System and program for calculating required inventory

Abstract

To provide a required inventory amount calculation system and a program for calculating a required amount of inventory of raw materials, for example, in less steps at lower cost.SOLUTION: In a required inventory amount calculation system 2, a product importance calculation unit 50 calculates a product importance coefficient showing the importance of each product. A procurement risk calculation unit 52 calculates a total coefficient on the basis of the multiplication of a procurement risk coefficient and a procurement risk coefficient showing the level of the procurement risk of each raw material or each semi-product. A required inventory time calculation unit 56 calculates a required inventory time for each raw material or each semi-product on the basis of each total coefficient and the longest inventory time, and sets the required inventory time to be a time for the shortest inventory time when the required inventory time is less than a predetermined shortest inventory time. A required inventory calculation unit 56 multiplies a required amount of each raw material or a semi-product to be supplied to a client or a wholesale dealer in a predetermined time by a required inventory time, and calculates the required inventory amount for the raw material or the semi-product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a required inventory calculation system for calculating the appropriate required inventory amount of raw materials or semi-finished products to be procured from one or more suppliers and stored in the product supplier's inventory in the commercial activities of a product supplier who procures at least any of raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers to manufacture products and supply the products to customers or wholesalers. [Background technology]

[0002] A product supplier such as a manufacturer (i.e., a product manufacturer) procures raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers, manufactures products using the raw materials and semi-finished products, and sells the manufactured products to customers or wholesalers via a logistics company.

[0003] In this process, connections are formed with various companies, such as suppliers and logistics companies. The series of steps, including procurement of raw materials and semi-finished products, manufacturing of products, inventory management of raw materials and products, and delivery and sales of products, is called the supply chain.

[0004] Currently, in order to improve the efficiency of a supply chain, it is known to perform supply chain management (SCM) using a supply chain model set up on a computer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] However, even if a product supplier is able to properly manage product production volumes and delivery dates, as well as inventory levels of raw materials and semi-finished products, in peacetime using SCM, the supply chain between suppliers and product suppliers may be disrupted in the event of an emergency such as an earthquake or flood, whose frequency is difficult to quantify and which is difficult to control in a planned manner.

[0006] Product suppliers need to properly manage, for example, their inventories of raw materials and semi-finished products in order to stably supply products to customers or wholesalers not only in peacetime but also in times of emergency. However, when a product supplier supplies a wide variety of products and does business with many domestic and overseas suppliers, it is not easy to determine which raw materials and semi-finished products for which products should be prioritized in terms of inventory.

[0007] Specifically, it is difficult to determine which raw materials and semi-finished products for which products should be prioritized for inventory and how much inventory should be adjusted for suppliers around the world, taking into account each country's laws, circumstances, geographical risks, etc. in the event of an emergency.

[0008] In addition, when a product supplier's workers determine the inventory amounts of each raw material and semi-finished product required for manufacturing a product for each product, it requires a huge amount of labor (i.e., the product of the working hours and the number of people working on the task), which is costly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-75919 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to calculate the required inventory amount of raw materials, etc. required by a product supplier to ensure a stable product supply, with fewer labor hours and at lower cost than if the amount were determined by an operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for calculating an appropriate required inventory amount of raw materials or semi-finished products to be procured from one or more suppliers and placed in the inventory of a product supplier in the commercial activities of the product supplier, which procures at least one of raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers to manufacture a product and supplies the product to a customer or wholesaler, the system having a memory and a processor, the memory storing the name of the product, the names of the raw materials or semi-finished products used in the product, the names of the one or more suppliers who supply the raw materials or semi-finished products, and the required amount of the raw materials or semi-finished products required to supply the product to the customer or wholesaler within a predetermined period of time, the system including a product importance coefficient calculation unit that calculates a product importance coefficient for each product, which is set according to the degree of need by the customer or wholesaler, and which indicates the importance of each product, and a product importance coefficient calculation unit that calculates the product importance coefficient for each product, which indicates the importance of each product, and a product importance coefficient calculation unit that calculates the product importance coefficient for each product from the one or more suppliers. a procurement risk degree coefficient calculation unit that calculates, for each raw material or semi-finished product, a procurement risk degree coefficient that is set according to the risk of being unable to procure the raw material or semi-finished product and that indicates the degree of procurement risk of the raw material or semi-finished product; an overall coefficient calculation unit that calculates, for each raw material or semi-finished product, a overall coefficient that is normalized so that the maximum value becomes 1 based on the multiplication of the product importance coefficient and the procurement risk degree coefficient; a required inventory period calculation unit that multiplies each overall coefficient calculated by the overall coefficient calculation unit by a predetermined longest inventory period, calculates a required inventory period for each raw material or semi-finished product, and, if the calculated required inventory period is shorter than a predetermined shortest inventory period, sets the calculated required inventory period to a period corresponding to the shortest inventory period; and a required inventory amount calculation unit that calculates the required inventory amount of the raw material or semi-finished product by multiplying the required amount for each raw material or semi-finished product in the predetermined period by the required inventory period.

[0012] Preferably, the product importance coefficient is set so that the greater the sales volume of the product in the predetermined period, the higher the product importance coefficient becomes.

[0013] Preferably, the product importance coefficient includes a current market price coefficient, which is set to be higher the higher the average current market price of the product in the specified period or the lower the discount rate.

[0014] Preferably, the procurement risk coefficient is calculated according to the risk of a natural disaster in the location of the production site where the raw materials or semi-finished products are produced or the storage site where the raw materials or semi-finished products are stored by the supplier.

[0015] In addition, preferably, the procurement risk coefficient is calculated taking into consideration the geographical factors of the supplier, including the World Risk Index of the World Risk Report for the country in which the manufacturing site where the raw materials or semi-finished products are manufactured or the storage site where the raw materials or semi-finished products are stored by the supplier, and whether or not nuclear power generation is present in the location of the manufacturing site or the storage site.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program, which, in the commercial activities of a product supplier, which procures at least any of raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers to manufacture a product and supplies the product to a customer or wholesaler, in order to calculate an appropriate required inventory amount of the raw materials or semi-finished products to be procured from the one or more suppliers and stored in the product supplier's inventory, causes a computer to calculate, for each product, a product importance coefficient which is set in accordance with the degree of need from the customer or the wholesaler and represents the importance of each product, and a procurement risk coefficient which is set in accordance with the risk of being unable to procure the raw materials or semi-finished products from the one or more suppliers and represents the degree of procurement risk of the raw materials or semi-finished products, or for each of the semi-finished products, calculate an overall coefficient normalized to have a maximum value of 1 based on the multiplication of the product importance coefficient and the procurement risk coefficient for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products, calculate a required inventory period for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products by multiplying each overall coefficient by a predetermined longest inventory period, and if the calculated required inventory period is shorter than a predetermined shortest inventory period, replace the calculated required inventory period with the shortest inventory period, and calculate the required inventory amount of the raw materials or the semi-finished products by multiplying the required amount of each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products required to supply the product to the customer or the wholesaler within a specified period by the required inventory period. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The inventory requirement calculation system according to one aspect of the present invention automatically calculates the inventory requirement of raw materials or semi-finished products for a specified period, and therefore the inventory requirement required by a product supplier for a specified period for a stable supply of products can be calculated with fewer steps than when an operator determines the inventory requirement. Therefore, the inventory requirement of raw materials or semi-finished products can be calculated at a lower cost than when an operator determines the inventory requirement.

[0018] Programs according to other aspects of the present invention similarly cause a computer to automatically calculate the required inventory amount, thereby enabling the required inventory amount to be calculated with less labor and at lower cost than if an operator were to determine it. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the commercial activities of a product supplier. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between a finished product, raw materials, and a semi-finished product. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a product importance coefficient. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram for calculating a product importance coefficient. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the total procurement risk score taking into account internal factors. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 illustrates the total procurement risk score taking geographic factors into account. [Figure 8] This figure shows the composition ratio of WRR's WRI, nuclear power plants, and local governments in the total procurement risk score, which indicates geographical factors. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a procurement risk coefficient. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a flow chart for calculating a procurement risk coefficient. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a required inventory amount. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a flow chart for calculating a required inventory amount. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a required inventory quantity calculation system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14(A) is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 14(B) is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system 2 according to a first embodiment. The required inventory calculation system 2 of this embodiment is configured in a stand-alone computer 4 that is not connected to other computers via a network.

[0021] The computer 4 having the necessary inventory calculation system 2 is, for example, a desktop or laptop computer (i.e., a personal computer) or a server. However, as will be described later, the necessary inventory calculation system 2 may be provided to the computer 4 from a server via the Internet in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0022] The computer 4 includes, for example, a processor (processing device) (not shown) represented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory (storage device) 6. The memory 6 includes a main storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive, or a solid state drive.

[0023] The auxiliary storage device stores software including a predetermined program. The functions of the required stock amount calculation system 2 are realized by operating the processor and the like in accordance with the software.

[0024] 1, an input device 8 is connected to the computer 4, which serves as an interface when an operator of the product supplier 14 inputs information into the computer. The input device 8 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or a recording medium reader, but is not limited to these examples.

[0025] Examples of the recording medium include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), but the recording medium is not limited to these examples and may be other recording media.

[0026] An input device 8 and a display device 10 are connected to the computer 4. The input device 8 is used to input information to the computer 4, and the display device 10 is used to display the results of calculations performed by the computer 4.

[0027] The display device 10 may be a touch panel having the function of the input device 8. When the display device 10 is a touch panel, the input device 8 may be omitted.

[0028] A part of the memory 6 (for example, a part of the auxiliary storage device) has a first area 16 for storing the name (i.e., product name 16a) of the product 12 (see FIG. 2). Here, the product 12 and the like will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the commercial activities of a product supplier 14. The product supplier 14 is an entity that manufactures a product 12 and sells (supplies) the product 12 to a customer 18a or a wholesaler 18b, and is also called a manufacturer or product manufacturer.

[0030] In this embodiment, the product supplier 14 is a corporation. In this specification, natural persons such as employers and employees of the corporation of the product supplier 14 are called workers of the product supplier 14. The product supplier 14 procures at least one of raw materials 22 and semi-finished products 24 from one or more suppliers 20 to manufacture the product 12.

[0031] For example, the product supplier 14 procures raw materials 22a from a supplier 20a, raw materials 22b from a supplier 20b, semi-finished products 24a from a supplier 20c, and semi-finished products 24b from a supplier 20d, respectively, to manufacture the product 12a.

[0032] However, the product provider 14 may also procure raw materials 22a from a supplier 20a to manufacture another product 12b, or procure semi-finished products 24a from a supplier 20c to manufacture another product 12c.

[0033] 2 shows a simple example for convenience, the product supplier 14 may procure multiple raw materials 22a, 22b from the supplier 20a, and may procure multiple semi-finished products 24a, 24b from the supplier 20a. The product supplier 14 may procure the raw materials 22a and the semi-finished products 24a from the supplier 20a.

[0034] One of the products 12 is, for example, a hub blade (see FIG. 3). The hub blade has an annular base (i.e., a hub) made of an aluminum alloy, and an annular cutting blade is fixed to the outer periphery of one surface of the base.

[0035] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the finished product 12, the raw material 22, and the semi-finished product 24. The hub blade is manufactured, for example, by using a first abrasive grain and a first bond material for forming a cutting blade, and a first base, but other raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24 may be additionally used during the manufacturing process.

[0036] Another one of the products 12 is, for example, a hubless blade (also called a washer blade). The hubless blade does not have a base and is configured with an annular cutting blade. The hubless blade is manufactured using, for example, a second abrasive grain and a second bond material, but other raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 may be additionally used during the manufacturing process.

[0037] Another one of the products 12 is, for example, a grinding wheel. The grinding wheel has, for example, a metal annular third base and a plurality of grinding stones arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the third base on one surface side of the third base.

[0038] Each grinding wheel is manufactured by mixing the third abrasive grains with the third bond material, and then molding, firing, etc. However, other raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 may be additionally used in manufacturing the grinding wheels.

[0039] One of the other products 12 is, for example, a polishing pad. The polishing pad has, for example, a metal annular fourth base and an annular polishing pad provided on one side of the fourth base. However, when manufacturing the polishing pad, other raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 may be additionally used.

[0040] Another one of the products 12 is a dressing board (also called a dressing board). The dressing board is manufactured, for example, by mixing a fifth abrasive grain with a fifth bond material, and then molding, firing, etc., and other raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 may be additionally used during the manufacturing process.

[0041] Processing tools such as hub blades, hubless blades, grinding wheels, polishing pads, and dress boards are consumables used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as cutting devices, grinding devices, and polishing devices.

[0042] If the supply chain that supplies consumables for semiconductor manufacturing equipment from product suppliers 14 to customers 18a or wholesalers 18b is disrupted, it will affect the production of semiconductor chips, and the manufacture and distribution of various products such as mobile phones, personal computers, and automobiles will be delayed worldwide.

[0043] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the commercial activities (supply chain) of the product supplier 14 from procurement to sales, the supply of the product 12 is managed using the required inventory calculation system 2. Specifically, the required inventory calculation system 2 is used to calculate an appropriate required inventory amount 58a (see FIG. 11) of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 at the product supplier 14.

[0044] Returning now to Fig. 1, the memory 6 has a second area 26. In the second area 26, the names of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 used in the product 12 (i.e., names 26a of the raw materials or semi-finished products) are stored.

[0045] The memory 6 further includes a third area 28. In the third area 28, the names of one or more suppliers 20 that supply the raw materials 22 or the semi-finished products 24 (i.e., one or more supplier names 28a) are stored.

[0046] The memory 6 further includes a fourth area 30. The fourth area 30 stores a required amount 30a (see FIG. 11) of the raw materials 22 or the semi-finished products 24 required to supply the finished products 12 to the customers 18a or the wholesalers 18b within a predetermined period (one month in this embodiment).

[0047] The required quantity 30a of at least one of the raw materials 22 and semi-finished products 24 required to manufacture the product 12 is calculated based on the average monthly sales quantity of each product 12 over the last 6 to 12 months at the time the required inventory quantity 58a is calculated.

[0048] By using the average value of the monthly sales volume over a 6- to 12-month period, it is possible to average out the sales volume during slow and busy seasons, thereby making it possible to calculate a more appropriate required quantity 30a and required inventory quantity 58a than if the average value is not used.

[0049] The memory 6 further includes a fifth area 32. The fifth area 32 stores a product importance coefficient 32a. The product importance coefficient 32a is set according to the degree of need from the customer 18a or the wholesaler 18b, and represents the importance of each product 12. The product importance coefficient 32a is calculated by a product importance coefficient calculation unit 50.

[0050] Here, the product importance coefficient 32a will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the product importance coefficient 32a.

[0051] The top column of the table shown in Figure 4 lists, from left to right, "product name," "name of raw material," "supplier name," "sales quantity in a specified period," "sales quantity ranking," "sales quantity coefficient," "discount rate," "discount rate ranking," "actual price coefficient," "situation / convenience coefficient," "coefficient multiplication value," and "product importance coefficient."

[0052] Product names 16a are listed in the leftmost column of the table shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the product names 16a are denoted as A, B, C, D, and E for the sake of convenience. To the right of the column of product names 16a, the names of raw materials 22 in the names of raw materials or semi-finished products 26a are listed.

[0053] For product A 12, four types of raw materials 22 (i.e., A-1-1, A-1-2, A-2-1, and A-3-1) are shown, but other raw materials 22 and semi-finished products 24 used are omitted for convenience.

[0054] Also, for each of the products 12 B, C, D and E, for convenience, only one type of raw material 22 (i.e., B-1-1, C-1-1, D-1-1, E-1-1) is shown, and the other raw materials 22 and semi-finished products 24 used are omitted.

[0055] The group of numbers following the alphabet is an identification code of the raw material 22. For example, "1-1" in A-1-1, B-1-1, C-1-1, D-1-1, and E-1-1 indicates the same raw material 22. "1-1" is, for example, an abrasive grain of a predetermined grain size.

[0056] To the right of the column for the name 26a of the raw material, multiple suppliers 20 are listed. In Fig. 4, four different companies, α, β, γ, and δ, are shown as the suppliers 20. Fig. 4 shows that the product supplier 14 procures the raw material 22, identified by the identification code "1-1," not from a single company but from three companies, α, β, and δ.

[0057] The sales volume ranking is the ranking of the average monthly sales volume for each product 12 from months 6 to 12. Product 12 A, which has the highest sales volume, is ranked 1, and product 12 E, which has the lowest sales volume, is ranked 5.

[0058] The greater the sales volume of a product 12, the more it is needed by customers 18a and wholesalers 18b, and the greater its importance is considered to be. By ultimately reflecting the sales volume coefficient 36a in the product importance coefficient 32a, the degree of demand for the product 12 by customers 18a and wholesalers 18b can be reflected in the product importance coefficient 32a.

[0059] The sales quantity coefficient 36a is set so that the greater the sales quantity of the product 12 in a given period, the higher the numerical value. In the example of Fig. 4, five types of products 12 are shown, so the sales quantity coefficient 36a is defined in five stages.

[0060] However, the sales quantity coefficient 36a may be determined appropriately depending on the types of products 12 supplied by the product supplier 14. For example, if the product supplier 14 supplies 50 or 100 types of products 12, the sales quantity coefficient 36a may be defined in 50 or 100 stages.

[0061] The discount rate 38a is a numerical value that indicates the ratio of the suggested retail price to the difference between the suggested retail price of the product supplier 14 and the price (i.e., the prevailing price) of the product 12 at the time of actual purchase by the customer 18a or wholesaler 18b. In FIG. 4, the discount rate 38a is expressed as a percentage.

[0062] For example, if the suggested retail price remains constant for a given period, discount rate 38a is obtained by dividing the difference between the suggested retail price and the market price by the average market price of product 12 for the given period and then multiplying the result by 100. Of course, if the suggested retail price is changed within the given period, this change may be appropriately reflected in discount rate 38a.

[0063] The discount rate 38a is finally reflected in the product importance coefficient 32a. The lower the discount rate 38a of the product 12, the more necessary it is for the customers 18a and wholesalers 18b, and the higher its importance is considered to be. By reflecting the discount rate 38a in the product importance coefficient 32a, the degree of demand for the product 12 by the customers 18a and wholesalers 18b can be reflected in the product importance coefficient 32a.

[0064] In this embodiment, the market price coefficient 40a is set to the reverse order of the discount rate 38a. Therefore, the market price coefficient 40a is set to be higher as the discount rate 38a is lower. In other words, the market price coefficient 40a is higher as the market price is higher.

[0065] In the example of FIG. 4, five types of products 12 are shown, so the rank of the discount rate 38a is defined in five stages, and therefore the market price coefficient 40a is also defined in five stages.

[0066] Specifically, for product 12 of D, which is ranked first in discount rate 38a, the actual price coefficient 40a is the opposite ranking, ``5'', which is the fifth place, and similarly, for product 12 of B, which is ranked fifth in discount rate 38a, the actual price coefficient 40a is the opposite ranking, ``1'', which is the first place.

[0067] However, the current price coefficient 40a may be determined appropriately depending on the types of products 12 supplied by the product supplier 14. For example, if the product supplier 14 supplies 50 or 100 types of products 12, the current price coefficient 40a may be defined in 50 or 100 stages.

[0068] The situation / convenience coefficient 42a is a numerical value equal to or less than 1 that is set by an operator of the product supplier 14 according to the procurement circumstances of the raw materials 22 and the semi-finished products 24. For example, when a certain raw material 22 is procured from a plurality of suppliers 20, the risk of not being able to procure this raw material 22 is considered to be relatively low, so the situation / convenience coefficient 42a is set to a relatively small value.

[0069] On the other hand, when a certain raw material 22 is procured from only one supplier 20, the risk of not being able to procure this raw material 22 is considered to be relatively high, so the situation / convenience coefficient 42a is set to 1.0 (maximum value).

[0070] In addition, for products 12 B and E shown in Figure 4, the situation / convenience coefficient 42a is 1.0, but this is due to the influence of other raw materials 22 and semi-finished products 24 (not shown) other than the raw material 22 identified by the identification code "1-1".

[0071] However, the situation / convenience coefficient 42a is a coefficient that is selectively set when calculating the product importance coefficient 32a, and the situation / convenience coefficient 42a itself may be omitted.

[0072] In this embodiment, the product of the sales volume coefficient 36a, the current price coefficient 40a, and the situation / convenience coefficient 42a is set as the coefficient multiplication value 44a (S10 in FIG. 5). FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for calculating the product importance coefficient 32a.

[0073] The coefficient multiplication value 44a of the product 12 of A is 8 (=5×2×0.8), the coefficient multiplication value 44a of the product 12 of B is 3 (=3×1×1.0), the coefficient multiplication value 44a of the product 12 of C is 6 (=4×3×0.5), the coefficient multiplication value 44a of the product 12 of D is 7 (=2×5×0.7), and the coefficient multiplication value 44a of the product 12 of E is 4 (=1×4×1.0).

[0074] In this embodiment, the product importance coefficient 32a is expressed by a value obtained by dividing each coefficient multiplication value 44a by the maximum value of the multiple coefficient multiplication values ​​44a (S12 in FIG. 5). In the example in FIG. 4, the maximum value of the coefficient multiplication value 44a is "8" for the product 12 of A, so the product importance coefficient 32a is calculated by dividing each coefficient multiplication value 44a by "8".

[0075] 4, the product importance coefficients 32a of the products 12 A to E are 1.000 (= 8 / 8), 0.375 (= 3 / 8), 0.750 (= 6 / 8), 0.875 (= 7 / 8), and 0.500 (= 4 / 8), in that order from A to E. In this way, the product importance coefficients 32a normalized so that the maximum value is 1 are calculated for each product 12.

[0076] 1, a predetermined program executed by a processor functions as a required inventory calculation system 2. The required inventory calculation system 2 has a product importance coefficient calculation unit 50. The product importance coefficient calculation unit 50 is executed by, for example, a first program read from the memory 6.

[0077] The product importance coefficient calculation unit 50 calculates the product importance coefficient 32a in the above-mentioned manner based on the sales volume, the suggested retail price and the actual price (or the discount rate 38a), and the situation / convenience coefficient 42a, which are respectively input to the computer 4. The calculated product importance coefficient 32a for each product 12 is stored in the fifth area 32 of the memory 6.

[0078] Next, the procurement risk coefficient 34a will be described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 10. The procurement risk coefficient 34a is calculated by the procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52 shown in Fig. 1.

[0079] The procurement risk coefficient 34a represents the degree of risk (ie, procurement risk) that the product provider 14 will be unable to procure the raw materials 22 or the semi-finished products 24 when attempting to procure them from the supplier 20.

[0080] The procurement risk coefficient 34a is set according to the risk of being unable to procure raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 from one or more suppliers 20, and includes internal factors of the supplier 20 (see Figure 6) and geographical factors of the supplier 20 (see Figure 7).

[0081] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a total score 52a of procurement risk taking into account internal factors of a supplier 20. In Fig. 6, product names 16a are listed in the leftmost column, similar to Fig. 4. Note that semi-finished products 24 are omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0082] Product name 16a, raw material names, and supplier names 28a are the same as in Fig. 4. In the column to the right of supplier names 28a, numbers are listed. In the column to the right of the numbers, specific details of each of Nos. 1 to 38 are listed.

[0083] However, in Figure 6, specific details are shown only for No. 4 to No. 8, and specific details are omitted for the other No. 1 to No. 3 and No. 9 to No. 38. The omitted parts are marked with the word "abbreviated."

[0084] The specific content of No. 4 is whether or not it corresponds to the voluntary procurement standard of the product supplier 14. The voluntary procurement standard in this embodiment is a standard that indicates whether or not the raw materials 22 procured by the product supplier 14 from the supplier 20 have a low environmental impact. Procurement of raw materials 22, etc. in accordance with such a policy is also called green procurement.

[0085] The specific content of No. 5 is whether or not raw material 22 contains conflict minerals. The specific content of No. 6 is whether or not raw material 22 infringes intellectual property rights such as patents.

[0086] The specific content of No. 7 is whether there is a concern about the continued sale of raw materials 22. The specific content of No. 8 is whether the production of raw materials 22 depends on natural persons of supplier 20 (e.g., the skills, workmanship, etc. of natural persons).

[0087] In the column to the right of the content, weights are set as natural numbers from 1 to 10. The weights are set in advance to be larger as the possibility of the product supplier 14 being unable to procure the raw materials 22 from the supplier 20 increases when the content of each number applies.

[0088] For example, if the company falls under No. 4 or 5, it will not be able to procure raw material 22 at all, so the weighting will be 10. On the other hand, even if the company falls under No. 6, there is a possibility that the raw material can be procured through a settlement agreement, etc., so the weighting will be 9, which is lower than 10.

[0089] Furthermore, even if the product falls under No. 7 or 8, it can be procured from another supplier 20, so the weighting is set to 8, which is lower than 9. The points indicating the weighting are reviewed and updated as appropriate by the workers of the product supplier 14 over time.

[0090] The risk level is written in the column to the right of the weight. The risk level indicates the likelihood that the supplier 20 falls under each of the contents No. 1 to 38, and is set in three stages (0, 1, or 2 in this embodiment). This risk level is set, for example, when calculating the procurement risk level coefficient 34a.

[0091] In this embodiment, based on information provided by supplier 20, such as responses from supplier 20 to survey questions from product supplier 14 to supplier 20, an employee of product supplier 14 judges or evaluates the possibility that supplier 20 falls under each of the contents No. 1 to 38.

[0092] Specifically, if the possibility is high (e.g., over 50%), the value is 2; if the possibility is not high but not zero (e.g., greater than 0% but less than 50%), the value is 1; and if the possibility is zero (i.e., 0%), the value is 0.

[0093] The product of the weight and the risk level is then determined as the risk assessment score (S20 in FIG. 10). The same calculation is performed for each of No. 1 to 38, and the total risk assessment score is calculated for each ingredient name. In this embodiment, the maximum total score is preset to 336. In contrast, the total for A-1-1 is 67.

[0094] In this embodiment, for each raw material name, the total score is divided by 336 and then multiplied by 100 to calculate a total score 52a converted to a maximum score of 100 (S22 in FIG. 10). In the example in FIG. 6, A-1-1, A-3-1, and C-1-1 (supplier name 28a is α) are 19.940.

[0095] In contrast, A-1-2 and E-1-1 (supplier name 28a is β) are 8.929, A-2-1 (supplier name 28a is γ) is 59.524, and B-1-1 and D-1-1 (supplier name 28a is δ) are 44.643.

[0096] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a total score 52b of procurement risk taking into account the geographical factors of supplier 20. In Fig. 7, similar to Fig. 4, product names 16a are listed in the leftmost column. Product names 16a, raw material names, and supplier names 28a are the same as in Fig. 4. Semi-finished products 24 are omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0097] In the column to the right of the supplier's name 28a, the country and location of the manufacturing site where the supplier 20 manufactures the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24, or the storage site where the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 manufactured by the supplier 20 are stored, are respectively entered. For countries other than Japan, the country of location column simply indicates "overseas," and the name of the country is entered in the location column.

[0098] The column to the right of the country and location indicates the World Risk Index (WRI) from the World Risk Report (WRR) for the country in which the manufacturing or storage location is located.

[0099] The WRR has been published annually since 2011. For the 2020 edition of the WRR, please see the link in brackets (https: / / reliefweb.int / sites / reliefweb.int / files / resources / WorldRiskReport-2020.pdf).

[0100] In the WRR, an index that evaluates the risk of natural disasters, etc. is assigned to each country as the WRI. The WRI is a score with a maximum score of 100. In this embodiment, the latest WRI at the time of calculation of the total score 52b is used.

[0101] The right column of the WRR lists the points related to the presence or absence of a nuclear power plant. For example, if the manufacturing or storage site is located within a 20 km radius of a nuclear power plant, the score is 20.

[0102] In addition, if the location is not within a 20 km radius circle centered on the nuclear power plant but is within a 30 km radius circle, the score will be 10 points, and if it is outside the 30 km radius circle centered on the nuclear power plant, the score will be 0 points.

[0103] The score for the presence or absence of nuclear power plants is converted into a score out of 100 and shown in the column to the right of the converted score. The column to the right of this converted score shows the scores given according to the risk of earthquakes, floods, landslides and tsunamis (i.e. natural disasters).

[0104] Since it is difficult to use the same yardstick to evaluate countries other than Japan, only suppliers20 with manufacturing or storage facilities (locations) in Japan are included in the evaluation for earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis. Earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis are each scored out of 10.

[0105] The earthquake item is calculated, for example, using the "probability of being hit by shaking" provided by the Japan Seismic Hazard Information Station (J-SHIS) in the form of the J-SHIS Map (https: / / www.j-shis.bosai.go.jp / map / ).

[0106] In this embodiment, the probability that the location of a manufacturing or storage site will be hit by an earthquake of intensity 6 or more in the next 30 years is converted into a score out of 10. For example, a probability of 0% or more but less than 0.1% is assigned 1 point, and a probability of 0.1% or more but less than 3% is assigned 2 points.

[0107] In addition, a probability between 3% and 6% is given 3 points, a probability between 6% and 26% is given 5 points, and a probability of 26% or more is given 10 points. However, instead of the probability of an earthquake of intensity 6- or higher, the probability of an earthquake of intensity 6- or higher may be used. In either case, the probability of an earthquake occurring at the location is converted into a maximum of 10 points.

[0108] Additionally, the items for floods, landslides, and tsunamis are calculated using, for example, the “Overlay Hazard Maps: Freely Check Risk Information” provided on the hazard map portal site (https: / / disaportal.gsi.go.jp / ) operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

[0109] For example, in the flood category, if the location of a manufacturing or storage site corresponds to a flood-prone area (maximum expected extent) that is expected to be inundated when a river overflows its banks, a score is assigned according to the water depth in that area.

[0110] For example, if there is no flood (i.e., the water depth is 0.0m), the score is 0, if the water depth in the area is greater than 0.0m but less than 0.3m, the score is 1, if it is between 0.3m and less than 0.5m, the score is 2, and if it is 0.5m or more, the score is 10.

[0111] The reason why cases of 0.5 m or more are given a relatively high score is that semiconductor manufacturing equipment is generally large and heavy, and is relatively often installed on the first floor of a building.

[0112] In the landslide disaster section, if the manufacturing or storage site is located in (1) a steep slope collapse risk zone, (2) a debris flow risk zone, or (3) a landslide risk zone, the rating will be 5 points.

[0113] In addition, if the above-mentioned location is (4) in a special warning zone for steep slope collapse, (5) in a special warning zone for debris flow, (6) in a special warning zone for landslide, (7) near a stream that poses a risk of debris flow, (8) in an area at risk of steep slope collapse, (9) in an area at risk of landslide, or (10) in an area at risk of avalanche, the location will be given 10 points.

[0114] On the other hand, if the location of the manufacturing or storage site does not fall under any of (1) to (10) above, the landslide disaster item will be given a score of 0.

[0115] In the tsunami section, when responding to the expected tsunami inundation (maximum expected scale), a score is assigned according to the water depth of the relevant area. As with floods, a relatively high score is assigned for a water depth of 0.5m or more.

[0116] For example, if there is no tsunami (i.e. the water depth is 0.0m), the score is 0, if the water depth in the area is between 0.01m and 0.5m, the score is 2, if it is between 0.5m and 1.0m, the score is 5, and if it is 1.0m or more, the score is 10.

[0117] The total scores (out of 40) for earthquakes, floods, landslides and tsunamis are shown in the municipality totals column, and the municipality's total score out of the 40-point scale is converted to a maximum of 100 points and shown in the column to the right of the municipality totals.

[0118] If the manufacturing or storage site is located in Japan, as shown in Figure 8, the (domestic) total score 52b is the sum of 40% of the WRI of the WRR, 10% of the nuclear power plant (converted score out of 100 points), and 50% of the local government total (converted score out of 100 points) (S24 in Figure 10).

[0119] Figure 8 shows the composition ratio of the WRR's WRI, nuclear power plants (scores converted into a maximum of 100 points), and local governments (scores converted into a maximum of 100 points) in the total procurement risk score 52b, which indicates geographical factors.

[0120] When the location is within Japan, the proportion of the total municipality is relatively large at 50% because domestic information is more detailed than overseas information and is therefore considered to reflect the actual situation more accurately.

[0121] On the other hand, if the manufacturing or storage site is not located in Japan but overseas, as shown in Figure 8, the (overseas) total score 52b will be the sum of 90% of the WRI of the WRR and 10% of the nuclear power plant (converted score out of 100 points) (S24 in Figure 10).

[0122] For overseas countries, it is difficult to obtain detailed forecast values ​​for each location, as is the case for domestic risks of earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis, so the assessment of these risks is substituted with the WRR. Therefore, the proportion of the WRI is relatively large.

[0123] Then, the total score 52a shown in FIG. 6 and the total score 52b shown in FIG. 7 are summed to calculate a procurement risk total score (maximum score of 200) (see S26 in FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0124] Next, the procurement risk coefficient 34a is calculated by dividing each procurement risk total score by the maximum procurement risk total score (74.780 for A-2-1 in the example of FIG. 9) (S28 in FIG. 10).

[0125] In this manner, the procurement risk coefficient 34a normalized so that the maximum value is 1 is calculated for each raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the procurement risk coefficient 34a, and Fig. 10 is a flow diagram for calculating the procurement risk coefficient 34a.

[0126] 1, the necessary inventory quantity calculation system 2 has a procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52. The procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52 is executed by, for example, a second program that is read from the memory 6 and executed.

[0127] The procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52 calculates the procurement risk coefficient 34a in the manner described above based on the weight, risk level (see Figure 6), WRI, presence or absence of nuclear power plants, risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes (see Figure 7), etc., each of which is input to the computer 4.

[0128] The memory 6 further includes a sixth area 34. The sixth area 34 stores a procurement risk coefficient 34a calculated by the procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52. Next, a required inventory amount 58a (see FIG. 11) is calculated for each raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24 based on the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk coefficient 34a.

[0129] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the necessary inventory amount 58a, and Fig. 12 is a flow diagram for calculating the necessary inventory amount 58a. First, the overall coefficient calculation unit 54 of the necessary inventory amount calculation system 2 (see Fig. 1) calculates the overall coefficient 54a for each raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24 based on the multiplication of the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk degree coefficient 34a (S30 in Fig. 12).

[0130] The overall coefficient calculation unit 54 is executed, for example, by a third program that is read out and executed from the memory 6. Since the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk coefficient 34a in this embodiment have already been normalized so that their maximum values ​​are 1, the overall coefficient 54a normalized so that its maximum value is 1 is obtained by multiplying the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk coefficient 34a together.

[0131] However, the overall coefficient 54a may be calculated by multiplying the coefficient multiplication value 44a (see FIG. 4) before it is normalized as the product importance coefficient 32a by the procurement risk total score (see FIG. 9) before it is normalized as the procurement risk coefficient 34a, and then normalizing the obtained value.

[0132] The higher the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk coefficient 34a, the higher the overall coefficient 54a. In other words, the higher the degree of need from the customer 18a or wholesaler 18b and the higher the risk of not being able to procure the product, the higher the overall coefficient 54a.

[0133] Next, the necessary inventory period calculation unit 56 of the necessary inventory quantity calculation system 2 (see FIG. 1) multiplies each overall coefficient 54a by a predetermined longest inventory period to calculate a necessary inventory period 56a for each raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24 (S32 in FIG. 12). The necessary inventory period calculation unit 56 is executed, for example, by a fourth program that is read out from the memory 6 and executed.

[0134] If the calculated necessary inventory period 56a is shorter than the predetermined shortest inventory period (YES in S34 in FIG. 12), the calculated necessary inventory period 56a is set to a period corresponding to the shortest inventory period (S36 in FIG. 12). That is, the necessary inventory period 56a is replaced with the shortest inventory period.

[0135] On the other hand, if the calculated necessary stock period 56a is equal to or longer than the predetermined shortest stock period (NO in S34 of FIG. 12), the calculated necessary stock period 56a is used as is in the next process.

[0136] In this embodiment, the predetermined maximum inventory period is 24 months. This maximum inventory period of 24 months is determined in consideration of, for example, the burden of costs and the like incurred by the product supplier 14 due to an increase in inventory.

[0137] In this embodiment, the predetermined minimum inventory period is six months, which reflects, for example, a period during which the product supplier 14 can supply the product 12 to the customer 18a or the wholesaler 18b in a certain quantity, and which is publicly announced to the customer 18a or the wholesaler 18b.

[0138] Next, the required inventory calculation unit 58 of the required inventory calculation system 2 (see Figure 1) calculates the required inventory amount 58a by multiplying the required amount 30a for each raw material 22 or semi-finished product 24 in a specified period (in this embodiment, one month) by the required inventory period 56a (S38 in Figure 12).

[0139] The necessary inventory calculation unit 58 is executed, for example, by a fifth program that is read and executed from the memory 6. In this embodiment, the calculated necessary inventory amount 58a is regarded as an appropriate necessary inventory amount 58a of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 to be put into the inventory of the product supplier 14, is stored in the necessary inventory calculation system 2, and is reflected in the commercial activities of the product supplier 14.

[0140] In this embodiment, the necessary inventory quantity calculation system 2 automatically calculates the necessary inventory quantity 58a of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 for a predetermined period, so that the necessary inventory quantity 58a can be calculated with fewer man-hours than when the necessary inventory quantity 58a is determined by an operator of the product supplier 14. Therefore, the necessary inventory quantity 58a of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 can be calculated at lower cost than when the necessary inventory quantity 58a is determined by an operator of the product supplier 14.

[0141] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system 2 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a computer 60 is connected to a server (computer) 64 via the Internet 62 or a network.

[0142] Each of the computer 60 and the server 64 has a processor and a memory. The computer 60 stores the above-mentioned product name 16a, raw material or semi-finished product name 26a, supplier name 28a, required quantity 30a, etc., and transmits this information to the server 64 via the Internet 62.

[0143] A predetermined program stored in the memory of the server 64 is executed by the processor of the server 64. As a result, the server 64 functions as the necessary inventory quantity calculation system 2 having the above-mentioned product importance coefficient calculation unit 50, procurement risk degree coefficient calculation unit 52, overall coefficient calculation unit 54, necessary inventory period calculation unit 56, and necessary inventory quantity calculation unit 58.

[0144] That is, the calculation of each item is executed by the server 64, not the computer 60. The server 64 calculates the product importance coefficient 32a and the procurement risk coefficient 34a based on the information from the computer 60, and also calculates the overall coefficient 54a, the required inventory period 56a, and the required inventory amount 58a.

[0145] The information including the required inventory amount 58a is stored in a memory (not shown) of the computer 60 of the product supplier 14, and is also displayed on the display device 10. In the second embodiment, the required inventory amount 58a of the raw materials 22 or semi-finished products 24 can also be calculated at a lower cost than when it is determined by an operator of the product supplier 14.

[0146] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Fig. 14(A) is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system 2 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a predetermined program 66 that causes a computer 60 to calculate a product importance coefficient 32a, a procurement risk coefficient 34a, a total coefficient 54a, a required inventory period 56a, and a required inventory quantity 58a is stored in a server 64.

[0147] The predetermined program 66 is provided to the computer 60 from the server 64 via the Internet 62. The computer 60 functions as the required inventory calculation system 2 by reading the predetermined program 66.

[0148] In the third embodiment, a computer 60 functions as a required inventory calculation system 2 that calculates the product importance coefficient 32a, the procurement risk coefficient 34a, the overall coefficient 54a, the required inventory period 56a, and the required inventory amount 58a.

[0149] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Fig. 14(B) is a schematic diagram of a required inventory calculation system 2 according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, a predetermined program 66 is stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 68.

[0150] Computer 60 functions as required inventory calculation system 2 by reading a predetermined program 66 from USB memory 68. In addition, the structures, methods, etc. according to the above-described embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0151] 2: Required inventory calculation system, 4: Computer, 6: Memory 8: input device, 10: display device 12,12a,12b,12c:Product, 14:Product supplier 16: First area, 16a: Product name 18a: Customer, 18b: Wholesaler 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d: Supplier 22,22a,22b: Raw materials 24,24a,24b: Semi-finished products 26: Second area, 26a: Name of raw material or product 28: Third section, 28a: Name of one or more suppliers 30: Fourth Area, 30a: Requirement 32: Fifth area, 32a: Product importance coefficient 34: 6th domain, 34a: Procurement risk factor 36a: Sales volume coefficient, 38a: Discount rate, 40a: Market price coefficient 42a: Situation / Convenience Coefficient, 44a: Coefficient Multiplication Value 50: Product importance coefficient calculation unit, 52: Procurement risk coefficient calculation unit 52a, 52b: Total score 54: total coefficient calculation unit, 54a: total coefficient 56: Required inventory period calculation unit, 56a: Required inventory period 58: Required inventory amount calculation unit, 58a: Required inventory amount 60: Computer, 62: Internet, 64: Server (computer) 66: Prescribed program, 68: USB memory

Claims

1. A system for calculating required inventory quantity for a product supplier, which procures at least one of raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers to manufacture a product and supplies the product to a customer or a wholesaler, calculates an appropriate required inventory quantity of the raw materials or semi-finished products to be procured from the one or more suppliers and stored in the product supplier's inventory, comprising: A memory and a processor are included. The memory includes: The name of the product; The name of the raw material or semi-finished product used in the product; the name of the one or more suppliers that supply the raw materials or the semi-finished products; the required quantity of said raw materials or said semi-finished products required to supply said products to said customers or said wholesalers within a given period of time; is stored, a product importance coefficient calculation unit that calculates, for each product, a product importance coefficient that is set according to the degree of need from the customer or the wholesaler and that indicates the importance of each product; a procurement risk coefficient calculation unit that calculates a procurement risk coefficient that is set according to a risk of being unable to procure the raw materials or the semi-finished products from the one or more suppliers and that represents a degree of procurement risk of the raw materials or the semi-finished products for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products; a comprehensive coefficient calculation unit that calculates a comprehensive coefficient normalized so that the maximum value becomes 1 based on the multiplication of the product importance coefficient and the procurement risk coefficient for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products; a necessary inventory period calculation unit that calculates a necessary inventory period for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products by multiplying each of the overall coefficients calculated by the overall coefficient calculation unit by a predetermined longest inventory period, and when the calculated necessary inventory period is shorter than the predetermined shortest inventory period, sets the calculated necessary inventory period to a period corresponding to the shortest inventory period; a necessary inventory amount calculation unit that calculates the necessary inventory amount of the raw materials or the semi-finished products by multiplying the necessary amount of each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products in the predetermined period by the necessary inventory period; A required inventory calculation system comprising:

2. 2. The system for calculating required inventory amount according to claim 1, wherein the product importance coefficient is set so that the greater the sales volume of the product in the predetermined period, the higher the product importance coefficient becomes.

3. The product importance coefficient includes a prevailing price coefficient, 3. The system for calculating the required inventory quantity as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the current market price coefficient is set to be higher the higher the average current market price of the product in the specified period or the lower the discount rate.

4. A required inventory calculation system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the procurement risk coefficient is calculated based on the risk of natural disasters at the location of the manufacturing site where the supplier manufactures the raw materials or semi-finished products or the storage site where the raw materials or semi-finished products are stored.

5. A system for calculating required inventory quantities as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the procurement risk coefficient is calculated taking into account geographical factors of the supplier, including the World Risk Index of the World Risk Report for the country in which the supplier manufactures or stores the raw materials or semi-finished products, and whether or not nuclear power generation is present in the location of the manufacturing site or storage site.

6. A program for calculating an appropriate required inventory amount of the raw materials or semi-finished products to be procured from one or more suppliers and stored in the inventory of a product supplier in the commercial activities of the product supplier, which manufactures products by procuring at least any of the raw materials and semi-finished products from one or more suppliers and supplies the products to customers or wholesalers, the program comprising: calculating, for each of the products, a product importance coefficient which is set according to the degree of need from the customer or the wholesaler and which indicates the importance of each of the products; calculating a procurement risk coefficient for each of the raw materials or semi-finished products, the procurement risk coefficient being set according to the risk of being unable to procure the raw materials or semi-finished products from the one or more suppliers and representing the degree of procurement risk of the raw materials or semi-finished products; Calculating an overall coefficient normalized so that the maximum value is 1 based on the multiplication of the product importance coefficient and the procurement risk coefficient for each of the raw materials or semi-finished products; Calculate a required inventory period for each of the raw materials or the semi-finished products by multiplying each overall coefficient by a predetermined longest inventory period, and if the calculated required inventory period is shorter than a predetermined shortest inventory period, replace the calculated required inventory period with the shortest inventory period; A program for calculating the required inventory quantity of the raw materials or semi-finished products by multiplying the required quantity of each raw material or semi-finished product needed to supply the product to the customer or wholesaler within a specified period by the required inventory period.

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