Inventory management apparatus, inventory management system, and inventory management method

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology for efficiently procuring a component of a moving body.　This inventory management apparatus provided with one or more processors is characterized by comprising: a storage unit for storing a component list for components of a moving body; drawings of the components; a moving plan for the moving body; and a maintenance worker dispatch plan for the components. The inventory management apparatus is further characterized by executing: a preparatory component reception process for receiving a plurality of KPIs that are used to designate a component and evaluate a procurement proposal; a procurement place selection process for identifying a procurement place from which the component is procured in accordance with the moving plan; a manufacturer selection process for identifying a manufacturer which manufactures the component in the vicinity of the procurement place; a manufacturing method selection process for identifying a manufacturing method of the component in the vicinity of the procurement place; a maintenance worker dispatch time selection process for identifying, by using the maintenance worker dispatch plan, a time at which the manufacturer procures the component by using the manufacturing method in the vicinity of the procurement place; and a proposition process for making a procurement proposal in accordance with the weighting of the KPIs.

Description

Inventory management device, inventory management system, and inventory management method

[0001] The present invention relates to an inventory management device, an inventory management system, and an inventory management method. The present invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-104892, filed on June 28, 2024, and the contents of that application are incorporated by reference into the present application in designated states where incorporation by reference of documents is permitted.

[0002] Procurement planning for maintenance parts is a key factor in maintaining mobile objects that travel long distances, such as ships. For example, if spare parts for all maintenance parts could be carried on board the ship, or if maintenance parts could be procured immediately at each port of call, downtime could be reduced. However, this is impractical due to issues such as limited cargo capacity, part deterioration, and storage costs in warehouses. Furthermore, while it is said that more than half of ships are in operation for 15 years or more, parts are typically serviced for around 10 years. After that, parts are considered end-of-life (EOSL) (end of life), creating challenges in securing technicians (maintenance personnel) capable of procuring and handling them. Furthermore, as companies are now required to address environmental issues such as carbon neutrality, manufacturers are also being asked to reduce the environmental impact of transporting maintenance parts.

[0003] Therefore, there is a concept of storing part design information as digital data and using 3D printers and digital processing machines to manufacture parts on demand near the procurement location.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes technology related to "an optimization system for transport scheduling and inventory management of bulk products from supply locations to demand locations, the optimization system including a mathematical model including mathematical programming equations, the mathematical model having an objective function of minimizing a cost basis for transporting products for multiple deliveries over a certain period of time, including constraints related to transport scheduling and inventory management, and taking into account the stockpiling of bulk products at supply locations and the removal of bulk products from demand locations (neither of which need to be constant over time); a database application for data input that interfaces with the mathematical model; and a mathematical optimization solver that solves equations provided by the mathematical model after the mathematical model receives data from the database system, thereby the optimization system including a solver that provides an optimized or optimal result for the data input."

[0005] Special table number 2009-539188

[0006] The technology described in Patent Document 1 can optimize the transportation of bulk products in parts procurement. However, it is limited because it is based on a model in which bulk products are manufactured in advance and transported, and does not change the procurement method itself. An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for efficiently procuring parts for mobile objects.

[0007] The present application includes a number of means for solving at least part of the above problems, examples of which are as follows. An inventory management device according to one aspect of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is an inventory management device that includes one or more processors, and includes a memory unit that stores at least a parts list for parts of a mobile body, drawings of the parts, a movement plan for the mobile body, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan for the parts, and the processor executes the following operations: a preparation parts reception process that receives a plurality of KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) used to specify the parts and evaluate procurement proposals; a procurement location selection process that identifies a procurement location from which to procure the parts in accordance with the movement plan; a manufacturing entity selection process that identifies a manufacturing entity that will manufacture the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a manufacturing method selection process that identifies a manufacturing method for the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection process that identifies a time when the manufacturing entity will procure the parts using the manufacturing method in the vicinity of the procurement location, using the maintenance personnel deployment plan; and a proposal process that outputs the procurement proposal, which includes at least the procurement location, the manufacturing entity, the time to procure the parts, and the maintenance personnel deployment plan, as a proposal in accordance with weighting of the KPIs.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology for efficiently procuring parts for a moving body. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a digital inventory management system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a bill of materials. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of drawing information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of manufacturing entity information. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of manufacturing method information. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of operation plan information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of maintenance staff schedules. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of case information. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an inventory management device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of parts ordering processing. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a condition input screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a procurement proposal screen.

[0010] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and for clarity of explanation, appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0011] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0012] Examples of various types of information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue," but the various types of information may be expressed using data structures other than these. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be expressed as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable. Furthermore, in the embodiments, identification information described using these expressions is expressed using symbols, numbers, natural language, or a combination thereof, but the identification information may be in a format other than these.

[0013] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0014] In the embodiments, processing performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity performing the processing by executing the program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0015] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiments, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0016] Furthermore, although the present invention is typically realized by an information processing device, it may also be realized as a platform having the functions of the present invention.

[0017] The digital inventory management system 1 is particularly effective when used in preparation work for procuring parts for a mobile object that operates irregularly. Such a mobile object is typically a ship, and therefore ships are primarily used as an example in this embodiment. However, the invention is not limited to ships and may also be applied to other mobile objects that operate irregularly (such as personal airplanes). However, this does not exclude application to mobile objects that operate regularly.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a digital inventory management system. The digital inventory management system 1 includes an inventory management device 100. The inventory management device 100 is also connected to other devices via a network 50 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0019] For example, the inventory management device 100 is an information processing device including a storage unit 110 , a processing unit 120 , a UI (User Interface) device 140 , and an NI (Network Interface) device 150 .

[0020] [Data Description] The storage unit 110 includes a parts list 111 , drawing information 112 , manufacturing entity information 113 , manufacturing method information 114 , operation plan information 115 , maintenance staff schedule 116 , and case information 117 .

[0021] The parts table 111 is information that stores the parts that make up a product and their hierarchical structure in a manner that allows them to be identified. The parts table 111 is so-called BOM (Bill of Materials) data, and is tree-structured data.

[0022] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a parts table 111. The parts table 111 includes the part names 111a of the parts that make up the product, the hierarchical numbers 111b, the parent part names 111c, the child part names 111d, the required quantities 111e, and the reference drawings 111f.

[0023] The product name 111a is the name or identifier of a part that constitutes a ship (mobile body). The hierarchical number 111b is information that identifies the hierarchical level to which the part identified by the product name 111a belongs in the product tree. The parent part name 111c and the child part name 111d are information that respectively identify the part to which the part identified by the product name 111a is directly attached and the part that is directly attached to the part identified by the product name 111a. The required quantity 111e is information that identifies the quantity (number) of the part identified by the product name 111a to be incorporated into the ship. The reference drawing 111f is information that identifies the drawing number of the part identified by the product name 111a.

[0024] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of drawing information. The drawing information 112 includes a drawing 112b for each drawing number 112a that distinguishes the drawing from other drawings. The drawing 112b includes dimensional information 112c written in accordance with the shape of the part, and information specifying the distance for each specified part on the drawing, such as a notation 112d of "Φ50mm" indicating a diameter of 50 mm and a notation 112e of "550mm" indicating a length of 550 mm.

[0025] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the manufacturing entity information 113. The manufacturing entity information 113 stores, for each part name, one or more pieces of information that identify an entity capable of manufacturing the part in association with the part name.

[0026] Specifically, the manufacturing entity information 113 includes, for each product name 113a, a region 113b, a manufacturing entity identifier 113c, and a feasible manufacturing method 113d. The region 113b is information that identifies the region where the manufacturing entity covers procurement. The manufacturing entity identifier 113c is information that distinguishes the manufacturing entity that can manufacture the part identified by the product name 113a from other entities. Note that the manufacturing entity may be a company, or may be a specific factory or other base of a company. The feasible manufacturing method 113d includes a list of one or more manufacturing methods that can be used by the manufacturing entity identified by the manufacturing entity identifier 113c to manufacture the part identified by the product name 113a.

[0027] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the manufacturing method information 114. The manufacturing method information 114 stores, for each part name, one or more pieces of information that specify a method by which the part can be manufactured, in association with the part name.

[0028] Specifically, the manufacturing method information 114 includes, for each product name 114a, a manufacturing method 114b, a manufacturing cost 114c, a lead time 114d, and manufacturing conditions 114e. The manufacturing method 114b is information that specifies the method for manufacturing the part. The manufacturing cost 114c is the cost required for manufacturing using the manufacturing method 114b. The lead time 114d is the time required for manufacturing using the manufacturing method 114b. The manufacturing conditions 114e are conditions required for manufacturing the part, or conditions when there are restrictions on manufacturing (for example, areas where the use of certain materials or manufacturing methods is legally prohibited).

[0029] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the operation plan information. The operation plan information 115 stores an operation plan for each ship in association with the ship. In other words, the operation plan information 115 can be said to be a movement plan for a moving object.

[0030] Specifically, the operation plan information 115 includes, for each ship identifier 115a, a date and time 115b, a sea area 115c, a port of call 115d, and a next port of call 115e. The sea area 115c is information that identifies the sea area where the ship identified by the ship identifier 115a is located at the date and time 115b. The port of call 115d is information that identifies the location (port) where the ship identified by the ship identifier 115a is calling at the date and time 115b. The next port of call 115e is information that identifies the location (port) where the ship identified by the ship identifier 115a will next call at the date and time 115b.

[0031] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a maintenance staff schedule. The maintenance staff schedule 116 stores a work schedule for each maintenance staff member. In other words, the maintenance staff schedule 116 can also be said to be a deployment plan for maintenance staff for parts.

[0032] Specifically, the maintenance worker schedule 116 includes, for each maintenance worker identifier 116a, a date and time 116b, a sea area 116c, and a work location 116d. The sea area 116c is information that identifies the sea area where the maintenance worker identified by the maintenance worker identifier 116a is located at the date and time 116b. The work location 116d is information that identifies the location (such as a factory) where the maintenance worker identified by the maintenance worker identifier 116a works at the date and time 116b.

[0033] The maintenance personnel schedule 116 includes schedules for both maintenance personnel who can manufacture the procured parts and maintenance personnel who can install the procured parts into mobile objects. For example, although not shown, the maintenance personnel schedule 116 stores information that records parts that a maintenance personnel identified by a maintenance personnel identifier 116a can manufacture and parts that the maintenance personnel can install, in association with each other.

[0034] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of case information 117. The case information 117 stores procurement records for each case in association with each other.

[0035] Specifically, the case information 117 includes, for each case identifier 117a, a product name 117b, a manufacturing method 117c, a manufacturing entity 117d, a resolution period 117e, and a CO ２ The case identifier 117a is information for distinguishing a case from other cases. The resolution period 117e is the period from the order placement to the completion of procurement. ２ The emission amount 117f is information indicating the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the procurement of parts. The part cost scale 117g is information indicating the scale (order) of costs incurred in the procurement of parts.

[0036] A typical example of a greenhouse gas is CO ２ These include, but are not limited to, various gases that are thought to have a greenhouse effect. Representative examples include carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), methane (CH ４ ), nitrous oxide (N ２O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF ６ ) but is not limited to these, and does not necessarily have to include these and may be any of them, or the greenhouse effect may be converted to any of the gases.

[0037] The processing unit 120 includes an event reception unit 121, a preparation parts reception unit 122, a procurement location selection unit 123, a manufacturing entity selection unit 124, a manufacturing method selection unit 125, a maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection unit 126, a KPI weighting unit 127, a proposal unit 128, a parts ordering unit 129, and a maintenance personnel ordering unit 130.

[0038] The event receiving unit 121 receives various events including a part ordering instruction, and when it detects a part ordering instruction, starts a part ordering process, which will be described later.

[0039] The preparation part receiving unit 122 receives the specification of parts to be procured.

[0040] The procurement location selection unit 123 identifies a procurement location from which parts are procured in accordance with the movement plan. A procurement location refers to a manufacturing entity that can provide the parts, and in the case of a ship, for example, refers to a manufacturing location in a country or region where the ship calls. Specifically, the procurement location selection unit 123 identifies a procurement location in accordance with the lead time until procurement and the locations (ports of call, harbors) to be visited in the movement plan. Furthermore, the procurement location selection unit 123 identifies a procurement location in accordance with the lead time until procurement, the locations to be visited in the movement plan, and the possibility of changes to the maintenance personnel deployment plan.

[0041] The manufacturer selection unit 124 identifies a manufacturer that manufactures parts near the procurement location.

[0042] The manufacturing method selection unit 125 identifies a manufacturing method for the part near the procurement location.

[0043] The maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection unit 126 uses a maintenance personnel deployment plan to determine the time when a manufacturer will procure parts using a manufacturing method near the procurement location. "Determining the time to procure parts using the maintenance personnel deployment plan" means determining the earliest date and time when maintenance personnel can be dispatched to a location through which the mobile body passes, based on the mobile body's operation plan and the maintenance personnel deployment plan related to the mobile body, and determining the time to procure the parts. For example, in the case of a ship, when a part such as an engine is damaged, the earliest port of call for the ship and the date when maintenance personnel can be dispatched are determined and specified based on the ship's operation plan and maintenance personnel deployment plan. The determination is possible if the operation plan and maintenance personnel deployment plan are available. The maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection unit 126 determines a feasible time to procure the parts using the deployment plan of maintenance personnel capable of manufacturing the parts and the deployment plan of maintenance personnel capable of procuring the parts and installing the procured parts into the mobile body after the mobile body arrives at the procurement location.

[0044] The KPI weighting unit 127 receives a plurality of KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) used to evaluate procurement proposals and coefficients that serve as weights for the KPIs.

[0045] The proposal unit 128 outputs a procurement plan including at least a procurement location, a manufacturing entity, a timing for procuring parts, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan as a proposal according to the weighting of the KPI. The proposal unit 128 also outputs a procurement plan in which the received multiple types of KPIs are most important.

[0046] The parts ordering unit 129 delivers the drawings of the parts to the manufacturing entity.

[0047] The maintenance personnel ordering unit 130 changes the maintenance personnel schedule 116 and adjusts the allocation of maintenance personnel to the procurement location.

[0048] The UI device 140 accepts input of various instructions from a user (operator). The input contents include at least information identifying the parts to be procured, KPIs and their weights for evaluating the procurement, and instructions to approve the procurement. For example, the UI device 140 accepts input of information identifying the parts to be procured via an input device such as a mouse or keyboard.

[0049] The UI device 140 displays the procurement plan on a screen via a display device. The UI device 140 may be configured as an integrated unit with an input device, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the UI device 140 may be configured in a separate housing from the inventory management device 100. In this case, the UI device 140 may be realized by a separate terminal device, and input information and output information may be transferred via a network.

[0050] The NI device 150 is connected to an external device so as to be able to communicate with it via a communication path such as a network 50 that is a public network such as the Internet, a communication network that uses in part or in whole a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a mobile phone communication network, or a combination of these. The network 50 may be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or 5G (5G Generation).

[0051] [Explanation of Hardware Configuration] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an inventory management device. The inventory management device 100 can be realized as a general information processing device 900 or a network system including a plurality of such information processing devices 900, and includes a processor 901, a hardware memory 902 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage device 903 such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), a reading device 905 for reading information from a portable storage medium 904 such as a CD (Compact Disk) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an input device 906 such as a keyboard, mouse, barcode reader, or touch panel, an output device 907 such as a display, and a communication device 908 for communicating with other computers via a communication network such as a LAN or the Internet. The reading device 905 may be capable of not only reading from the portable storage medium 904 but also writing to it.

[0052] The processor 901 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processor 901 performs various processes by executing various predetermined programs loaded from the storage 903 to the memory 902. The programs are, for example, application programs that can be executed on an OS (Operating System) program. The programs may be installed in the storage 903 from a portable storage medium 904 via a reading device 905, or may be downloaded from a network via a communication device 908 and executed by the processor 901.

[0053] For example, the event reception unit 121, the preparation parts reception unit 122, the procurement location selection unit 123, the manufacturing entity selection unit 124, the manufacturing method selection unit 125, the maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection unit 126, the KPI weighting unit 127, the proposal unit 128, the parts ordering unit 129, and the maintenance personnel ordering unit 130 can be realized by loading a program stored in storage 903 into memory 902 and executing it on the processor 901.

[0054] The UI device 140 can be realized by the processor 901 using the input device 906, the output device 907, and the communication device 908. The storage unit 110 can be realized by the processor 901 using the memory 902 or the storage 903. The NI device 150 can be realized by the processor 901 using the communication device 908.

[0055] [Explanation of Operation] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of parts ordering processing. The parts ordering processing is started, for example, when the UI device 140 receives an event including an instruction to execute parts ordering processing from the user.

[0056] First, the event receiving unit 121 receives an event (step S001). Specifically, the event receiving unit 121 extracts an instruction to execute a parts ordering process from the event information.

[0057] Then, the KPI weighting unit 127 receives the KPIs to be evaluated and their weights (step S002). Specifically, the KPI weighting unit 127 receives one or more KPIs and their weights desired by the user as KPIs for evaluating the procurement plan. For example, the KPIs include environmental load, CO ２ These include emissions, cost, performance, quality, lead time, resilience, downtime, safety, etc. Furthermore, for example, a weight is a coefficient by which a KPI is multiplied.

[0058] Then, the preparation parts receiving unit 122 identifies necessary parts (step S003). Specifically, the preparation parts receiving unit 122 receives designation of parts to be procured from the event information. For example, when an event is issued from a ship in operation requesting the procurement of equipment such as an impeller (compressor part), a piston (engine part), or shielding gas, the preparation parts receiving unit 122 identifies these parts as necessary parts.

[0059] The procurement location selection unit 123 then extracts candidate procurement locations from the route (step S004). Specifically, the procurement location selection unit 123 identifies a procurement location based on the lead time until procurement, the locations to be visited in the movement plan, and the possibility of changes to the maintenance personnel deployment plan. For example, the procurement location selection unit 123 refers to the case information 117 to identify the average lead time for the required parts, and identifies ports of call after the lead time has elapsed as candidate procurement locations by referring to the operation plan information 115. The procurement location selection unit 123 then refers to the maintenance personnel schedule 116 to exclude from the candidate procurement locations any procurement locations where maintenance personnel cannot work.

[0060] Then, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 identifies a manufacturing method for the necessary parts near the procurement location based on the KPI, taking into account the case studies (step S005). For example, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 selects a manufacturing method that can be adopted for manufacturing the necessary parts for each candidate procurement location, taking into account the KPI and its weight. For example, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 refers to the manufacturing method information 114 to extract manufacturing methods that can manufacture the necessary parts, and then refers to the case study information 117 to determine that a proven manufacturing method is an adoptable manufacturing method.

[0061] Furthermore, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 refers to the manufacturing conditions 114e of the manufacturing method information 114 and excludes from selection manufacturing methods that are deemed impractical in a certain region (for example, not permitted within the EU). For example, in a region where manufacturing conditions are not met due to legal restrictions, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 excludes the manufacturing method from selection. Furthermore, when identifying a manufacturing method, the manufacturing method selection unit 125 identifies a manufacturing method according to the weighting of KPIs, such as prioritizing a manufacturing method with a short lead time even if it increases manufacturing costs if downtime would result in a significant loss.

[0062] Then, the manufacturer selection unit 124 selects a manufacturer that can implement the manufacturing method at the manufacturing location (step S006). Specifically, the manufacturer selection unit 124 refers to the manufacturer information 113 to identify a manufacturer that can manufacture the necessary parts near the procurement location (region 113b that includes the procurement location) and that includes the identified manufacturing method as included in the feasible manufacturing methods 113d. The manufacturer selection unit 124 may also refer to the case information 117 to select a manufacturer with a proven track record.

[0063] The maintenance worker dispatch timing selection unit 126 then selects the timing for dispatching a maintenance worker based on the lead time 114d of the manufacturing method information 114 and the maintenance worker schedule 116 (step S007). Specifically, the maintenance worker dispatch timing selection unit 126 identifies, using the maintenance worker allocation plan, the timing for dispatching a maintenance worker when a manufacturer uses the manufacturing method near the procurement location to procure the parts. In this case, the maintenance worker dispatch timing selection unit 126 selects maintenance workers by distinguishing between the period for manufacturing the parts and the period for assembling the parts into the mobile object.

[0064] Then, the KPI weighting unit 127 accepts a change in the weighting of the KPI (step S008). Specifically, the KPI weighting unit 127 calculates and presents the KPI accepted in step S002 in accordance with the combination of the necessary parts identified in step S003, the procurement location identified in step S004, the manufacturing method identified in step S005, the manufacturing entity identified in step S006, and the maintenance worker dispatch timing identified in step S007.

[0065] Furthermore, the KPI weighting unit 127 calculates and presents an evaluation index by weighting the multiple KPIs using the weights of the KPIs accepted in step S002. Furthermore, when the KPI weighting unit 127 accepts a change in the weighting of the multiple KPIs, it calculates and presents an evaluation index using the changed weighting.

[0066] The proposing unit 128 then presents a procurement plan including the procurement location, manufacturing entity, and manufacturing method that maximizes the overall KPI (step S009). Specifically, the proposing unit 128 outputs a procurement plan that includes at least the procurement location, manufacturing entity, timing for procuring parts, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan as a proposal based on the weighting of the KPIs. The proposing unit 128 also outputs a procurement plan that maximizes the multiple types of KPIs received (the evaluation index calculated in step S008).

[0067] Then, the parts ordering unit 129 orders the parts (step S010). Specifically, the parts ordering unit 129 orders the necessary parts according to one of the procurement plans (for example, a plan specified by the user). For example, the parts ordering unit 129 passes the drawing information 112, which is drawing data of the necessary parts, to the manufacturing entity during the ordering procedure.

[0068] Then, the maintenance personnel ordering unit 130 orders a maintenance personnel (step S011). Specifically, the maintenance personnel ordering unit 130 changes the maintenance personnel schedule 116 and adjusts so that a maintenance personnel is allocated to the procurement site. Then, the maintenance personnel ordering unit 130 orders the maintenance personnel to perform the work.

[0069] The above is an example of the processing flow of the parts ordering process. According to the processing flow of the parts ordering process, parts for a mobile object can be procured efficiently.

[0070] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a condition input screen. The condition input screen 700 is a screen displayed in the above-described parts ordering process. The condition input screen 700 is displayed on the UI device 140. The condition input screen 700 displays multiple input areas for accepting required parts for each ship and KPIs used in procurement evaluation. Specifically, the condition input screen 700 includes a ship identifier input field 710, a product name input field 711, a quantity input field 712, a KPI input field 713, and a procurement proposal submission instruction receiving field 714.

[0071] The vessel identifier input field 710 accepts input of an identifier that identifies the vessel for which an order is being placed. The item name input field 711 accepts input of the name of the part to be ordered. The quantity input field 712 accepts input of the quantity of the part to be ordered. The KPI input area 713 accepts input of KPIs and their weights to be used in procurement evaluation. The procurement proposal presentation instruction receiving area 714 starts the parts ordering process upon receiving an instruction.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a procurement proposal screen. The procurement proposal screen 800 is a screen displayed during the above-described parts ordering process. The procurement proposal screen 800 is displayed on the UI device 140. The procurement proposal screen 800 displays the required parts and procurement proposals for each ship. Specifically, the procurement proposal screen 800 includes a ship identifier display field 810, a product name display field 811, a quantity display field 812, a reference drawing display area 813, a procurement proposal display area 814, an area for receiving instructions to submit another procurement proposal 815, and an area for receiving instructions to adopt the procurement proposal 816.

[0073] The vessel identifier display field 810 displays an identifier that identifies the vessel placing the order. The item name display field 811 displays the name of the part being ordered. The quantity display field 812 outputs the quantity of the part being ordered. The reference drawing display area 813 displays the drawing number of the part being ordered, or the drawing identified by the drawing number. The procurement proposal display area 814 presents the procurement proposal constructed during the part ordering process. The alternative procurement proposal presentation instruction receiving area 815, upon receiving an instruction, transitions to a condition input screen and allows for changes to parameters, such as changes to KPI weighting, to present another procurement proposal. The procurement proposal adoption instruction receiving area 816 accepts an instruction to adopt the procurement proposal presented in the procurement proposal display area 814. Specifically, it accepts an instruction to order parts and maintenance personnel using the procurement proposal presented in the procurement proposal display area 814.

[0074] The above is an example of the digital inventory management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The digital inventory management system 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to efficiently procure parts for mobile objects.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to an embodiment including all of the described configurations. It is possible to replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with another configuration, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of an embodiment. It is also possible to delete part of the configuration of an embodiment.

[0076] For example, in the above embodiment, the inventory management device 100 estimates the procurement location, lead time, etc. by directly referencing the case information 117, but this is not limited to this, and the KPIs such as the procurement location and lead time may be estimated using a trained model that has undergone machine learning using the case information 117. In this way, as the case information 117 is accumulated and enriched, it becomes possible to improve the estimation accuracy.

[0077] Furthermore, even when there are multiple manufacturers, by using a trained model that has undergone machine learning using case information 117, it is possible to propose manufacturers with less variation in lead time.

[0078] Some or all of the above-described units, configurations, functions, processing units, etc. may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-described units, configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0079] It should be noted that the control lines and information lines in the above-described embodiments are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected. The present invention has been described above, focusing on the embodiments.

[0080] 1: Digital inventory management system, 50: Network, 100: Inventory management device, 110: Memory unit, 111: Bill of materials, 112: Drawing information, 113: Manufacturing entity information, 114: Manufacturing method information, 115: Operation plan information, 116: Maintenance staff schedule, 117: Case information, 120: Processing unit, 121: Event reception unit, 122: Preparation parts reception unit, 123: Procurement location selection unit, 124: Manufacturing entity selection unit, 125: Manufacturing method selection unit, 126: Maintenance staff dispatch timing selection unit, 127: KPI weighting unit, 128: Proposal unit, 129: Parts ordering unit, 130: Maintenance personnel ordering unit, 140: UI device, 150: NI device.

Claims

1. An inventory management device having one or more processors, comprising a memory unit that stores at least a parts list for parts of a mobile object, drawings of the parts, a movement plan for the mobile object, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan for the parts, wherein the processor executes the following: a prepared parts reception process that receives a plurality of KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) used to specify the parts and evaluate procurement proposals; a procurement location selection process that identifies a procurement location from which the parts will be procured in accordance with the movement plan; a manufacturing entity selection process that identifies a manufacturing entity that will manufacture the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a manufacturing method selection process that identifies a manufacturing method for the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection process that identifies a time when the manufacturing entity will procure the parts using the manufacturing method in the vicinity of the procurement location, using the maintenance personnel deployment plan; and a proposal process that outputs the procurement proposal, which includes at least the procurement location, the manufacturing entity, the time to procure the parts, and the maintenance personnel deployment plan, as a proposal in accordance with weighting of the KPIs.

2. An inventory management device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the proposal processing, a plurality of types of KPIs are accepted and the procurement plan that has the highest priority for the KPI is output as a proposal.

3. An inventory management device according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes a parts ordering process for delivering drawings of the parts to the manufacturing entity.

4. An inventory management device as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the procurement location selection process, the procurement location is identified based on the lead time until the procurement and the locations to be stopped at in the movement plan.

5. An inventory management device as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the procurement location selection process, the procurement location is identified based on the lead time until the procurement, the locations to be visited in the movement plan, and the possibility of changes to the maintenance personnel deployment plan.

6. An inventory management device as described in claim 1, wherein the mobile body is a ship, the procurement location is a specified port, and in the procurement location selection process, the procurement location is identified based on the lead time until procurement and the ports to be visited in the movement plan.

7. An inventory management device as described in claim 1, wherein the maintenance personnel deployment plan includes a deployment plan for maintenance personnel capable of manufacturing the parts to be procured and a deployment plan for maintenance personnel capable of installing the procured parts into the mobile body, and the maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection process identifies the time to procure the parts using the deployment plan for maintenance personnel capable of manufacturing the parts at the time the parts are procured and the deployment plan for maintenance personnel capable of installing the procured parts into the mobile body after the parts are procured, and changes the deployment plan for maintenance personnel.

8. An inventory management system using one or more computers, wherein the computer has a memory unit that stores at least a parts list for parts of a mobile object, drawings of the parts, a movement plan for the mobile object, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan for the parts, and the computer performs the following steps: a preparation parts receiving step that receives a plurality of KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) used to specify the parts and evaluate a procurement proposal; a procurement location selection step that identifies a procurement location from which the parts will be procured in accordance with the movement plan; a manufacturing entity selection step that identifies a manufacturing entity that will manufacture the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a manufacturing method selection step that identifies a method for manufacturing the parts in the vicinity of the procurement location; a maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection step that identifies a time when the manufacturing entity will procure the parts using the manufacturing method in the vicinity of the procurement location, using the maintenance personnel deployment plan; and a proposal step that outputs the procurement proposal, which includes at least the procurement location, the manufacturing entity, the time to procure the parts, and the maintenance personnel deployment plan, as a proposal in accordance with weighting of the KPIs.

9. An inventory management method using one or more computers, the computer having a memory unit for storing at least a parts list for parts of a mobile object, drawings of the parts, a movement plan for the mobile object, and a maintenance personnel deployment plan for the parts, the computer having: a preparation parts receiving step for receiving a plurality of KPIs (Key Performance Index) used to specify the parts and evaluate a procurement proposal; a procurement location selection step for identifying a procurement location from which the parts will be procured in accordance with the movement plan; a manufacturing entity selection step for identifying a manufacturing entity that will manufacture the parts near the procurement location; a manufacturing method selection step for identifying a manufacturing method for the parts near the procurement location; a maintenance personnel dispatch timing selection step for identifying a time when the manufacturing entity will procure the parts using the manufacturing method near the procurement location, using the maintenance personnel deployment plan; and a proposal step for outputting the procurement proposal including at least the procurement location, the manufacturing entity, the time to procure the parts, and the maintenance personnel deployment plan as a proposal in accordance with weighting of the KPIs. An inventory management method characterized by carrying out the steps.

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