Production planning method and production planning system

Abstract

A production planning method performed by a computer system, said computer system including a processing unit and a storage unit, wherein: the storage unit retains a plurality of planning requests requesting the formulation of a production plan in a factory, and a plurality of sets of transaction data corresponding to the plurality of planning requests and indicating production conditions in the factory; and the production planning method includes a procedure in which the processing unit estimates the urgency of a first planning request among the plurality of planning requests by comparing the transaction data corresponding to the first planning request with the transaction data corresponding to a second planning request, which is the previous planning request, and a procedure in which the processing unit determines the allocation of computing resources to production planning based on the first planning request, on the basis of the urgency.

Description

Production planning method and production planning system Incorporation by Reference

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-127172, filed on August 3, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a technology for supporting production planning.

[0003] Techniques for managing the progress of a project are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-77250 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-61104 (Patent Document 2). Patent Document 1 states, "A dynamic production planning system including a dynamic production planning device, the dynamic production planning device comprising: a process result storage unit including a record of the time spent on production for each item and process; a process plan result storage unit including the production equipment planned to be used for each item and process and the expected work time; and a recovery scenario generation unit that calculates an index showing the risk of delay for each item and process using the time spent on production, the production equipment planned to be used for each item and process and the expected work time."

[0004] Patent document 2 states, "The control device downloads at least one of one or more target programs (control program and information program) from the program distribution device via a network and one or more network ports, and at a timing different from the timing of the download, changes execution management data indicating the resource upper limit, which is the resource that the target program can use for multiple computing resources of the control device. Each control program is a program that performs a scanning operation that outputs control information for a controlled device connected to an I / O port. Each information program is a program that performs information processing different from the scanning operation."

[0005] Patent Document 1: JP 2020-77250 A Patent Document 2: JP 2020-61104 A

[0006] Regarding production activities in a factory, a technology for creating a production plan in response to a planning request from the factory is known. The production plan is created based on, for example, information about orders, such as the type, quantity, and required delivery date of the product to be produced, as well as information about production resources, such as equipment that can be used for production. Planning requests from the factory may include, for example, planning requests for creating a production plan periodically based on orders, as well as planning requests for creating a production plan that reflects delays in processes that have already started, changes in required delivery dates, and changes in the operating status of equipment. Furthermore, a next planning request may be received before the creation of a production plan in response to one planning request is completed.

[0007] In order to maintain productivity in a factory, the priority of creating a production plan may differ depending on the cause of the plan request. For example, if there is a plan request due to a change in the requested delivery date, it is necessary to create a production plan that will meet the changed requested delivery date, and delays in creating the plan may cause delivery delays. For this reason, if there are multiple plan requests due to a change in the requested delivery date, it is desirable to first create a production plan according to the plan request with the earlier changed delivery date in order to prevent delivery delays.

[0008] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes a technology for formulating a production plan to recover from production delays. Furthermore, the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 describes a technology for allocating computational resources. However, the prior art has not disclosed a technology for estimating the priority of planning based on the cause of a plan request, and it has not been possible to manage computational resources based on the priority so as not to reduce productivity.

[0009] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides a production planning method executed by a computer system, the computer system having a processing unit and a memory unit, the memory unit holding a plurality of planning requests requesting the creation of a production plan for a factory, and a plurality of transaction data corresponding to the plurality of planning requests and indicating the status of production in the factory, the production planning method including: a first step in which the processing unit estimates the urgency of a first planning request of the plurality of planning requests by comparing the transaction data corresponding to the first planning request with the transaction data corresponding to a second planning request that is a planning request immediately preceding the first planning request; and a second step in which the processing unit determines, based on the urgency, an allocation of computing resources for the creation of a production plan based on the first planning request.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a production plan can be formulated so as not to reduce productivity.

[0011] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a production planning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a plan request table held in a plan request storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an item master table held in a master data storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a resource master table held in the master data storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a process master table held in the master data storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a process sequence master table held in the master data storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a shift master table held in the master data storage unit of the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the production planning system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing a planned urgency estimation process executed by the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a planned urgency calculation process executed by the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a planned resource allocation process executed by the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a planned resource allocation determination process executed by the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a planned request management screen displayed by the plan request management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a planned request table held in a planned request storage unit of a plan request management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.The plan request management system according to the present invention is configured to manage a plan for a specific factory, and to manage the plan for a specific factory in a specific location, and to manage the plan for a specific factory in a specific location, and to manage the plan for a specific factory in a specific location.

[0013] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, based on examples thereof.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a production planning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The production planning system 100 is configured by a plan request management device 101 and a scheduling unit 112. The plan request management device 101 and the scheduling unit 112 are connected to each other via a network 113. In addition, the plan request management device 101 is connected to a production management system 115 via a network 114.

[0016] The plan request management device 101 is a computer system having a processing unit 102, a storage unit 105, a display unit 109, and a communication unit 111. The processing unit 102 is, for example, a processor that realizes various functions by executing programs stored in the storage unit 105. The processing unit 102 of this embodiment has functional units such as a plan urgency estimation unit 103 and a computational resource allocation unit 104. These functional units may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by the processing unit 102 being a general-purpose processor that executes programs stored in the storage unit 105. The processing performed by each of these functional units will be described later.

[0017] The storage unit 105 is configured by a so-called main storage device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a so-called auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and has a plan request storage unit 106, a master data storage unit 107, and a transaction data storage unit 108. The information stored in these storage units will be described later.

[0018] The display unit 109 is an output device such as an image display device, and has a plan request management screen 110. For example, the processor constituting the processing unit 102 may generate image data and instruct the display unit 109 to display the image, thereby displaying the plan request management screen 110.

[0019] The communication unit 111 communicates with the scheduling unit 112 via a network 113 , and with the production management system 115 via a network 114 .

[0020] The scheduling unit 112 formulates a production plan in response to the plan request. The scheduling unit 112 can be implemented, for example, by a known general scheduler function, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The scheduling unit 112 can also utilize, for example, a service provided on the cloud. In this case, the scheduling unit 112 may be treated as being external to the production planning system 100. Alternatively, the functions of the scheduling unit 112 may be implemented by a separate computer, or may be implemented by the same computer as the plan request management device 101. In either case, the scheduling unit 112 can formulate a production plan using computational resources specified by the plan request management device.

[0021] The production management system 115 is a system that manages the production of products, etc. in a factory. Specifically, the production management system 115 sends a request for creating a production plan (plan request) to the production planning system 100, and manages production in the factory based on the production plan acquired from the production planning system 100. The production plan includes, for example, the allocation of each process required for the production of products, etc. to production equipment, the start date and time and the end date and time of the process, etc.

[0022] For example, the production management system 115 may periodically (e.g., once a day) send a plan request for producing products in accordance with an order. Furthermore, if an order is changed, for example, a plan request may be sent to reflect the change. Furthermore, if a delay occurs in production based on an already established production plan, for example, a plan request may be sent to change the subsequent production plan. Furthermore, if the status of the production equipment in the factory changes (e.g., if emergency maintenance is performed due to equipment malfunction), a plan request may be sent to reflect the change.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a planned request table held in the planned request storage unit 106 of the planned request management device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The planned request table 200 shown in FIG. 2 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 201, a planned request ID 202, a request date and time 203, a factory ID 204, a master information ID 205, a transaction information ID 206, a request cause 207, an urgency 208, and a status 209.

[0025] The serial number 201 is a number for identifying each record. The planned request ID 202 is identification information for each planned request. The request date and time 203 indicates the date and time when each planned request was generated.

[0026] The factory ID 204 is identification information for the factory to which the requested production plan is applied. The master information ID 205 and transaction information ID 206 are identification information for the master information and transaction information applied in each plan request, respectively. In other words, a production plan based on each plan request is created based on the master information and transaction information (both of which will be described later) specified by the master information ID 205 and transaction information ID 206 corresponding to the plan request.

[0027] The request cause 207 indicates the cause of the generation of each plan request. The urgency 208 indicates the urgency of creating a production plan based on each plan request, set according to the request cause of that plan request. The status 209 indicates the progress of creating a production plan based on each plan request. The value "Not planned" of the status 209 indicates that creating a production plan based on that plan request has not yet started (i.e., is waiting to be executed). "Planning" indicates that creating a production plan has already started but is not yet complete. "Planning completed" indicates that creating a production plan has been completed. The information on this status 209 is acquired from the scheduling unit 112.

[0028] Here, the request cause 207 is the cause of the generation of each planned request estimated based on the master information and transaction information corresponding to each planned request. In the example of Fig. 2, "facility maintenance," "delivery date change," and "regular work" are listed as the request causes 207.

[0029] "Equipment maintenance" indicates that a planning request was presumed to have been generated because a scheduled maintenance of equipment was added due to some cause, such as equipment malfunction, making it impossible to perform work on the process assigned to that equipment during that scheduled period. "Delivery date change" indicates that a delivery date for an ordered product has been changed, making it necessary to create a production plan that will meet the changed delivery date. "Periodic work" indicates that a planning request was presumed to have been generated to create a production plan on a regular basis, such as once a day.

[0030] The request cause 207 may include other causes, such as a "production delay." A "production delay" indicates that production that started based on an already prepared plan has been delayed, and it is estimated that a new production plan that reflects the delay needs to be prepared.

[0031] For example, the record with serial number 201 #1 in the planned request table 200 shown in Figure 2 stores information about a planned request with planned request ID 202 "xxxx-20230216" (hereinafter, this will also be referred to as planned request "xxxx-20230216." The same applies to other ID information). Planned request "xxxx-20230216" was requested at "20230216-172000" (i.e., 17:20:00 on February 16, 2023) for the production plan of factory "xxxx."

[0032] The master information ID 205 and transaction information ID 206 of record #1 are "Mst-xxxx" and "Trn-xxxx-20230216", respectively. These indicate that master data assigned with a master information ID of "Mst-xxxx" (for example, the values ​​of master information IDs 302, 402, 502, 602, and 702, which will be described later) is specified as master data to be referenced when formulating a production plan corresponding to plan request "xxxx-20230216", and transaction data assigned with a transaction information ID of "Trn-xxxx-20230216" (for example, the values ​​of transaction information IDs 802, 902, 1002, and 1102, which will be described later) is specified.

[0033] The master information ID 205 and transaction information ID 206 of record #1 are "Mst-xxxx" and "Trn-xxxx-20230216," respectively. These indicate that master data assigned with a master information ID of "Mst-xxxx" (e.g., the values ​​of master information IDs 302, 402, 502, 602, and 702, which will be described later) is specified as master data to be referenced when formulating a production plan corresponding to plan request "xxxx-20230216," and transaction data assigned with a transaction information ID of "Trn-xxxx-20230216" (e.g., the values ​​of transaction information IDs 802, 902, 1002, and 1102, which will be described later). Identification information for the master data and transaction data will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 11.

[0034] The request cause 207 of record #1 stores "equipment maintenance," and the urgency 208 stores "1." This indicates that the cause of the planned request "xxxx-20230216," estimated based on the master data and transaction data corresponding to record #1, is equipment maintenance, and the urgency estimated based on that cause is "1." Furthermore, the status 209 of record #1 is "unplanned," which indicates that production planning based on the planned request "xxxx-20230216" has not yet begun.

[0035] Similarly, information on the planned request "yyyy-20230216" is stored in record #2 of the planned request table 200 shown in Figure 2. This is a request made at 17:15:00 on February 16, 2023, for the production plan of factory "yyyy."

[0036] Furthermore, record #3 of the planned request table 200 shown in FIG. 2 stores information about planned request "xxxx-20230215." This request was made at 10:00:00 on February 15, 2023, targeting the production plan of factory "xxxx." Like planned request "xxxx-20230216" in record #1, this request targets the production plan of factory "xxxx." In this example, the previous planned request for planned request "xxxx-20230216" is planned request "xxxx-20230215." As will be described later, in the process of estimating the cause of the request, the previous and current planned requests for the same factory are compared.

[0037] Generally, once master data is generated for each factory, it is not frequently changed, but new transaction data is acquired from time to time. For this reason, a new planning request for the same factory often references the same master data as the previous planning request, but transaction data generally references the latest data that is different from the previous one.

[0038] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an item master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The item master table 300 shown in FIG. 3 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 301 , a master information ID 302 , and an item ID 303 .

[0040] The serial number 301 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 302 is identification information for associating each record with a planning request. The item ID 303 is identification information for the item of the product produced in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied.

[0041] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a resource master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] The resource master table 400 shown in FIG. 4 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 401 , a master information ID 402 , and a resource ID 403 .

[0043] The serial number 401 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 402 is identification information for associating each record with a plan request. The resource ID 403 is identification information for a production resource (specifically, equipment used in a process for producing a product) in a factory to which the master information of each record is applied.

[0044] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a process master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The process master table 500 shown in FIG. 5 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 501 , a master information ID 502 , an item ID 503 , a process ID 504 , a resource ID 505 , and a working time 506 .

[0046] The serial number 501 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 502 is identification information for associating each record with a planning request. The item ID 503 is identification information for the item of the product produced in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied. The process ID 504 is identification information for the process that is executed to produce the product of each record in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied. The resource ID 505 is identification information for the production resource assigned to the process of each record. The working time 506 indicates the required time for the process of each record.

[0047] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a process sequence master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] The process sequence master table 600 shown in FIG. 6 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 601 , a master information ID 602 ​​, an item ID 603 , a previous process ID 604 , and a next process ID 605 .

[0049] The serial number 601 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 602 ​​is identification information for associating each record with a planning request. The item ID 603 is identification information for the item of the product produced in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied. The previous process ID 604 and the next process ID 605 are information that indicate the order of processes that are executed to produce the product of each record in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied.

[0050] For example, the first and second rows of the process sequence master table 600 shown in FIG. 6 indicate that the process for manufacturing the product "ProdA" in the factory to which the master information "Mst-xxxx" is applied includes at least the processes "ProdA1," "ProdA2," and "ProdA3," and that the processes are executed in the order of "ProdA1," "ProdA2," and "ProdA3."

[0051] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a shift master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The shift master table 700 shown in FIG. 7 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 701, a master information ID 702, a shift ID 703, a start time ID 704, and an end time ID 705.

[0053] The serial number 701 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 702 is identification information for associating each record with a planned request. The shift ID 703 is identification information for the type of shift that is applied in the factory to which the master information of each record is applied. The start time 704 and end time 705 indicate the start time and end time of each shift.

[0054] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an order information table held in the transaction data storage unit 108 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] The order information table 800 shown in FIG. 8 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 801 , a transaction information ID 802 , an order ID 803 , an item ID 804 , a delivery date 805 , and a status 806 .

[0056] The serial number 801 is a number that identifies each record. The transaction information ID 802 is identification information for associating each record with a planned request. The order ID 803 is identification information for the received order. The item ID 804 and delivery date 805 are identification information for the item of the product to be produced for the received order, and the required delivery date for that product. The status 806 indicates the progress of production for the received order, for example, whether the production has been completed. Although omitted from FIG. 8 , the order information table 800 may further include a possible start date / time that indicates the earliest date / time at which production corresponding to each order can be introduced into the production line. The possible start date / time may be determined, for example, based on the date / time when materials, parts, etc. used in production corresponding to each order are delivered to the factory.

[0057] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a calendar information table held in the transaction data storage unit 108 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The calendar information table 900 shown in FIG. 9 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 901 , a transaction information ID 902 , a resource ID 903 , a date 904 and a shift ID 905 .

[0059] The serial number 901 is a number that identifies each record. The transaction information ID 902 is identification information for associating each record with a planning request. The resource ID 903, date 904, and shift ID 905 indicate the shift of each production resource for each day.

[0060] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a production performance information table held in the transaction data storage unit 108 of the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] The production performance information table 1000 shown in FIG. 10 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 1001 , a transaction information ID 1002 , a date and time 1003 , an order ID 1004 , a process ID 1005 , a resource ID 1006 , and a status 1007 .

[0062] The serial number 1001 is a number that identifies each record. The transaction information ID 1002 is identification information for associating each record with a planned request. The date and time 1003, order ID 1004, process ID 1005, resource ID 1006, and status 1007 indicate production results. That is, this indicates that, on the date and time indicated by the date and time 1003, the process indicated by the process ID 1005, which is assigned to the production resource indicated by the resource ID 1006, of the order indicated by the order ID 1004, has reached the state indicated by the status 1007 (for example, started or completed).

[0063] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a production plan information table held in the transaction data storage unit 108 of the plan request management device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] The production plan information table 1100 shown in FIG. 11 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 1101 , a transaction information ID 1102 , a date and time 1103 , an order ID 1104 , a process ID 1105 , a resource ID 1106 , and a status 1107 .

[0065] The serial number 1101 is a number that identifies each record. The transaction information ID 1102 is identification information for associating each record with a plan request. The date and time 1103, order ID 1104, process ID 1105, resource ID 1106, and status 1107 indicate a planned production plan. In other words, this indicates that a production plan has been planned in which, on the date and time indicated by the date and time 1103, the process indicated by the process ID 1105, which is assigned to the production resource indicated by the resource ID 1106, of the order indicated by the order ID 1104, will reach the state indicated by the status 1107 (for example, started or completed).

[0066] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the production planning system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] When the plan request is received from the production management system 115, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 of the plan request management device 101 estimates the plan urgency based on the received plan request (step 1201). Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

[0068] Next, the calculation resource allocation unit 104 of the plan request management system 101 sets the allocation of calculation resources (step 1202). Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[0069] The plan request management device 101 transmits the allocation of computational resources set in step 1202 and the plan request received from the production management system 115 to the scheduling unit 112 via the network 113. The scheduling unit 112 uses the allocated computational resources to create a production plan in accordance with the plan request (step 1203). The creation of the production plan executed by the scheduling unit 112 can be performed using a known method, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] The scheduling unit 112 transmits the created production plan to the plan request management system 101. The plan request management system 101 transmits the production plan acquired from the scheduling unit 112 to the production management system 115 via the network 114.

[0071] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a plan urgency estimation process executed by the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] The process shown in FIG. 13 is executed in step 1201 in FIG.

[0073] First, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 adds information about a newly received plan request (i.e., a plan request for which urgency is to be estimated) to the plan request table 200 (step 1301). At this time, if there is a plan request in the plan request table 200 that has the same factory ID 204 value as the newly received plan request and whose status 209 value is "unplanned," the plan request is deleted (step 1302).

[0074] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires, from the transaction data storage unit 108, transaction data used in the previous production plan creation for the same factory as the target plan request (step 1303).

[0075] For example, when a newly received planned request is stored in record #1 of the planned request table 200 shown in FIG. 2 , the plan urgency estimation unit 103 identifies record #3, which has the value "unplanned" in status 209 and the latest request date and time 203, from among records other than #1 that have the same value as the value "xxxx" in factory ID 204. The plan urgency estimation unit 103 then acquires the value "Trn-xxxx-20230215" in transaction information ID 206 of record #3. The plan urgency estimation unit 103 then references the order information table 800 ( FIG. 8 ), calendar information table 900 ( FIG. 9 ), and production performance information table 1000 ( FIG. 10 ) stored in the transaction data storage unit 108, and acquires data for the record whose transaction information ID is "Trn-xxxx-20230215."

[0076] The plan urgency estimation unit 103 also acquires transaction data corresponding to the current plan request. Specifically, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the value "Trn-xxxx-20230216" of the transaction information ID 206 of record #1 in the plan request table 200, and then references the order information table 800 (FIG. 8), calendar information table 900 (FIG. 9), production result information table 1000 (FIG. 10), and production plan information table 1100 (FIG. 11) stored in the transaction data storage unit 108 to acquire data of the record whose transaction information ID is "Trn-xxxx-20230216."

[0077] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the changes in the production result information (step 1304). Specifically, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 compares the data acquired from the production result information table 1000 and the data acquired from the production plan information table 1100, which are part of the transaction data corresponding to the current plan request.

[0078] For example, the data of record #1 acquired from the production result information table 1000 shown in Fig. 10 is compared with the data of record #1 acquired from the production plan information table 1100 shown in Fig. 11. Since the order ID, process ID, and resource ID all match, it can be seen that these records show the results and plan for the same process of the same product based on the same order.

[0079] In this example, the status 1107 of the record in the production plan information table 1100#1 is "Completed" and the date and time 1103 is "February 16, 2023, 17:00:00," while the status 1007 of the record in the production result information table 1000#1 is "Completed" and the date and time 1003 is "February 16, 2023, 17:15:00." This indicates that the actual work in the process of the product based on the order was completed 15 minutes later than planned (i.e., there was a production delay). In step 1304, this difference between the production plan and the actual production result is obtained.

[0080] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the changed parts of the calendar information (step 1305). Specifically, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 compares the data acquired from the calendar information table 900 of the transaction data corresponding to the current plan request with the data acquired from the calendar information table 900 of the transaction data used in the previous plan.

[0081] 9, record #2 of the calendar information table 900 stores "Trn-xxxx-20230216," "Res1," "20230218," and "Shift-Night" as the transaction information ID 902, resource ID 903, date 904, and shift ID 905. In contrast, record #101 stores "Trn-xxxx-20230215," "Res1," "20230218," and "Shift-Full" in the above items.

[0082] Here, the master information ID 205 "Mst-xxxx" corresponding to the current schedule request is obtained from the schedule request table 200 shown in Fig. 2. By referring to the record whose master information ID 702 is "Mst-xxxx" stored in the shift master table 700 shown in Fig. 7, it can be seen that "Shift-Full" indicates a shift from "00:00:00" to "00:00:00" (i.e., from 0:00:00 to 0:00:00 of the next day), and that "Shift-Night" indicates a shift from "17:00:00" to "21:00:00" (i.e., from 17:00:00 to 21:00:00 of the same day).

[0083] Therefore, the example of records #2 and #3 in the calendar information table 900 shown in FIG. 9 indicates that the equipment "Res1" was scheduled to be available for 24 hours on February 18, 2023 in the previous planning, but that this has been changed to only be available for four hours from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the current planning. Such a change can occur, for example, when new maintenance is scheduled for the equipment "Res1." For example, there may be cases where urgent maintenance is required due to equipment malfunction. Therefore, the current production plan must be created based on the changed shift.

[0084] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the changed parts of the order information (step 1306). Specifically, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 compares the data acquired from the order information table 800 of the transaction data corresponding to the current plan request with the data acquired from the order information table 800 of the transaction data used in the previous plan.

[0085] For example, record #2 of the order information table 800 shown in Figure 8 stores "Trn-xxxx-20230216," "Customer1-Order2," "ProdA," and "20230218" as the transaction information ID 802, order ID 803, item ID 804, and delivery date 805. In contrast, record #101 stores "Trn-xxxx-20230215," "Customer1-Order2," "ProdA," and "20230219" in the above items.

[0086] This example shows that the delivery date for production of product "ProdA" based on the order "Customer1-Order2" was February 19, 2023 when the previous plan was created, but has been changed to February 19, 2023 when the current plan is created. Therefore, the current production plan needs to be created so as to meet the changed delivery date.

[0087] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 calculates the urgency of the production plan (step 1307) based on the changes acquired in steps 1304 to 1306. This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0088] This completes the plan urgency estimation process.

[0089] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a calculation process of the plan urgency executed by the plan request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] The process shown in FIG. 14 is executed in step 1307 in FIG.

[0091] First, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects a change in the calendar information of a facility with a production schedule (step 1401). For example, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects whether or not there has been a change by referring to the changed portion of the calendar information acquired in step 1305 of Fig. 13. Then, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines whether or not there has been a change in today's calendar information (step 1402).

[0092] 14, a change in today's calendar information (e.g., a change in shift time, etc.) for equipment "Res1" is detected, and a change in tomorrow's calendar information for equipment "Res2" is also detected. In this case, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that there is a change in today's calendar information (step 1402: Yes), estimates that the cause of the plan request is "equipment maintenance," and sets the urgency to "1" (step 1403). In this embodiment, urgency "1" indicates the highest urgency, and the urgency decreases in the order of urgency "2," "3," and "4."

[0093] If the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that there is no change in today's calendar information (step 1402: No), it then executes step 1404.

[0094] In step 1404, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects an express order. For example, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects whether or not the requested delivery date has changed by referring to the changes in the order information acquired in step 1306 of Fig. 13. Then, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines whether or not there has been a change that would cause the requested delivery date to become today (step 1405).

[0095] 14, it is detected that the requested delivery date after the change of order "Customer1-Order1" is today, and the requested delivery date after the change of order "Customer1-Order2" is next Monday. In this case, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that there is a change such that the requested delivery date after the change will be today (step 1405: Yes), estimates that the cause of the plan request is a "change in delivery date" (especially a change in delivery date due to rush production), and sets the urgency to "2" (step 1406).

[0096] If the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that there is no change that would cause the requested delivery date after the change to become today (step 1405: No), it then executes step 1407.

[0097] In step 1407, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects a production delay. For example, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 detects whether or not there is a production delay by referring to the changes in the production performance information acquired in step 1304 of Fig. 13. Then, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines whether or not there is a production delay (step 1408).

[0098] 14, a production delay is detected in the process "ProcA1" corresponding to the order "Customer1-Order1." In this case, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that a production delay exists (step 1408: Yes), estimates that the cause of the plan request is the "production delay," and sets the urgency to "3" (step 1409).

[0099] If the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines that there is no production delay (step 1408: No), it estimates that the cause of the plan request is a "regular job" and sets the urgency to "4" (step 1410).

[0100] In the above example, the highest level of urgency is set when the cause of the scheduled request is "equipment maintenance," and the next highest level of urgency is set when the cause is "delivery date change." However, this correspondence between the cause of the scheduled request and the level of urgency is just an example, and other correspondences may be adopted, such as setting the highest level of urgency when the cause is "delivery date change." When the cause of the scheduled request is at least one of "equipment maintenance," "delivery date change," and "production delay," a higher level of urgency is set than when the cause of the scheduled request is "routine work."

[0101] This completes the calculation process of the planned urgency.

[0102] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a planned resource allocation process executed by the planned request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] The process shown in FIG. 15 is executed in step 1202 of FIG.

[0104] First, the computational resource allocation unit 104 acquires a list of computational requests (step 1501). For example, the computational resource allocation unit 104 may acquire the planned request table 200 shown in FIG. 2. Next, the computational resource allocation unit 104 acquires the computational resources currently in use (step 1502). For example, if the computational resource allocation to be performed is an allocation of the number of CPUs, the computational resource allocation unit 104 may acquire the number of CPUs currently available.

[0105] Next, the computing resource allocation unit 104 determines the allocation of computing resources based on the urgency of the planned request estimated by the plan urgency estimation unit 103 (step 1503). Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0106] Next, the computational resource allocation unit 104 reflects the determined allocation of computational resources in the cloud environment that realizes the scheduling unit 112 (step 1504). Note that while an example in which the functions of the scheduling unit 112 are realized in a cloud environment is shown here, for example, if the scheduling unit 112 is implemented in a specific server device, the computational resources of that server device are allocated according to the above determination. Also, if the scheduling unit 112 is implemented in the plan request management device 101, the computational resources of the plan request management device 101 are allocated according to the above determination.

[0107] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of determining planned resource allocation executed by the planned request management system 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] The process shown in FIG. 16 is executed in step 1503 of FIG.

[0109] The computing resource allocation unit 104 executes steps 1601 to 1605 for each planned request (for example, each record in the planned request table 200) extracted in step 1501 of FIG.

[0110] First, the computing resource allocation unit 104 acquires the urgency estimated by the plan urgency estimation unit 103 for each planned request (step 1601). Next, the computing resource allocation unit 104 determines whether the acquired urgency is 1 to 4 (step 1602). If the urgency is 1, the computing resource allocation unit 104 sets the number of CPUs in use to 4 (step 1603). If the urgency is 2, the computing resource allocation unit 104 sets the number of CPUs in use to 2 (step 1604). If the urgency is 3 or 4, the computing resource allocation unit 104 sets the number of CPUs in use to 1 (step 1605).

[0111] When the above process is completed for all acquired planned requests, the process of determining planned resource allocation is completed. As a result, more computing resources are allocated to planned requests with higher urgency, and the corresponding production plans are created with priority.

[0112] In the above example, the allocation of computational resources is an example of allocating the number of CPUs used by the scheduling unit 112 to create a production plan, but the computational resources to be allocated are not limited to the number of CPUs, and other resources may be allocated as long as allocating a large amount of resources reduces the calculation time. For example, the number of threads may be allocated, or the number of computers to be activated for creating a production plan may be allocated.

[0113] Furthermore, the above-mentioned correspondence between urgency and the number of CPUs is also an example, and computational resources can be allocated so that more computational resources are allocated to the creation of production plans in response to computation requests with higher urgency.

[0114] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a plan request management screen displayed by the plan request management device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] The plan request management screen 110 is displayed by the display unit 109 of the plan request management device 101. The example of the plan request management screen 110 shown in Fig. 17 includes a display section 1700 for plan requests that are being executed or waiting to be executed and a display section 1710 for completed plan requests.

[0116] The planned request display section 1700, which is being executed or waiting to be executed, displays information about planned requests for which production planning based on the planned requests has not yet been completed (i.e., has not yet started, or has started but not completed) out of the planned requests stored in the planned request table 200. Specifically, the planned request display section 1700, which is being executed or waiting to be executed, includes a serial number 1701, a planned request ID 1702, a request date and time 1703, a factory ID 1704, a planned request cause 1705, a degree of urgency 1706, a status 1707, and a CPU count 1708.

[0117] A serial number 1701 is a number that identifies each record displayed in the running or waiting for execution plan request display section 1700. A plan request ID 1702, a request date and time 1703, a factory ID 1704, a plan request cause 1705, a level of urgency 1706, and a status 1707 correspond to the plan request ID 202, the request date and time 203, the factory ID 204, the request cause 207, the level of urgency 208, and the status 209 in the plan request table 200, respectively. However, the running or waiting for execution plan request display section 1700 in FIG. 17 displays example values ​​that are different from the example of the plan request table 200 shown in FIG. 2.

[0118] The number of CPUs in use 1708 displays the number of CPUs in use for each planned request determined by the process shown in Fig. 16. However, for planned requests whose status 1707 is "waiting for execution" (i.e., not yet started), the user can display a number of CPUs in use input field 1709 (e.g., a pull-down menu) and input an arbitrary number of CPUs in use. The computing resource allocation unit 104 changes the number of CPUs in use set in steps 1603 to 1605 to the value input by the user (step 1202).

[0119] For example, if it is determined that there is an error in the estimation of the cause of the request by the planned urgency estimation unit 103, or if there is no error in the cause of the planned request but a different urgency than usual is required due to some circumstances, an appropriate number of CPUs can be set.

[0120] In the example of Figure 17, the allocation of computing resources is shown as an allocation of the number of CPUs used, but if another computing resource, such as the number of threads, is allocated, the amount of computing resource to be allocated is displayed instead of the number of CPUs used 1708.

[0121] The completed plan request display section 1710 displays information about plan requests for which production planning based on the plan requests has been completed, out of the plan requests stored in the plan request table 200. Specifically, the completed plan request display section 1710 includes a serial number 1711, a plan request ID 1712, a request date and time 1713, a factory ID 1714, a master information ID 1715, a transaction information ID 1716, and a status 1717.

[0122] A serial number 1711 is a number that identifies each record displayed in the completed plan request display section 1710. A plan request ID 1712, a request date and time 1713, a factory ID 1714, a master information ID 1715, a transaction information ID 1716, and a status 1717 correspond to the plan request ID 202, the request date and time 203, the factory ID 204, the master information ID 205, the transaction information ID 206, and the status 209 in the plan request table 200, respectively. However, the completed plan request display section 1710 in FIG. 17 displays example values ​​that are different from the example of the plan request table 200 shown in FIG. 2.

[0123] In this way, by displaying the estimated causes of planned requests and the results of an evaluation of their urgency, it becomes possible to manually determine the appropriateness of the allocation of computing resources and make changes if necessary.

[0124] According to the first embodiment described above, the cause of a plan request is inferred based on transaction data, and computational resources are allocated in accordance with the inferred cause. This makes it possible to manage the creation of production plans so that production plans corresponding to highly urgent plan requests are obtained quickly, thereby preventing a decline in productivity.

[0125] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 21. The configuration of the production planning system according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the production planning system according to the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 17, except for the differences described below, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] In Example 1, the urgency of production planning within each factory was determined based on an estimation of the cause of the planning request, and the allocation of computational resources was determined so that the planning of production plans with high urgency would be completed quickly.

[0127] However, in reality, when there is a time lag between factory processes due to inter-factory logistics, etc., productivity may decrease if the urgency of production planning at a factory is set without taking into account the urgency of production planning at the previous factory.

[0128] For example, if parts are processed at factory A, the processed parts are transported to factory B, the processed parts are assembled at factory B, the assembled parts are transported to factory C, and a product is assembled at factory C, production plans are usually prepared at each factory based on regular operations.

[0129] For example, if emergency maintenance is performed at factory B due to a sudden equipment failure, a highly urgent planning request is generated for factory B. In this case, the production plan of factory A, which is the predecessor factory of factory B, is not affected. In contrast, the production plan of factory C needs to be changed to reflect the change in the production plan of factory B, which is the predecessor factory.

[0130] In this case, it is desirable to set the same high level of urgency for the production planning of factory C as for factory B. However, if the production plan of factory B is changed, the transaction data used for the production planning of factory C may also be changed due to the change. For example, if the order information table 800 for factory C contains information on the available start date and time, the available start date and time for factory C may also be changed due to a change in the production plan of factory B, the previous factory. In other words, in order to create a production plan for factory C that is consistent with the changed production plan of factory B, it is necessary to wait until the production plan for factory B is created. For this reason, in the second embodiment, in addition to estimating the cause of the plan request as in the first embodiment, the urgency and a constraint on the order of production planning (i.e., a solution-finding order constraint) are set based on the order of processing at the factories.

[0131] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a planned request table held in the planned request storage unit 106 of the planned request management device 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0132] The plan request storage unit 106 of the second embodiment holds a plan request table 1800. The plan request table 1800 is similar to the plan request table 200 except that it further includes a solution-finding order constraint 1801. Here, with reference to Fig. 18 and Fig. 2, differences between the example of Fig. 18 and the example of Fig. 2 will be described.

[0133] 18, the request cause 207 of the scheduled request #2 is estimated to be "regular work." Therefore, the urgency 208 of the scheduled request #2 should be "4."

[0134] Here, planned request #2 is a request for the formulation of a production plan for factory "yyyy." As shown in the inter-factory logistics master table (FIG. 19), which will be described later, the previous factory of factory "yyyy" is factory "xxxx." Planned request table 1800 in FIG. 18 stores planned request #1 "xxxx-0230216," which is a planned request related to factory "xxxx" and has a status 209 of "unplanned." The request cause 207 of planned request #2 is "equipment maintenance," and the urgency 208 is "1."

[0135] Therefore, the urgency 208 of the #2 planned request is changed to "1", the same as that of the #1 planned request, and "xxxx-0230216", which identifies the #1 planned request, is stored in the solution order constraint 1801 of the #2 planned request. In this case, scheduling based on the #2 planned request is executed using the computing resources allocated based on the urgency "1" after scheduling based on the #1 planned request is completed.

[0136] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an inter-factory logistics master table held in the master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0137] The master data storage unit 107 of the plan request management system 101 of the second embodiment stores, in addition to the master tables shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, an inter-factory logistics master table 1900 that indicates the chronological relationship between processes at a plurality of factories.

[0138] The inter-factory logistics master table 1900 shown in FIG. 19 is made up of one or more records each including a serial number 1901 , a master information ID 1902 , a previous factory ID 1903 , and a next factory ID 1904 .

[0139] The serial number 1901 is a number that identifies each record. The master information ID 1902 is identification information for associating each record with a planning request. The previous factory ID 1903 and the next factory ID 1904 indicate the chronological relationship between the processing of each factory. For example, record #1 shown in FIG. 19 indicates that factory "xxxx" is the previous factory of factory "yyyy." This corresponds to a relationship in which, for example, parts processed at factory "xxxx" are assembled at factory "yyyy."

[0140] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a plan urgency estimation process executed by the plan request management system 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0141] The process shown in Fig. 20 is the same as that shown in Fig. 13 except that step 2001 is added after step 1307. After executing step 1307, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 of the second embodiment estimates the influence of the urgency of the previous factory in step 2001. This process will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 21.

[0142] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an influence estimation process of the urgency of the previous factory executed by the plan request management system 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0143] The process shown in FIG. 21 is executed in step 2001 of FIG.

[0144] First, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the ID of the previous factory from the inter-factory logistics master table 1900 (step 2101). Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 acquires the urgency of the previous factory and the urgency of the current factory from the plan request table 1800 (steps 2102 and 2103).

[0145] Next, the plan urgency estimation unit 103 determines whether the urgency of the previous factory is higher than the urgency of the current factory (step 2104). If the urgency of the previous factory is higher than the urgency of the current factory (step 2104: Yes), the plan urgency estimation unit 103 overwrites the urgency of the current factory with the same value as the urgency of the previous factory (step 2105), and further stores the plan request ID of the previous factory in the solution-finding order constraint 1801 of the plan request table 1800 (step 2106).

[0146] This completes the process of estimating the effect of the urgency of the previous factory.

[0147] For example, when the process of Fig. 21 is performed for the scheduled request #2 in the scheduled request table 1800 shown in Fig. 18, the local factory is factory "xxxx." Furthermore, since the request cause 207 of the scheduled request #2 is "regular work," the initial value of the urgency 208 is "4."

[0148] In this case, in step 2101, "yyyy" is obtained as the ID of the previous factory of the current factory from the inter-factory logistics master table 1900. Then, in step 2102, the value "1" of the urgency 208 of the #1 scheduled request related to the previous factory "yyyy" is obtained from the scheduled request table 1800. Then, in step 2103, the value "4" of the urgency 208 of the #2 scheduled request related to the current factory "xxxx" is obtained from the scheduled request table 1800.

[0149] In this case, since the urgency level of the previous factory, "1," is higher than the urgency level of the current factory, "4" (step 2104: Yes), the urgency level 208 of the #2 planned request is overwritten with "1" (step 2105), and the value of the #1 planned request ID 202, "xxxx-0230216," is stored in the solution-finding order constraint 1801 of the #2 planned request (step 2106).

[0150] According to the second embodiment described above, when a highly urgent planning request is made at a preceding factory, the planning request at the succeeding factory is given the same level of urgency as that at the preceding factory, and a production plan is created with priority. By restricting the creation of a production plan for the succeeding factory to take place after the creation of a production plan for the preceding factory has been completed, a production plan that is consistent between the preceding and succeeding factories is created. This prevents a decline in productivity.

[0151] Furthermore, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0152] (1) A production planning method executed by a computer system, the computer system having a processing unit (e.g., the processing unit 102) and a storage unit (e.g., the storage unit 105), the storage unit holding a plurality of planning requests (e.g., data included in the planning request storage unit 106) requesting the creation of a production plan for a factory, and a plurality of transaction data (e.g., data included in the transaction data storage unit 108) corresponding to the plurality of planning requests and indicating the status of production in the factory, the production planning method including: a first procedure (e.g., step 1201) in which the processing unit estimates a degree of urgency of a first planning request (e.g., the planning request #1 in FIG. 2 ) among the plurality of planning requests by comparing the transaction data corresponding to the first planning request with the transaction data corresponding to a second planning request (e.g., the planning request #3 in FIG. 2 ), which is a planning request immediately preceding the first planning request; and a second procedure (e.g., step 1202) in which the processing unit determines, based on the degree of urgency, an allocation of computing resources for the creation of a production plan based on the first planning request.

[0153] This allows production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0154] (2) In the production planning method described in (1) above, in the first step, the processing unit estimates the cause of the first planned request by comparing the transaction data corresponding to the first planned request with the transaction data corresponding to the second planned request (e.g., steps 1403, 1406, etc.), and estimates the urgency according to the estimated cause of the first planned request.

[0155] This allows calculation resources to be allocated according to the cause of the planning request, and production plans can be created so that productivity does not decrease.

[0156] (3) The production planning method according to (2) above, wherein the transaction data includes information on the operation status of production equipment in the factory (e.g., calendar information table 900), information on production orders for the factory (e.g., order information table 800), information on production results in the factory (e.g., production result information table 1000), and information on production plans that have already been started in the factory (e.g., production plan information table 1100), and in the first step, when the processing unit detects a change in the operation time of the production equipment on that day by comparing the information on the operation status of the production equipment in the factory, the processing unit estimates that the cause of the first plan request is maintenance of the production equipment (e.g., step 1403), and issues a production schedule request to the factory. When a change in delivery date that results in the changed delivery date being today is detected by comparing information on production orders to be executed at the factory, the cause of the first planned request is estimated to be a change in delivery date (e.g., step 1406); when a delay in the production results relative to the production plan is detected by comparing information on production results at the factory with information on production plans that have already started to be executed at the factory, the cause of the first planned request is estimated to be a production delay (e.g., step 1409); when the estimated cause of the first planned request is any of maintenance of the production equipment, a change in delivery date, and a production delay, the urgency is estimated to be higher than when the estimated cause of the first planned request is none of maintenance of the production equipment, a change in delivery date, and a production delay.

[0157] This allows appropriate allocation of computational resources according to the cause of the planning request, and enables production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0158] (4) In the production planning method described in (3) above, in the first step, when the processing unit estimates that the cause of the first planned request is maintenance of the production equipment, the processing unit estimates the highest level of urgency (e.g., step 1403), and when the cause of the first planned request is estimated to be a change in delivery date, the processing unit estimates the next highest level of urgency after maintenance of the production equipment (e.g., step 1406).

[0159] This allows appropriate allocation of computational resources according to the cause of the planning request, and enables production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0160] (5) In the production planning method described in (1) above, in the second step, the processing unit determines the allocation of the computing resources so that a large amount of the computing resources is allocated when the urgency is high (e.g., steps 1603 to 1605).

[0161] This allows appropriate allocation of computational resources according to the cause of the planning request, and enables production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0162] (6) In the production planning method described in (5) above, the computational resources include at least one of the number of processors to be used and the number of threads.

[0163] This allows appropriate allocation of computational resources according to the cause of the planning request, and enables production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0164] (7) In the production planning method described in (1) above, the memory unit further stores inter-factory logistics data (e.g., inter-factory logistics master table 1900) indicating the order of processes in the multiple factories, and in the first step, if the urgency of a planning request for a factory that performs a process before the process of the factory that is the target of the first planning request is higher than the estimated urgency of the first planning request, the processing unit changes the urgency of the first planning request to the same value as that of the factory that performs the previous process (e.g., step 2105).

[0165] As a result, when a highly urgent planning request occurs in the preceding factory, the planning request of the succeeding factory is also given the same level of urgency as that of the preceding factory, preventing a decline in productivity.

[0166] (8) In the production planning method described in (7) above, in the first step, when the processing unit changes the urgency of the first plan request to the same value as that of the factory performing the previous process, the processing unit adds information (e.g., solution order constraint 1801) to the first plan request indicating that the production plan based on the first plan request will be created after the production plan based on the plan request for the factory performing the previous process (e.g., step 2106).

[0167] This allows production plans to be drawn up that are consistent between upstream and downstream factories, preventing a decline in productivity.

[0168] (9) The production planning method described in (1) above, further including a third procedure (e.g., step 1203) in which a scheduling unit that formulates the production plan is connected to the computer system, the processing unit outputs the plan request and the determined allocation of computing resources to the scheduling unit (e.g., scheduling unit 112), and, upon obtaining a production plan formulated in accordance with the plan request from the scheduling unit, outputs the obtained production plan.

[0169] This allows production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0170] (10) The production planning method described in (1) above, wherein the computer system further has a scheduling unit (e.g., scheduling unit 112) that formulates the production plan, and further includes a third procedure (e.g., step 1203) in which the scheduling unit formulates a production plan based on the plan request using the computing resources allocated in the second procedure and outputs the formulated production plan.

[0171] This allows production planning to be carried out so that productivity does not decrease.

[0172] (11) The production planning method according to (2) above,

[0173] In the second step, the processing unit outputs information (e.g., information on the planned request management screen 110) for displaying the estimated cause of the first planned request and the estimated urgency.

[0174] This allows the estimated cause of the planned request and the evaluation results of its urgency to be displayed, allowing a human to manually determine the appropriateness of the allocation of computing resources.

[0175] (12) The production planning method according to (11),

[0176] In the second step, the processing unit outputs information for displaying an input screen (e.g., the CPU usage number input unit 1709) for information for correcting the estimated urgency, and when information for changing the urgency is input, the processing unit changes the urgency in accordance with the input information.

[0177] This allows the appropriateness of the allocation of computing resources to be determined manually and changed if necessary.

[0178] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to provide a better understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0179] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in storage devices such as nonvolatile semiconductor memory, hard disk drives, and solid-state drives (SSDs), or in computer-readable, non-transitory data storage media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0180] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

Claims

1. A production planning method executed by a computer system, the computer system having a processing unit and a memory unit, the memory unit holding a plurality of planning requests requesting the creation of a production plan in a factory, and a plurality of transaction data corresponding to the plurality of planning requests and indicating the status of production in the factory, the production planning method comprising: a first step in which the processing unit estimates a degree of urgency of the first planning request by comparing the transaction data corresponding to a first planning request of the plurality of planning requests with the transaction data corresponding to a second planning request which is a planning request immediately preceding the first planning request; and a second step in which the processing unit determines an allocation of computing resources for the creation of a production plan based on the first planning request based on the degree of urgency.

2. A production planning method as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the first step, the processing unit estimates the cause of the first planned request by comparing the transaction data corresponding to the first planned request with the transaction data corresponding to the second planned request, and estimates the urgency according to the estimated cause of the first planned request.

3. A production planning method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transaction data includes information relating to the operation status of production equipment in the factory, information relating to production orders for the factory, information relating to production results in the factory, and information relating to production plans which have already been started in the factory; and in the first step, the processing unit: when detecting a change in the operation time of the production equipment for the day by comparing the information relating to the operation status of the production equipment in the factory, estimates that the cause of the first planning request is maintenance of the production equipment; when detecting a change in delivery date such that the new delivery date becomes the day by comparing the information relating to production orders for the factory, estimates that the cause of the first planning request is a change in delivery date; and when detecting a delay in the production results relative to the production plan by comparing the information relating to production results in the factory and information relating to production plans which have already been started in the factory, estimates that the cause of the first planning request is a production delay; a production planning method comprising: when the estimated cause of the first planned request is any one of maintenance of the production facility, a change in delivery date, and a production delay, estimating the urgency to be higher than when the estimated cause of the first planned request is none of maintenance of the production facility, a change in delivery date, and a production delay.

4. A production planning method as described in claim 3, characterized in that in the first step, the processing unit estimates the highest level of urgency when the cause of the first planned request is estimated to be maintenance of the production equipment, and estimates the next highest level of urgency after maintenance of the production equipment when the cause of the first planned request is estimated to be a change in delivery date.

5. A production planning method as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the second step, the processing unit determines the allocation of the computing resources so that a large amount of the computing resources is allocated when the urgency is high.

6. A production planning method according to claim 5, wherein the computational resources include at least one of the number of processors and the number of threads to be used.

7. A production planning method as described in claim 1, wherein the memory unit further holds inter-factory logistics data indicating the chronological relationship between processes in the multiple factories, and in the first step, when the urgency of a planning request targeted at a factory performing a process prior to the process in the factory that is the target of the first planning request is higher than the estimated urgency of the first planning request, the processing unit changes the urgency of the first planning request to the same value as that of the factory performing the previous process.

8. A production planning method as described in claim 7, characterized in that in the first step, when the processing unit changes the urgency of the first planning request to the same value as that of the factory performing the previous process, it adds to the first planning request information indicating that the production plan based on the first planning request will be prepared after the production plan based on the planning request for the factory performing the previous process.

9. A production planning method as described in claim 1, characterized in that the computer system is connected to a scheduling unit that formulates the production plan, and the processing unit outputs the plan request and the determined allocation of computing resources to the scheduling unit, and when a production plan formulated in accordance with the plan request is obtained from the scheduling unit, the processing unit further includes a third step of outputting the obtained production plan.

10. A production planning method as described in claim 1, wherein the computer system further has a scheduling unit that formulates the production plan, and the production planning method further includes a third step in which the scheduling unit formulates a production plan based on the plan request using the computing resources allocated in the second step, and outputs the formulated production plan.

11. A production planning method as described in claim 2, characterized in that in the second step, the processing unit outputs information for displaying the estimated cause of the first planned request and the estimated urgency.

12. A production planning method as described in claim 11, characterized in that in the second step, the processing unit outputs information for displaying an input screen for information for correcting the estimated urgency, and when information for changing the urgency is input, changes the urgency in accordance with the input information.

13. A production planning system comprising a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the memory unit holds a plurality of planning requests requesting the creation of a production plan in a factory, and a plurality of transaction data corresponding to the plurality of planning requests and indicating the status of production in the factory, wherein the processing unit estimates the urgency of the first planning request by comparing the transaction data corresponding to a first planning request of the plurality of planning requests with the transaction data corresponding to a second planning request which is a previous planning request to the first planning request, and determines an allocation of computing resources for creating a production plan based on the first planning request based on the urgency.

Images