Information processing device, information processing method, and system

Abstract

To provide a technique with which it is possible to prompt information gathering with regards to a prescribed traceability item related to a plurality of incorporated products which are incorporated in a product of interest.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises a storage device that stores product information pertaining to each incorporated product registered by respective suppliers of a plurality of incorporated products that are incorporated in a product of interest. When there is an unregistered product in the product information stored in the storage device, which is an incorporated product whose information regarding a prescribed traceability item is not registered, the information processing device identifies a second supplier located directly downstream of a first supplier who is the supplier of the unregistered product, in the supply chain formed by a plurality of suppliers. Furthermore, the information processing device notifies the second supplier so as to request that information on the prescribed traceability item regarding the unregistered product be registered to the product information by the first supplier.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for managing data between multiple companies that make up a supply chain. In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, a management server connected via communication lines of each company is equipped with a traded commodity database. The traded commodity database stores product information corresponding to products for which a contract has been concluded between a vendor company and a customer company. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-171146 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can facilitate the collection of information on specified traceability items regarding multiple included products that are included in a target product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: An information processing device including: a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in a target product, the product information being registered by the respective suppliers of the included products; and a control unit; The control unit When an unregistered product exists that is an inclusive product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by a plurality of the suppliers is identified; notifying the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability items related to the unregistered product in the product information; Execute.

[0006] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: 1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device having a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in a target product, the product information being registered by each supplier of the included products, the method comprising: When an unregistered product exists that is an inclusive product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by a plurality of the suppliers is identified; notifying the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability items related to the unregistered product in the product information; Includes.

[0007] A system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes: an information processing device including a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in the target product, the included products being registered by their respective suppliers; a plurality of terminals associated with suppliers of each of the plurality of included products; The information processing device includes: When an unregistered product exists that is an inclusive product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by a plurality of the suppliers is identified; notifying a terminal associated with the second supplier among the plurality of terminals to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability item related to the unregistered product in the product information; is configured to execute [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to promote the collection of information on predetermined traceability items related to multiple products such as parts and materials included in a target product. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between products supplied through a supply chain. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of processing performed between a company terminal and a server device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a company terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of a company terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of product information generated by a product information generation unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by a server device. [Figure 10]A diagram that explains the product tree of multiple products that make up the final product and the company's CFP for each of the multiple products. [Figure 11] An example of a screen that displays the product tree as an image. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a registration request process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing inventory data registration processing according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a registration request process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an inventory data registration process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In recent years, there have been cases where certain products such as batteries are required to ensure traceability, such as CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products), recycling rates for certain materials, due diligence, etc. For example, in Europe, legislation is being enacted that requires the traceability of CFP for batteries to be ensured.

[0011] Furthermore, it is expected that conditions to be achieved, such as specified values ​​and target values, will be set for items for which traceability as described above is required (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "traceability items"). Therefore, it is required to determine values ​​for the specified traceability items related to the target product. However, in order to meet such requirements, it is necessary to collect information on the specified traceability items related to multiple products, such as parts and materials, included in the target product. The present disclosure provides a technology for solving such problems.

[0012] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage device and a control unit. The storage device stores product information related to multiple products (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "included products"), such as parts and materials, that are included in a target product. The product information stored in the storage device is information registered by the suppliers of each of the multiple included products. In other words, each supplier of the multiple included products registers product information related to its own included products by accessing the storage device of the information processing device.

[0013] Furthermore, product information typically includes information about specific traceability items for each included product. Therefore, if each supplier registers product information about the included products in the storage device of the information processing device, it is possible to collect information about specific traceability items for multiple included products included in the target product. However, registering information about specific traceability items in the storage device may be a burden for the supplier of the included products. Therefore, information about specific traceability items may not be registered in the product information stored in the storage device. In this way, if information about specific traceability items for some included products is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, it is not possible to integrate the values ​​of the specific traceability items for all included products included in the target product. This makes it difficult to determine the values ​​of the specific traceability items for the target product.

[0014] Here, an included product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device is referred to as an unregistered product. The supplier of the unregistered product is referred to as a first supplier. In the information processing device, if an unregistered product exists, the control unit identifies a second supplier located immediately downstream of the first supplier in a supply chain formed by multiple suppliers. Furthermore, the control unit notifies the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability item related to the unregistered product in the product information stored in the storage device.

[0015] In a supply chain, the second supplier is the delivery destination of the first supplier's products. Therefore, if the second supplier requests the first supplier to register information about predetermined traceability items related to an unregistered product, the first supplier can be effectively encouraged to register the information about the predetermined traceability items. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to promote the collection of information about predetermined traceability items related to multiple included products included in the target product.

[0016] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specified.

[0017] First Embodiment The system according to this embodiment is a system that provides information about products supplied through a supply chain that includes multiple companies. The information about products is typically information about traceability.

[0018] First, the structure of the supply chain will be described. In one example, at least some of the companies (intermediate suppliers) included in the supply chain may receive parts from one or more upstream companies, produce their own products using the received parts, and deliver the produced products to companies in the next process (downstream companies). The most upstream company may directly produce its own products and deliver the produced products to companies in the next process. Some companies in the supply chain may deliver products received from other companies directly to other companies (i.e., be involved in distribution). Multiple companies repeat this process, and the final product is obtained in the final process.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to this embodiment. The example in FIG. 1 assumes a situation in which automobile-related products are obtained. Specifically, the supply chain shown in FIG. 1 includes an OEM company and multiple supplier companies. The OEM company is a company that assembles final products, and the multiple supplier companies (Companies A to C) are companies that supply parts, materials, assemblies, etc. for manufacturing the final products. The multiple supplier companies each produce multiple products and deliver the products to a company one level below them. The multiple companies repeat this process, and the final product is assembled in the final process.

[0020] In this embodiment, the side that delivers products in a certain hierarchy is referred to as the upstream side, and the side that purchases the products and produces new products is referred to as the downstream side. In this specification, a company located on the upstream side is referred to as the upstream company, and a company located on the downstream side is referred to as the downstream company. Furthermore, a product produced by an upstream company is referred to as an upstream product, and a product produced by a downstream company is referred to as a downstream product. Downstream products include upstream products as parts or materials.

[0021] In this embodiment, the layers included in the supply chain are called Tiers. Tier 0 is the lowest layer where the final product is assembled (i.e., Tier 0 corresponds to the OEM company), and the layers move upward as you progress to Tiers 1, 2, and 3. Therefore, the same company can be considered both a downstream company and an upstream company. For example, Company B, which is located in Tier 2, is a downstream company in relation to Tier 3, but an upstream company in relation to Tier 1. In this way, the definition of upstream and downstream companies is different for each tier. It can change to.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between products supplied by a supply chain. Here, the supply relationship between multiple products that make up final product X is represented by a tree diagram. In this example, final product X is produced by assembling products A1, B1, C1, and D1... Product A1 is produced by assembling products A11, A12, and A13... In this way, the relationship between multiple products that make up a final product can be represented by a tree diagram in which each product is a node. Hereinafter, a tree diagram related to a specific final product will be referred to as a product tree. In one example, final product X is a battery electric vehicle (BEV), In another example, the final product X is a battery installed in a vehicle. The product may be an automobile-related product such as an assembly.

[0023] The server device 1 according to this embodiment collects information about the products produced by each company (hereinafter referred to as "product information") and information for linking the product information together from terminals (company terminals 2) corresponding to each company, and generates such a product tree based on this information. Furthermore, the product information typically includes information about specific traceability items such as CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products) (hereinafter referred to as "traceability-related information"). By tracing the product tree linking the product information together, it is possible to track the specific traceability items. Note that the traceability-related information may include any information that can be used to ensure traceability.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing system according to an example of this embodiment includes a server device 1 and multiple company terminals 2. The company terminals 2 are terminals corresponding to each of multiple companies that make up a supply chain. The server device 1 collects information for generating a product tree from each of the multiple company terminals 2, and generates the product tree based on this information. Furthermore, the server device 1 can execute traceability-related processes (typically, processes for calculating CFP, etc.) based on the generated product tree. The server device 1 can also transmit the results of the processes to the company terminals 2.

[0025] Next, an overview of the process by which the server device 1 generates a product tree will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an overview of the process performed between the company terminal 2 and the server device 1. In the example of Fig. 3, it is assumed that there are a downstream company A and an upstream company B at an arbitrary level. It is assumed that company B produces product B and delivers it to company A, and company A produces product A using product B. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, product B is a child node of product A on the product tree.

[0026] To generate a product tree, a company terminal 2 corresponding to each company transmits information about the products that the company produces to the server device 1. In this example, the company terminal 2 corresponding to company A transmits product information about product A (referred to as product information A) to the server device 1. Similarly, the company terminal 2 corresponding to company B transmits product information about product B (referred to as product information B) to the server device 1. The product information of each company is stored in the server device 1.

[0027] The operation for linking the product information stored in the server device 1 is performed by the company terminal 2. In one example, a person in charge of a downstream company logs in to the server device 1 from the company terminal 2 using the account of the downstream company and selects an upstream product to be linked to the downstream product, which is the company's product. In this way, the linking of the product information is performed from the downstream product to the upstream product. The server device 1 links the product information based on the selection.

[0028] However, if all products in the supply chain and information about those products are presented as options when selecting a product to link to, the confidentiality of information about the companies that make up the supply chain and the products they produce will be compromised.Furthermore, it may not be appropriate to disclose the entire product tree to a single supplier.

[0029] Therefore, the server device 1 according to this embodiment grants the downstream company access rights to the product information of the upstream product in advance in response to a request from the upstream company. The server device 1 allows the downstream company to access the product information within the scope of the granted rights.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 3, company terminal 2 corresponding to company B, an upstream company, transmits a request (information) to server device 1 instructing to "grant company A access authority to product information B." When server device 1 receives a linking request from company terminal 2 corresponding to company A, it provides company A with only a list of product information for which access authority has been granted, and allows company A to select it as the linking destination. Furthermore, when company terminal 2 corresponding to company A requests to view the product tree, server device 1 provides company terminal 2 with a product tree in which all information other than that for which company A has been granted access authority is concealed. This makes it possible to conceal information about unrelated companies and products.

[0031] Here, for final products manufactured by OEM companies, predetermined conditions to be met are set for predetermined traceability items. For example, there are cases where it is legally required that the values ​​of predetermined traceability items of final products satisfy predetermined specified values. In such cases, it is necessary to calculate the values ​​of the predetermined traceability items of the final product. Therefore, the server device 1 identifies multiple products (including products), such as parts and materials, included in the final product based on the product tree. Then, the server device 1 calculates the values ​​of the predetermined traceability items of the final product by referring to traceability-related information included in the product information of each included product.

[0032] [Hardware configuration] Next, the hardware configuration of each device that constitutes the system will be described with reference to FIG. 4. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 1 according to this embodiment. The server device 1 is configured as a computer having a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication module 13, and an input / output device 14.

[0033] The server device 1 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main memory device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary memory device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary memory device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that meet predetermined purposes, as described below, can be realized. However, some or all of the modules may be realized as hardware modules using hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0034] The control unit 11 is a computing unit that executes predetermined programs to realize various functions of the server device 1. The control unit 11 can be realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 11 may also be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0035] The storage unit 12 is a means for storing information and is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 11, data used by the programs, and the like. The storage unit 12 also has a database built therein, which stores product information collected from multiple company terminals 2 and account information related to the companies. Details will be described later.

[0036] The communication module 13 is a communication interface for connecting the server device 1 to a network. The communication module 13 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server device 1 can perform data communication with other computers (for example, other server devices 1 or each company terminal 2) via the communication module 13.

[0037] The input / output device 14 is a means for accepting input operations performed by an operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 14 includes devices for input such as a mouse and a keyboard, and devices for output such as a display and a speaker. The input / output device may be configured as an integrated device for input and a device for output, such as a touch panel display.

[0038] The specific hardware configuration of the server device 1 may include omissions, substitutions, and additions of components as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. The hardware processor may be configured with a microprocessor, FPGA, GPU, etc. The input / output device 14 may be omitted, or an input / output device other than the exemplified ones (for example, an optical drive, etc.) may be added. The server device 1 may also be configured with multiple computers. In this case, the hardware configurations of the computers may or may not be the same.

[0039] 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the company terminal 2 according to this embodiment. The company terminal 2 is configured as a computer having a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication module 23, and an input / output device 24.

[0040] The company terminal 2, like the server device 1, has a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main memory device (RAM, ROM, etc.), an auxiliary memory device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable However, some or all of the functions (software modules) may be realized as hardware modules using hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0041] The control unit 21 is a computing unit that executes a predetermined program to realize various functions (software modules) of the company terminal 2. The control unit 21 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 21 may also be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0042] The storage unit 22 is a means for storing information, and is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 22 stores programs executed by the control unit 21, data used by the programs, etc.

[0043] The communication module 23 is a communication interface for connecting the company terminal 2 to a network. The communication module 23 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The company terminal 2 can perform data communication with other computers (for example, the server device 1) via the communication module 23.

[0044] The input / output device 24 is a means for accepting input operations performed by an operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 24 includes devices for input such as a mouse and a keyboard, and devices for output such as a display and a speaker. The input / output device may be configured as an integrated device for input and a device for output, such as a touch panel display.

[0045] As with the server device 1, the specific hardware configuration of the company terminal 2 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0046] [Software configuration] Next, the software configuration of each device constituting the system will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the software configuration of the server device 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 is configured to have six software modules: an information collection unit 111, an authority setting unit 112, an association unit 113, an information provision unit 114, a determination unit 115, and a request notification unit 116. Each software module may be realized by the control unit 11 (CPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. Note that the information processing performed by the information collection unit 111, the authority setting unit 112, the association unit 113, the information provision unit 114, the determination unit 115, and the request notification unit 116 below is synonymous with the information processing performed by the control unit 11.

[0047] The information collecting unit 111 is configured to receive product information transmitted from the company terminal 2 and execute a process of storing the product information in the storage unit 12. The authority setting unit 112 is configured to receive information for setting access authority to the product information (hereinafter referred to as "permission information") from the company terminal 2. Furthermore, the authority setting unit 112 is configured to execute a process of setting access authority to the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the received information.

[0048] The linking unit 113 is configured to interact with the company terminal 2, thereby acquiring information for linking product information from the company terminal 2. Furthermore, the linking unit 113 is configured to execute a process of writing information representing a linking relationship for the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the acquired information. Furthermore, the linking unit 113 is configured to execute a process of writing information representing a linking relationship for the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the acquired information. The linking unit 113 is configured to receive a request to assign end information to the product information stored in the storage unit 12, and in response to the request, execute a process of assigning end information to the product information stored in the storage unit 12. A product tree is formed by reflecting the linking and end assignment. That is, forming the product tree is performed by storing the linking information and end information in the storage unit 12. The linking unit 113 is configured to generate a product tree according to the results of the linking and end assignment.

[0049] The information providing unit 114 is configured to perform information processing related to the product tree and output the results of the information processing. The information processing related to the product tree may include processing for performing calculations related to predetermined traceability items for the product tree. Outputting the results of the information processing may include processing for providing information related to the generated product tree to the company terminal 2. In one example, the information providing unit 114 is configured to generate information related to the product tree and output the generated information related to the product tree.

[0050] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 is configured to include multiple logical storage areas. Different access permissions can be set for each of the multiple storage areas, such as an area to which access permission is granted to company A, an area to which access permission is granted to company B, or an area to which access permission is granted to both companies A and B. The permission setting unit 112 sets the access permission by storing the product information received from the company terminal 2 in an appropriate storage area. A specific processing method will be described later.

[0051] Furthermore, the storage unit 12 stores account information. In this embodiment, an operator of each company logs in to the server device 1 using the account of the corresponding company via the company terminal 2, thereby allowing interaction between the server device 1 and the company terminal 2. The account information is information relating to the account corresponding to each company that makes up the supply chain. Note that logging in using an account is an example of accessing the server device 1 as the corresponding company. However, the method of accessing the server device 1 is not limited to this example, and may be selected as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0052] A database for storing inventory data is also constructed in the storage unit 12. In this inventory data database, inventory data for each traceability item is stored for each type of included product or for each tier. The inventory data is data that is predetermined as a typical value for each traceability item. Furthermore, an operator of each company can access the storage unit 12 of the server device 1 via the company terminal 2 to obtain inventory data that serves as a substitute for information on a desired traceability item from the database.

[0053] Furthermore, information about the product tree of final product X generated by the information providing unit 114 is stored in the storage unit 12. When executing traceability-related processing for final product X, the information providing unit 114 identifies multiple included products contained in final product X by referring to the information about the product tree stored in the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the information providing unit 114 extracts traceability-related information from the product information about each included product stored in each storage area of ​​the storage unit 12. Then, the information providing unit 114 calculates a value for a predetermined traceability item of final product X by integrating the extracted traceability-related information about each included product.

[0054] However, there are cases where traceability-related information is not registered in the product information transmitted from the company terminal 2. In this case, product information for which traceability-related information is not registered is stored in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 12. In the control unit 11, the determination unit 115 is configured to determine whether or not there is an unregistered product among the multiple included products contained in the final product X. Here, the unregistered product is one that does not have any traceability-related information registered in the product information stored in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 12. These are inclusive products for which traceability-related information is not registered. In the following, suppliers of unregistered products may also be referred to as "primary suppliers."

[0055] Furthermore, in the control unit 11, the request notification unit 116 is configured to send a request instruction to the company terminal 2 of the second supplier located immediately downstream of the first supplier in the supply chain when an unregistered product exists. Here, the request instruction is information for instructing the first supplier to register traceability-related information about the unregistered product in the product information (product information stored in the memory area of ​​the memory unit 12).

[0056] 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the software configuration of the company terminal 2 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 21 is configured to have four software modules: a product information generation unit 211, an authority setting unit 212, an association request unit 213, an information acquisition unit 214, and a notification reception unit 215. Each software module may be realized by the control unit 21 (CPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 22. Note that the information processing performed by the product information generation unit 211, the authority setting unit 212, the association request unit 213, the information acquisition unit 214, and the notification reception unit 215 below is synonymous with the information processing performed by the control unit 21.

[0057] The product information generation unit 211 is configured to generate information (product information) about the products (included products) of the company corresponding to the company terminal 2. FIG. 8 is an example of product information generated by the product information generation unit 211. The product information may be input via an operator of the device. In this embodiment, the product information is configured to have fields for company ID, company name, product ID, and product name. The company ID and company name are the identifier and name of the company that produces the included product in question (i.e., the company that uses the company terminal 2). The product ID and product name are the identifier and name of the included product in question.

[0058] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include linking-related information. The linking-related information is information for identifying upstream products that are linked to the target included product. In this embodiment, the linking-related information includes fields for "upstream product information" and "termination flag."

[0059] The upstream product information field is configured to store information for identifying product information corresponding to the upstream product linked to the target included product (i.e., the product required to produce the target included product). The upstream product information field is used when the server device 1 links products together. Basically, at the stage when the product information is generated, the target included product is not linked to the upstream product, so the upstream product information field does not need to store a value indicating the upstream product.

[0060] The terminal flag field is configured to store a flag indicating whether the target included product is a leaf node in the product tree, i.e., the node located at the most upstream (end). In this embodiment, since multiple company terminals 2 transmit product information, this flag is used to determine whether a product in the product tree is linked to another product upstream or whether no further linking will occur (whether the target included product is located at the most upstream). In other words, the terminal flag field is used when the server device 1 determines the linking between products. Basically, at the stage when product information is generated, the linking relationship of the target included product is not yet determined, so the terminal flag field may store "0" indicating that the target included product is not currently at the most upstream. Finally, when the product tree is generated, To do this, the product information of each company stored in the server device 1 is set to one of two states: "linked to an upstream product" and "the terminal flag is set to '1', indicating that the target included product is the most upstream."

[0061] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include fields in which traceability-related information should be registered. For example, the traceability-related information may include the amount of materials (e.g., upstream products) used per unit production volume of the product, information on the recycling rate of a specific raw material, a value obtained by converting greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the company's production of the product into carbon dioxide emissions (CO2 emissions during production: hereinafter referred to as "company CFP"), due diligence-related information (DD information), or a combination thereof. The specific raw material may be, for example, lithium, nickel, cobalt, lead, graphite, etc. The recycling rate may be expressed directly or indirectly, such as a combination of the total amount used and the amount of recycled material used. These values ​​correspond to the process of producing the target product. For example, in the example of Figure 3, the traceability-related information included in product information A stores a value obtained by converting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the company's production activities of product A into carbon dioxide emissions (i.e., company CFP for product A). The traceability-related information included in product information A does not include information about the process up to the production of the upstream product (for example, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted up to the production of upstream product B).

[0062] The traceability-related information may be selected appropriately depending on the embodiment. In one example, the CFP may include Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 1 may be a company's own direct greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 2 may be indirect emissions associated with the use of electricity, heat, and steam supplied by other companies. Scope 3 may be indirect emissions other than Scope 1 and Scope 3. In another example, the due diligence-related information may be, for products containing target materials (e.g., cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, nickel, etc.), the amount of the material contained in the product and technical documentation demonstrating that smelters and other entities are fulfilling their responsible mineral sourcing obligations. In another example, the due diligence-related information may include a score indicating the degree to which the above obligations are being fulfilled.

[0063] The product information generating unit 211 is configured to obtain such information via the operator of the company terminal 2 and transmit it to the server device 1 at any timing.

[0064] The authority setting unit 212 is configured to designate downstream companies that are permitted to access the product information transmitted from the company terminal 2 to the server device 1. The authority setting unit 212 is configured to accept designation of downstream companies that are permitted to access any of the company's products.

[0065] The linking request unit 213 is configured to request the server device 1 to link the company's product information transmitted to the server device 1 with an upstream product. In one example, the linking request unit 213 first transmits the company's company ID and product ID to the server device 1, and requests linking of the product information corresponding to the product ID. In response, the server device 1 generates a user interface including a list of product information that the target company is permitted to access (i.e., candidates for linking destinations), and provides the generated user interface to the company terminal 2.

[0066] Next, the linking request unit 213 is configured to have the operator select an upstream product to be linked from the list. Furthermore, the linking request unit 213 is configured to transmit a pair of an identifier of the product (downstream product) that is the linking source and an identifier of the upstream product that is the linking destination to the server device 1. In response to this, the server device 1 can link the product information together. Note that if there is no upstream product that is linked to the target included product, the product information will not be linked together.

[0067] The information acquisition unit 214 is configured to request the server device 1 to provide a product tree, and to output the information transmitted from the server device 1.

[0068] The notification receiving unit 215 is configured to receive a request instruction transmitted from the server device 1 and output the received request instruction when the company terminal 2 is a terminal of the second supplier. When the request instruction is output from the company terminal 2 of the second supplier, the second supplier is notified to request the first supplier to register traceability-related information regarding the unregistered product.

[0069] [Process details for forming product tree] Next, a description will be given of specific contents of the processing performed by the server device 1 and the company terminal 2. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the server device 1 based on a request from the company terminal 2. The processing performed by the server device 1 can be roughly divided into the following four phases. (1) A first phase in which product information transmitted from the company terminal 2 is received and the received product information is stored. (2) A second phase in which permission information transmitted from the company terminal 2 is received and access rights to product information are set according to the received permission information. (3) The third phase involves linking product information by interacting with company terminal 2. (4) The fourth phase provides information about the product tree based on the results of the linking.

[0070] In the example of Figure 9, Company A is the downstream company and Company B is the upstream company. The product produced by Company A is Product A, and the product produced by Company B is Product B. Product information corresponding to Product A is Product Information A, and product information corresponding to Product B is Product Information B.

[0071] In the first phase, the information collection unit 111 of the server device 1 acquires product information from the product information generation unit 211 of the company terminal 2. In the example of FIG. 9, the server device 1 acquires product information A from the company terminal 2 corresponding to company A, and acquires product information B from the company terminal 2 corresponding to company B. The information collection unit 111 saves the product information A in a storage area to which only company A has access authority (hereinafter, storage area A). The information collection unit 111 also saves the product information B in a storage area to which only company B has access authority (hereinafter, storage area B). In this way, the information collection unit 111 saves product information transmitted from any company in a dedicated storage area to which only that company has access authority.

[0072] In the second phase, the authority setting unit 112 of the server device 1 receives permission information from the authority setting unit 212 of the company terminal 2 and sets access permissions for product information according to the received permission information. The permission information associates a product with a company that is permitted to access the product information of the product.

[0073] In the example of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the authority setting unit 212 has received permission information permitting access from downstream company A to product information B of an upstream company. In this case, the authority setting unit 112 copies product information B stored in storage area B to a storage area (hereinafter, storage area AB) to which access permissions have been granted to both companies A and B. As a result, product information B becomes accessible to both companies A and B. Note that if access permissions are not set for a specific item included in the product information, that item is excluded from being copied to storage area AB.

[0074] In the following description, a storage area to which only a specific company has been granted access rights will be referred to as a "dedicated storage area," and a storage area to which multiple companies have been granted access rights will be referred to as a "shared storage area."

[0075] The copying of the product information is executed by the server device 1 in response to receiving the permission information from the company terminal 2. That is, the company terminal 2 transmits the permission information to the server device 1, thereby causing the server device 1 to execute an operation of copying the product information identified by the permission information from the dedicated storage area of ​​the target company to a shared storage area accessible by downstream companies.

[0076] In the third phase, the linking unit 113 of the server device 1 receives the linking request from the linking request unit 213 of the company terminal 2, and links the product information together based on the received linking request.

[0077] First, the linking unit 113 receives a linking request from the company terminal 2. The linking request is sent from the company terminal 2 of a downstream company. In the example of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the company terminal 2 of company A has sent the linking request. The linking request includes the company ID and the product ID of the target included product. The linking unit 113 acquires product information stored in a storage area accessible from the company, and generates a list of the acquired product information. In the example of FIG. 9, company A can access product information B stored in storage area AB. Therefore, product information B can be selected as the linking destination on the company terminal 2 of company A.

[0078] The linking request unit 213 of the company terminal 2 presents the list to the operator and allows the operator to select the products to be linked. In this example, products A and B are to be linked to each other. For example, the operator inputs information indicating that the upstream product of product A is product B via the input / output device 24. The linking request unit 213 transmits data (linking data) for linking the upstream product (product B) and the downstream product (product A) to the linking unit 113.

[0079] 8, the product information has a field (linking-related information) related to the product to be linked. Based on the above-mentioned linking data, the linking unit 113 stores information corresponding to product information B (i.e., the upstream product) in the linking-related information held by product information A. For example, the linking-related information stores an identifier of the upstream product, an identifier of the company that produces the upstream product, etc.

[0080] The linking-related information may store a pointer to the linked product information. The pointer indicates the address of the product information corresponding to the upstream product. The above-described process forms part of a tree structure in which the product information of the downstream product is the parent node and the product information of the upstream product is the child node.

[0081] At the end of the product tree, no further linking is performed. In this case, instead of sending linking data, the linking request unit 213 sends data indicating that the product is at the end of the tree. When the linking unit 113 receives this data, it sets "1" in the end flag field of the corresponding product information. That is, in the third phase, either the "process of setting the upstream product to be linked" or the "process of setting the end flag" is executed.

[0082] In the fourth phase, the information providing unit 114 of the server device 1 generates information about a product tree based on the stored product information, and outputs the information about the product tree. Generating information about the product tree can include processing to generate various information about the product (for example, information about traceability, an image showing the link relationships between products in a tree diagram, etc.) after the product information has been linked together to form links between nodes. In order to generate information about the product tree, it is necessary to complete all the linking between the product information. In addition, the terminal flags of all leaf nodes must be set to "1." When such conditions are met, the information providing unit 114 can generate the information appropriately.

[0083] The product tree in this embodiment is a tree diagram that represents the supply relationships between product information in a supply chain, as described with reference to Fig. 2. The information providing unit 114 can generate an image representing the tree diagram based on the product information.

[0084] [Traceability processing] Furthermore, the information providing unit 114 refers to the traceability-related information included in the product information relating to the multiple included products linked in the product tree, and executes a process of integrating this information.

[0085] Here, the integration of traceability-related information will be explained using FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining the multiple products (including products) that make up final product X, and the company's CFP for each of these multiple products. For example, suppose that carbon dioxide EA12 [g] is emitted in the process of producing product A12 in the diagram. In addition, the product in question is produced by three upstream products A It is assumed that the CFP is composed of nodes A121 to A123. Here, the value obtained by converting the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted up to the time a certain product is produced into the amount of carbon dioxide (hereinafter referred to as the "integrated CFP") can be obtained by repeating the process of passing on the CO2 emissions associated with the upstream product to the downstream product between companies in each of the two adjacent layers, from the most upstream product, which is the leaf node, to the product in question.

[0086] In the example of Figure 10, if the product A12 is the target of integrating traceability-related information, the integrated CFP for product A12 can be calculated by adding up the CO2 emissions corresponding to upstream products A121 to A123 of product A12 and the CO2 emissions corresponding to product A12. That is, the integrated CFP for product A12 is as follows: IA12=EA12+EA121×UA121+EA122×UA122+EA123×UA123[g] Here, IA12 is the integrated CFP for product A12. EA12 is the company's own CFP for product A12. EA121, EA122, and EA123 are the CO2 emissions per unit amount (i.e., company's own CFP per unit amount) when producing products A121, A122, and A123, respectively. UA121, UA122, and UA123 are the amounts of products A121, A122, and A123 used in the production of product A12, respectively. These amounts are an example of the amount of material used per production amount of a product included in the traceability-related information.

[0087] The integrated value may be stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the product, or may be included as part of the product information. That is, the product information corresponding to the product A12 may hold both EA12, which is the emission amount in a single process (in-house CFP), and IA12, which is the emission amount after integration (integrated CFP).

[0088] Furthermore, if the product targeted for integrating traceability-related information is product A1, the integrated CFP for product A1 can be calculated by integrating the CO2 emissions corresponding to product A1 with the CO2 emissions corresponding to upstream products A11 to A14 of product A1. However, upstream product A11 includes product A111, which is a further upstream product, and upstream product A12 includes products A121 to A123, which are further upstream products. Therefore, when calculating the integrated CFP for product A1, CO2 emissions during the production of product A111 and products A121 to A123 are also taken into consideration. In other words, the integrated CFP for product A11 is used as the CO2 emissions corresponding to upstream product A11. Furthermore, the integrated CFP for product A12 is used as the CO2 emissions corresponding to upstream product A12. The total amount of CO2 emissions for the products (products of the most downstream companies) (i.e., the integrated CFP for the final products) can be obtained by sequentially performing the above calculations from the product of the most upstream company to the final product.

[0089] As described above, the integrated traceability-related information (for example, the integrated CFP of an upstream product) is reused when integrating downstream products. By performing this process at each level, starting from the most upstream level, the traceability-related information is passed on sequentially downstream. Ultimately, the traceability-related information is passed on to the final product, making it possible to obtain traceability-related information for the entire period leading up to the production of the final product.

[0090] In this way, when generating information related to the product tree, the information providing unit 114 may repeatedly execute a process of sequentially integrating the traceability-related information defined in each piece of product information from the most upstream to the most downstream. Note that, in the above example, carbon dioxide emissions are used as an example of the information to be integrated, but the traceability-related information to be integrated may also be the recycling rate of a specified raw material, a due diligence score, etc. Note that if the traceability-related information is numerical, the integration may be performed by a numerical calculation, and if the traceability-related information is non-numerical information (for example, due diligence-related information), the integration may simply be information collection.

[0091] In another example, the product information may include information indicating the location of traceability-related information for the corresponding product (hereinafter referred to as "location information"; typically, an address, a pointer, etc.). In this case, the traceability-related information may not be included in the product information. Alternatively, the integration may involve collecting the location information included in the product information.

[0092] The information providing unit 114 may output the generated product tree in an image format, and may also simultaneously output traceability-related information corresponding to any product.

[0093] FIG. 11 is an example of a screen that displays a product tree as an image. The screen shown includes an image that displays the supply relationships of multiple products that make up the final product in a tree diagram. By selecting any product, the user can view the traceability-related information corresponding to that product or the integrated results of the traceability-related information corresponding to the entire period leading up to the production of that product (e.g., integrated CFP: carbon dioxide emissions). FIG. 11 shows an example of an image display of the integrated results of the traceability-related information when product A12 is selected. Such information can be output via the input / output device 14 of the server device 1 based on the operation of the operator of the server device 1.

[0094] Furthermore, the information providing unit 114 may provide the generated product tree to a company terminal 2 (information acquiring unit 214) in response to a request from the company terminal 2. Note that there are cases where it is not appropriate to disclose the entire product tree to a specific company. Therefore, when providing a product tree to a company terminal 2 corresponding to a certain company, the information providing unit 114 may perform processing to conceal the range to which the company does not have access authority. Furthermore, the information providing unit 114 stores information related to the generated product tree in the storage unit 12.

[0095] [Registration request processing] As described above, in this embodiment, the process of integrating traceability-related information is executed based on the product information of each included product stored in the storage unit 12. However, if the multiple included products included in the final product X include a product (unregistered product) whose product information does not include traceability-related information, it is not possible to integrate the traceability-related information of all included products. In this case, it becomes difficult to integrate the traceability-related information of a specific final product. - It is not possible to calculate values ​​for the availability items.

[0096] Therefore, the server device 1 executes a process for requesting the first supplier, which is the supplier of the unregistered product, to register traceability-related information about the unregistered product. At this time, in the server device 1, the control unit 11 traces the product tree corresponding to the final product X stored in the storage unit 12 to identify multiple included products that are included in the final product X. In other words, in the server device 1, the process for requesting registration of traceability-related information is executed in a state where information about the product tree for the final product X generated by the above-mentioned generation method is stored in the storage unit 12. Then, the control unit 11 notifies the second supplier, which is located immediately downstream of the first supplier in the supply chain, to request the first supplier to register traceability information about the unregistered product in the storage unit 12.

[0097] [Processing flow] Hereinafter, a flow of processing executed by the server device 1 for requesting registration of traceability-related information on an unregistered product (hereinafter, also referred to as "registration request processing") will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the registration request processing according to this embodiment. Note that the processing shown in FIG. 12 may be automatically executed by the server device 1. Alternatively, the processing shown in FIG. 12 may be executed by an operator of the OEM company logging in to the server device 1 using their company's account and instructing execution of the processing.

[0098] 12, first, in S101, the control unit 11 receives information indicating the target final product X. Next, in S102, the information providing unit 114 of the control unit 11 traces information related to the product tree corresponding to the final product X stored in the storage unit 12, thereby identifying multiple included products that are included in the final product X.

[0099] Next, in S103, the determination unit 115 of the control unit 11 accesses product information related to the multiple included products identified in S102, which is stored in the memory unit 12. The determination unit 115 then determines whether or not there is an unregistered product among the multiple included products. If a negative determination is made in S103, the execution of the process shown in FIG. 11 is terminated. In this case, traceability-related information is registered in the product information related to all included products included in the final product X, which is stored in the memory unit 12. Therefore, the information providing unit 114 can execute a process to calculate values ​​for predetermined traceability items of the final product X.

[0100] On the other hand, if the determination in S103 is affirmative, i.e., if an unregistered product exists among the multiple included products, the process proceeds to S104. In S104, the request notification unit 116 of the control unit 11 refers to information related to the product tree to identify a second supplier that is located immediately downstream of the first supplier, who is the supplier of the unregistered product, in the supply chain. Next, in S105, the request notification unit 116 sends a request instruction to the company terminal 2 of the second supplier identified in S104. Note that in S105, the request notification unit 116 may also output the request instruction to the account of the second supplier.

[0101] According to the registration request process described above, the second supplier is notified to request the first supplier to register the traceability-related information for the unregistered product in the product information. Then, as a result of the notification, when the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the traceability-related information in the product information, the first supplier can be urged to register the traceability-related information. Here, the second supplier is a company located immediately downstream of the first supplier in the supply chain. In other words, the second supplier is the delivery destination of the first supplier's products. By making a registration request to the first supplier from the second supplier, the first supplier can be effectively urged to register the traceability-related information. Therefore, according to the registration request process of this embodiment, if the first supplier includes the traceability-related information included in the final product X, This can facilitate the collection of information about a given traceability item for multiple contained products.

[0102] There may be a case where a plurality of unregistered products are included in the plurality of included products of the final product X. In this case, in S104 of the registration request process shown in Fig. 12, the request notification unit 116 identifies a plurality of second suppliers located immediately downstream of each of the plurality of first suppliers. Then, in S105 of the registration request process shown in Fig. 12, the request notification unit 116 transmits a request instruction to the company terminals 2 of the plurality of second suppliers.

[0103] 8, the traceability-related information in the product information of an included product includes a field where information regarding the amount of upstream products used in the company's own products should be registered. However, if the included product is located at the top of the product tree, there is no upstream product, so information regarding the amount of upstream products used in the company's own products cannot be registered in the product information. Therefore, for an included product located at the top of the product tree, even if information regarding the amount of upstream products used in the company's own products is not registered as traceability-related information, the included product will not be treated as an unregistered product in the registration request process.

[0104] [Inventory data registration process] As described above, in this embodiment, upon receiving a request notification from the server device 1, the second supplier requests the first supplier to register traceability-related information in the product information. However, even if the first supplier receives such a registration request from the second supplier, the first supplier does not necessarily register traceability-related information for all unregistered products. In other words, even after the server device 1 executes the registration request process, there are cases where traceability-related information for unregistered products remains unregistered in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 12.

[0105] In such a case, the control unit 11 registers inventory data that serves as a substitute for traceability-related information about the unregistered product in the product information about the unregistered product stored in the storage unit 12. This enables the information providing unit 114 to execute a process of integrating traceability-related information using the inventory data as data about the unregistered product.

[0106] [Processing flow] Hereinafter, a flow of a process (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "inventory data registration process") executed by the server device 1 for registering inventory data that serves as a substitute for traceability-related information about an unregistered product in the product information stored in the storage unit 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the inventory data registration process according to this embodiment.

[0107] When the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the traceability-related information in the product information, information indicating the completion of the execution of the registration request is sent from the company terminal 2 of the second supplier to the server device 1. Then, the server device 1 executes the process shown in Fig. 13 after a predetermined period has elapsed since receiving the information indicating the completion of the execution of the registration request from the company terminal 2 of the second supplier.

[0108] 13, first, in S201, the control unit 11 of the server device 1 determines whether traceability-related information about an unregistered product has not yet been registered in the product information stored in the storage unit 12. If a negative determination is made in S201, that is, if traceability-related information about an unregistered product has already been registered, the execution of the process shown in FIG.

[0109] On the other hand, if the determination in S201 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S202. In S202, the control unit 11 extracts inventory data that serves as a substitute for traceability-related information about the unregistered product from the database in the storage unit 12. Next, in S203, the control unit 11 registers the inventory data extracted in S202 in a field in the product information about the unregistered product stored in the storage unit 12 where the traceability-related information should be registered.

[0110] Second Embodiment The configuration of the system according to this embodiment is the same as that of the system according to the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the same processing as that according to the first embodiment is executed in the server device 1 and each company terminal 2, thereby generating information about the product tree for the final product X. The generated information about the product tree is stored in the storage unit 12 of the server device 1. Furthermore, if an unregistered product is included among the multiple included products included in the final product X, the server device 1 executes a registration request process. However, the content of the registration request process differs from that of the first embodiment.

[0111] [Inventory data database] Here, the inventory data database according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, too, a database for storing inventory data for each traceability item is constructed in the storage unit 12 of the server device 1. In this inventory data database, inventory data is stored for each type or tier of included products. However, in this embodiment, inventory data for all traceability items included in the product information is not stored in the database of the storage unit 12.

[0112] As explained above with reference to FIG. 8, the traceability-related information in the product information includes traceability items such as the amount of each upstream product used per unit of product production, information on the recycling rate of specified raw materials, the supplier's own CFP, and due diligence-related information (DD information). Of these traceability items, information on the recycling rate of specified raw materials, the supplier's own CFP, and due diligence-related information are information obtained from the results of measurements taken by each supplier in-house. Such information obtained from the results of measurements taken by each supplier in-house will be referred to as "first information" below. Furthermore, of the traceability items included in the traceability-related information, information on the amount of each upstream product (products supplied by other suppliers located immediately upstream) used per unit of product production will be referred to as "second information" below.

[0113] As described above, the traceability-related information in the product information includes first information and second information. In this case, the inventory data that substitutes for the first information can be determined in advance depending on the type of included product, etc. However, it is difficult to estimate which upstream products will be used and in what quantities when the included product is produced. Therefore, for the second information, it may be difficult to determine the inventory data depending on the type of included product, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the database of the storage unit 12 stores inventory data that substitutes for the first information, but does not store inventory data that substitutes for the second information.

[0114] [Registration request processing] Next, a registration request process according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the content of the notification to the second supplier is changed depending on the traceability items for which data is not registered in the product information about the unregistered product. Specifically, in the product information about the unregistered product, If the second information is not registered, the control unit 11 notifies the second supplier to request the first supplier to register the second information in the storage unit 12. On the other hand, if the second information is registered but the first information is not registered in the product information for the unregistered product, the control unit 11 notifies the second supplier to request the first supplier to register the first information or inventory data that serves as a substitute for the first information (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "first inventory data") in the storage unit 12.

[0115] As described above, the first inventory data is stored in the database of the storage unit 12. The first supplier can obtain the first inventory data corresponding to its own included products from the database by accessing the database of the storage unit 12 via the company terminal 2. Therefore, even if it is difficult for the first supplier to register the first information in the product information for its own included products, the first supplier can register the first inventory data.

[0116] [Processing flow] The flow of the registration request process executed by the server device 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the registration request process according to this embodiment. Note that the processes from S101 to S104 in the process flow shown in Fig. 14 are the same as the processes of the steps with the same reference numbers in the process flow shown in Fig. 12. Therefore, a description of the processes from S101 to S104 will be omitted.

[0117] In the registration request process shown in FIG. 14, after S104, in S305, the request notification unit 116 determines whether or not the unregistered traceability item in the product information related to the unregistered product is second information (i.e., whether or not the second information is unregistered). If a positive determination is made in S305, the process of S306 is then executed. In S306, the request notification unit 116 transmits a second request instruction to the company terminal 2 of the second supplier identified in S104. Here, the second request instruction is information for instructing the first supplier to register the second information related to the unregistered product in the product information (product information stored in the memory area of ​​the memory unit 12). Note that in S306, the request notification unit 116 may output the second request instruction to the account of the second supplier.

[0118] On the other hand, if the determination in S305 is negative, i.e., if the second information is registered but the first information is not registered in the product information related to the unregistered product, the process proceeds to S307. In S307, the request notification unit 116 sends a first request instruction to the company terminal 2 of the second supplier identified in S104. Here, the first request instruction is information for instructing the first supplier to register the first information or first inventory data related to the unregistered product in the product information. Note that in S307, the request notification unit 116 may output the first request instruction to the account of the second supplier.

[0119] According to the registration request process described above, if the second information is not registered in the product information about the unregistered product, the second supplier is notified to request the first supplier to register the second information in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 12. Then, if the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the second information in the product information as a result of the notification, the first supplier can be urged to register the second information. Also, if the second information is registered in the product information about the unregistered product but the first information is not registered, the second supplier is notified to request the first supplier to register the first information or the first inventory data in the product information. Then, if the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the first information or the first inventory data in the product information as a result of the notification, the first supplier can be urged to register the first information or the first inventory data. Therefore, the registration request process according to this embodiment also allows for predetermined traceability of multiple included products included in the final product X. This can facilitate the collection of information on security items.

[0120] [Inventory data registration process] As described above, in this embodiment, upon receiving a first request notification from the server device 1, the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the first information or the first inventory data in the product information. However, even in this embodiment, even if the first supplier receives such a registration request from the second supplier, the first information or the first inventory data is not necessarily registered in the product information for all unregistered products. In other words, even after the server device 1 executes the registration request process, the first information regarding unregistered products may remain unregistered in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 12.

[0121] In such a case, the control unit 11 registers the first inventory data regarding the unregistered product in the product information regarding the unregistered product stored in the storage unit 12. This makes it possible to execute a process of integrating traceability-related information using the first inventory data as data regarding the first information of the unregistered product.

[0122] [Processing flow] Hereinafter, the flow of the inventory data registration process executed by the server device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the inventory data registration process according to this embodiment.

[0123] When the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the first information or the first inventory data in the product information, information indicating completion of the execution of the registration request is transmitted from the company terminal 2 of the second supplier to the server device 1. Then, the server device 1 executes the process shown in Fig. 15 after a predetermined period has elapsed since receiving the information indicating completion of the execution of the registration request from the company terminal 2 of the second supplier.

[0124] 15, first, in S401, the control unit 11 of the server device 1 determines whether traceability-related information about an unregistered product has not yet been registered in the product information stored in the storage unit 12. If a negative determination is made in S401, that is, if traceability-related information about an unregistered product has already been registered, the execution of the process shown in FIG.

[0125] On the other hand, if the determination in S401 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S402. In S402, the control unit 11 extracts first inventory data related to the unregistered product from the database in the storage unit 12. Next, in S403, the control unit 11 registers the first inventory data extracted in S402 in a field in the product information related to the unregistered product stored in the storage unit 12 where traceability-related information should be registered.

[0126] <Variation 1> In each of the above embodiments, the memory unit 12 of the server device 1 has a memory area for storing product information about each included product and a database for storing inventory data, but these may be provided in different storage devices. For example, the database for storing inventory data may be provided in a server device other than the server device 1 that can be accessed by the server device 1 and each supplier's corporate terminal 2. Alternatively, each supplier's corporate terminal 2 may have a database for storing inventory data.

[0127] <Variation 2> In each of the above embodiments, the method of storing information about the product tree (each company's linking information, including the terminal flag) may be changed as desired. In another example, the server device 1 (storage unit 12) may be provided with a shared storage area for all companies, and each company's linking information may be stored in the shared storage area. In yet another example, each company's dedicated storage area may include an unencrypted area, and each company's linking information may be stored in an unencrypted area of ​​the dedicated storage area. Alternatively, each company's linking information may be stored in an encrypted area of ​​the dedicated storage area. As long as the system can trace the linking relationships of the product tree, the structure and storage format of the linking information are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. Information about the product tree may be stored collectively, or may be stored separately, for example, by being included in each company's product information. If each company's product information is stored in each company's company terminal 2, the linking information for each company may also be stored in each company's company terminal 2.

[0128] <Variation 3> In each of the above embodiments, access restrictions for each company are realized by providing a dedicated storage area and a shared storage area. However, the method for realizing access restrictions is not limited to these examples and may be realized by any method.

[0129] <Variation 4> In each of the above embodiments, the storage area of ​​each company may be configured using any database technology. In one example, the storage area of ​​each company may be configured using a blockchain platform. In this case, at least a portion of the information processing related to the incentive granting may be performed by a smart contract.

[0130] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0131] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0132] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as any type of disk, including magnetic disks (e.g., floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray disks), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, or optical cards. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1. Server device 2. Corporate terminals 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13 Communication Module 14 Input / Output Devices 111 Information Gathering Department 112 Permission setting section 113 Attachment 114 Information Provision Department 115 Discrimination part 116 Request notification section

Claims

1. An information processing device including: a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in a target product, the product information being registered by the respective suppliers of the included products; and a control unit; The control unit If there is an unregistered product that is an included product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, acquiring information about a product tree including the suppliers of each of the multiple included products included in the target product and a product tree that indicates the relationships between each of the multiple included products; By referring to information related to the product tree, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by the plurality of suppliers is identified; notifying the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability items related to the unregistered product in the product information; An information processing device configured to execute the above.

2. When the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product is not registered in the product information even after the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product in the product information in response to a notification to the second supplier, the control unit registers inventory data in the product information as a substitute for the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the information about the predetermined traceability item includes first information and second information, the first information is information obtained from the results of measurements performed by each supplier in-house on the predetermined traceability items, The second information is information regarding the amount of a product supplied by another supplier located immediately upstream of each supplier used in the supplier's own products. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. If the unregistered product is an inclusive product in which the second information is not registered in the product information, the control unit notifies the second supplier as a notification instructing the first supplier to register the second information in the product information. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. If the unregistered product is an inclusive product in which the second information is registered but the first information is not registered in the product information, the control unit notifies the second supplier as a notification instructing the first supplier to register the first information or inventory data that substitutes for the first information in the product information.

5. The information processing device according to claim 3.

6. when the first information or the inventory data that replaces the first information is not registered in the product information even after the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the first information or inventory data that replaces the first information in the product information in response to the notification to the second supplier, the control unit registers the inventory data that replaces the first information in the product information. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The storage device has a first storage unit that stores the product information regarding each included product, and a second storage unit in which inventory data that serves as information regarding the predetermined traceability items of each included product is stored for each included product, When the control unit registers inventory data that serves as a substitute for information about the predetermined traceability item of the unregistered product in the product information stored in the first storage unit, the control unit acquires inventory data corresponding to the unregistered product from the second storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

8. The predetermined traceability items include a CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products), a recycling rate for predetermined raw materials, or a score for due diligence. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. 1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device having a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in a target product, the product information being registered by each supplier of the included products, the method comprising: If there is an unregistered product that is an included product for which information about a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, acquiring information about a product tree including the suppliers of each of the multiple included products included in the target product and a product tree that indicates the relationships between each of the multiple included products; By referring to information related to the product tree, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by the plurality of suppliers is identified; notifying the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability items related to the unregistered product in the product information; An information processing method including:

10. Even after the second supplier requests the first supplier to register information on the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product in the product information in response to a notification to the second supplier, the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product are not registered in the product information. and if information about the predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information, registering inventory data in the product information as a substitute for information about the predetermined traceability item for the unregistered product. The information processing method according to claim 9.

11. the information about the predetermined traceability item includes first information and second information, the first information is information obtained from the results of measurements performed by each supplier in-house on the predetermined traceability items, The second information is information regarding the amount of a product supplied by another supplier located immediately upstream of each supplier used in the supplier's own products. The information processing method according to claim 9.

12. If the unregistered product is an inclusive product in which the second information is not registered in the product information, the notification to the second supplier is a notification instructing the first supplier to register the second information in the product information. The information processing method according to claim 11.

13. If the unregistered product is an inclusive product in which the second information is registered but the first information is not registered in the product information, the notification to the second supplier is a notification instructing the first supplier to register the first information or inventory data that substitutes for the first information in the product information.

13. The information processing method according to claim 11 or 12.

14. further comprising, when the first information or the inventory data that substitutes for the first information is not registered in the product information even after the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the first information or inventory data that substitutes for the first information in the product information in response to a notification to the second supplier, registering the inventory data that substitutes for the first information in the product information. The information processing method according to claim 13.

15. The storage device has a first storage unit that stores the product information regarding each included product, and a second storage unit in which inventory data that serves as information regarding the predetermined traceability items of each included product is stored for each included product, When inventory data that substitutes for information about the predetermined traceability item of the unregistered product is registered in the product information stored in the first storage unit, inventory data corresponding to the unregistered product is acquired from the second storage unit. The information processing method according to claim 10.

16. The predetermined traceability items include a CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products), a recycling rate for predetermined raw materials, or a score for due diligence. The information processing method according to claim 9.

17. an information processing device including a storage device that stores product information regarding each of a plurality of included products included in the target product, the included products being registered by their respective suppliers; a plurality of terminals associated with suppliers of each of the plurality of included products; The information processing device includes: If there is an unregistered product that is an included product for which information on a predetermined traceability item is not registered in the product information stored in the storage device, the supplier of each of the multiple included products included in the target product and the manufacturer of each of the multiple included products are identified. obtaining information about the product tree, including a product tree showing relationships between products; By referring to information related to the product tree, a second supplier located immediately downstream of a first supplier that is a supplier of the unregistered product in a supply chain formed by the plurality of suppliers is identified; notifying a terminal of the plurality of terminals associated with the second supplier to request the first supplier to register information about the predetermined traceability item related to the unregistered product in the product information; A system configured to run

18. When the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product is not registered in the product information even after the second supplier requests the first supplier to register the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product in the product information in response to a notification to a terminal related to the second supplier, the information processing device registers inventory data in the product information as a substitute for the information about the predetermined traceability items regarding the unregistered product.

20. The system of claim 17.

Images