System and method for generating transport instructions - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide a technique that can reduce opportunity loss that is a loss of customers and cost related to stock accommodation.SOLUTION: A transfer instruction generation system is a system to generate a transfer instruction not only for a stock at each location but also for an item currently being transported between locations. The transfer instruction generation system comprises: a company business implementation function having a residual order calculation unit that calculates a residual order for which a stock reserve has not been performed in accordance with an order of each item of each company, an accommodation available amount calculation unit that calculates an accommodation-available amount for each item of each company, and a delivery instruction unit that requests a delivery by referencing the transfer instruction for each company; and a company integration function having a transfer instruction calculation unit that generates a transfer instruction in which a residual order and an accommodation available amount for each item of each company, an accommodation source company as an upper-level base of an accommodation destination company in at least a supply chain from lead time information between companies, the accommodation destination company, an item, a delivery data, and an accommodation amount are associated with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to computer techniques for generating transport instructions. [Background technology]

[0002] One of the management issues troubling many companies in today's industrial world is the appropriate management of supply chains, which have expanded widely with the progress of globalization. Against this background, in recent years, particularly in the manufacturing industry, attention has been increasing on a management methodology called supply chain management (SCM), which aims for total optimization by centrally managing information related to processes such as procurement, production, logistics, and sales.

[0003] As part of supply chain management, various technologies have been proposed for efficiently transferring inventory while taking into account available inventory throughout the supply chain (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2017-191376 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 calculates the amount of inventory shortage of an item on a specified day and accommodates inventory from a company that has inventory available. In other words, with this method, inventory is accommodated when the inventory shortage is identified, so it takes the lead time from the company that has inventory available to the company that has inventory shortage until the inventory is delivered to the company that has inventory shortage. Therefore, if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is used to accommodate the shortage of inventory, there is a risk of opportunity loss due to losing customers until the inventory is delivered.

[0006] If the amount of inventory is increased to prevent such opportunity losses, excess inventory may be generated, which may increase costs associated with inventory allocation.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a technique capable of reducing opportunity loss due to loss of customers and costs associated with inventory allocation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The transport instruction generation system according to the present invention is a system that generates transport instructions not only for inventory at each base, but also for items being transported between bases, and is characterized by having a corporate business execution function having an order backlog calculation unit that calculates order backlogs for which inventory has not been allocated for orders for each item at each company, an available flexibility calculation unit that calculates the available flexibility amount for each item at each company, and a shipment instruction unit that issues shipment instructions by referring to the transport instructions for each company, and a corporate supervision function having a transport instruction calculation unit that generates transport instructions that correspond at least to the source company, which is the upper base of the destination company in the supply chain, the destination company, the item, the shipment date, and the amount of flexibility, based on the order backlog and available flexibility amount for each item at each company and the lead time information between the companies.

[0009] Other problems and solutions disclosed in the present application will be made clear in the section of the description of the invention and the drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce opportunity losses due to loss of customers and costs associated with inventory allocation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an entire system including a transport instruction generation system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a company master information table. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an enterprise logic master information table. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a simulation period information table. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-transit inventory information table. [Figure 7A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a company inventory information table. [Figure 7B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a company inventory information table. [Figure 7C] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a company inventory information table. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a company outbound request amount / outbound information table. [Figure 9A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table of order backlog and flexible amount information for each company. [Figure 9B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table of order backlog and flexible amount information for each company. [Figure 9C] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table of order backlog and flexible amount information for each company. [Figure 9D] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table of order backlog and flexible amount information for each company. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transport instruction information table. [Figure 11A] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an overall process flow of a transfer instruction generation process performed in an embodiment. [Figure 11B] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a backorder calculation process. [Figure 11C] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an interchangeable amount calculation process. [Figure 11D] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a transfer instruction calculation process. [Figure 11E] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a shipping instruction process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] In the following description, an "interface unit" may refer to one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface devices are interface devices to at least one of the I / O devices and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device to the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, e.g., either an input device such as a keyboard and pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0013] In the following description, a "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0014] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may be one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more persistent storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and more specifically, may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0015] Also, in the following description, "storage device" may be at least memory, including memory and persistent storage device.

[0016] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may be one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs part or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0017] In the following description, functions may be described using the expression "yyy unit", but the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs being executed by a processor, or by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGA or ASIC), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program being executed by a processor, the function may be at least a part of the processor, since the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate. Processing described with a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0018] In the following description, a process may be described with a "program" as the subject, but the process described with a program as the subject may be a process performed by a processor or a device having the processor. Two or more programs may be realized as one program, and one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0019] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table," but the information may be a table of any structure, or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, the "xxx table" may be referred to as "xxx information." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0020] Furthermore, in the following description, the "transport instruction generation system" may be a system composed of one or more physical computers, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) realized on a group of physical computing resources (e.g., a cloud platform). When the transport instruction generation system "displays" the display information, it may mean displaying the display information on a display device possessed by the computer, or the computer may transmit the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer).

[0021] This embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0022] In the following description, the same or similar components will be denoted by common reference symbols, and redundant description may be omitted.

[0023] In addition, when there are multiple elements having the same or similar functions, the multiple elements may be described by using the same reference numerals with different subscripts in order to distinguish between them. On the other hand, when there is no need to distinguish between the multiple elements, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0024] First, an example of the configuration of the entire system including the transport instruction generation system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entire system including the transport instruction generation system 10.

[0025] <Example of the entire system configuration> The transport instruction generation system 10 of this embodiment is a computer system that can simulate in a virtual space the inventory status at each base station of a product in a supply chain and the transportation status between base stations using well-known techniques such as agent simulation, and generate transport instructions for the base inventory and in-transit inventory of the product through the simulation, and is realized by a computer device or server device having the respective configurations described below.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, this transport instruction generation system 10 is connected to user terminals 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . 11n (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "user terminals 11" when referring to them collectively or when no particular distinction is made) such as laptop PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc. owned by each user of the transport instruction generation system 10 via an appropriate communication network 12 such as the Internet or a dedicated line, so that data can be communicated between them. The transport instruction generation system 10 and the communication network 12 are connected by wire via well-known communication equipment (not shown), but may be connected wirelessly. The user terminal 11 and the communication network 12 are connected by wireless, but may be connected by wire. A unique ID called a user ID is assigned to each user of the transport instruction generation system 10 in advance.

[0027] In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the transport instruction generation system 10 has been described as being connected to the user terminal 11 via the communication network 12. However, for example, the transport instruction generation system may be configured as a system including the user terminal 11. Also, for example, the transport instruction generation system may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by the user terminal 11.

[0028] <Hardware configuration example of the transport instruction generation system 10> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the transport instruction generation system 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0029] The transport instruction generation system 10 of this embodiment is realized by a single general-purpose computer device. In the following description, the transport instruction generation system 10 is assumed to be realized by a single general-purpose computer device including one or more processors, one or more storage devices, one or more interface devices, and wired or wireless communication lines (none of which are shown) connecting them.

[0030] That is, the transport instruction generating system 10 has a storage device consisting of a persistent storage device and a memory, an interface device, and a processor connected thereto.

[0031] The persistent storage device is an auxiliary storage device made of a non-volatile storage element such as a flash memory. Specific examples of the persistent storage device include a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). The persistent storage device stores at least a transport instruction generation program. The transport instruction generation program is a computer program for implementing functions required for the transport instruction generation system 10, including various processes for generating transport instructions. Functions required for the transport instruction generation system 10 implemented by this transport instruction generation program include an enterprise supervision function 1000 and an enterprise business execution function 1001.

[0032] The company supervision function 1000 is a function that generates transfer instructions from companies with flexible stock to companies with backlogged orders.

[0033] The corporate business execution function 1001 is a function that is installed for each company, calculates order backlogs and flexible quantities using the calculation results stored in the calculation result storage unit 1013, and issues instructions for shipment using the transport instructions in the transport instruction storage unit 1015.

[0034] Furthermore, the processor executes the transport instruction generating program to perform various processes for generating transport instructions (described in detail below).

[0035] The transport instruction generation program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium. The transport instruction generation program may also be composed of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located at higher layers thereof, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Furthermore, two or more programs may be realized as one transport instruction generation program, and one transport instruction generation program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0036] The persistent storage device also stores data representing at least company master information indicating the transportation lead time between companies, company logic master information indicating the business logic of each company, simulation period information which is information indicating the period of the simulation, in-transit inventory information which is information regarding inventory in transit, each company inventory information which is information regarding the inventory of each company, each company outbound request amount / outbound information which is information regarding the outbound request amount / outbound of each company, and each company order backlog / flexible amount information which is information regarding the order backlog / flexible amount of each company. Details of these data and the data tables which store each data will be described later.

[0037] The memory is a primary storage device mainly consisting of volatile memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory temporarily stores data representing various information read from a persistent storage device and various data acquired from the user terminal 11.

[0038] The processor is a processor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various co-processors. This processor calls up a transport instruction generation program into memory and executes it, thereby controlling the transport instruction generation system 10 itself and controlling the control unit 100 that performs various processes such as calculation processing and judgment processing.

[0039] The interface apparatus includes a communication interface device that connects to the communication network 12 and communicates with the user terminal 11, and an I / O interface device.

[0040] <Example of functional block of transport instruction generation system 10> Next, an example of blocks of various functions included in the transport instruction generation system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that each block described below does not represent a hardware unit configuration, but represents a functional unit block.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the transport instruction generation system 10 includes the following functional blocks: a control unit 100, a storage unit 101, a communication unit 102, an input unit 103, and an output unit 104.

[0042] The control unit 100 executes various data processing based on programs and data stored in the memory unit 101, data acquired by the communication unit 102, and user operation input detected by the input unit 103. The control unit 100 also functions as an interface between the memory unit 101, the communication unit 102, the input unit 103, and the output unit 104.

[0043] The control unit 100 executes a process for generating a transport instruction. This process is referred to as a transport instruction generating process. Details of the transport instruction generating process will be described later with reference to Figs. 11A to 11E.

[0044] The control unit 100 has the functional blocks of a transport instruction calculation unit 10001, an order backlog calculation unit 10011, an available amount calculation unit 10012, and a shipping instruction unit 10013. The transport instruction calculation unit 10001 is responsible for the above-mentioned company supervision function 1000. The order backlog calculation unit 10011, the available amount calculation unit 10012, and the shipping instruction unit 10013 are responsible for the above-mentioned company business execution function 1001.

[0045] The transport instruction calculation unit 10001 executes a process of calculating a transport instruction. This process executed by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 is referred to as a transport instruction calculation process. The details of the transport instruction calculation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11D.

[0046] The order stock calculation unit 10011 executes a process for calculating an order stock. This process executed by the order stock calculation unit 10011 is referred to as an order stock calculation process. Details of the order stock calculation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11B.

[0047] The available exchange amount calculation unit 10012 executes a process for calculating the available exchange amount. This process executed by the available exchange amount calculation unit 10012 is referred to as an available exchange amount calculation process. The details of the available exchange amount calculation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11C.

[0048] The delivery instruction unit 10013 executes a process for instructing delivery. This process executed by the delivery instruction unit 10013 is called delivery instruction process. Details of the delivery instruction process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11E.

[0049] The control unit 100 is configured using a processor, and can realize these functional blocks by executing a predetermined program. Note that the control unit 100 may be configured using a logic circuit, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), instead of a processor. The control unit 100 may also be configured by combining a processor and a logic circuit.

[0050] The storage unit 101 is configured using a storage device consisting of, for example, a persistent storage device and a memory, and stores a program that supplies various processing commands to the control unit 100, and data representing various information used in the processing executed by the control unit 100. For example, data representing the company master information recorded in a company master information table 10100 illustrated in Fig. 3 (hereinafter also referred to as "company master information data"), data representing the company logic master information recorded in a company logic master information table illustrated in Fig. 4 (hereinafter also referred to as "company logic master information data"), data representing the simulation period information recorded in a simulation period information table 10120 illustrated in Fig. 5 (hereinafter also referred to as "simulation period information data"), and the like are stored in the storage unit 101. The control unit 100 can execute the above-mentioned transfer instruction generation processing by reading and writing these pieces of information in the storage unit 101.

[0051] The memory unit 101 has the following functional blocks: a company master information memory unit 1010, a company logic master information memory unit 1011, a simulation period information memory unit 1012, a calculation result memory unit 1013, an order backlog / flexible amount memory unit 1014, a transfer instruction memory unit 1015, and a shipping instruction memory unit 1016.

[0052] The company master information storage unit 1010 mainly stores company master information data represented by a company master information table 10100 illustrated in Fig. 3. The company master information table 10100 is a table for managing the company master information data. Details of the company master information data and the company master information table 10100 will be described later with reference to Fig. 3.

[0053] The enterprise logic master information storage unit 1011 mainly stores enterprise logic master information data represented by an enterprise logic master information table 10110 illustrated in Fig. 4. The enterprise logic master information table 10110 is a table for managing the enterprise logic master information data. Details of the enterprise logic master information data and the enterprise logic master information table 10110 will be described later with reference to Fig. 4.

[0054] The simulation period information storage unit 1012 mainly stores simulation period information data represented by a simulation period information table 10120 illustrated in Fig. 5. The simulation period information table 10120 is a table for managing the simulation period information data. Details of the simulation period information data and the simulation period information table 10120 will be described later with reference to Fig. 5.

[0055] The calculation result storage unit 1013 mainly stores the in-transit inventory information data represented by the in-transit inventory information table 10130 illustrated in FIG. 6, the individual company inventory information data represented by the individual company inventory information tables 10131-10133 illustrated in FIG. 7A-FIG. 7C, and the individual company outgoing request amount and outgoing information data represented by the individual company outgoing request amount and outgoing information table 10134 illustrated in FIG. 8. The in-transit inventory information table 10130 is a table for managing the in-transit inventory information data. The in-transit inventory information data and the in-transit inventory information table 10130 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 6. The individual company inventory information tables 10131-10133 are tables for managing the individual company inventory information data. The individual company inventory information data and the individual company inventory information tables 10131-10133 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 7A-FIG. 7C. The company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 is a table for managing the company outgoing request amount / outgoing information data. The company outgoing request amount / outgoing information data and the company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

[0056] The order backlog / flexible amount storage unit 1014 mainly stores each company's order backlog / flexible amount information data represented by each company's order backlog / flexible amount information tables 10140-10143 illustrated in Fig. 9A-9D. Each company's order backlog / flexible amount information tables 10140-10143 are tables for managing each company's order backlog / flexible amount information data. Details of each company's order backlog / flexible amount information data and each company's order backlog / flexible amount information tables 10140-10143 will be described later in relation to Fig. 9A-9D.

[0057] The transport instruction storage unit 1015 mainly stores transport instruction information data represented by a transport instruction information table 10150 illustrated in Fig. 10. The transport instruction information table 10150 is a table for managing the transport instruction information data. Details of the transport instruction information data and the transport instruction information table 10150 will be described later with reference to Fig. 10.

[0058] The delivery instruction storage unit 1016 mainly stores delivery instruction information data represented by a delivery instruction information table. The delivery instruction information table is a table for managing the delivery instruction information data.

[0059] The communication unit 102 is responsible for communication processing with other devices such as the user terminal 11 via the Internet (an example of the communication network 12). The communication unit 102 is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card), an HBA (Host Bus Adapter), etc.

[0060] The input unit 103 is responsible for input-related processing such as accepting input operations from a user, among other processing related to the user interface. The input unit 103 is configured using, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, etc., and detects various operations from the user.

[0061] Among the processes related to the user interface, the output unit 104 is responsible for output-related processes such as displaying various screens on a display device, outputting audio, etc. The output unit 104 is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal display, a touch screen, or the like.

[0062] In other words, each component of the transport instruction generation system 10 is realized by hardware including a processor, storage devices such as memory and persistent storage devices, wired or wireless communication lines and interface devices that connect them, and software that is stored in the storage devices and supplies processing instructions to the computing unit.

[0063] In this embodiment, the functions of transport instruction generation system 10 have been described as being integrally realized by a single computer device. However, these functions may be realized by a plurality of computers or server devices connected to each other. In addition, transport instruction generation system 10 may be configured to include a general-purpose computer device such as a laptop PC and a web browser installed thereon, or may be configured to include a web server and various portable devices.

[0064] <Example of functional block of user terminal 11> Next, an example of blocks of various functions included in the user terminal 11 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that each block described below does not represent a hardware configuration but represents a functional block.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 11 is configured to include the following functional blocks: a control unit 110, a storage unit 111, a communication unit 112, an input unit 113, and an output unit 114.

[0066] Control unit 110 executes various data processing based on programs and data stored in memory unit 111, data acquired by communication unit 112, and user operation input detected by input unit 113. Control unit 110 also functions as an interface for memory unit 111, communication unit 112, input unit 113, and output unit 114.

[0067] The control unit 110 is configured using a processor, and can realize these functional blocks by executing a predetermined program. Note that instead of a processor, the control unit 110 may be configured using a logic circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 110 may also be configured by combining a processor and a logic circuit.

[0068] The storage unit 111 is configured using a storage device consisting of, for example, a persistent storage device and a memory, and stores programs that supply various processing commands to the control unit 110, and data representing various information used in the processing executed by the control unit 110. The control unit 110 can execute various processing by reading and writing this information in the storage unit 111.

[0069] The communication unit 112 is responsible for communication processing with other devices such as the transport instruction generation system 10 via the Internet. The communication unit 112 is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

[0070] The input unit 113 is responsible for input-related processing such as accepting input operations from the user among processing related to the user interface. The input unit 113 is configured using, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc., and detects various operations from the user.

[0071] Among the processes related to the user interface, the output unit 114 is responsible for output-related processes such as displaying various screens on a display device, outputting audio, etc. The output unit 114 is configured using, for example, a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, or the like.

[0072] The above description of each function is merely an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0073] <An example of a supply chain according to this embodiment> Next, an example of a supply chain according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a supply chain according to this embodiment.

[0074] The transport instruction generation system 10 of this embodiment uses known techniques such as agent simulation to simulate in a virtual space the inventory status at each base station of a product in the supply chain illustrated in Figure 2 and the transportation status between base stations, and uses this simulation to generate transport instructions for the base inventory and in-transit inventory of the product.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 2, the supply chain in this embodiment has the following companies: "Headquarters", "Overseas Factory 1", "Domestic Factory 1", "Domestic Factory 2", "Local Warehouse 1", "Local Warehouse 2", "Market 1", and "Market 2". The arrows in the figure indicate transportation. That is, "Overseas Factory 1" ships products to "Local Warehouse 1", "Local Warehouse 2", "Domestic Factory 1", and "Domestic Factory 2".

[0076] In this embodiment and in the supply chain illustrated in FIG. 2, the "companies" represent different bases for transporting products in the supply chain. In other words, two or more "companies" with different names do not necessarily represent separate corporations in the real world. As an example, the "overseas factory 1" and the "domestic factory 1" illustrated in FIG. 2 may be separate corporations in the real world, or may belong to the same corporation.

[0077] <Data structure example> Next, various types of information used by the transport instruction generation system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0078] As described above, the transport instruction generation system 10 generates transport instructions using company master information data represented by the company master information table 10100 illustrated in Figure 3, company logic master information data represented by the company logic master information table 10110 illustrated in Figure 4, simulation period information data represented by the simulation period information table 10120 illustrated in Figure 5, in-transit inventory information data represented by the in-transit inventory information table 10130 illustrated in Figure 6, each company inventory information data represented by each company inventory information table 10131-10133 illustrated in Figures 7A-7C, each company outbound request amount and outbound information data represented by each company outbound request amount and outbound information table 10134 illustrated in Figure 8, and each company order backlog and flexible amount information data represented by each company order backlog and flexible amount information table 10140-10143 illustrated in Figures 9A-9D.

[0079] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a company master information table 10100 that stores company master information data. The company master information table 10100 is a table for managing company master information, that is, transportation lead time information from a source company to a destination company. The transportation lead time information is information that indicates the time required for transportation from the source company to the destination company. The company master information table 10100 has a record for each combination of a source company and a destination company. The record indicates a source company 1010a, a destination company 1010b, and a transportation lead time 1010c. In other words, the company master information table 10100 indicates the transportation lead time 1010c for each combination of the source company 1010a and the destination company 1010b by linking and recording the combination of the source company 1010a and the destination company 1010b with the transportation lead time 1010c for each record. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the company master information table 10100 records that the transportation lead time 1010c from the source company 1010a, “Overseas Factory 1,” to the destination company 1010b, “Regional Warehouse 1,” is “15 days.”

[0080] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an enterprise logic master information table 10110 that stores enterprise logic master information data. The enterprise logic master information table 10110 is a table for managing enterprise logic master information, which is business logic information used by an enterprise. The business logic is used to set execution details, such as what logic is used for calculation when executing a simulation. The enterprise logic master information table 10110 has a record for each enterprise. The record represents an enterprise name 1011a, a business logic name 1011b used by the enterprise, and a business logic 1011c represented by the business logic name 1011b. That is, the enterprise logic master information table 10110 represents the business logic name 1011b and the business logic 1011c used by each enterprise represented by the enterprise name 1011a by linking and recording the enterprise name 1011a, the business logic name 1011b, and the business logic 1011c used by the enterprise for each record. According to the example shown in FIG. 4, in the enterprise logic master information table 10110, it is recorded that an enterprise represented by an enterprise name 1011a, "Regional Warehouse 1," is using business logic 1011c, which is given a business logic name 1011b, "resource surplus / shortage calculation," and which is "calculate the order backlog and flexible amount for each item at the base in chronological order."

[0081] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a simulation period information table 10120 that stores simulation period information data. The transport instruction generation system 10 according to this embodiment uses a known method such as agent simulation to simulate the transportation of items in the supply chain illustrated in FIG. 2 in a virtual space. The simulation period information table 10120 is a table for managing simulation period information, which is information representing the period of the simulation executed by the transport instruction generation system 10. The simulation period information table 10120 has one or more records stored for each simulation period. The record represents a simulation start date 1012a representing the start date of the simulation, and a simulation end date 1012b representing the end date of the simulation. That is, the simulation period information table 10120 represents the simulation period for each simulation executed by the transport instruction generation system 10 by linking and recording the simulation start date 1012a and the simulation end date 1012b for each record. According to the example shown in FIG. 5, the simulation period information table 10120 records that a simulation with a simulation start date 1012a of "March 1, 2022" and a simulation end date 1012b of "May 31, 2022", i.e., a simulation with a simulation period of three months, was executed by the transport instruction generation system 10.

[0082] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-transit inventory information table 10130 that stores in-transit inventory information data. The in-transit inventory information table 10130 is a table for managing in-transit inventory information, which is information that lists in-transit inventory for each item from a source company to a destination company in chronological order by arrival date in a simulation. The in-transit inventory information table 10130 has a record for each combination of a source company and a destination company. The record represents a source company 1013a, a destination company 1013b, an item 1013c to be transported, a planning date 1013d, an arrival date 1013e ​​of the item 1013c, an arrival time 1013f of the item 1013c, and an inventory amount 1013g of the item 1013c. In other words, the in-transit inventory information table 10130 records, for each record, a combination of a source company 1013a and a destination company 1013b in association with the item to be transported 1013c, the planning date 1013d, the arrival date 1013e, arrival time 1013f, and inventory amount 1013g of the item 1013c, thereby representing the item to be transported 1013c, the arrival date 1013e, arrival time 1013f, and inventory amount 1013g of the item 1013c, and the planning date 1013d for the combination of a source company 1013a and a destination company 1013b. According to the example shown in Figure 6, the in-transit inventory information table 10130 records that for item 1013c "Item A" being transported from "Overseas Factory 1", which is the source company 1013a, to "Local Warehouse 1", which is the destination company 1013b, the arrival date 1013e ​​at "Local Warehouse 1" is "March 1, 2022", the arrival time 1013f on that day is "8:00 a.m.", the inventory amount 1013g arriving at "Local Warehouse 1" is "30 units", and the planning date 1013d of this transportation plan is "March 1, 2022".

[0083] 7A to 7C are diagrams showing configuration examples of each company's inventory information tables 10131 to 10133 which store inventory information data for each company. FIG. 7A shows each company's inventory information table 10131 relating to "Regional Warehouse 1", FIG. 7B shows each company's inventory information table 10132 relating to "Domestic Factory 1", and FIG. 7C shows each company's inventory information table 10133 relating to "Domestic Factory 2". Each company's inventory information table 10131 to 10133 is a table for managing each company's inventory information which is information that lists the inventory amount for each item of the company in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation. Each company's inventory information table 10131 to 10133 has a record for each company. The records indicate the name of the company (1013h, 1013n, 1013t), the item in stock (1013i, 1013o, 1013u), the planning date (1013j, 1013p, 1013v), the date (1013k, 1013q, 1013w), the time (1013l, 1013r, 1013x), and the amount of stock (1013m, 1013s, 1013y). That is, each company inventory information table 10131 to 10133 stores, for each record, the name of the company (1013h, 1013n, 1013t), the inventory item (1013i, 1013o, 1013u), the planning date (1013j, 1013p, 1013v), the date (1013k, 1013q, 1013w), the time (1013l, 1013r, 1013x), and the inventory amount (1013m, 1013r, 1013x). By linking and recording the inventory items (1013i, 1013o, 1013u), planning dates (1013j, 1013p, 1013v), dates (1013k, 1013q, 1013w), times (1013l, 1013r, 1013x) and inventory amounts (1013m, 1013s, 1013y) for each company (1013h, 1013n, 1013t), the inventory items (1013i, 1013o, 1013u), planning dates (1013j, 1013p, 1013v), dates (1013k, 1013q, 1013w), times (1013l, 1013r, 1013x) and inventory amounts (1013m, 1013s, 1013y) for each company (1013h, 1013n, 1013t) are represented. According to the example shown in FIG. 7A, in the each company inventory information table 10131 for company 1013h called "Regional Warehouse 1", it is recorded that there is "40" of "item A" in stock at "9:00 a.m." on "March 1, 2022", and the planning date 1013j of this inventory plan is "March 1, 2022".

[0084] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of each company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 that stores each company outgoing request amount / outgoing information data. Each company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 is a table for managing each company outgoing request amount / outgoing amount information, which is information that lists the outgoing request amount and outgoing amount for each item from the outgoing request source company to the outgoing request destination company in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation. Each company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 has a record for each combination of a request source company and a request destination company. The record indicates a request source company 1013z, a request destination company 1013aa, an item 1013ab, a date 1013ac, an outgoing request amount 1013ad, and an outgoing amount 1013ae. That is, the each company outgoing request amount / outgoing information table 10134 represents the target item 1013ab, date 1013ac, outgoing request amount 1013ad, and outgoing amount 1013ae for the combination of the requesting company 1013z and the request receiving company 1013aa by linking and recording the combination of the requesting company 1013z and the request receiving company 1013aa with the target item 1013ab, date 1013ac, outgoing request amount 1013ad, and outgoing amount 1013ae for each record. Note that, when the outgoing request amount 1013ae is subtracted from the inventory amount of the same company, the same item, the same calculation date, and the calculation time 9:00 in the each company inventory information shown in Figures 7A to 7C, if the calculation result is 0 or more, the outgoing request amount 1013ad is set as the outgoing amount 1013ae, and if the calculation result is less than 0, the inventory amount is set as the outgoing amount 1013ae. According to the example shown in FIG. 8, in the each company outbound delivery request quantity / outbound information table 10134, it is recorded that for item 1013ab "item A" which was requested to be shipped from "Market 1" which is the requesting company 1013z to "Regional Warehouse 1" which is the request receiving company 1013aa, the outbound delivery quantity 1013ae was "30 units" on "March 1, 2022" in response to an outbound delivery request quantity 1013ad of "30 units."

[0085] 9A to 9D are diagrams showing configuration examples of each company's order backlog and flexible amount information tables 10140 to 10143 that store order backlog and flexible amount information data of each company. FIG. 9A shows each company's order backlog and flexible amount information table 10140 related to "regional warehouse 1", FIG. 9B shows each company's order backlog and flexible amount information table 10141 related to "overseas factory 1", FIG. 9C shows each company's order backlog and flexible amount information table 10142 related to "domestic factory 1", and FIG. 9D shows each company's order backlog and flexible amount information table 10143 related to "domestic factory 2". Each company's order backlog and flexible amount information table 10140 to 10143 is a table for managing each company's order backlog and flexible amount information, which is information that lists the order backlog and flexible amount for each item of the company in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation. Each company's order backlog / transferable amount information tables 10140-10143 has a record for each company. The record includes the name of the company (1014a, 1014h, 1014o, 1014v), the name of the business logic of the company (1014b, 1014i, 1014p, 1014w), the target item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), the planning date (1014d, 1014k, 1014r, 1014y), and information related to the order backlog and transferable amount. The order information indicates the date (1014e, 1014l, 1014s, 1014z) on which the item is to be delivered, the amount of backorder (1014f, 1014m, 1014t, 1014aa) for the item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), and the available amount (1014g, 1014n, 1014u, 1014ab) for the item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x).That is, in each record of each company's order backlog / transferable amount information tables 10140 to 10143, the name of the company (1014a, 1014h, 1014o, 1014v), the name of the business logic of the company (1014b, 1014i, 1014p, 1014w), the target item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), the target item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q), , 1014x), the amount of backorders (1014f, 1014m, 1014t, 1014aa) of the item in question (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), the available amount (1014g, 1014n, 1014u, 1014ab) of the item in question (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), the dates (1014e, 1014l, 1014s, 1014z) and the planning dates (1014d, 1014k, 1014r, 1014y) related to the backorders and available amount. ), the business logic (1014b, 1014i, 1014p, 1014w) used by each company (1014a, 1014h, 1014o, 1014v), the target items (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x) of the companies (1014a, 1014h, 1014o, 1014v), It shows the amount of backorder (1014f, 1014m, 1014t, 1014aa), the flexible amount (1014g, 1014n, 1014u, 1014ab) of the item (1014c, 1014j, 1014q, 1014x), the date (1014e, 1014l, 1014s, 1014z) and the plan creation date (1014d, 1014k, 1014r, 1014y) related to the backorder / flexible amount. Note that the amount of backorder (1014f, 1014m, 1014t, 1014aa) is the amount obtained by subtracting the shipping amount from the shipping request amount of each company in Figure 8. 7. Also, the flexible amounts (1014g, 1014n, 1014u, 1014ab) are the stock amounts at 22:00, the calculation time of each company's stock information in FIG.According to the example shown in FIG. 9A, in the each company order backlog / flexible amount information table 10140 for company 1014a called "Regional Warehouse 1" that uses business logic 1014b called "resource surplus / shortage calculation," it is recorded that the amount of order backlog 1014f for "item A" on "March 1, 2022" is "0 units," the flexible amount 1014g for "item A" is "10 units," and the planning date 1014d of the plan is "March 1, 2022."

[0086] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transfer instruction information table 10150 that stores transfer instruction information data. The transfer instruction information table 10150 is a table for managing transfer instruction information, which is instruction information for transferring inventory from a company with a flexible amount to a company with a backlog of orders. The transfer instruction information table 10150 has a record for each combination of a source company and a destination company. The record represents a source company 1015a, a destination company 1015b, an item 1015c for which the transfer instruction is issued, a transfer date 1015d, and a transfer instruction amount 1015e. That is, the in-transit inventory information table 10130 records, for each record, a combination of a source company 1015a and a destination company 1015b, an item 1015c to which a transfer instruction is given, a transfer instruction amount 1015e of the item 1015c, and a transfer date 1015d, in association with each other, thereby representing the item 1015c to which a transfer instruction is given, the transfer instruction amount 1015e of the item 1015c, and the transfer date 1015d for the combination of a source company 1015a and a destination company 1015b. Note that the source company 1015a that provides in-transit inventory refers to a company that can resolve the order backlog in the shortest time for a company that has an order backlog in each company's order backlog / facility amount information in Figures 9A to 9D. In addition, when the transfer instruction amount 1015e is calculated by subtracting the order backlog from the flexible amount of the transport source company 1015a, if the calculation result is 0 or more, the order backlog is set as the transfer instruction amount 1015e, and if the calculation result is less than 0, the flexible amount is set as the transfer instruction amount 1015e. According to the example shown in FIG. 10, the transfer instruction information table 10150 records that a transfer instruction was generated for the item 1015c called "item A" being transported from the "domestic factory 1" which is the transport source company 1015a to the "regional warehouse 1" which is the transport destination company 1015b, with the transfer date 1015d set to "March 3, 2022" and the transfer instruction amount 1015e set to "20 pieces."

[0087] <Example of the process flow for creating transport instructions> Next, the transport instruction generation process executed by the transport instruction generation system 10 according to this embodiment and each step in the transport instruction generation process will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11E.

[0088] As described above, each step in the transport instruction generation process described below is realized by a program that is read into a memory or the like and executed by the transport instruction generation system 10. The program is composed of codes for realizing the processing executed in each of the following steps.

[0089] (Overall flow of the transport instruction generation process) FIG. 11A is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow of the transfer instruction generation processing performed in this embodiment.

[0090] In step S11, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 reads the company master information. This reads the transport source company, the transport destination company, and the transport lead time information, which are the company master stored in the company master information storage unit 1010. When the control unit 100 completes the process in step S11, it proceeds to step S12.

[0091] In step S12, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a backorder calculation process by the backorder calculation unit 10011. This backorder calculation process generally involves reading each company's outgoing request amount and outgoing information stored in the calculation result storage unit 1013, calculating the backorder, and storing the backorder in the backorder and flexible amount storage unit 1014. In this way, the backorder is calculated. Details of the backorder calculation process will be described later in relation to FIG. 11B. When the backorder calculation process is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S13.

[0092] In step S13, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes an available exchange amount calculation process using the available exchange amount calculation unit 10012. This available exchange amount calculation process generally involves reading each company's inventory information stored in the calculation result storage unit 1013, calculating the available exchange amount, and storing the amount in the order backlog / available exchange amount storage unit 1014. In this way, the available exchange amount is calculated. Details of the available exchange amount calculation process will be described later in relation to FIG. 11C. When the control unit 100 completes the available exchange amount calculation process, it proceeds to step S14.

[0093] In step S14, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a transport instruction calculation process by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001. This transport instruction calculation process, in outline, reads the order backlog / accommodation amount information stored in the order backlog / accommodation amount storage unit 1014, allocates inventory from a higher-level base to a base having an order backlog, and stores the allocated information as transport instruction information in the transport instruction storage unit 1015. This causes a transport instruction to be calculated. Details of the transport instruction calculation process will be described later in relation to FIG. 11D. When the transport instruction calculation process is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S15.

[0094] In step S15, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 executes an outgoing instruction process by the outgoing instruction unit 10013. This outgoing instruction process generally involves reading the transfer instruction information stored in the transfer instruction storage unit 1015, calculating an outgoing instruction, and storing the instruction in the outgoing instruction storage unit 1016. This results in an instruction for outgoing. Details of the outgoing instruction process will be described later in relation to FIG. 11E. When the outgoing instruction process is completed, the control unit 100 ends the transfer instruction generation process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11A.

[0095] (Order backlog calculation process) FIG. 11B is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the order backlog calculation process.

[0096] In step S21, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a process of reading, by the order backlog calculation unit 10011, the outgoing request amount and outgoing information of each company stored in the calculation result storage unit 1013. When the process in step S21 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S22.

[0097] In step S22, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10, through the order backlog calculation unit 10011, sets the simulation start date as the start condition for the repeated processing up to step S25, and repeats the processing for each date t.

[0098] In step S23, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 executes a process of determining whether the outgoing request amount on date t is greater than the outgoing amount by the order backlog calculation unit 10011. If it is determined that the outgoing request amount on date t is greater than the outgoing amount (step S23: Y), the process proceeds to step S24 to calculate the order backlog on date t, and if it is determined that the outgoing request amount on date t is equal to or less than the outgoing amount (step S23: N), the process proceeds directly to step S25.

[0099] In step S24, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a process of calculating the order backlog on date t by subtracting the outgoing amount on date t from the outgoing request amount on date t through the order backlog calculation unit 10011. When the process in step S24 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S25.

[0100] Step S25 is the end condition of the repeated process that started from step S22, and is set as the simulation end date. That is, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 causes the order backlog calculation unit 10011 to repeatedly execute the processes of steps S22 to S25 until the simulation end date.

[0101] In step S26, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 causes the order backlog calculation unit 10011 to store the order backlog for date t calculated in step S24 in the order backlog / flexible amount storage unit 1014. When the process in step S21 is completed, the control unit 100 ends the order backlog calculation process shown in the flowchart in FIG. 11B.

[0102] (Calculation of available amount) FIG. 11C is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an available amount calculation process.

[0103] In step S31, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a process of reading each company's inventory information stored in the calculation result storage unit 1013 by the interchangeable amount calculation unit 10012. When the process in step S31 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S32.

[0104] In step S32, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 causes the available transfer amount calculation unit 10012 to store the inventory amount of each company at 22:00 on each date as the available transfer amount in the order backlog / available transfer amount storage unit 1014. When the process in step S32 is completed, the control unit 100 ends the available transfer amount calculation process shown in the flowchart in FIG. 11C.

[0105] (Transportation instruction calculation process) FIG. 11D is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a transfer instruction calculation process.

[0106] In step S401, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 executes a process of reading the order backlog / flexible amount information stored in the order backlog / flexible amount storage unit 1014 by the transfer instruction calculation unit 10001. When the process in step S401 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S402.

[0107] In step S402, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10, through the transport instruction calculation unit 10001, sets the simulation start date as the start condition for the repeated processing up to step S409, and repeats the processing for each date t.

[0108] In step S403, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 sets the start condition of the repeated process up to step S406 as the upper base of the base with the order backlog on date t as i, and refers to the flexible amount at the time of date t-lead time in order of the longest lead time from the upper base i to the base with the order backlog on date t by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001. By referring to the flexible amount in order of the longest lead time and allocating inventory from the base with the longest lead time, inventory at the base with the shortest lead time can be held as safety inventory in the event of demand fluctuation, thereby reducing opportunity loss. In this embodiment, the flexible amount is referred to in order of the longest lead time in the process of step S403, but the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 can also refer to the flexible amount in order of the shortest lead time.

[0109] In step S404, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a process in which the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 determines whether (1) the order backlog on date t is greater than 0, and (2) the flexible amount of the upper base i on date t minus the leadtime is greater than 0. If both of the above criteria (1) and (2) are met (step S404: Y), the process proceeds to step S405 to update the transport instruction information, the order backlog information, and the flexible amount information, and if at least one of the above criteria (1) and (2) is not met (step S404: N), the process proceeds directly to step S406.

[0110] In step S405, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 allocates inventory from the upper base i by the transfer instruction calculation unit 10001, and updates the transfer instruction information stored in the transfer instruction storage unit 1015 and the order backlog information and the flexible amount information stored in the order backlog / flexible amount storage unit 1014. By the process in step S405, the transfer date in the transfer instruction information is updated to date t-lead time, and the transfer instruction amount in the transfer instruction information is updated to the minimum value of the order backlog on date t and the flexible amount at the upper base i at date t-lead time. Furthermore, by the process in step S405, the order backlog information is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the transfer instruction amount from the order backlog on date t. Furthermore, by the process in step S405, the flexible amount information is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the transfer instruction amount from the flexible amount at the upper base i at date t-lead time. When the process in step S405 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S406.

[0111] Step S406 is the end condition for the repetitive process that began in step S403, and the flexible capacity as of date t-leadtime of a upstream location i of a location with backorders on date t is referenced in order of the longest lead time from the upstream location i to the location with backorders on date t.

[0112] In step S407, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 executes a process by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 to determine whether or not there is an upper base i for which (1) the order backlog on date t is greater than 0, and (2) the flexible amount is greater than 0 even if the delivery date cannot be met for the order backlog on date t. In the process executed in steps S407 and S408, allocation from the base that can allocate at the shortest time is considered even if the delivery date cannot be met for the order backlog on date t, thereby considering reduction of opportunity loss. If both the above criteria (1) and (2) are met (step S407: Y), the process proceeds to step S408 to update the transport instruction information, the order backlog information, and the flexible amount information, and if at least one of the above criteria (1) and (2) is not met (step S407: N), the process proceeds directly to step S409.

[0113] In step S408, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10, by the transfer instruction calculation unit 10001, allocates inventory from the upper base i that cannot meet the delivery date of the base with the backorder on date t but can be allocated in the shortest time, and updates the transfer instruction information stored in the transfer instruction storage unit 1015 and the backorder information and the flexible amount information stored in the backorder / flexible amount storage unit 1014. By the process in step S408, the transfer date in the transfer instruction information is updated to the day when the transfer is possible from the upper base i in the shortest time, and the transfer instruction amount in the transfer instruction information is updated to the minimum value of the backorder on date t and the flexible amount on the day when the transfer is possible at the upper base i in the shortest time. Furthermore, by the process in step S408, the backorder information is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the transfer instruction amount from the backorder on date t. Furthermore, by the process in step S408, the flexible amount information is updated to a value obtained by subtracting the transfer instruction amount from the flexible amount on the day when the transfer is possible from the upper base i in the shortest time. When the process in step S408 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S409.

[0114] Step S409 is the end condition of the repeated process started from step S402, and is set as the end date of the simulation. That is, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 causes the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 to repeatedly execute the processes of steps S402 to S409 until the end date of the simulation.

[0115] In step S410, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 stores the order backlog information and the flexible amount information updated in step S405 or step S408 by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 in the order backlog / flexible amount storage unit 1014. When the process in step S410 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S411.

[0116] In step S411, the control unit 100 of the transport instruction generation system 10 stores the transport instruction information calculated in step S405 or step S408 by the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 in the transport instruction storage unit 1015. When the process in step S411 is completed, the control unit 100 ends the transport instruction calculation process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11D.

[0117] (Shipping instruction processing) FIG. 11E is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the outgoing instruction process.

[0118] In step S51, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 executes a process of reading the transfer instruction information stored in the transfer instruction storage unit 1015 by the outgoing instruction unit 10013. When the process in step S51 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S52.

[0119] In step S52, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generating system 10 calculates a shipping instruction based on the transfer instruction information read in step S51 by the shipping instruction unit 10013. When the process in step S52 is completed, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S53.

[0120] In step S53, the control unit 100 of the transfer instruction generation system 10 stores the outgoing instruction calculated in step S52 in the outgoing instruction storage unit 1016 by the outgoing instruction unit 10013. When the process in step S53 is completed, the control unit 100 ends the outgoing instruction process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11E.

[0121] The above-described embodiment of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

[0122] (1) The transport instruction generation system 10 is a system that generates transport instructions not only for inventory at each base but also for items being transported between bases, and is characterized by having a company business execution function 1001 having an order backlog calculation unit 10011 that calculates order backlogs for which inventory has not been allocated for orders for each item of each company, an available amount calculation unit 10012 that calculates the amount of flexible supply for each item of each company, and a shipping instruction unit 10013 that refers to the transport instruction for each company and issues a shipping instruction, and a company supervision function 1000 having a transport instruction calculation unit 10001 that generates a transport instruction that associates at least the source company, which is a higher-level base of the destination company in the supply chain, the destination company, the item, the shipping date, and the amount of flexible supply, based on the order backlogs and available amount for each item of each company and the lead time information between the companies. As a result, when the transport instruction generation system 10 detects the order backlog of an item on a specified day, it can accommodate the available amount of the source company at a point back from the specified day by the number of lead time days from the source company to the destination company. As a result, inventory can be lent from upstream bases in the supply chain, and backordered items can be supplied by sharing them with regular transportation. This reduces lead time shortcomings when inventory is lent, and reduces opportunity losses due to lost customers and costs associated with inventory lent.

[0123] (2) When generating a transport instruction, the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 selects an accommodation source company in descending order of lead time with the accommodation destination company (step S403 in FIG. 11D).

[0124] (3) When generating a transport instruction, if the transport instruction is not in time for the delivery deadline of the accommodation destination company, the transport instruction calculation unit 10001 selects the accommodation source company so as to minimize the transport time (step S408 in FIG. 11D).

[0125] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented using any components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0126] The above-mentioned embodiments, examples, and modifications are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the characteristics of the invention are not impaired. In addition, although various embodiments, examples, and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other aspects that are conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0127] In the above figures, the control lines and information lines are shown as those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the actual implementation. For example, it may be considered that almost all the components are actually connected to each other.

[0128] The above-described layout of the various functional units, processing units, and databases of transport instruction generation system 10 is merely an example. The layout of the various functional units, processing units, and databases can be changed to an optimal layout in terms of the performance, processing efficiency, communication efficiency, and the like of the hardware and software included in transport instruction generation system 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 10: Transport instruction generation system

Claims

1. A transport instruction generation system for simulating in a virtual space the inventory status of each company and the transport status between companies of an item transported in a supply chain, and generating transport instructions for the item transported between companies as well as the inventory status of each company of the item in the supply chain by the simulation, comprising: A computer having at least a processor and a memory device, The storage device includes: A company master information table for managing company master information indicating transportation lead times between companies; a company outbound request quantity / outbound information table for managing each company outbound request quantity / outbound information, which represents information in which the outbound request quantity and outbound quantity for each item from the outbound request source company to the outbound request destination company in the simulation are listed in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; a company inventory information table for managing company inventory information representing information in which the inventory amount for each item of the company in the simulation is listed in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; a company inventory information table for managing the order backlog and flexible volume information of each company, which represents information listing the order backlog and flexible volume of each item of the company in the simulation in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; At least The processor, As a corporate business execution function, a process in which an order backlog calculation unit calculates order backlogs for which inventory has not been allocated for each order by item of each company using each company's outbound request amount and outbound information stored in the each company's outbound request amount and outbound information table; a process of calculating the amount of each company's inventory for each item by a flexible amount calculation unit using the inventory information of each company stored in the inventory information table of each company; The shipping instruction section refers to the transport instructions for each company and issues instructions for shipping. Run As a corporate governance function, A transport instruction calculation unit executes a process of generating transport instructions that associate at least an accommodation source company, which is a higher-level company of the accommodation destination company in the supply chain that is the subject of the simulation calculation, an accommodation destination company, the item, a delivery date, and an accommodation amount, based on the company master information that indicates the order backlog and the accommodation amount for each item of each company and the transportation lead time between each company stored in the company master information table. A transport instruction generating system comprising:

2. The transport instruction generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the transport instruction calculation unit, when generating a transport instruction, selects the accommodation source companies in descending order of lead time with the accommodation destination companies.

3. The transport instruction generation system of claim 1, wherein when generating a transport instruction, if the specified delivery date of the destination company in the simulation cannot be met, the transport instruction calculation unit selects the source company so as to minimize the transport time calculated based on the order backlog and available amount information of each company stored in the inventory information table of each company.

4. A transport instruction generation method for simulating in a virtual space the inventory status of each company of an item and the transport status between companies of the item transported in a supply chain, and generating transport instructions for the item transported between companies as well as the inventory status of each company of the item in the supply chain by the simulation, comprising: A computer having at least a processor and a storage device, The storage device includes: A company master information table for managing company master information indicating transportation lead times between companies; a company outbound request quantity / outbound information table for managing each company outbound request quantity / outbound information, which represents information in which the outbound request quantity and outbound quantity for each item from the outbound request source company to the outbound request destination company in the simulation are listed in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; a company inventory information table for managing company inventory information representing information in which the inventory amount for each item of the company in the simulation is listed in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; a company inventory information table for managing the order backlog and flexible volume information of each company, which represents information listing the order backlog and flexible volume of each item of the company in the simulation in chronological order as of the calculation date of the simulation; At least The processor, As a corporate business execution function, a step of calculating an order backlog for each company's order for each item by using each company's outbound request amount and outbound information stored in the each company's outbound request amount and outbound information table by an order backlog calculation unit; a step of calculating the amount of each company's inventory for each item by a flexible amount calculation unit using the inventory information of each company stored in the inventory information table of each company; A procedure in which the shipping instruction section issues instructions for shipping by referring to the transport instructions for each company. Perform a process including As a corporate governance function, A step of generating, by a transport instruction calculation unit, transport instructions that correspond to at least an accommodation source company, which is a higher-level company of the accommodation destination company in the supply chain that is the subject of the simulation calculation, an accommodation destination company, the item, a warehouse release date, and an accommodation amount, based on the company master information that indicates the order backlog and the accommodation amount for each item of each company and the transportation lead time between each company stored in the company master information table. Perform a process that includes A method for generating a transport instruction.

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