Characteristic allocation system, characteristic allocation method, and computer program

Abstract

To enable, with less burden, the management of whether raw materials containing specific properties are used in products that meet predetermined conditions. [Solution] A characteristic distribution system comprising: an existing quantity acquisition unit that acquires an existing quantity that can be distributed to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing at least specific characteristic materials, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of characteristic materials used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period; an object acquisition unit that acquires an intermediate product to be distributed, or the intermediate product and its quantity; and a distribution unit that performs a distribution process to distribute at least a portion of the existing quantity to the acquired intermediate product to be distributed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a characteristic distribution system, a characteristic distribution method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] As a management method for ensuring specific characteristics of products (origin, sustainability, recyclability, low carbon property, etc.; hereinafter referred to as "specific characteristics") through monitoring and management of products in the supply chain, there are known a mass balance model of chain of custody (CoC), a mass balance method and a book-and-claim method conforming to the book-and-claim model (hereinafter simply referred to as the "mass balance method" collectively) (see Non-Patent Document 1). Further, for example, in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that it is determined by the mass balance method whether the inflow amount of biomass resin in the manufacturing entity and the outflow amount of resin products using the biomass resin from the manufacturing entity etc. satisfy the certification conditions, and when they are satisfied, a process of giving certification to the resin products manufactured by this manufacturing entity is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described in Patent Document 1 above, conventionally, specific characteristics are assigned to the final product. However, in processes such as steel manufacturing, where the final product is manufactured through numerous branching processes after the production of intermediate products (see Figure 2), the management burden for allocating the amount (credit) of specific characteristics assigned to the final product is significant. In other words, in the steel manufacturing process, intermediate products such as steel billets are first manufactured, and various final products (thick plates, thin plates, steel pipes, steel bars, wire rods, etc.) are produced from these billets. In this process, if processing such as rolling is performed in subsequent manufacturing stages, the amount of trimming varies depending on the stage, reducing the yield. Also, if plating, painting, cladding, etc., are performed on rolled thin plate products, the weight increases accordingly. Thus, the weight may change depending on the type of final product and the actual processing conditions in the applicable processes. On the other hand, the credits of the mass balance method applied to these products are obtained based on the amount of iron scrap used in the production of steel billets. Here, in order to strictly control and certify the mass balance method, it is not easy to manage the weight changes of each steel billet and all of the one or more types of final products manufactured from that steel billet, and to reflect these weight changes in credits, etc.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and provides a technology that enables the appropriate imparting of specific characteristics to products while minimizing the management burden, even when the manufacturing process involves the production of various final products from intermediate products.

[0007] In other words, the present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and provides a technology that enables efficient control over whether raw materials containing characteristic materials with specific properties are used in products that meet predetermined conditions, even in manufacturing processes where various intermediate products are produced from various final products. The following explanation will use the case where yield changes as an example, but the present invention can also be suitably used in cases where there are no such changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] [1] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution system comprising: an existing quantity acquisition unit that acquires an existing quantity that can be distributed to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing a characteristic material having at least specific characteristics, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the characteristic material used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period; an object acquisition unit that acquires an intermediate product to be distributed or the intermediate product and its quantity; and a distribution unit that performs a distribution process to distribute at least a portion of the existing quantity to the acquired intermediate product to be distributed.

[0009] According to the above configuration, existing quantities, such as credits in a mass balance system, are allocated not to the final product, but to the intermediate product manufactured to produce the final product. By allocating existing quantities (allocation of characteristic material usage) to the intermediate product, it is not necessary to consider the branching of various processes and weight changes in the manufacturing process from the intermediate product to the final product, thus reducing the management burden or increasing efficiency compared to allocating to the final product. Furthermore, if weight increases or decreases occur in the above manufacturing process, resulting in a difference between the production volume of the intermediate product and the production volume of the final product over a predetermined period, managing the allocation of the characteristic material used in the production of the intermediate product to the final product whose production volume has changed becomes extremely complex. However, by allocating existing quantities to the intermediate product, this does not occur because there is no increase or decrease in the production volume to which the allocation is made. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the application of specific characteristics to products can be carried out appropriately, such as reliably complying with strict certification systems, while reducing the management burden.

[0010] [2] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic allocation system described in [1] above, further comprising a requirement value acquisition unit that acquires a requirement value corresponding to the specific characteristic required for the intermediate product to be allocated, wherein the allocation unit performs the allocation process based on the existing quantity and the requirement value. According to the above configuration, specific characteristics are allocated to the intermediate product to be allocated based on the required value and the existing quantity for the intermediate product to be allocated. Specifically, for example, if the existing quantity is greater than or equal to the required value, it becomes possible to perform allocation processing such as updating the existing quantity by subtracting the required value from the existing quantity, and recording the result of the allocation process in a predetermined storage unit. This makes it possible to appropriately allocate the existing quantity to the intermediate product to be allocated within the range of the existing quantity at any given time.

[0011] [3] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in [2] above, wherein the required value acquisition unit acquires the required value based on a manufacturing plan or order for a final product manufactured from the intermediate product. According to the above configuration, the required value is set to a value that conforms to requirements such as the manufacturing plan or order for the final product. This makes it possible to satisfy the specific characteristics required by the customer for the final product while also imparting specific characteristics to the intermediate products used in the manufacture of that final product.

[0012] [4] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution system according to any one of [2] to [3] above, wherein the required value is the required proportion of the characteristic material used in the intermediate product to be distributed. According to the above configuration, the existing quantity can be appropriately allocated to intermediate products according to the acquired usage ratio.

[0013] [5] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution system as described in [1] to [4] above, further comprising a specification unit that performs a specification process to identify the intermediate product used in the manufacture of an ordered final product, wherein the target acquisition unit acquires the intermediate product identified by the specification unit. According to the above configuration, by identifying the intermediate products used in the manufacture of the final product, the allocation of existing quantities can be reliably made to the appropriate intermediate products.

[0014] [6] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in [5] above, further comprising a manufacturing history storage unit that stores the correspondence between the intermediate product and the final product manufactured from the intermediate product, wherein the identification unit performs the identification process using the manufacturing history storage unit. With the above configuration, the manufacturing history storage unit manages the correspondence between intermediate products and final products, thereby enabling appropriate specific processing.

[0015] [7] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution system according to any one of [1] to [6] above, further comprising a management unit for managing the existing quantity, wherein the existing quantity acquisition unit acquires the existing quantity from the management unit. According to the above configuration, the characteristic allocation system can appropriately manage existing quantities by including a management unit.

[0016] [8] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in [7] above, wherein the predetermined period includes a plurality of division periods, and the management unit adds to the existing quantity an amount generated based on the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of a first division period selected from among the plurality of division periods, the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of a second division period following the first division period, and the amount of the characteristic material that flowed in during the first division period. According to the above configuration, the amount of characteristic material used is calculated for each division period, and the calculated amount is used as the new generated amount, increasing and updating the existing amount as each division period progresses. This allows for timely updating of the existing amount of characteristic material in accordance with the actual amount used within the balance period P, while suppressing the management burden.

[0017] [9] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution system according to any one of [1] to [8] above, wherein the total amount of characteristic material used is determined based on the amount of characteristic material used within a predetermined calculation range during the predetermined period. According to the above configuration, specific characteristics can be assigned to intermediate products within a desired calculation range.

[0018]

[10] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in [9] above, wherein the predetermined calculation range includes at least one manufacturing site for manufacturing intermediate products. According to the above configuration, the predetermined calculation range can be set for one or more manufacturing sites.

[0019]

[11] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in any one of [1] to

[10] above, wherein the intermediate product is a metal body used in the manufacture of a final product that is a metal product. According to the above configuration, for the metal body used in the manufacture of metal products, specific characteristics are imparted through the distribution of the existing stock such as credit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the management burden when manufacturing metal products from the metal body.

[0020]

[12] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in

[11] above, wherein the metal body is a steel sheet manufactured from a raw material including pig iron, cast iron, reduced iron, or steel, and the final product is a steel product manufactured from the steel sheet. According to the above configuration, when manufacturing a steel product from a steel sheet used in the manufacture of a steel product, it is possible to reduce the management burden described above.

[0021]

[13] One aspect of the present invention is the characteristic distribution system described in [1] to

[12] above, wherein the characteristic material includes at least one of internal scrap generated in the process of manufacturing the intermediate product in the past, in-house generated scrap generated when manufacturing the final product from the intermediate product in the past, and market scrap other than the internal scrap and the in-house generated scrap. According to the above configuration, at least one of internal scrap, in-house generated scrap, and market scrap is used as a recycled material (characteristic material) in the manufacture of intermediate products. As a result, it is possible to impart specific characteristics to the intermediate product manufactured using such a characteristic material.

[0022]

[14] One aspect of the present invention is a characteristic distribution method comprising the steps of: obtaining an existing quantity that can be distributed to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing at least a characteristic material having specific characteristics, and having an amount less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the characteristic material used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period; obtaining an intermediate product to be distributed; and performing a distribution process to distribute at least a portion of the existing quantity to the obtained intermediate product to be distributed. The above configuration produces the same effect as [1] described above.

[0023]

[15] One aspect of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to perform the following steps: a procedure for obtaining an existing quantity that can be allocated to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing a characteristic material having at least specific properties, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the characteristic material used in the manufacture of the intermediate product over a predetermined period; a procedure for obtaining an intermediate product to be allocated; and a procedure for performing an allocation process to allocate at least a portion of the existing quantity to the obtained intermediate product to be allocated. The above configuration produces the same effect as [1] described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The present invention makes it possible to appropriately allocate specific characteristics to products, even in manufacturing processes where various intermediate products are produced to various final products, while minimizing the management burden, using methods such as those following various models, including the mass balance model defined in the ISO 22095 standard. Therefore, it becomes possible to manage with less burden that raw materials containing characteristic materials with specific characteristics are used in products that meet predetermined conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0025] [Figure 1] This figure shows the system configuration of the management system in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This diagram shows the relationship between intermediate products and final products manufactured from specialty materials and standard materials. [Figure 3] This figure shows inventory information managed by a manufacturing control device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows an overview of the correspondence between intermediate and final products in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the characteristic allocation system in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows the allocation result table in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows a concrete example of the process for updating information regarding the inventory of specialty materials. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows a specific example of characteristic allocation processing. [Figure 9] This figure shows a schematic example of the hardware configuration of the characteristic allocation system and manufacturing control device applied to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of a management system 100 in one embodiment of the present invention. The management system 100 comprises a manufacturing system 10 for manufacturing products (intermediate products, final products), a manufacturing management device 20 for managing the manufacturing history by the manufacturing system 10, and a characteristic allocation system 30. The manufacturing system 10, the manufacturing management device 20, and the characteristic allocation system 30 are connected to each other via a communication network 70 or the like.

[0027] The communication network 70 may include, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet, or it may include at least a portion of wireless communication. The communication network 70 is not required, and the devices may be implemented in a manner in which they communicate directly with each other. Furthermore, it is not necessary for all devices of the manufacturing system 10, the manufacturing management device 20, and the characteristic allocation system 30 to be connected to each other in a communicative manner. For example, the characteristic allocation system 30 does not need to be connected to the manufacturing system 10 in a communicative manner as long as it is connected to the manufacturing management device 20 in a communicative manner. The following describes each of the above-mentioned configurations of the characteristic allocation system 30.

[0028] The manufacturing system 10 consists of one or more (usually more) devices for manufacturing intermediate products from raw materials, such as those containing characteristic materials, and then using the intermediate products to manufacture final products. Characteristic materials are raw materials used to manufacture intermediate products that possess specific properties. The multiple devices may be located (installed) in one factory or distributed across multiple factories. The intermediate products and final products do not necessarily have to be manufactured entirely in one factory; they may be manufactured through manufacturing processes carried out across multiple factories.

[0029] In other words, the final product is a product manufactured using intermediate products, for example, a product transferred from the operator of the manufacturing system 10 to another entity. Intermediate products are products manufactured by the operator of the manufacturing system 10 in the process from raw materials to the final product. More specifically, the final product may be manufactured by performing processing, heat treatment, chemical treatment, etc., on the intermediate products, or by combining intermediate products with each other or with other parts (materials), either together or separately. In some cases, the intermediate products themselves may be handed over to another entity. The final product may also be a metal product, a chemical product, a textile product, etc. When a metal product is manufactured as the final product, a metal body is manufactured as an intermediate product. A specific example of a metal product is a steel product. In other words, the manufacturing system 10 may be defined as a manufacturing system (steel plant) that manufactures steel products. In this case, the metal body manufactured as an intermediate product is, for example, a steel billet manufactured from raw materials including pig iron, cast iron, reduced iron, or steel, and the final product is a steel product manufactured from the steel billet. Examples of intermediate steel products include slabs, blooms, billets, and clad materials. Examples of final steel products include steel bars, wire rods, plates, sheets, and pipes.

[0030] Furthermore, manufacturing system 10 produces intermediate products using both standard and specialty materials. Figure 2 shows the relationship between intermediate products produced from specialty and standard materials and the final product. Manufacturing system 10 may also produce intermediate products using only standard materials without specialty materials, or intermediate products using only specialty materials. Standard materials are raw materials used to produce intermediate products that do not possess specific characteristics. Specific characteristics include, for example, characteristics related to carbon dioxide reduction, characteristics related to environmental sustainability, and characteristics related to recycling. Specific examples of specialty materials include, for example, renewable raw materials, recovered materials such as scrap, sustainable materials, and raw materials produced from biomass.

[0031] For example, a specific example of a special material used in the manufacture of steel products is steel scrap. Steel scrap includes internal scrap, self-generated scrap, and market scrap. Internal scrap is scrap generated in the process up to the manufacture of intermediate products, such as the ends of steel billets. Self-generated scrap is scrap generated in the process from intermediate products to the manufacture of final products, and is scrap generated in the manufacturing system 10. Market scrap is scrap generated in the market, such as by purchasing it. Specific examples of market scrap include steel scrap generated in other factories, iron scrap generated from the demolition of buildings, and iron scrap generated from the disposal of industrial products such as cars and buildings that were manufactured (assembled) using steel products (for example, scrapped vehicles). On the other hand, a specific example of a normal material used in the manufacture of steel products is iron ore.

[0032] The manufacturing management device 20 is a computer and includes a storage unit for recording (managing) the manufacturing history H related to the production of intermediate and final products in the manufacturing system 10. Specifically, the manufacturing history H may include inventory information I, which includes the inventory quantity of characteristic materials used in the production of intermediate products for each arbitrarily defined period. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the inventory information managed by the manufacturing management device in one embodiment of the present invention. The inventory information is used to calculate the amount of characteristic materials used. That is, as illustrated in Figure 3, the inventory information I may include the inflow amount of characteristic materials. Inflow amount refers to the amount of raw materials that have become newly available, separate from the existing inventory, such as by being newly added to the inventory during a predetermined inflow period. In addition, the inventory information I may further include other information such as the inventory quantity and inflow amount of normal materials. In the manufacturing system 10, inflow amounts occur at arbitrary timings, so the inventory information I includes both inventory quantity and inflow amount. The inventory information I is used for managing credits for assigning specific characteristics, as will be described later.

[0033] The manufacturing management device 20 updates the inventory information I stored in the manufacturing history storage unit 21 at predetermined intervals. The manufacturing management device 20 acquires the inventory quantity and inflow quantity for each month, which are revealed by, for example, the inventory count conducted each month, and records them in the manufacturing history storage unit 21. The manufacturing management device 20 may acquire the inventory quantity and inflow quantity from, for example, the manufacturing management device 20 itself, or from another device.

[0034] Furthermore, the manufacturing history H may include a correspondence relationship R (see Figure 4) between each intermediate product and the final product manufactured from each intermediate product. This correspondence relationship R allows us to determine which intermediate product the final product was manufactured from. Such a correspondence relationship R may be generated based on traceability management information commonly used in the manufacturing system 10. For example, the final product and intermediate products may be associated through tracking.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the correspondence information between intermediate products and final products in one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Figure 4, the correspondence relationship R may further include other information such as information on the manufacturing date and time of each intermediate product and final product, and information indicating the correspondence with products manufactured in the process from the intermediate product to the final product, such as the first processed product. The correspondence relationship R is used to identify the intermediate product used in the manufacture of the final product to which specific characteristics are to be imbued, as will be described later. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the correspondence relationship R may include information on traceability from the production of the intermediate product, where the amount of characteristic material used in the production of the intermediate product was allocated over a predetermined period, to the production of the final product using that intermediate product.

[0036] The characteristic allocation system 30 is a system for assigning specific characteristics to intermediate products manufactured from raw materials that include at least one raw material having specific characteristics. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the characteristic allocation system 30 cooperates (communicates) with the manufacturing management device 20 via a communication network 70, and uses information from the manufacturing history H to allocate specific characteristics to the intermediate products to be allocated. More specifically, the characteristic allocation system 30 virtually allocates the amount of specific characteristics used to the intermediate products to be allocated based on the amount of characteristic material used (credits) in the manufacture of the intermediate products during a predetermined period and the virtual amount of characteristic material required for the intermediate products to be allocated (required value). The characteristic allocation system 30 also records the allocation results. This record may be used for certification. In this case, the amount of characteristic material allocated to the intermediate products is the amount calculated based on the certification content, and information indicating that predetermined certification conditions are met is recorded. The predetermined certification conditions are those that indicate that the virtual amount of characteristic material used is used as certified.

[0037] Such certification conditions may be defined using a model specified in the Chain of custody defined in the ISO 22095 standard, or they may be defined using a similar method, such as a mass balance method or a book-and-claim method, or they may be defined using other methods such as an allocation method. Certification that the intermediate product subject to certification has met the prescribed certification conditions (hereinafter referred to as "specific characteristic certification") may be granted by a designated body, organization, or system other than management system 100. For example, specific characteristic certification may be granted by an entity different from the manufacturer of the intermediate product and the final product, or it may be granted by the manufacturer of the intermediate product and the final product.

[0038] Furthermore, if the correspondence relationship R includes traceability information, the correspondence relationship R may be stored in the characteristic allocation system 30 (allocation result storage unit 339) as a record for authentication. The traceability assurance information table consists of traceability assurance information records, each having a value related to multiple processes, including the manufacturing of intermediate products and the manufacturing of final products. In the example in Figure 4, a traceability assurance information record is generated for each manufactured final product.

[0039] Each tracking assurance information record contains information about the processes performed until the final product is manufactured. The date and time indicate the date the process was performed. For example, the date and time for an intermediate product indicates the date and time the intermediate product was manufactured. The date and time for a first processed product indicates the date and time the first processing was performed. The date and time for a final product indicates the date and time the final product was manufactured. The identification information indicates the identification information of the steel product that was the subject of the process. For example, the identification information for an intermediate product indicates the identification information of the intermediate product to which credits were allocated. The identification information for a first processed product indicates the identification information of the first processed product manufactured by performing first processing on the intermediate product. The identification information for a final product indicates the identification information of the final product that was manufactured.

[0040] Each product in each identification information contained in a single record is a product used in the manufacture of the product indicated by the identification information of the final product. For example, in the example in Figure 4, the final product "S1521," manufactured on May 18, was manufactured using the first processed product "S1103" in its manufacturing process, and was originally manufactured using the intermediate product "M101." Similarly, the final product "S1602," manufactured on May 31, was manufactured using the first processed product "S1321" in its manufacturing process, and was originally manufactured using the intermediate product "M102."

[0041] Because this information is generated and recorded, it becomes clear that the final product "S1521" was manufactured using an intermediate product that has received specific characteristic certification, in accordance with the fact that the intermediate product "M101" has received specific characteristic certification. Based on this information, it becomes possible to provide traceability assurance that the final product "S1521" is substantially a product that has received specific characteristic certification.

[0042] The following describes the characteristic allocation system 30 in detail, using the example of allocating the amount of characteristic material (credits) to intermediate products using a mass balance method. Furthermore, the explanation assumes that the ordinary material is iron ore, the characteristic material is iron scrap, and the iron scrap includes at least one of internal scrap, self-generated scrap, and market scrap, and that steel billets are manufactured as intermediate products, with the allocation of characteristic material amounts to these steel billets. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to intermediate products other than steel billets, or to final products other than steel products.

[0043] The mass balance method is a system in which, during the predetermined period (balance period P) described above, the total amount of characteristic materials used in the manufacture of a product (intermediate product in this embodiment) is treated as a credit (existing amount), and within the range of that total amount used, it is possible to virtually assign any characteristic to any product manufactured during the balance period P. When a credit is allocated to a product, it decreases by that amount.

[0044] The balance period P mentioned above refers to the entire period during which it is necessary to balance the total amount of credits (total generation) calculated in accordance with the total amount of characteristic materials used with the total amount of credits allocated to the product (total usage). In the balance period P, balance may be considered achieved when the total amount of credits generated and the total amount of credits used are equal, or when the total amount of credits used is less than the total amount of credits generated. Therefore, at least at the end of the balance period, the relationship of total credit generation ≥ total credit usage must be satisfied. The total amount of characteristic materials used is determined in the balance period P based on the amount of characteristic materials used that belong to a predetermined calculation range. The predetermined calculation range may include at least one manufacturing plant that produces intermediate products, and if it includes multiple manufacturing plants, the manufacturing entity may be the same, or the manufacturing entity of at least one manufacturing plant may be different from that of the other manufacturing plants.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the characteristic allocation system 30 includes an existing quantity acquisition unit 331, a target acquisition unit 332, and an allocation unit 333. Also, as shown in Figure 5, the characteristic allocation system 30 may further include at least one of the following: a request value acquisition unit 334, a management unit 335, a credit storage unit 337, an order manufacturing plan storage unit 338, and an allocation result storage unit 339.

[0046] The characteristic allocation system 30 may be a computer. The computer includes a processor 91 such as a CPU (see Figure 9 below), and memory such as main memory 92 such as ROM or RAM (see Figure 9 below). The processor then performs operations such as data calculations according to the instructions of the program (characteristic allocation program) loaded into the main memory 92, thereby realizing each of the above-mentioned functional units. Furthermore, all or part of each function may be realized using hardware such as ASICs, PLDs, or FPGAs. The above-mentioned program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The above-mentioned recording medium may be a portable medium such as a flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, ROM, CD-ROM, semiconductor memory device (e.g., SSD (Solid State Drive)), or a memory device such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory device built into a computer system. The above-mentioned program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0047] The existing quantity acquisition unit 331 is a functional unit that acquires credits (existing quantity) based on the total amount of characteristic materials used in the manufacture of intermediate products during the balance period P. That is, when allocating credits to intermediate products, the existing quantity acquisition unit 331 acquires the amount of available credits (hereinafter referred to as "existing credit amount"). Here, the credits are capped at the total amount of characteristic materials used throughout the entire balance period P. Therefore, at any point in the balance period P, the existing credit amount is less than or equal to this cap. Credits can be allocated within the range of the existing credit amount, and each time they are allocated to intermediate products, the amount allocated (allocated amount) decreases. On the other hand, credits fluctuate, such as increasing in proportion to the amount of characteristic materials used. Therefore, the existing quantity acquisition unit 331 acquires credits within the range of the existing credit amount appropriate to the time of allocation.

[0048] More specifically, as shown in Figure 5, for example, the characteristic allocation system 30 may further include a management unit 335 that manages the current amount of credits. In this case, the credit acquisition unit 331 acquires the credits from the management unit 335. At this time, the credit acquisition unit 331 may be configured to acquire all of the credits managed by the management unit 335, or it may acquire only the amount to be allocated (requested value). Details of the management by the management unit 335 will be described later.

[0049] The target acquisition unit 332 acquires the intermediate product to be allocated. The target acquisition unit 332 may also acquire the intermediate product to be allocated and the quantity of this intermediate product. For example, if credits are allocated to intermediate products according to the percentage of characteristic material used in the final product, the target acquisition unit 332 acquires the intermediate product and its quantity.

[0050] More specifically, the target acquisition unit 332 acquires identification information that uniquely identifies the intermediate product. The target acquisition unit 332 may directly acquire the identification information of the intermediate product. Alternatively, the target acquisition unit 332 may first acquire the identification information of the final product to which specific characteristics are to be assigned, and then acquire the identification information of the intermediate product to be allocated by identifying the intermediate product used in the manufacture of the acquired final product, for example, based on a correspondence relationship R. The quantity of the intermediate product may be acquired together with the identification information of the intermediate product, as it is pre-associated with the identification information of the intermediate product. Furthermore, the target acquisition unit 332 may acquire at least one of the above-mentioned identification information or quantity of the intermediate product through user input, such as manual input by the user, selection from a selection screen, or specification of a list file of one or more intermediate products or quantities to be allocated. The quantity of the intermediate product is an amount that can be converted into credits. For example, if the credits correspond to the weight of the intermediate product, the quantity of the intermediate product may be the weight of the intermediate product. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the target acquisition unit 332 is capable of accepting user input via a user interface.

[0051] The allocation unit 333 performs an allocation process (allocation processing) to allocate at least a portion of the credits acquired by the existing quantity acquisition unit 331 to the intermediate products that the target acquisition unit 332 has acquired. The allocation unit 333 notifies the management unit 335 of the amount to be allocated. As a result of the allocation performed by the allocation unit 333, the existing credit amount is updated to the amount obtained by subtracting the allocation amount request value from the amount before the allocation process was performed, and the allocation result storage unit 339 records that the intermediate products to be allocated have specific characteristics corresponding to the allocation amount request value.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the allocation unit 333 is connected to the existing quantity acquisition unit 331 and the target acquisition unit 332, respectively, and the existing quantity and identification information of the intermediate product are input to it. When this information is input to the allocation unit 333, it performs the allocation process. The intermediate product after the allocation process is performed is considered to have been manufactured using the amount of characteristic material corresponding to the allocated amount, and becomes a product with specific characteristics corresponding to the allocated amount. In other words, the allocated amount indicates the amount of characteristic material (allocated amount) virtually added to the intermediate product.

[0053] According to the above configuration, the characteristic allocation system 30 identifies the intermediate product to be allocated and its existing quantity (existing credit quantity), and then performs the allocation process to allocate the desired credits to the intermediate product within the range of the existing credit quantity. Therefore, by making intermediate products the target of allocation, the allocation of specific characteristics can be carried out appropriately while reducing the management burden.

[0054] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the characteristic allocation system 30 may also include a request value acquisition unit 334. The request value acquisition unit 334 acquires a request value, such as the amount of credit corresponding to a specific characteristic required for the intermediate product to be allocated. More specifically, if the specific characteristic to be applied to the intermediate product is, for example, the percentage of characteristic material used in the final product, and the percentage of use is input externally, the request value acquisition unit 334 may calculate the amount of credit corresponding to the input percentage of use based on the amount of the intermediate product, and acquire the calculated amount of credit as the existing amount that can be allocated to the intermediate product. Specifically, if the percentage of use is p% and the amount of the intermediate product is Q (for example, tons), the amount of credit to be used can be calculated as p × Q. For example, if the amount of credit itself is input, the request value acquisition unit 334 may acquire the input amount of credit as the request value. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the request value acquisition unit 334 is configured to accept user input and is connected to the allocation unit 333, and the acquired request value is input to the allocation unit 333.

[0055] The above-mentioned requirement values ​​may be determined based on a manufacturing plan or order for the final product manufactured from the intermediate product, as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the characteristic allocation system 30 may further include an order manufacturing plan storage unit 338 that stores information on the manufacturing plan or order for the final product. The manufacturing plan includes information indicating the specific characteristics required for each final product whose manufacture is planned. Similarly, the order includes information indicating the specific characteristics required for each ordered final product. The requirement values ​​obtained from such manufacturing plans or orders may be input to the requirement value acquisition unit 334 by user input or by reading from the manufacturing plan or order information. Alternatively, the requirement value acquisition unit 334 may be configured to acquire the specific characteristics required for the input final product based on the manufacturing plan or order information when final product identification information is input, and to acquire requirement values ​​corresponding to the acquired specific characteristics.

[0056] Then, when the acquired credit stock C is greater than or equal to the required value D (C≥D), the distribution unit 333 executes credit distribution (distribution process). When the management unit 335 receives a notification from the distribution unit 333 that the distribution has been carried out, it updates the credit stock. Specifically, the management unit 335 updates the credit stock to the amount obtained by subtracting the required value from the credit stock at the start of the distribution process. At this time, either the updated credit stock or the distribution execution amount may be input from the distribution unit 333 to the management unit 335. Conversely, when the acquired credit stock is less than the required value (C<D), the distribution unit 333 does not perform distribution, and the management unit 335 also does not perform the above update. When distribution cannot be performed (C<D), it may be configured to notify the user or the like to that effect. Also, when the distribution unit 333 performs the distribution process, it updates the information in the distribution result storage unit 339.

[0057] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the distribution results are managed by the distribution result table Tr. As shown in FIG. 6, the distribution result table Tr includes items for recording the identification information of the intermediate product and the distribution execution amount. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the distribution result table Tr further includes items for recording the production date (date and time) of the intermediate product, the amount of the intermediate product (production amount), and the distribution execution amount (virtual input amount), and stores together the specific characteristics assigned to each intermediate product using this information so that the execution order of the distribution can be understood.

[0058] Note that the distribution result table Tr in FIG. 6 also includes an item for the credit stock, but this item is also optional. FIG. 6 is an image extracting one divided period of the balance period P. From FIG. 6, it can be seen that no credit is distributed to the first intermediate product of the divided period. Also, from this, it can be seen that the credit stock at the start of this divided period was 220. Also, for example, it can be seen that as a result of distributing 70 credits to the intermediate product with the identification information “M101”, a specific characteristic with a usage ratio of 70% is assigned. Along with this, it can also be seen that the credit stock is updated to 150 (=220−70).

[0059] Thus, in this embodiment, credit allocation is performed only when the existing amount of credits is greater than or equal to the required value (C≧D), so that at any point in the balance period P, credits are not allocated to intermediate products in excess of the amount of available credits. For this reason, after the end of the balance period P, the amount of credits allocated will not exceed the upper limit. Therefore, specific characteristics can be appropriately allocated to intermediate products while keeping the management burden down. However, the characteristic allocation system 30 does not necessarily have to include the required value acquisition unit 334, and may, for example, allocate a predetermined amount of credits to each intermediate product subject to allocation, or allocate all of the existing amount of credits.

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the characteristic allocation system 30 may also include a specification unit 336 that performs a specification process to identify intermediate products used in the manufacture of the final product. When the specification unit 336 receives identification information of the final product from the target acquisition unit 332 or the like, it identifies the intermediate product corresponding to this identification information and sends the information of the identified intermediate product to the target acquisition unit 332. Specifically, the specification unit 336 may perform the specification process by transmitting the identification information of the final product to the manufacturing management device 20 and receiving identification information of the intermediate product corresponding to the transmitted final product, which has been identified based on the correspondence relationship R, from the manufacturing management device 20. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the specification unit 336 is connected to the target acquisition unit 332 and the manufacturing management device 20, respectively. The specification unit 336 acquires the identification information of the target intermediate product by receiving the output of the specification unit 336 as input.

[0061] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The characteristic allocation system 30 may further include a storage unit (not shown) that stores the correspondence relationship R (see Figure 4) described above during the balance period P. This correspondence relationship R may be created based on the manufacturing history H information managed by the manufacturing management device 20. The identification unit 336 may use the correspondence relationship R stored in the storage unit (not shown) to identify the intermediate products used in the manufacture of each final product. The management unit 335 may be provided outside the characteristic allocation system 30 and configured to communicate with the allocation unit 333. The target acquisition unit 332 and the request value acquisition unit 334 may be connected to the order manufacturing plan storage unit 338, respectively, to acquire (identify) the intermediate products and quantities to be allocated based on the manufacturing plan or order information. The list file described above may be generated based on the manufacturing plan or order. In this case, the target acquisition unit 332 and the request value acquisition unit 334 do not need to be configured to accept user input.

[0062] Furthermore, the existing quantity acquisition unit 331 may acquire credits only up to the requested amount, and has the advantage of being able to determine whether allocation is possible when attempting to acquire them. Also, if the total amount of characteristic material used in the balance period P is determined, the existing credit quantity may be managed by calculating the upper limit of credits based on the planned value and then subtracting the amount allocated. In this case, the management unit 335 does not need to calculate the amount of credit generated for each division period, but if the amount of characteristic material used is determined for each division period, the amount of credit generated may be added to the existing credit quantity according to the plan, for example, at the start or end of each division period.

[0063] With the above configuration, even in a manufacturing environment where various intermediate products are produced from various final products, it becomes possible to manage with less burden whether the raw materials, including characteristic materials with specific properties, are used in products that meet predetermined conditions.

[0064] Furthermore, the allocation of credits to intermediate products may occur before or after the manufacture of the final product. If the allocation occurs before the manufacture of the final product, the final product may be manufactured from intermediate products that have already been manufactured and from which credits have already been allocated. In this case, if there are multiple final products manufactured from intermediate products to which credits have been allocated, specific characteristics may be assigned to at least some of the multiple final products, within the scope of the credits allocated to the intermediate products. In addition, credits may be allocated to intermediate products before manufacture, within the scope of the amount of credits available at the time of allocation, or credits may be allocated to intermediate products after manufacture, before the manufacture of the final product.

[0065] Next, we will describe one embodiment of the management of existing quantities (existing credit quantities). Existing quantities, such as credit quantities, increase during the balance period P as characteristic materials are used in manufacturing. However, monitoring the amount of characteristic materials used each time they are used would place a heavy management burden on the user. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, the balance period P may be divided into multiple periods (split periods), and the amount of characteristic materials used in each split period may be managed based on, for example, the inventory quantity for each split period, which is revealed by inventory counts conducted during each split period.

[0066] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the inventory level of characteristic materials at the start of each division period is managed. In Figure 3, since the manufacturing system 10 may receive an inflow of characteristic materials from external sources during the balance period P, the actual inflow amount for each division period is managed along with the inventory level. Then, the amount of characteristic materials used in manufacturing within each division period is calculated and managed from the inventory level and the actual inflow amount. That is, for each division period, the amount of characteristic materials used in each division period is calculated by subtracting the inventory level of characteristic materials at the start of the next division period from the sum of the inventory level of characteristic materials at the start of the division period and the inflow amount during that division period.

[0067] For example, in the example in Figure 3, the inventory of specialty material at the start of April is 250 (e.g., tons), the inflow of specialty material from the start to the end of April is 40, and the inventory at the start of May is 150. Therefore, the amount of specialty material used in April is calculated to be 140 (=250 + 40 - 150). By performing such calculations for each division period over the entire balance period P, it is possible to determine the total amount of specialty material used during the balance period P. Furthermore, if the amount of specialty material used for each division period is known, it is possible to calculate the credits corresponding to the usage by performing a predetermined calculation, and the calculated amount of credits becomes the amount of credits generated during that division period. Note that inventory and inflow amounts may be managed collectively within a predetermined calculation range, or they may be managed separately for each manufacturing plant, the amount of credits generated may be calculated, and then summed up within the predetermined calculation range.

[0068] Then, at the start of each division period, the amount of characteristic material used, calculated as described above, is added to the existing credit amount at the start of the previous division period, thereby updating the existing credit amount. Specifically, if the balance period P is divided into n division periods (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2), the existing credit amount (initial value) for the first division period of balance period P is set to 0, and after the end of the i-th division period (i=1, 2, ..., n), the amount of credit generated corresponding to the amount of characteristic material used in that i-th division period is added to the existing credit amount. By managing the amount of credit generated in this way, credits can be appropriately managed based on the actual usage of characteristic materials during balance period P. The closer the addition is to the start of each division period, the more effective it is in preventing situations where credits cannot be allocated due to insufficient existing credits. Furthermore, even if the total amount of characteristic material used throughout balance period P is not determined, credits can be appropriately managed within the balance period.

[0069] In other words, the management unit 335 determines that the predetermined period (balance period P) described above includes multiple division periods. The management unit 335 then adds to the existing credit amount an amount generated based on the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of the first division period (i-th division period) arbitrarily selected from among the multiple division periods constituting the balance period P, the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of the second division period (i+1-th division period) following the first division period, and the amount of characteristic material that flowed in during the first division period (i-th division period). The amount of material that flowed in is taken into consideration as necessary when calculating the amount generated.

[0070] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the management unit 335 calculates the amount of credit generated and updates the amount of credits remaining. The management unit 335 obtains inventory information I from the manufacturing control device 20 and then calculates the amount of credit generated for each division period and updates the amount of credits remaining based on the amount of credit generated, as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the calculation of the amount of credit generated may be performed by another device, such as the manufacturing control device 20. Furthermore, the calculation of the amount of credit generated as described above only needs to be performed for at least some of the division periods. The addition of the amount of credit generated to the amount of credits remaining can be performed in any division period after the division period in which the amount of credit generated was calculated, and the earlier it is done, the more appropriate the allocation will be.

[0071] According to the above configuration, the amount of characteristic material used is calculated for each division period, and the calculated amount is used as the new generated amount, increasing and updating the existing amount as each division period progresses. This allows for timely updating of the existing amount of characteristic material in accordance with the actual amount used within the balance period P, while suppressing the management burden.

[0072] Next, I will explain specific characteristics certification. The characteristic allocation system 30 may grant specific characteristic certification to intermediate products that are yet to be manufactured or have already been manufactured when manufacturing a final product using characteristic materials. In the following explanation, an intermediate product to which specific characteristic certification has been granted will be referred to as a "certified intermediate product." For example, specific characteristic certification may be granted to an intermediate product depending on whether it meets the predetermined certification conditions described above. Then, the final product is manufactured using the intermediate product to which specific characteristic certification has been granted (certified intermediate product). In the final product, it is guaranteed that it was manufactured from a certified intermediate product by tracking which intermediate product the final product was manufactured from. In this way, the specific characteristic certification itself is granted to the intermediate product, and by tracking the processes from the intermediate product onward, it is guaranteed that the final product is effectively to have specific characteristic certification. In the following explanation, this guarantee by tracking the processes from the intermediate product onward will be referred to as "traceability guarantee." Traceability guarantee is achieved by realizing traceability between the intermediate product (steel billet) and the final product (steel product). With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the costs of processes and operations required to manage whether the final product is a product in which raw materials with specific characteristics are used in a manner that meets predetermined conditions.

[0073] The manufacturing history storage unit 21 stores information regarding the inventory of specialty materials. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the information stored by the manufacturing history storage unit 21. The manufacturing history storage unit 21 may store an inventory information table consisting of inventory information records having values ​​such as date and time, inventory quantity, and inflow quantity. Each inventory information table is generated at predetermined intervals. In the example in Figure 3, one month is used as a specific example of the predetermined period. Therefore, in the example in Figure 3, inventory information records are generated on a monthly basis. Note that the predetermined period is not limited to one month; any value such as daily, weekly, bimonthly, or semi-annual periods may be used. Each inventory information record has the inventory quantity at a predetermined time in each month and the quantity that flowed in between a predetermined time in the previous month and a predetermined time in the current month. The predetermined time may be, for example, the end of each month. For example, in the example in Figure 3, the inventory quantity of specialty materials at the end of April of year X is 250, and the amount of specialty materials used that flowed in during April of year X is 40. The units for the inventory quantity and the amount of specialty materials used are, for example, tons.

[0074] The allocation result storage unit 339 stores information regarding the manufacture of intermediate products. This information is used for authentication. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the information stored by the allocation result storage unit 339. The allocation result storage unit 339 may store a manufacturing information table consisting of manufacturing information records that have values ​​for, for example, the manufacturing date, identification information of the intermediate product (product name), quantity of the intermediate product (manufacturing quantity), allocation execution quantity (requested value), specific characteristic indicator (usage rate %), and existing credit amount. The credit indicates the amount of characteristic material used in the manufacture of intermediate products during a predetermined period in the past that falls within a predetermined calculation range. The predetermined period may be set as, for example, one month, three months, six months, or one year, or it may be set as a quarter, half-year, or fiscal year according to the company's accounting period. In the example in Figure 6, manufacturing information records are generated on a daily basis.

[0075] Each manufacturing record contains information about the manufacturing carried out on each day. The manufacturing date indicates the date the manufacturing took place. The intermediate product identification information indicates the identification information (e.g., product name) of the intermediate product manufactured on each day. The quantity of intermediate products (manufacturing quantity) indicates the quantity of intermediate products manufactured on each day. The allocated quantity is the amount of credits allocated based on existing quantities and required values. In other words, the allocated quantity indicates the amount of characteristic material virtually used in that manufacturing.

[0076] "Virtually incorporated" means that an element is defined as incorporated, regardless of whether it was actually incorporated or not. For example, when manufacturing an intermediate product with a production quantity of "100," even if no characteristic material is actually used, if the allocated quantity is 50, it will be recorded as if 50 units of characteristic material were used in that intermediate product. For example, when manufacturing an intermediate product with a production quantity of "100," even if 50 units of characteristic material are actually used, if the allocated quantity is 0, it will be recorded as if no characteristic material was used in that intermediate product. For example, when manufacturing an intermediate product with a production quantity of "100," even if 30 units of characteristic material are actually used, if the allocated quantity is 50, it will be recorded as if 50 units of characteristic material were used in that intermediate product.

[0077] If the certification conditions for specific characteristic certification are met in such allocated quantities, specific characteristic certification may be granted regardless of whether or not the intermediate product actually uses an amount of characteristic material that satisfies the conditions.

[0078] Returning to the explanation of Figure 6, the amount of credit remaining indicates the amount of characteristic material used that has actually been incorporated into the manufacture of the intermediate product by that time (e.g., day), but has not yet been used in the allocated quantity. The specific characteristic index is an index used for specific characteristic certification. The specific characteristic index indicates the degree of a specific characteristic in the manufactured intermediate product. For example, it may be a value that shows the ratio of the amount of characteristic material used to the total amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of the intermediate product (a specific example of the ratio of recovered material used). In this case, the quantity may be calculated based on mass, volume, or other criteria.

[0079] For example, according to the manufacturing information record for Month 1, 100 units of steel billets were manufactured as intermediate products on Month 1, and the allocation amount for these intermediate products was 0. As of Month 1, there were 220 credits, and since the allocation amount for the intermediate products manufactured on this day was 0, the specific characteristic indicator is also 0.

[0080] For example, according to the manufacturing information record for the 2nd of the month, 100 units of intermediate products were manufactured on that day, and the allocated amount for those steel billets was 70. Therefore, the credits, which were 220 on May 1st, decreased by 70, resulting in a total of 150 credits on the 2nd of the month. Since the allocated amount for the intermediate products manufactured on this day was 70, the specific characteristic index is 70. In other words, in the specific example in Figure 6, the specific characteristic index is defined by the allocated amount of characteristic material for the intermediate products manufactured (e.g., steel billets). Therefore, the specific characteristic index is calculated as 70, corresponding to the allocated amount of "70" for a quantity of intermediate products of "100".

[0081] For example, according to the manufacturing information record for the 3rd of [Month], 100 units of intermediate products were manufactured on that day, and the allocation amount for those intermediate products was 30. Therefore, the credits, which were 150 on the 2nd of [Month], decreased by 30, resulting in a total credit of 120 on the 3rd of [Month]. Since the allocation amount for the steel billets manufactured on this day was 30, the specific characteristic index is 30.

[0082] Because information about the manufacturing of intermediate products using credits is explicitly recorded, such as in the records for the 2nd of [Month] and the 3rd of [Month], it becomes possible to ensure, with minimal management effort, that each intermediate product uses raw materials with specific characteristics that meet predetermined conditions.

[0083] With the management system 100 configured in this way, it becomes possible to manage with less burden whether a product uses raw materials with specific characteristics (characteristic materials) that meet predetermined conditions. More specifically, it is as follows: In the management system 100, specific characteristic certification is granted to intermediate products based on the amount of characteristic materials used in the manufacture of the intermediate product. Therefore, the management cost of granting specific characteristic certification to a product can be lower than when certification is granted to the final product, which is manufactured through more processes. Furthermore, regarding the processes from the intermediate product to the final product, the final product and the intermediate product are linked through tracking. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately manage whether an intermediate product with specific characteristic certification was used in the final product. Through this process, it becomes possible to manage whether a final product uses characteristic materials that meet predetermined conditions with less management cost.

[0084] Next, we will explain the characteristic allocation method corresponding to the operation flow of the management system 100. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the process for updating the existing amount based on the amount of characteristic material used for each division period. To explain Figure 7 using the case where the management unit 335 performs the operation, the management unit 335 initializes the existing credit amount to, for example, 0 at the start of the balance period P (the start of the first division period) (step S101). As already explained, the balance period P consists of n division periods, and when the balance period P starts, the management unit 335 determines whether the i-th division period constituting the balance period P has ended for each division period (step S102). If it is determined that the current (i-th) division period has not ended (step S102: NO), the management unit 335 re-executes step S102 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0085] Then, when the current (i-th) division period ends (Step S102: YES), the control unit 335, as already explained, obtains (calculates) the amount of characteristic material used during the completed division period (i-th) based on the inventory information I from the manufacturing control device 20 (Step S103). The control unit 335 updates the amount of credits by adding the amount of credits generated based on the amount of characteristic material used to the amount of credits currently available (Step S104).

[0086] Subsequently, the management unit 335 determines whether the balance period P has ended (whether the i-th completed division period is the nth division period) (step S105). If the balance period P has not ended (if the i-th completed division period is not the nth division period) (step S105: NO), the management unit 335 increments the variable i, which represents the identification number (index) of the division period (step S106), returns to step S102, and monitors the end of the next division period following the completed division period.

[0087] With the above configuration, the existing quantity of characteristic materials can be updated in accordance with the actual amount used within the balance period P, while suppressing the management burden and ensuring timely updates.

[0088] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a characteristic allocation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the characteristic allocation method comprises the steps of: acquiring existing quantities such as the existing amount of credits (existing quantity acquisition step); acquiring intermediate products to be allocated (target acquisition step); and executing an allocation process to allocate at least a portion of the existing quantities to the acquired intermediate products to be allocated (allocation step). The characteristic allocation method may further include at least one of the following steps: acquiring the required values ​​required for the intermediate products to be allocated (required value acquisition step); managing the existing amount of credits at any given time (management step); and identifying intermediate products used in the manufacture of the final product (execution of identification process) (identification step). Since each of the above steps is the same as the processes executed by the existing quantity acquisition unit 331, target acquisition unit 332, allocation unit 333, required value acquisition unit 334, management unit 335, and identification unit 336, respectively, as previously described, details are omitted. The management step may also include a step of updating the existing quantities based on the amount of characteristic material used for each division period (see Figure 7).

[0089] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the characteristic allocation method comprises an existing quantity acquisition step, a target acquisition step, a required value acquisition step, and an allocation step. This embodiment will be described in detail using the case where the characteristic allocation system 30 implements it as an example.

[0090] In step S201 of Figure 8, the target acquisition step is performed. This may also be performed by the target acquisition unit 332 described above. More specifically, the identification information of the intermediate product identified in the identification step may be obtained by performing the identification step in the target acquisition step, but it may also be obtained directly without performing the identification step.

[0091] In step S202, the existing amount acquisition step is performed. This may be performed by the existing amount acquisition unit 331 described above. Alternatively, by performing the existing amount acquisition step, the existing credit amount may be stored from a storage unit that stores existing amounts, such as the credit storage unit 337, or acquired from the management unit 335.

[0092] In step S203, the requirement value acquisition step is performed. This may be performed by the requirement value acquisition unit 334 described above. As already explained, it may also be acquired based on the manufacturing plan or order for the final product.

[0093] In the subsequent steps S204-S206, the allocation step is executed using the information obtained in steps S201-S203 described above. Specifically, in step S204, the acquired amount of credits is compared with the requested value. If it is determined that the amount of credits is less than the requested value (amount < requested value) (step S204: NO), the flow is terminated without allocating credits to the intermediate product to be allocated.

[0094] Conversely, if it is determined in step S204 that the acquired credit amount is equal to or greater than the required value (existing amount ≥ required value) (step S204: YES), the required amount of credit is allocated to the acquired intermediate product from the existing credit amount. In other words, the existing credit amount is updated by subtracting the required amount of credit (the allocated amount of credit) from the existing credit amount (step S205), and the fact that the required amount of credit has been allocated to the intermediate product subject to value allocation is recorded as the result of the allocation process (allocation result) in the allocation result storage unit 339 or the like (step S206). Note that the order of steps S201 to S203 is arbitrary.

[0095] With the configuration described above, as already explained for the characteristic allocation system 30, by making intermediate products the allocation target, the allocation of specific characteristics can be carried out appropriately while reducing the management burden.

[0096] (Example hardware configuration) Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an example hardware configuration of the characteristic allocation system 30 and manufacturing control device 20 applied to this embodiment. The characteristic allocation system 30 and manufacturing control device 20 include a processor 91, a main memory 92, a communication interface 93 such as a NIC, an auxiliary storage device 94, an input / output interface 95 such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and an internal bus 96. The processor 91, the main memory 92, the communication interface 93, the auxiliary storage device 94, and the input / output interface 95 are connected to each other via the internal bus 96 so that they can communicate with one another. In addition, the characteristic allocation system 30 and the manufacturing control device 20 can communicate bidirectionally via their respective communication interfaces 93 connected to a communication network 70.

[0097] (modified version) In this embodiment, the manufacturing control device 20 and the characteristic allocation system 30 are configured as separate devices, but they may be configured as a single integrated device. In this embodiment, the functional units of the characteristic allocation system 30 and the manufacturing control device 20 are each implemented in the same device, but they may be distributed and implemented in multiple devices, or implemented in the cloud, etc.

[0098] The aforementioned management system 100 is provided for each manufacturing system 10. Therefore, for example, the amount of characteristic material used in one manufacturing system 10 is used as a credit, and that credit is distributed within the same manufacturing system 10. On the other hand, one management system 100 may be used in common for multiple manufacturing systems 10 (for example, multiple factories, manufacturing plants, etc.). In this case, the manufacturing system 10 in which the characteristic material is actually used may be different from the manufacturing system 10 that produces the intermediate product to which the credit is distributed. The one or more manufacturing systems 10 that are managed by the same management system 100 may be configured in any way. For example, all manufacturing systems 10 belonging to one company may be managed by a single common management system 100. For example, the manufacturing systems 10 belonging to one company may be divided into multiple sections, and a management system 100 may be provided for each manufacturing system 10 belonging to each section.

[0099] In the embodiment described above, an order is placed, and an intermediate product is manufactured with credits allocated according to the order details. Next, the final product is manufactured using the intermediate product to which the credits have been allocated, and the link between the final product and the intermediate product is identified through tracing.

[0100] However, intermediate products may be manufactured in advance of the order. Next, an order may be placed by the customer, and credits corresponding to the order may be allocated to the already manufactured intermediate products. Then, the final product may be manufactured using the intermediate products to which the credits have been allocated, and the link between the final product and the intermediate products may be identified through tracing.

[0101] Alternatively, the process may be carried out as follows: First, intermediate products are manufactured in advance of the order. Next, an order is placed by the customer, and the final product is manufactured according to the order. Next, the link between the final product and the intermediate products is identified through tracing. Credits are subsequently allocated to the intermediate products identified as having been used in the final product, according to the order.

[0102] Alternatively, the process may be carried out as follows: First, an intermediate product is manufactured in advance of the order, and then the final product is manufactured in advance using that intermediate product. Next, an order is placed by the customer, and the final product according to the order is identified. Next, the link between the final product and the intermediate product is identified through tracing. Credits according to the order are subsequently allocated to the intermediate product identified as being used in the final product.

[0103] In all cases, the allocation of credits according to the order details and the subsequent renewal of credits is consistent with the explanation of the processing in Management Department 335, etc., described above.

[0104] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100... Management systems, 10…Manufacturing systems, 20…Manufacturing control equipment, 21…Manufacturing history storage unit, 30…Characteristic allocation system, 70…Communication networks, 331…Existing amount acquisition section, 332...Target acquisition section, 333... Distribution section, 334...Request value acquisition unit, 335...Management Department, 336…specific part, 337...Credit memory unit, 338... Order manufacturing plan memory unit, 339... Distribution result storage unit, R...correspondence relationship, P... Balance period, Tr... Allocation result table

Claims

1. A present quantity acquisition unit acquires a present quantity that can be allocated to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing at least specific properties, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the properties used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period. An acquisition unit that acquires the intermediate product to be allocated or the intermediate product and its quantity, A characteristic allocation system comprising: an allocation unit that performs an allocation process to allocate at least a portion of the existing quantity to the acquired intermediate product subject to allocation.

2. The system further includes a requirement value acquisition unit that acquires a requirement value corresponding to the specific characteristics required for the intermediate product to be allocated, The characteristic distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit performs the distribution process based on the existing quantity and the requested value.

3. The characteristic distribution system according to claim 2, wherein the required value acquisition unit acquires the required value based on a manufacturing plan or order for a final product manufactured from the intermediate product.

4. The characteristic distribution system according to claim 2, wherein the required value is the proportion of the characteristic material required for the intermediate product to be distributed.

5. The unit further comprises a special unit that performs a special process to identify the intermediate product used in the manufacture of the ordered final product, The characteristic distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the target acquisition unit acquires the intermediate product identified by the identification unit.

6. The system further includes a manufacturing history storage unit that stores the correspondence between the intermediate product and the final product manufactured from the intermediate product. The characteristic distribution system according to claim 5, wherein the specified unit performs the specified processing using the manufacturing history storage unit.

7. The system further includes a management unit for managing the existing quantity, The characteristic distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the existing quantity acquisition unit acquires the existing quantity from the management unit.

8. The aforementioned predetermined period includes multiple divided periods, The characteristic distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the management unit adds to the existing quantity an amount generated based on the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of a first division period selected from among the plurality of division periods, the inventory quantity of the characteristic material at the start of a second division period following the first division period, and the amount of the characteristic material that flowed in during the first division period.

9. The characteristic distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the total amount of characteristic material used is determined based on the amount of characteristic material used within a predetermined calculation range during the predetermined period.

10. The characteristic distribution system according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined calculation range includes at least one manufacturing plant that manufactures intermediate products.

11. The characteristic distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intermediate product is a metal body used in the manufacture of a final product which is a metal product.

12. The aforementioned metal body is an iron or steel billet manufactured from raw materials including pig iron, cast iron, reduced iron, or steel. The characteristic distribution system according to claim 11, wherein the final product is a steel product manufactured from the steel billet.

13. The characteristic material comprising at least one of the following: internal scrap generated in the process up to the manufacture of the intermediate product in the past; self-generated scrap generated in the process from the intermediate product to the manufacture of the final product in the past; and commercial scrap other than the internal scrap and the self-generated scrap, according to claim 12.

14. A step of obtaining an existing quantity that can be allocated to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing at least specific properties, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the properties used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period; The steps include acquiring the intermediate products subject to allocation, The steps include: performing an allocation process to allocate at least a portion of the existing quantity to the acquired intermediate product subject to allocation; A method for allocating characteristics, including the following:

15. On the computer, A procedure for obtaining an existing quantity that can be allocated to an intermediate product manufactured from raw materials containing at least specific properties, and which is less than or equal to an upper limit corresponding to the total amount of the property material used in the manufacture of the intermediate product during a predetermined period; Procedures for obtaining the intermediate products subject to allocation, A procedure for performing an allocation process to allocate at least a portion of the existing quantity to the acquired intermediate product subject to allocation, A computer program designed to execute something.

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