supplier's equipment or inputs the conditions for the requested work. The output unit 350 is, for example, a display and is used to output the input content from the input unit 340 or the content of the estimate response. The input unit 340 and the output unit 350 may be integrated, such as a touch panel. The buyer terminal 300 may also be a mobile terminal or a smartphone. Using these terminals allows for viewing in any location and in emergencies.

[0028] (Supplier) The supplier terminal 400 is a terminal device owned by the supplier and, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a communication unit 410, a control unit 420, a storage unit 430, an input unit 440, and an output unit 450.

[0029] The communication unit 410 is an interface for exchanging data with the estimate management cloud server 100 via the network 500. The control unit 420 consists of a CPU and other components and controls the entire supplier terminal 400. The storage unit 430 stores various data and programs used by the control unit 420. The input unit 440 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse and is used when a supplier inputs information about the equipment they own, equipment operation information, or the content of their estimate response. The output unit 450 is, for example, a display and is used to output the content of the input unit 440, or the content of estimate requests and assessment results. The input unit 440 and the output unit 450 may be integrated, such as a touch panel. The supplier terminal 400 may also be a mobile terminal or a smartphone. Using these terminals allows for access regardless of location and in emergencies.

[0030] <Quotation Support Process> The processing flow in the estimation support system with the configuration described above will now be explained. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the processing flow in the estimation support system.

[0031] First, before requesting and responding to quotations, information on owned equipment and equipment operation, as well as editing of master data, are carried out in advance. This process will be explained in detail below.

[0032] When a supplier uses the new quotation support system or introduces new equipment, they input information about their owned equipment and equipment operation information via the input unit 440 of the supplier terminal 400. The input information is then transmitted to the quotation management cloud server 100 via the communication unit 410 and network 500, and the equipment information management unit 121 stores this information in the owned equipment database 141 and the equipment operation database 142 (step S101). Furthermore, if there are changes in the load status or feasibility of handling short delivery times for a particular piece of equipment, the updated equipment operation information is sequentially transmitted to the quotation management cloud server 100 and stored in the equipment operation database 142. Ideally, the latest equipment operation information should be transmitted to the quotation management cloud server 100 at regular intervals, updating the information in the equipment operation database 142.

[0033] The equipment information management unit 121 of the estimate management cloud server 100 transmits the information to the request provider selection server 200 via the communication unit 130 and network 500 whenever there are additions or updates to the owned equipment information or equipment operation information, or whenever a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and the master management unit 221 stores the information as part of the master information in the master database 241 (step S102).

[0034] When equipment is added to the inventory or when a predetermined review period arrives, the buyer evaluates the quality and priority of the added equipment or equipment subject to review, and transmits the evaluation results to the supplier selection server 200 via the buyer terminal 300. The master management unit 221 then stores the quality information and additional information in the master database 241 (step S103).

[0035] Next, the actual quotation request and response, followed by the assessment, take place. This process will be explained in detail below.

[0036] When the buyer inputs the conditions for the requested work using the input unit 340 of the buyer terminal 300, the input information is transmitted to the request destination selection server 200 via the communication unit 310 (step S201).

[0037] Figure 7 shows an example of the conditions for a requested task. As shown in Figure 7, the conditions for a requested task include information such as the object to be processed, material type, shape, dimensions, equipment type, processing skills, inspection equipment, surface treatment, dimensional tolerances, quantity, delivery date, and drawing number. The "object to be processed" item specifies the item to be processed (a part used in the buyer's product). The "material type" item specifies the material type of the object to be processed. The "shape" item specifies the shape of the object to be processed. The "dimensions" item specifies the dimensions of the object to be processed, including various dimensions such as thickness and length. The "equipment type" item specifies the equipment to be used to process the object to be processed. The "processing skills" item specifies the processing skills to be applied to the object to be processed. The "inspection equipment" item specifies the equipment to be used to inspect the processed object to be processed. The "surface treatment" item specifies the surface treatment to be applied to the object to be processed. The "dimensional tolerances" item specifies the dimensional tolerances of the object to be processed. The "quantity" item specifies the quantity of the object to be processed. The "delivery date" item specifies the deadline for delivery of the object to be processed. The drawing number is the number assigned to the drawing of the object being worked on. Although the illustration is omitted, the actual drawing data is also entered.

[0038] Subsequently, the candidate selection unit 223 of the supplier selection server 200 selects candidate supplier names and equipment models based on the conditions received from the buyer terminal 300 and the master information stored in the master database 241, and transmits the selection results to the buyer terminal 300 via the communication unit 230 (step S202). A basic selection method is to extract supplier names and equipment models that meet the conditions of the requested work by referring to the master information, and then select those with high evaluation scores based on a predetermined calculation formula. It is desirable that the candidates selected in this way be output in the order in which they should be recommended.

[0039] Figure 8 shows an example of the selection results. As shown in Figure 8, the selection results include information such as recommendation ranking, supplier name, equipment model, partner priority, and whether or not there is a track record of similar drawing numbers. Here, the presence or absence of a track record of similar drawing numbers is useful information for the buyer when deciding which supplier to request a quote from. Therefore, the work performance management unit 222 of the supplier selection server 200 searches the work performance database 242 based on the drawing number of the requested work and determines and outputs whether or not there is a track record of similar products (work related to the requested work) for the candidate suppliers and equipment. In this embodiment, partner priority and the presence or absence of a track record of similar drawing numbers are output as reference information for the buyer when deciding which supplier to request a quote from, but the candidate selection unit 223 may also use this information to select candidate suppliers.

[0040] Subsequently, the buyer refers to the selection results and finally decides on one or more companies to request quotes from (for example, the top three in the recommendation ranking) and sends the quote request to the quote management cloud server 100 via the buyer terminal 300 (step S203). The submitted quote request also includes the conditions of the work to be requested (see Figure 7) as part of the request details.

[0041] The estimate management unit 122 of the estimate management cloud server 100 forwards the request details to one or more supplier terminals 400 corresponding to the determined recipient of the estimate request (step S204).

[0042] After the supplier confirms the quotation request using the output unit 450 of the supplier terminal 400, they input the response details such as costs using the input unit 440 and send the quotation response to the quotation management cloud server 100 (step S205).

[0043] Figure 9 shows an example of a quotation response. As shown in Figure 9, the quotation response includes information such as quantity, material costs, processing costs, management costs, unit prices, and the estimated amount.

[0044] The estimate management unit 122 of the estimate management cloud server 100 forwards the estimate response received from the supplier terminal 400 to the buyer terminal 300 (step S206).

[0045] After the buyer confirms the quotation response using the output unit 350 of the buyer terminal 300, they input the assessment result using the input unit 340 and send it to the quotation management cloud server 100 (step S207).

[0046] The estimate management unit 122 of the estimate management cloud server 100 transfers the assessment results received from the buyer terminal 300 to the supplier terminal 400 (step S208).

[0047] According to this embodiment, by taking into account information such as the specifications of the equipment owned by the supplier, it is possible to automatically select a supplier capable of undertaking the work, thereby reducing unnecessary quotation work and improving operational efficiency not only for buyers but also for suppliers. Furthermore, by taking into account the load status of each supplier's equipment when selecting a supplier to request a quote from, it is possible to further reduce unnecessary quotation work. Moreover, by taking into account the quality of each supplier's equipment when selecting a supplier to request a quote from, buyers can request quotes from suppliers who can provide higher quality work. In addition, by taking into account the track record of work related to the requested work, it is possible to select a supplier to request a quote from with high reliability.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the embodiments described above, a configuration in which the quotation management cloud server 100 and the supplier selection server 200 are separated was described, but the quotation management cloud server 100 may also have a configuration in which it combines the functions of the supplier selection server 200. Also, in the embodiments described above, quality information such as processing skills, inspection equipment, and surface treatment was stored in the supplier selection server 200 as part of the master information based on evaluation by the buyer, but it may also be stored in the quotation management cloud server 100 as part of the equipment information based on self-declaration by the supplier. Furthermore, although the embodiments described above give an example of machining, the present invention can be applied not only to machining but also to assembly work that involves humans, such as harnesses (bundles of wires). [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 100...Quotation Management Cloud Server, 110...Processor (Quotation Management Cloud Server), 120...Memory (Quotation Management Cloud Server), 121...Equipment Information Management Department, 122...Quotation Management Department, 130...Communication Department (Quotation Management Cloud Server), 140...Storage (Quotation Management Cloud Server), 141...Owned Equipment Database, 142...Equipment Operation Database, 200...Client Selection Server, 210...Processor (Client Selection Server), 220...Memory (Client Selection Server), 221...Master Management Department, 222...Work Performance Management Department, 223...Candidate Selection Department, 230...Communication Department (Client Selection Server) B) 240...Storage (request server selection server), 241...Master database, 242...Work performance database, 300...Buyer terminal, 310...Communication unit (buyer terminal), 320...Control unit (buyer terminal), 330...Storage unit (buyer terminal), 340...Input unit (buyer terminal), 350...Output unit (buyer terminal), 400...Supplier terminal, 410...Communication unit (supplier terminal), 420...Control unit (supplier terminal), 430...Storage unit (supplier terminal), 440...Input unit (supplier terminal), 450...Output unit (supplier terminal), 500...Network

Claims

1. A memory unit that stores information on the equipment owned by each supplier, A communication unit that receives the conditions for the requested work from the buyer's terminal, A candidate selection unit selects candidates for the request based on the aforementioned equipment information and conditions, A device equipped with a service provider selection system.

2. In claim 1, The aforementioned storage unit also stores equipment operation information for each piece of equipment it owns. The aforementioned candidate selection unit is characterized by selecting candidates for the service provider based on the aforementioned equipment operation information.

3. In claim 2, The aforementioned equipment information includes, for each piece of equipment owned by the supplier, at least one of the following: machinable dimensions, machinable weight, machining accuracy, and corresponding material type. The supplier selection device is characterized in that the equipment operation information includes the load status for each piece of equipment owned by the supplier.

4. In claim 1, The aforementioned storage unit also stores quality information that the buyer has previously evaluated for each piece of equipment owned. The candidate selection unit is characterized by selecting candidates for the service provider based on the quality information.

5. In claim 4, The aforementioned equipment information includes, for each piece of equipment owned by the supplier, at least one of the following: machinable dimensions, machinable weight, machining accuracy, and corresponding material type. The supplier selection device is characterized in that the quality information includes processing skills for each piece of equipment owned by the supplier.

6. In claim 4, The aforementioned communication unit receives the aforementioned owned equipment information from the server, The server is a supplier selection device characterized by receiving and storing the equipment information from the supplier terminal.

7. In claim 1, The communication unit is characterized by transmitting to the buyer terminal whether or not each candidate service provider has experience with the requested work and related work.

8. The communications department receives information on the equipment owned by each supplier, Steps include receiving the conditions for the requested work from the buyer's terminal, A method for selecting a service provider, comprising the step of selecting a candidate service provider based on the aforementioned equipment information and the aforementioned conditions.

9. The communications department receives information on the equipment owned by each supplier, Steps include receiving the conditions for the requested work from the buyer's terminal, A program for causing a computer to perform the steps of selecting a candidate service provider based on the aforementioned equipment information and conditions.

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