Supply chain risk determination device, method, and program

Abstract

The present invention quickly calculates the impact on procurement risks that occur in a supply chain by utilizing transaction data when ordering parts, and assists with decision making regarding the ordering of parts and supplier selection.　The present invention comprises: a storage unit 1300 that stores, in advance, parts list information, a required quantity of parts, and a quantity of the parts in inventory; an incident information acquisition unit 1101 that acquires incident information; a parts list information acquisition unit 1103 that identifies, from the storage unit, parts list information indicating a parts list for a product related to a stockout part; a product shipping plan information acquisition unit 1112 that acquires, from the identified parts list information, shipping plan information which indicates a shipping plan for the product related to the stockout part and which includes a price and an estimated sales volume of the product; a degree of impact processing unit 1203 that calculates a degree of impact due to an incident indicated by the acquired incident information; and a communication unit 1400 that outputs the calculated degree of impact.

Description

Supply chain risk assessment device, method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for supporting procurement-related operations in companies and the like, and in particular to a technology for determining the impact of risks such as geopolitical risks and disaster risks anticipated on a supply chain.

[0002] Procurement in manufacturing is the process of securing and managing materials necessary for product manufacturing. This process begins with supplier selection and involves securing material supplies from appropriate suppliers. Buyers also work to build relationships with key suppliers to manage costs and supply stability. A company's production department then creates a specific production plan, and the procurement department formulates a delivery plan based on that plan to supply materials. The logistics department plays a role in efficiently managing the entire process, from receiving delivered materials to inventory management and delivery.

[0003] Supply chain risk management requires information sharing throughout the supply chain. By sharing information not only with Tier 1 suppliers but also with Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, countermeasures can be implemented to address supply delays, quality issues, and market fluctuations. Furthermore, management oversees procurement activities to ensure they are aligned with corporate strategy and sets policies for supply chain efficiency. Procurement operations thus rely on cooperation with various departments and suppliers both inside and outside the company, with each stakeholder working together to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the entire organization.

[0004] However, in reality, it is difficult to formulate risk countermeasures in the face of a lack of information regarding the possibility of geopolitical risks or disaster risks occurring in the supply chain. For this reason, securing safety stock based on the delivery date of parts has become a common response.

[0005] However, it is difficult to secure an appropriate safety stock. For example, overestimating risk can result in excess inventory. Conversely, underestimating risk can result in stockouts. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a method for appropriately assessing supply chain risks. In Patent Document 1, a server 2 serving as a supply chain risk information generation device calculates the degree of overlap for each of multiple suppliers included in a supply chain, and generates the calculated degree of overlap as supply chain risk information.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-149126

[0007] Here, the supply chain risk information in Patent Document 1 requires the retention of network information up to Tier N of the supply chain. For this reason, in manufacturing industries with long supply chains, accurately identifying suppliers throughout the supply chain is costly, and the effectiveness of risk assessment is limited.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to perform more accurate supply chain risk assessment than ever before and to implement more appropriate risk reduction measures.

[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention calculates an impact index for parts that are distributed in a supply chain and that indicate business opportunity losses based on the stockouts, prices, and expected sales volumes of parts that make up a product, and determines supply chain risks based on the impact index. Note that parts include raw materials, assemblies, units, and modules. Furthermore, products also include assemblies, units, modules, and parts (parent parts).

[0010] A more specific aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores in advance bill of materials information, required quantities of parts, and inventory quantities of the parts; an incident information acquisition unit that acquires incident information; a bill of materials information acquisition unit that identifies from the storage unit bill of materials information indicating bill of materials for products related to missing parts that may become out of stock due to the incident indicated by the incident information; a product shipment plan information acquisition unit that acquires, from the identified bill of materials information, shipment plan information indicating a shipment plan for products related to the missing parts and including prices and expected sales volumes of the products; and a calculation unit that calculates the degree of impact of the incident indicated by the acquired incident information. The supply chain risk assessment device has an impact processing unit and an output unit that outputs the calculated impact, wherein the impact processing unit estimates a delivery delay for a missing part that may be out of stock due to an incident indicated by the acquired incident information, calculates the number of days that the missing part will be out of stock using the estimated delivery delay, the required quantity, and the inventory quantity, calculates a sales opportunity loss for a product related to the missing part using the calculated number of days that the missing part will be out of stock, the price, and the expected sales volume, and calculates the impact by allocating the calculated sales opportunity loss to each target that is a part that makes up a product related to the missing part.

[0011] The present invention also includes a supply chain risk assessment method executed by the supply chain risk assessment device, a program for causing a computer to function as the supply chain risk assessment device, and a storage medium for storing this program.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform highly accurate risk assessment of a supply chain and implement more appropriate risk reduction measures.

[0013] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a supply chain risk assessment system including a supply chain risk assessment device 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an external information storage device 3000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the external information storage device 3000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a supply chain risk assessment determination process flow (S6005) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow for selecting an alternative supplier using the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow for ordering operations using the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow for evaluating the scope of impact of S7004 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an order information table 1305 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a supplier information table 1304 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a supplier attribute information table 1302 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a risk information table 12000 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a risk search key table 1301 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a risk search result table 1307 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a parts inventory information table 1309 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a parts bill of materials table 1303 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an incident information table 1308 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an incident group master table 1313 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an incident subgroup master table 1314 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a delivery plan information table 1306 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a product shipping plan information table 1310 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a product sales information table 1311 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an impact table 1312 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a display screen for displaying impact (risk Ri) in one embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a delivery record information table 1315 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Prior to the detailed description, however, a procurement operation using a supply chain risk assessment device according to this embodiment and the terminology used therein will be described.

[0015] This embodiment relates mainly to procurement operations in organizations such as companies. For example, procurement operations in the manufacturing industry are the process of securing and managing materials necessary for product manufacturing. This process begins with supplier selection and involves securing the supply of materials from appropriate suppliers. Buyers strive to build relationships with suppliers important to the company and manage costs and supply stability.

[0016] The buyer's production department then makes a specific production plan, and the procurement department then formulates a delivery plan based on that plan and supplies the materials. The logistics department plays a role in efficiently advancing the entire process, from receiving the delivered materials to inventory management and delivery. Here, risk management requires information sharing across the entire supply chain. For this reason, measures to deal with supply delays, quality issues, and market fluctuations are taken by sharing information not only with Tier 1 suppliers but also with Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers.

[0017] The buyer's management also oversees procurement activities to ensure they are aligned with the company's strategy and sets policies for supply chain efficiency. Thus, procurement operations rely on cooperation with various departments and suppliers both inside and outside the company, and each stakeholder works together to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the entire organization.

[0018] Therefore, this embodiment focuses on supply chain risk management, aiming to implement risk mitigation measures periodically every few months, six months, or even years. However, in reality, it is difficult to develop risk countermeasures in the face of a lack of information regarding the possibility of geopolitical risks, disaster risks, and other issues occurring in the supply chain. For this reason, securing safety stock based on the delivery date of parts is a common countermeasure.

[0019] Furthermore, in the recent shortage of semiconductors and other difficult-to-procure parts, forecasts of future orders alone are insufficient, and there are situations where suppliers cannot provide delivery date information without actually placing an order. This uncertainty carries the risk of production or product shipments being halted due to a lack of delivery date information. To avoid this, advance orders may be necessary, but this can lead to a decline in liquidity and a negative impact on business soundness.

[0020] Therefore, in supply chain risk management, it is necessary to incorporate risk management into daily (e.g., daily) plans so that risks that are difficult to predict can be dealt with immediately. Therefore, in this embodiment, such risk management is implemented. This makes it possible to minimize the impact of an incident when it occurs. Details of this will be explained below using the drawings.

[0021] First, Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a supply chain risk assessment system including a supply chain risk assessment device 1000 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the supply chain risk assessment system includes a supply chain risk assessment device 1000 connected to an external information storage device 3000, a buyer terminal 1700, and a supplier terminal 1800 via a communication network 1500. Note that there may be multiple buyer terminals 1700 and multiple supplier terminals 1800.

[0022] First, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 is composed of a control unit 1100, a processing unit 1200, a storage unit 1300, and a communication unit 1400. The communication unit 1400 of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 is connected to other devices (external systems) such as an external information storage device 3000 via a communication network 1500.

[0023] First, the control unit 1100 uses the communication unit 1400 to communicate with an external system via the communication network 1500, and acquires and transmits data required by the processing unit 1200. To this end, the control unit 1100 is configured with an incident information acquisition unit 1101, a supplier information acquisition unit 1102, a parts bill information acquisition unit 1103, a risk information acquisition unit 1105, a risk search key transmission / reception unit 1106, an order information acquisition unit 1107, a production base information acquisition unit 1108, a delivery plan information acquisition unit 1109, an output unit 1110, a product sales information acquisition unit 1111, a product shipping plan information acquisition unit 1112, a parts inventory acquisition unit 1113, an impact display parameter setting unit 1114, and a risk information output unit 1115. Each of these components will be described below.

[0024] First, the incident information acquisition unit 1101 acquires incident information that satisfies a predetermined condition from the incident information table 1308. For example, incident information that satisfies a condition (including specification of incident information) specified by the buyer terminal 1700 or incident information that occurred within a predetermined period is acquired.

[0025] Furthermore, the supplier information acquisition unit 1102 acquires supplier information from an external system (not shown) and stores it in a supplier information table 1304 in the storage unit 1300. The external system may be a computer system used by an institution that provides supplier information on business partners such as suppliers.

[0026] The parts table information acquisition unit 1103 also identifies predetermined parts table information from the parts table 1303. For example, the parts table information acquisition unit 1103 identifies the parts table information of a product related to a missing part that may be missing due to an incident. The parts table information acquisition unit 1103 may also acquire the parts table information of the parts table 1303 from the buyer terminal 1700 via the communication network 1500.

[0027] Furthermore, the risk information acquisition unit 1105 acquires risk information from the external information storage device 3000 via the risk information table 12000. The risk information table 12000 may be stored in the storage unit 1300. Furthermore, the risk search key transmission / reception unit 1106 transmits a search key for the risk information acquisition unit 1105 to acquire risk information. For example, the risk search key transmission / reception unit 1106 transmits a search key received by the buyer terminal 1700 to the external information storage device 3000. Furthermore, the risk search key transmission / reception unit 1106 may transmit the search key to the storage unit 1300. As a result, the risk information acquisition unit 1105 acquires risk information according to the search key.

[0028] Furthermore, the order information acquisition unit 1107 acquires order information. For example, the order information acquisition unit 1107 acquires order information transmitted from the buyer terminal 1700 via the communication unit 1400. At this time, the order information can be acquired via a web browser or the like. Then, the order information acquisition unit 1107 stores the acquired order information in the order information table 1305. Furthermore, the order information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire the order information from the order information table 1305.

[0029] Furthermore, the production base information acquisition unit 1108 acquires supplier attribute information transmitted from the buyer terminal 1700 or the supplier terminal 1800 via the communication unit 1400. For example, the production base information acquisition unit 1108 acquires the supplier attribute information via a web browser or the like. Then, the production base information acquisition unit 1108 stores the acquired supplier attribute information in the supplier attribute information table 1302. Furthermore, the production base information acquisition unit 1108 may acquire the supplier attribute information from the supplier attribute information table 1302.

[0030] Furthermore, the delivery plan information acquisition unit 1109 acquires delivery plan information transmitted from the buyer terminal 1700. For example, the delivery plan information acquisition unit 1109 acquires the delivery plan information via a web browser or the like. The delivery plan information is created in response to input by the buyer to the buyer terminal 1700. In this case, it is desirable that the delivery plan information be created based on a production plan created by the company's production department.

[0031] The output unit 1110 also outputs information created by the supply chain risk assessment device 1000. For example, this information includes image information including the impact calculated by the impact processing unit 1203 (described below). In this case, the image information is transmitted to the buyer terminal 1700 via the communication unit 1400. As a result, the buyer terminal 1700 displays the image information. In this manner, the output unit 1110 may function as an image information creation unit that creates image information, or may communicate the image information created by the impact processing unit 1203. In the latter case, the output unit 1110 performs the same function as the communication unit 1400, so the communication unit 1400 can be omitted. An example of a display on the buyer terminal 1700 will be described later with reference to FIG. 24. When the buyer terminal 1700 displays image information, the image information can be displayed using the browser function of the buyer terminal 1700.

[0032] The product sales information acquisition unit 1111 also acquires product sales information based on the BOM information acquired by the BOM information acquisition unit 1103. For example, the product sales information acquisition unit 1111 acquires, as product sales information, information related to the sales of the product associated with the BOM indicated by the acquired BOM information. The product sales information acquisition unit 1111 then stores the acquired product sales information in a product sales information table 1311.

[0033] Furthermore, the product shipping plan information acquisition unit 1112 acquires product shipping plan information related to a product shipping plan based on the BOM information acquired by the BOM information acquisition unit 1103. For example, the product shipping plan information acquisition unit 1112 acquires product shipping plan information of a product related to the BOM indicated by the acquired BOM information. Then, the product shipping plan information acquisition unit 1112 stores the acquired product shipping plan information in the product shipping plan information table 1310.

[0034] Furthermore, the parts inventory acquisition unit 1113 acquires parts inventory information from the parts inventory information table 1309. Furthermore, the impact display parameter setting unit 1114 acquires parameters related to the impact calculated by the impact processing unit 1203. These parameters include parameters for changing the display axis based on the part risk, global risk, etc. in the image information including the impact. Furthermore, the parameters are input to the buyer terminal 1700 by the browser function. Then, the parameters are acquired from the buyer terminal 1700 via the communication unit 1400.

[0035] Furthermore, the risk information output unit 1115 transmits the risk search results stored in the risk search result table 1307 to the buyer terminal 1700 via the communication unit 1400. As a result, the buyer terminal 1700 displays the risk information search results. In this way, since the risk information output unit 1115 can transmit the risk information search results, the communication unit 1400 may be omitted. Note that when the buyer terminal 1700 displays the risk information search results, it can do so using the browser function of the buyer terminal 1700. This concludes the explanation of the control unit 1100, and next we will explain the processing unit 1200. Note that in this embodiment, the control unit 1100 and the processing unit 1200 are configured as separate units, but they may also be configured as a single component.

[0036] The processing unit 1200 processes data acquired from external systems such as the external information storage device 3000, the buyer terminal 1700, and the supplier terminal 1800, and executes various processes. This processing includes calculation of the impact of risks and optimization processing for reviewing plans. For this reason, the processing unit 1200 is composed of a risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201, a risk search key processing unit 1202, an impact processing unit 1203, a supplier selection processing unit 1204, an alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205, and an optimization processing unit 1206.

[0037] First, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 sorts the risk information search results acquired by the risk information acquisition unit 1105 in descending order of impact (Impact 13005) and probability of occurrence (Probability of Occurrence).The risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 then identifies the sorted results as the risk search results.

[0038] Furthermore, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 stores the risk search results in a risk search result table 1307. Furthermore, it is desirable that the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 transmits the risk search results to the output unit 1110.

[0039] The risk search key processing unit 1202 also acquires a risk information search key from an external system using the risk search key sending / receiving unit 1106. The risk search key processing unit 1202 then stores the risk information search key in a risk search key table 1301. The risk search key processing unit 1202 also generates, from the risk search key, transmission data to be sent to the external information storage device 3000.

[0040] The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the impact level for evaluating the supply chain risk of purchased parts. In particular, the impact processing unit 1203 calculates the impact level of the incident indicated by the incident information. To this end, the impact processing unit 1203 estimates the delivery delay of missing parts that may be out of stock among parts related to the target product based on the incident indicated by the acquired incident information. The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the number of days of shortage of the missing parts using the estimated delivery delay, the required quantity of the parts, and their inventory. The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the sales opportunity loss of the product related to the missing parts using the calculated number of days of shortage, the product price, and the expected sales volume of the product. The impact processing unit 1203 then calculates the impact level by allocating the calculated sales opportunity loss to each target, which is the missing part or a part that constitutes a product related to the missing part. Note that the sales opportunity loss may also be used as the impact level.

[0041] Furthermore, the impact processing unit 1203 may calculate the impact as follows: First, the impact processing unit 1203 obtains the risk search results from the risk search result table 1307. The impact processing unit 1203 also obtains order information from the order information table 1305. The impact processing unit 1203 also extracts suppliers and supplier factories related to the risk search results, as well as part information related to these, from the supplier information table 1304 and the supplier attribute information table 1302. Furthermore, the impact processing unit 1203 estimates, from the incident information table 1308, how much delivery delay occurred when a risk occurred based on a past incident. The impact processing unit 1203 calculates the number of days for which the part will be out of stock, based on the required quantity listed in the bill of materials in the bill of materials table 1303 and the inventory quantity of the part stored in the parts inventory information table 1309.

[0042] The impact processing unit 1203 also identifies products related to the part from product information in the bill of materials information (so-called BOM) stored in the bill of materials table 1303. The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the number of days during which shipment is unavailable for the product related to the part from the product shipping plan information stored in the product shipping plan information table 1310. The impact processing unit 1203 then calculates the sales opportunity loss from the product shipping volume and product price stored in the product sales information table 1311.

[0043] The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the impact of the calculated business opportunity loss, allocating it to each target, which is a part (particularly, a missing part) or a part that constitutes a product related to the part (particularly, the missing part).The impact processing unit 1203 then stores the impact in the impact table 1312.The impact processing unit 1203 performs a transmission process using the output unit 1110 for the calculated impact and business opportunity loss.

[0044] Furthermore, the impact processing unit 1203 may further use at least one of the dependency state and procurement risk of child parts that make up the ordered part (parent part) to calculate the impact and business opportunity loss.

[0045] The supplier selection processing unit 1204 also selects a supplier of the parts to be ordered. To this end, the supplier selection processing unit 1204 selects suppliers that can produce equivalent parts from the part information stored in the parts table 1303, the supplier information table 1304, and / or the supplier attribute information table 1302.

[0046] The alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 also uses the calculated impact to evaluate the substitutability of the part. This substitutability is evaluated using an index corresponding to the number of parts supply destinations (suppliers). For example, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 uses supplier attribute information to extract parts that are purchased from a single company based on the impact in the impact table 1312. In this case, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 may also use image information ( FIG. 24 ) including the impact to extract parts that are purchased from a single company for the part specified on the buyer terminal 1700.

[0047] Furthermore, the optimization processing unit 1206 performs optimization processing for calculating the impact of risks and reviewing plans based on the risk information. For this purpose, for example, when a risk is identified, the optimization processing unit 1206 reviews and optimizes at least one of the order plan, production plan, logistics plan, shipping plan, and inventory plan in order to address the risk. This makes it possible to address and minimize the possibility of risk occurrence in advance. This concludes the explanation of the processing unit 1200, and next we will explain the accumulation unit 1300.

[0048] The accumulation unit 1300 accumulates and stores various types of information (tables). To this end, the accumulation unit 1300 stores a risk search key table 1301, a supplier attribute information table 1302, a parts bill table 1303, a supplier information table 1304, an order information table 1305, a delivery plan information table 1306, a risk search result table 1307, an incident information table 1308, a parts inventory information table 1309, a product shipping plan information table 1310, a product sales information table 1311, an impact table 1312, an incident group master table 1313, an incident subgroup master table 1314, and a delivery record information table 1315. That is, the accumulation unit 1300 stores each type of information, including risk information search keys, supplier attribute information, parts bill information, supplier information, order information, delivery plan information, risk information search results, parts inventory information, shipping plan information, product sales information, impact, master information for incident information, master information for detailed incident information, and delivery record information. These tables and information will be explained below.

[0049] First, the risk search key table 1301 is shown in Fig. 13. The risk search key table 1301 stores parameters (risk information search keys) for searching risk information accumulated in the external information storage device 3000. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. 13, the risk search key table 1301 has fields for a search ID 13001, an incident subgroup ID 13002, a country of occurrence 13003, a location of occurrence 13004, an impact 13005, and a probability of occurrence 13006.

[0050] An identifier for managing search parameters is stored in the search ID 13001. The incident subgroup ID 13002 stores the incident subgroup ID 19001 of the incident subgroup master table 1314 shown in FIG.

[0051] The country of occurrence 13003 stores information identifying the country in which the incident occurred. The location of occurrence 13004 stores information identifying the area in which the incident occurred, such as a state or prefecture, which is smaller than a country. The country of occurrence 13003 and location of occurrence 13004 may be used as a single field to manage the location where the incident occurred.

[0052] Furthermore, impact 13005 stores information regarding the strength of the impact when an incident occurs. In the example of Fig. 13, the strength is shown in stages of high, medium, and low, but it may also be shown as a numerical value. Furthermore, occurrence probability 13006 stores the probability of an incident occurring as a percentage. Note that occurrence probability 13006 is not limited to a percentage, and may be in other formats such as a fraction.

[0053] 11 shows a supplier attribute information table 1302. The supplier attribute information table 1302 stores supplier attribute information. As shown in FIG. 11, the supplier attribute information table 1302 has the following fields: supplier ID 11001, supplier sub ID 11002, location 11003, parts / materials 11004, production capacity 11005, quality assurance standards 11006, and risk management measures 11007.

[0054] First, the supplier ID 11001 stores an identifier for identifying the supplier that supplies the part. The supplier sub-ID 11002 stores an identifier for identifying the factory or the like owned by the supplier. The supplier ID 11001 and the supplier sub-ID 11002 may be treated as a single field.

[0055] Furthermore, location 11003 stores information indicating the base of the supplier identified by supplier sub-ID 11002. Furthermore, parts / materials 11004 stores information regarding the type of parts and materials for the relevant parts. Furthermore, production capacity 11005 is information regarding the supplier's production capacity, and stores information that can be used to determine the production capacity. Furthermore, quality assurance standards 11006 stores information such as the quality standards (ISO 9001 or JIS) that the supplier's factory indicated by location 11003 complies with in its production activities. Furthermore, risk management measures 11007 stores information regarding the extent to which measures related to supply chain risks are being implemented.

[0056] Next, FIG. 16 shows the BOM table 1303. The BOM table 1303 stores BOM information, which has fields for product ID 16001, part number ID 16002, and quantity 16003. The product ID 16001 stores an identifier for identifying a product. The part number ID 16002 stores the part numbers of the parts that constitute the product defined by the product ID 16001. The quantity 16003 stores the quantity of the part with the part number defined by the part number ID 16002 required to produce one product to which the part with the part number ID belongs. In this way, the BOM information indicates the hierarchical relationship between the product (product ID 16001) and the parts (part number ID 16002) that constitute it, in other words, the dependency relationship. Furthermore, the BOM information may indicate multiple hierarchies for parts. In other words, if a product is composed of a set of parent parts that are made up of multiple child parts, the dependency relationships between the product, parent parts, and child parts may be indicated. Furthermore, parts may have not only a two-level hierarchy (parent parts, child parts), but also three or more levels, such as grandchild parts.

[0057] Next, the supplier information table 1304 is shown in Fig. 10. The supplier information table 1304 stores supplier information for managing suppliers. As shown in Fig. 10, the supplier information table 1304 has fields for a supplier ID 10001, a supplier name 10002, and contact information 10003.

[0058] First, the supplier ID 10001 stores an identifier for identifying the supplier. The supplier name 10002 stores the name of the supplier. Furthermore, the contact information 10003 stores the contact information of the supplier.

[0059] Next, the order information table 1305 is shown in FIG. 9. The order information table 1305 stores order information for managing part orders. For this reason, the order information table 1305 has fields for an order ID 9001, an ordered item 9002, a supplier ID 9003, a quantity 9004, and a due date 9005. First, the order ID 9001 stores an identifier for identifying the ordered item. The ordered item 9002 stores the name of the ordered item. Note that parts can be used as ordered items.

[0060] The supplier ID 9003 stores an identifier for identifying the supplier to which the order is placed. The order quantity 9004 stores the order quantity of the ordered item. The delivery date 9005 stores the delivery date for the ordered item and its order quantity, as responded by the supplier specified by the supplier ID 9003.

[0061] 20 shows the delivery plan information table 1306. The delivery plan information table 1306 stores delivery plan information for managing delivery plans for various parts formulated based on the production plans of the production department. For this reason, the delivery plan information table 1306 has fields for a delivery plan ID 20001, a part number ID 20002, a scheduled delivery date 20004, a required delivery quantity 20005, an order status 20006, and a last update date 20007.

[0062] First, the delivery plan ID 20001 stores an identifier for identifying a delivery plan. Furthermore, the part number ID 20002 stores an identifier for a part with a delivery plan. Furthermore, the planned delivery date 20004 stores the planned delivery date of the part that is scheduled to be delivered. Furthermore, the requested delivery quantity 20005 stores the quantity of the part to be delivered on the planned delivery date. The order status 20006 stores the order status, such as confirmed order, predicted order, or not yet ordered, in the delivery plan information including the forecast created based on the plan. Furthermore, the last update date 20007 stores the date and time when the planned delivery date 20004, requested delivery quantity 20005, and order status 20006 were last updated.

[0063] 14 shows the risk search result table 1307. The risk search result table 1307 stores the risk information search results acquired from the external information storage device 3000. The risk search result table 1307 stores a risk factor 14001, a risk subgroup ID 14002, a description 14003, a country of occurrence 14004, an impact 14005, a probability of occurrence 14006, a last update date 14007, and an information source 14008.

[0064] First, an identifier for identifying a risk factor is stored as the risk factor 14001. Furthermore, an identifier defined in the incident subgroup ID 19001 of the incident subgroup master table 1314 of FIG.

[0065] The description 14003 stores explanatory information about the risk factor. The country of occurrence 14004 stores information for identifying the country in which the incident may occur. Note that the same place of occurrence as the place of occurrence 13004 may be set.

[0066] Furthermore, impact 14005 stores the magnitude of the impact when an incident occurs. In the example of FIG. 14 , the strength is shown in stages of high, medium, and low, but it may also be shown numerically. Furthermore, occurrence probability 14006 stores the probability of an incident occurring as a percentage. Note that occurrence probability 14006 is not limited to a percentage and may be in other formats such as a fraction. Last update date 14007 stores the date of last update of information related to risk factors. Furthermore, information source 14008 stores the origin of information related to risk factors.

[0067] 17 shows the incident information table 1308. The incident information table 1308 stores information about incidents that have occurred at buyers or suppliers. For this reason, the incident information table 1308 has the following fields: incident ID 17001, incident name 17002, occurrence time 17003, incident group ID 17004, impact 17005, probability of occurrence 17006, description 17007, and area of ​​occurrence 17008.

[0068] First, the incident ID 17001 stores an identifier for identifying the incident that has occurred. The incident name 17002 stores a description of the incident. The occurrence time 17003 stores the date on which the incident occurred. The incident group ID 17004 stores the corresponding incident from the incident group ID 18001 in the incident subgroup master table 1314.

[0069] Furthermore, impact 17005 stores the magnitude of the impact on the region. In the example of FIG. 17 , the strength is shown in stages of high, medium, and low, but it may also be shown numerically. Furthermore, occurrence probability 17006 stores the frequency with which the incident has occurred in the past as a percentage. The occurrence probability 17006 is not limited to a percentage, and may be in other formats such as a fraction.

[0070] Furthermore, the description information 17007 stores the details of the incident that occurred. Here, the description information 17007 is a more detailed description than the incident name 17002. Furthermore, either the description information 17007 or the incident name 17002 can be omitted. Furthermore, the occurrence region 17008 stores the location where the incident occurred. Note that the occurrence region 17008 may be a state or prefecture, or may be the country of occurrence. Furthermore, a combination of these may be used as the occurrence region 17008.

[0071] 15 shows the parts inventory information table 1309. The parts inventory information table 1309 stores inventory information indicating the inventory status of parts. Therefore, the parts inventory information table 1309 has the following fields: part number ID 15001, part name 15002, specs / model number 15003, inventory 15004, unit of measure 15005, cost 15006, lead time 15007, and production site ID 15008.

[0072] First, the part number ID 15001 stores an identifier for identifying the part. The part name 15002 stores the name of the part. The specification / model number 15003 stores information related to the part specifications. The inventory quantity 15004 stores the current inventory quantity of the part. The unit 15005 stores information on the unit for managing parts as inventory quantity or order quantity.

[0073] The cost per unit of part is stored in the cost 15006. The lead time 15007 stores the lead time in days from ordering to delivery of the part. The production location ID 15008 stores information for identifying the production location of the part.

[0074] 21 shows the product shipping plan information table 1310. The product shipping plan information table 1310 stores shipping plan information for managing product shipping plans. Therefore, the product shipping plan information table 1310 has fields for a product ID 21001, a product name 21002, a scheduled shipping date 21003, a quantity to ship 21004, shipping destination information 21005, and a shipping status 21006.

[0075] First, product ID 21001 stores an identifier for identifying a product. Product name 21002 stores the product name. Planned product shipping date 21003 stores the planned shipping date of the product. Shipping quantity 21004 stores the shipping quantity of the product on the planned shipping date. Shipping destination information 21005 stores information on the shipping destination to which the target product will be delivered. Shipping status 21006 stores the status of product shipping (shipping status). The shipping status can be indicated, for example, as not yet shipped or shipped.

[0076] 22 shows the product sales information table 1311. The product sales information table 1311 stores product sales plan information. To this end, the product sales information table 1311 stores a product ID 22001, a product name 22002, a scheduled sales date 22003, a scheduled sales quantity 22004, a sales destination 22005, and a sales price 22006.

[0077] First, product ID 22001 stores an identifier for identifying the product. Product name 22002 stores the name of the product. Planned sales date 22003 stores the planned sales date of the product in year, month, and day format. Planned sales quantity 22004 stores the quantity of the product to be sold at sales base 22005. Sales base 22005 stores information about the sales base selling the product. Furthermore, sales price 22006 stores the sales price of the product.

[0078] 23 shows the impact table 1312. The impact table 1312 stores the impact calculated by the impact processing unit 1203. For this reason, the impact table 1312 has fields for a part number ID 23001 and an impact level 23002. First, the part number ID 23001 stores an identifier for identifying a part that constitutes a product.

[0079] The impact level 23002 stores the impact calculated in the flow of FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, a missing part is used as the part indicated by the part number ID 23001, but the present invention is not limited to this. In FIG. 23 , a numerical value is stored as the impact level 23002, but information indicating a degree such as high, medium, or low may also be used. Furthermore, the impact level 23002 may store the impact level of each product related to the part. In this case, the impact level of the product may be stored instead of the impact level of each part, particularly the missing part, or the product impact level may be stored in addition to the impact level of each part. The product impact level may be a representative value such as the sum or average value of the impact levels of the related parts. The product impact level can also be calculated by the impact processing unit 1203.

[0080] 18 shows the incident group master table 1313. The incident group master table 1313 stores master information for incident information. For this reason, the incident group master table 1313 has fields for an incident group ID 18001 (Incident Grp ID) and incident group information 18002 (Incident Group).

[0081] First, the incident group ID 18001 stores an identifier for identifying an incident group. Furthermore, the incident group information 18002 stores incident category information. By using this, incident information indicating the incident that has occurred can be identified.

[0082] 19 shows the incident subgroup master table 1314. The incident subgroup master table 1314 stores master information of detailed information about incidents. Therefore, the incident subgroup master table 1314 has fields for an incident subgroup ID (Incident Sub Grp ID) 19001, an incident group ID (Incident Grp ID) 19002, and incident subgroup information (Incident Sub Group) 19003.

[0083] First, the incident subgroup ID 19001 is a detailed classification of incidents and stores an identifier for identifying the detailed category. The incident group ID 19002 stores the corresponding identifier from the incident group ID 18001. Furthermore, the incident subgroup information 19003 stores detailed information about the incident.

[0084] 25 shows the delivery record information table 1315. The delivery record information table 1315 stores delivery record information indicating the delivery record of parts. To this end, the delivery record information table 1315 has fields for an order ID 25001, a part number ID 25002, a delivery date 25003, a delivery quantity 25004, a delivery status 25005, and a delivery site 25006.

[0085] First, the order ID 25001 stores an identifier for identifying the order information. Furthermore, the part number ID 25002 stores an identifier for identifying the ordered part. Furthermore, the delivery date 25003 stores the date when the ordered part was delivered. Furthermore, the delivery quantity 25004 stores the quantity of the delivered part. Furthermore, the delivery status 25005 stores the delivery status of the part. For example, the delivery status may store whether the delivery was completed or delayed. Furthermore, the delivery location 25006 stores the location (area, factory, etc.) where the ordered part was delivered. This concludes the explanation of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 in FIG. 1. Next, an implementation example of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0086] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000. In FIG. 2, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 includes an input device 2001, an output device 2002, a secondary storage device 2003, a communication device 2005, a computing device 2006, and a main storage device 2007, all of which are connected via a communication path such as a bus 2004. In this manner, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 includes the following components: The input device 2001 accepts input information from a user. However, in this embodiment, the input information is accepted from the user via the buyer terminal 1700 or the supplier terminal 1800, so the input device 2001 can be omitted. Alternatively, the input device 2001 can be implemented as part of the configuration of the buyer terminal 1700 or the supplier terminal 1800. If the input device 2001 is provided, it can be implemented as an interface such as a keyboard or mouse for operating and maintaining the supply chain risk assessment device 1000.

[0087] Furthermore, the output device 2002 presents, i.e., outputs, the calculation results to the user. However, in this embodiment, the buyer terminal 1700 and the supplier terminal 1800 output the calculation results, so the output device 2002 can be omitted. Alternatively, the output device 2002 can be realized as a configuration of the buyer terminal 1700 and the supplier terminal 1800. Note that, when the output device 2002 is provided, it can be realized by a device such as a monitor that displays the results processed via the input device 2001 on a screen.

[0088] The secondary storage device 2003 also stores data such as the various tables and information described above. Therefore, the secondary storage device 2003 is a device for holding data other than the main memory of the computer system constituting the supply chain risk assessment device 1000. The secondary storage device 2003 enables persistent storage of data and can read and write data as needed. Therefore, the secondary storage device 2003 can be realized by a device such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive). The secondary storage device 2003 corresponds to the accumulation unit 1300 in FIG. 1 . The main storage device 2007 may be realized by a device separate from the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 or by an independent storage medium that can be connected to it.

[0089] The main memory device 2007 temporarily stores data and programs for arithmetic processing. The main memory device 2007 is a device that is directly accessed by the supply chain risk assessment device 1000, which is a computer system, and temporarily stores data and programs used to execute processes. For this reason, the main memory device 2007 can be realized by RAM (random access memory) or the like.

[0090] Furthermore, when each unit constituting the processing unit 1200 is executed, a program for realizing the function of each unit is loaded onto the main memory device 2007. As a result, the arithmetic unit 2006 can read at least a portion of the data stored in the storage unit 1300, i.e., the secondary storage device 2003, and process the program. As described above, the secondary storage device 2003 and the main memory device 2007 correspond to the storage unit 1300 in FIG. 1.

[0091] Furthermore, as described above, the arithmetic unit 2006 processes data in accordance with the program loaded in the main memory device 2007. More specifically, the main memory device 2007 executes the functions of each unit of the processing unit 1200 and transmits and receives various data executed by the control unit 1100. Thus, the arithmetic unit 2006 corresponds to the control unit 1100 and processing unit 1200 in FIG. 1 . As described above, the arithmetic unit 2006 is a device that performs arithmetic processing for the supply chain risk assessment device 1000, which is a computer system, and can be realized by a CPU (computer processing unit) or the like. Furthermore, the communication device 2005 is connected to the communication network 1500 and performs data communication with an external system, which is an external device. More specifically, the communication device 2005 transmits and receives data to and from the external information storage device 3000, the buyer terminal 1700, and the supplier terminal 1800 via the communication network 1500. Therefore, the communication device 2005 transmits and receives data using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). The communication device 2005 corresponds to the communication unit 1400 in Fig. 1. The above program can be stored in a storage medium and can be distributed to the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 via the communication network 1500. This concludes the explanation of Fig. 2. Next, the external information storage device 3000 shown in Fig. 1 will be explained.

[0092] 3 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the external information storage device 3000 in this embodiment. The external information storage device 3000 is connected to the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 via the communication network 1500 and stores data such as risk information. For this reason, the external information storage device 3000 can be realized by a file server or the like. Note that the data in the external information storage device 3000 may also be stored in the secondary storage device 2003 (storage unit 1300) of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000.

[0093] The external information storage device 3000 is composed of a risk information accumulation unit 3001, a risk information search processing unit 3002, and a risk information transmission / reception unit 3003. First, the risk information accumulation unit 3001 stores a risk information table 12000 that shows risk information for various regions. The risk information table 12000 is shown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, the risk information table 12000 has the following fields: risk factor 12001, incident subgroup ID 12002, description 12003, country of occurrence 12004, impact 12005, probability of occurrence 12006, last update date 12007, and information source 12008.

[0094] First, an identifier for identifying a risk factor is stored as the risk factor 12001. Furthermore, an identifier defined in the incident subgroup ID 19001 of the incident subgroup master table 1314 is stored as the risk subgroup ID 12002.

[0095] Furthermore, description 12003 stores explanatory information regarding the risk factor. Furthermore, country of occurrence 12004 stores information for identifying the country in which the incident may occur. The region of occurrence may also be used. Furthermore, impact 12005 stores the magnitude of the impact when an incident occurs. Furthermore, probability of occurrence 12006 stores the probability of the incident occurring as a percentage. Furthermore, last update date 12007 stores the date of the last update of the information regarding the risk factor. Furthermore, information source 12008 stores the origin of the information regarding the risk factor.

[0096] Furthermore, the risk information search processing unit 3002 extracts relevant risk information from the risk information accumulated in the risk information accumulation unit 3001 based on the risk information search key transmitted from the supply chain risk assessment device 1000. Furthermore, the risk information transmission / reception unit 3003 acquires the risk information search key from the supply chain risk assessment device 1000, and transmits a list of the risk information extracted by the risk information search processing unit 3002 to the supply chain risk assessment device 1000.

[0097] Next, an implementation example of the external information storage device 3000 will be described. Fig. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the external information storage device 3000 in this embodiment. In Fig. 4, the external information storage device includes an input device 4001, an output device 4002, a secondary storage device 4003, a communication device 4005, a computing device 4006, and the like, each of which is connected via a bus 4004. In this way, the external information storage device 3000 can be realized by a computer.

[0098] First, the input device 4001 accepts input information from the user. However, in this embodiment, since the input information is accepted from the user at the buyer terminal 1700 or the supplier terminal 1800, the input device 4001 can be omitted. Alternatively, the input device 4001 can be realized as a component of the buyer terminal 1700 or the supplier terminal 1800. Note that, when the input device 2001 is provided, it can be realized by an interface such as a keyboard or mouse for operating the external information storage device 3000.

[0099] Furthermore, the output device 4002 presents, i.e., outputs, the calculation results to the user. However, in this embodiment, the buyer terminal 1700 and the supplier terminal 1800 output the calculation results, so the output device 4002 can be omitted. Alternatively, the output device 4002 can be realized as a configuration of the buyer terminal 1700 and the supplier terminal 1800. Note that, when the output device 4002 is provided, it can be realized by a device such as a monitor that displays the results processed via the input device 4001 on a screen.

[0100] The secondary storage device 4003 also stores the risk information table 12000. Therefore, the secondary storage device 4003 corresponds to the risk information storage unit 3001 in FIG. 3. The secondary storage device 4003 is also a device for storing data other than the main memory of the external information storage device 3000, which is a computer system. Therefore, the secondary storage device 4003 enables permanent storage of data, can read and write data as needed, and can be realized by an HDD (hard disk drive) or SSD (solid state drive), etc.

[0101] Furthermore, the main memory device 4007 is directly accessed by the external information storage device 3000, which is a computer system, and temporarily stores data and programs used to execute processes. For this reason, the main memory device 4007 can be realized by RAM (random access memory) or the like. Furthermore, a program that executes the functions of the risk information search processing unit 3002 is deployed in the main memory device 4007. As a result, the main memory device 4007 reads and writes at least a portion of the data stored in the risk information storage unit 3001. The main memory device 4007 corresponds to the risk information storage unit 3001 in FIG. 3.

[0102] When the program is loaded into the main memory device 4007, the arithmetic unit 4006 executes the functions of the risk information search processing unit 3002 in accordance with the program. The arithmetic unit 4006 is a device that performs arithmetic processing for the computer system, and can be realized by a device such as a CPU (computer processing unit).

[0103] Furthermore, the communication device 4005 transmits and receives data to and from the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 and other terminals via the communication network 1500. The communication device 4005 can be realized by transmitting and receiving data using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). This concludes the description of the configuration of this embodiment.

[0104] Next, the purchasing operations of a buyer in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. First, Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the process flow for selecting an alternative supplier using the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 in this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Figure 6 is executed by a buyer 6103, a supplier A 6102, and a supplier B 6101. Furthermore, the premise of this flowchart is that when procuring parts, the buyer 6103 performs a supply chain risk assessment on candidate suppliers, thereby enabling supplier selection that takes supply chain risk into consideration.

[0105] First, the buyer 6103 uses the buyer terminal 1700 to store the parts bill owned by the buyer 6103 in the parts bill table 1303 via the parts bill information acquisition unit 1103 of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000. To this end, the parts bill information acquisition unit 1103 of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 stores the parts bill information transmitted from the buyer terminal 1700 in the parts bill table 1303 (S6001).

[0106] Furthermore, the buyer terminal 1700 is used to store information about the company's suppliers in the supplier information table 1304 and the supplier attribute information table 1302 using the supplier information acquisition unit 1102. To this end, the supplier information acquisition unit 1102 of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 stores the information about the suppliers sent from the buyer terminal 1700 in the supplier information table 1304 and the supplier attribute information table 1302 (S6002).

[0107] The supplier selection processing unit 1204 of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 selects parts to be purchased from the stored parts bill information, compares the parts with the supplier information, and selects a supplier that corresponds to the selected parts (S6003). In other words, a supplier that can supply the selected parts is selected.

[0108] Once the supplier has been selected, a contract is concluded with the supplier (Supplier A in this case) (S6004).

[0109] Thereafter, the relevant components of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 perform a supply chain risk assessment and evaluate the supply chain risk for all parts that make up the product (S6005). That is, the impact processing unit 1203 ultimately calculates the impact (risk Ri) described above. Details of this will be described later using FIG. 5.

[0110] The alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 then uses the calculated impact to evaluate alternative suppliers (S6006). That is, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 determines whether there are any parts whose impact is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If so, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 determines whether the parts whose impact is equal to or greater than the predetermined value are parts purchased from a single company (S6007). That is, it determines whether an alternative supplier is necessary. If so (single company purchase) (Yes), the process transitions to S6008. If not (two or more companies purchase) (No), it is determined that there is no need to select an alternative supplier, and the process ends.

[0111] The alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 selects an alternative supplier to supply the relevant part (especially the missing part) using the supplier information in the supplier information table 1304 (S6008). As a result, it is possible to create a situation where parts are purchased from at least two companies, thereby reducing risks that may arise in the supply chain.

[0112] A contract is then concluded with the alternative supplier selected in S6008 (in this case, supplier B is the alternative supplier) (S6007), thereby completing the purchasing process with reduced supply chain risk.

[0113] Next, the supply chain risk assessment determination in S6005 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the supply chain risk assessment determination processing flow (S6005) in this embodiment.

[0114] As a premise of this flowchart, the buyer 6103 sets a risk search key via the buyer terminal 1700 to check for risk information related to its own supply chain. To do this, the risk search key processing unit 1202 sets the location of the supplier's manufacturing plant, etc., as the risk search key, with reference to information about the supplier that the buyer 6103 considers important (S5001). As a result, the risk search key set in the buyer terminal 1700 is stored in the risk search key table 1301 via the risk search key processing unit 1202. It is then sent to the external information storage device 3000 via the risk search key sending / receiving unit 1106.

[0115] In response to this, the external information storage device 3000 extracts the relevant risk information using the risk search key transmitted from the risk information stored in the risk information storage unit 3001. Then, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 acquires the extracted risk information from the risk information transmission / reception unit 3003 of the external information storage device 3000 (S5002). As a result, risk information anticipated by the buyer 6103 can be acquired from the external information storage device 3000 in order to perform a supply chain risk assessment.

[0116] Furthermore, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 evaluates the impact 14005, occurrence probability 14006, and latest update date 14007 indicating the freshness of the information for the acquired risk information, and sorts the information in order of importance.

[0117] In this case, for example, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 calculates an evaluation value using at least one of the impact 14005, occurrence probability 14006, and latest update date 14007, and sorts the results in order of evaluation value. Here, the greater the impact 14005, the higher the evaluation value. Furthermore, the greater the numerical value of the occurrence probability 14006, the higher the evaluation value. Furthermore, the more recent the latest update date 14007, the higher the evaluation value. The evaluation value of the risk information obtained is then calculated by summing these values, etc. Furthermore, the priority of each item for the impact 14005, occurrence probability 14006, and latest update date 14007 may be determined, and sorting may be performed based on this. In other words, when prioritizing the impact 14005, occurrence probability 14006, and latest update date 14007 in this order, the item with the highest impact 14005 takes priority, and if the priority values ​​are the same, the items are sorted in descending order of occurrence probability 14006 (S5003). Then, the risk information importance evaluation processing unit 1201 stores the acquired risk information in the risk search result table 1307 in the sorted order.

[0118] The impact processing unit 1203 also detects the occurrence of an incident that corresponds to the acquired risk information and the risk information that the buyer 6103 has previously acquired from the order information table 1305. The impact processing unit 1203 then extracts suppliers affected by this incident. The risk information search results stored in the risk search result table 1307 include regional information. The impact processing unit 1203 then matches the supplier attribute information with the risk information search results to extract supplier factories, etc., located in areas corresponding to the risk information. Once a high-risk supplier is identified, the impact processing unit 1203 acquires the buyer 6103's order information from the order information table 1305 and extracts parts purchased from the identified supplier (S5004). In other words, the impact processing unit 1203 extracts parts purchased from suppliers as parts that may be out of stock due to the incident.

[0119] Furthermore, based on the extracted part information of the missing part, the impact processing unit 1203 estimates the delivery delay related to the part information, that is, the delivery delay of the part, from the delivery record information in the delivery record information table 1315 and the delivery plan information in the delivery plan information table 1306. Then, the impact processing unit 1203 obtains the delivery plan information and delivery record information for the part from the supplier that supplies the missing part, and creates a predicted value of the delivery delay of the missing part by taking statistics (S5005).

[0120] The impact processing unit 1203 also calculates the number of days of stockout from the delivery delay predicted in S5005, the required quantity 16003 of the parts bill of materials information stored in the parts bill of materials table 1303, and the inventory quantity 15004 stored in the parts inventory information table 1309 (S5006). The number of days of stockout indicates at least one of the number of days of stockout, the number of days after which the stockout will occur, and the number of days after which the stockout will be resolved.

[0121] The impact processing unit 1203 also acquires BOM information for the missing part from the BOM table 1303 (S5007). The impact processing unit 1203 also extracts the product ID 16001 that includes the missing part from the acquired BOM information. The impact processing unit 1203 then uses the extracted product ID 16001 to acquire product shipping plan information stored in the product shipping plan information table 1310 (S5008).

[0122] If a component of a product is out of stock, the product itself cannot be shipped. Therefore, the impact processing unit 1203 calculates the business opportunity loss from the number of days of shortage for each missing component calculated in S5006, and the sales price 22006 and sales quantity 22004 of the product related to the missing component stored in the product sales information table 1311 (S5009). Products related to the missing component include products that use the missing component as a component, and products that are delivered or used together with products that use the missing component as a component. The business opportunity loss can be calculated, for example, by multiplying the number of days of shortage, the sales price 22006, and the sales quantity 22004.

[0123] The impact processing unit 1203 then calculates the impact level assigned to each target part based on the calculated business opportunity loss, and stores this in the impact table 1312. Furthermore, the impact processing unit 1203 outputs image information including this impact level to the buyer terminal 1700 via the output unit 1110 (S5010). For example, as a result, the buyer terminal 1700 displays the screen shown in FIG. 24. In this embodiment, the impact level is displayed in a graphical format with an impact graph as shown in FIG. 24, but the display format may also be other formats, such as numerical values ​​in a table. The target part refers to a missing part or a part that constitutes a product related to the missing part. The image information may also be information indicating the impact level itself.

[0124] Next, the impact display screen will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing a display screen that displays the impact (risk Ri) in this embodiment. The i in Ri indicates a part or supplier (its identifier). In other words, in Fig. 24, the part or supplier that is the target of the impact can be determined by the risk Ri (¥) 24005.

[0125] Furthermore, the part-level risk 24001 in the figure indicates the business opportunity loss for each part. It is also possible to group parts by supplier using the order information in the order information table 1305 and display the result as business opportunity loss. It is also possible to further expand the area and use the supplier attribute information table 1302 to represent risk at the regional or national level, grouping together suppliers.

[0126] Next, a method for using the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 in a buyer's normal business will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of an order operation using the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 in this embodiment.

[0127] First, as a premise, when a buyer (procurement department) plans to order parts, it is common practice to send a firm order and forecast to the supplier and obtain a delivery date response for the order. Therefore, once this delivery date response is obtained, a supply chain risk assessment is performed (S7001). This can be performed in the same way as S6005.

[0128] If a part with a high risk is found, the optimization processing unit 1206 reviews, i.e., modifies, the plan for that part (S7002). A high risk means, for example, that the risk Ri, which indicates the degree of impact, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This plan also includes at least one of an order plan, a production plan, a shipping plan (Delivery Plans 7104), an inventory plan, and a logistics plan. This allows for proactive responses to risks that may occur. The optimization processing unit 1206 stores each revised plan in the accumulation unit 1300. By maintaining the modified plans in this way, appropriate responses can be made even if an incident occurs, as described below.

[0129] Furthermore, the incident information acquisition unit 1101 detects the occurrence of an incident at supplier B and acquires the incident information (S7003).

[0130] Furthermore, the impact level processing unit 1203 evaluates the extent of impact shown in Fig. 8 in response to the incident (S7004). That is, a risk Ri, which is the impact level, is identified.

[0131] In response to this, the impact processing unit 1203 determines whether there is a high-risk component, that is, whether there is an impact (S7005). For this purpose, for example, the impact processing unit 1203 can determine that a component is high risk by whether the risk Ri is equal to or greater than a threshold value, whether there is a component with a higher risk Ri, or whether there is a component designated by the user.

[0132] The alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 also evaluates alternative suppliers (S7006). That is, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 evaluates whether each supplier is capable of supplying high-risk parts. In response to this, the alternative supplier evaluation processing unit 1205 uses the evaluation results to determine whether an alternative supplier that has already been contracted and can supply parts is needed (S7007). That is, it is determined whether an alternative supplier that has already been contracted exists. As a result, if an alternative supplier exists (Yes), the process transitions to S2008. If not (No), the process transitions to S2010.

[0133] Between S7005 and S7006, the optimization processing unit 1206 may perform optimization processing, i.e., review (modification) of the plan. Then, using the results of this, evaluation in S7006 and determination of an alternative supplier in S7007 are executed.

[0134] The optimization processing unit 1206 also executes processing to switch the supplier to an alternative supplier (S7008). For example, the optimization processing unit 1206 changes the supplier (parts supplier) in the order information table 1305 to the alternative supplier and overwrites and saves the change. That is, in response to input to the buyer terminal 1700 in FIG. 7 , an order is then placed with the alternative supplier (Supplier B) (S7009). This S7009 may be executed by notification from the buyer terminal 1700 to the supplier terminal 1800 of Supplier B, or may be executed by the optimization processing unit 1206 in response to an instruction from the buyer terminal 1700.

[0135] The supplier selection processing unit 1204 then selects an alternative supplier from among alternative suppliers with which contracts have not yet been concluded (S7010). For this purpose, the supplier selection processing unit 1204 may select a supplier in the same manner as in S6003, or may select a supplier based on geographical conditions, the price of the parts, or the like. Then, contract processing is carried out between the buyer and supplier B (S7011). Then, order processing is carried out in the same manner as in S7009 (S7012). This reduces risks in the supply chain by running daily operations, and enables efficient response even if an incident does occur.

[0136] Next, details of S7004 in Fig. 7 will be explained using Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the impact scope evaluation process of S7004 in this embodiment. First, when an incident such as an earthquake occurs, the impact level processing unit 1203 stores incident information from related suppliers in the incident information table 1308 (S8001).

[0137] The impact processing unit 1203 also obtains, from the stored incident information, the supplier in the region where the incident occurred from the supplier attribute information table 1302. The impact processing unit 1203 also obtains, from the obtained supplier information, information on the supplier's past delivery results and delivery plans from the delivery result information table 1315 and delivery plan information table 1306. The impact processing unit 1203 then estimates the supplier's delivery delay from the obtained delivery result and delivery plan information (S8002).

[0138] By performing S8003 to S8007 in the same way as S5005 to S5010 in Fig. 5, the business opportunity loss for each part can be calculated. Furthermore, when the display screen in Fig. 24 is displayed, the impact over a larger area can be visualized by referring to supplier risk 24002, country / region risk 24003, and global risk 24004. This makes it possible to evaluate the scope of the impact of an incident that has occurred.

[0139] In the present embodiment, procurement risks in the supply chain are estimated from parts transaction data, and the impact of each risk on products is understood. This allows the production plan and inventory plan to be revised to reduce the risk of high-risk parts in daily procurement operations, thereby minimizing the risk.

[0140] The primary purpose of the supply chain risk assessment device and system is to estimate risks associated with the procurement process within the supply chain based on parts transaction data and clearly evaluate the potential impact of identified risks on the final product. This system uses risk information to enable procurement departments to take prompt measures for high-risk parts they encounter in their daily operations. Specifically, it identifies various risk factors, such as potential supply instability and quality issues, and reviews production, logistics, and inventory plans based on these factors, aiming to effectively minimize risks throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, this assessment device and system supports the formulation of rapid response plans when risks occur, improving a company's risk management capabilities and supply chain resilience.

[0141] This embodiment also includes the following aspects: Collection and analysis of risk information: By receiving order information via a network and reading out past order detail history information and parts bill information from an external information storage device, procurement risks within the supply chain are estimated based on parts transaction data.

[0142] Automated risk assessment: Parts that are purchased multiple times are extracted from collected order information, and the dependency status and procurement risk of the sub-parts that make up the parts ordered from suppliers are automatically calculated based on order details and bill of materials information.

[0143] Decision-making support: Based on the calculated procurement risks, information is provided to support decision-making regarding the selection of parts and suppliers, including analysis of the magnitude, impact, and countermeasures of the risks.

[0144] Review and optimization of plans: Once risks are identified, we provide a means to review and optimize ordering plans, production plans, logistics plans, and inventory plans to address those risks, thereby enabling us to proactively address and minimize the likelihood of risks occurring.

[0145] Rapid response in the event of an incident: Even if an incident does occur, we will quickly assess the scope of the impact and identify high-risk components, and then evaluate alternative suppliers and process contracts and orders to efficiently manage and mitigate supply chain risks.

[0146] This embodiment also includes utilizing transaction data when ordering parts to quickly calculate the impact of procurement risks that arise in the supply chain, and supporting decision-making regarding ordering parts and selecting suppliers.

[0147] 1 can be realized by a server. The supply chain risk assessment system can be realized by a so-called cloud system. However, the present invention is not limited to this implementation. For example, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 can be realized by a so-called PC equipped with a display device and an input device, which can independently execute the above-mentioned processes.

[0148] Furthermore, the functions of the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 may be provided in an order placement and receipt system that provides a trading venue including an order placement and receipt function. Furthermore, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 and the order placement and receipt system may cooperate to execute the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0149] Furthermore, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 of this embodiment may be provided with an ordering unit that, when an incident actually occurs, quickly assesses the scope of impact and identifies high-risk parts, and then evaluates alternative suppliers, processes contracts, and places orders. In this case, the supply chain risk assessment device 1000 may receive risk information provided from an external source in real time, enabling immediate assessment of supply chain risk. The supply chain risk assessment device 1000 may also be provided with a profiling unit that creates a risk profile for each supplier based on risk information related to parts ordered from each supplier in the supply chain. The supply chain risk assessment device 1000 may also be provided with a recommendation unit that automatically prioritizes risk countermeasures based on the risk profile and recommends them to the user.

[0150] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1000... Supply chain risk assessment device 1100... Control unit 1200... Processing unit 1300... Storage unit 1500... Communication network 1700... Buyer terminal 1800... Supplier terminal 3000... External information storage device 3001... Risk information storage unit 3002... Risk information search processing unit 3003... Risk information transmission / reception unit

Claims

1. A system comprising: a storage unit that stores in advance bill of materials information, required quantities of parts, and inventory quantities of said parts; an incident information acquisition unit that acquires incident information; a bill of materials information acquisition unit that identifies from said storage unit bill of materials information indicating the bill of materials of a product related to a missing part that may become out of stock due to an incident indicated by the incident information; a product shipment plan information acquisition unit that acquires, from the identified bill of materials information, shipment plan information indicating a shipment plan for the product related to the missing part, including the price and expected sales volume of the product; an impact processing unit that calculates the impact of the incident indicated by the acquired incident information; and an output unit that outputs the calculated impact, wherein said impact processing unit: estimates a delivery delay of the missing part that may become out of stock due to the incident indicated by the acquired incident information; calculates the number of days that the missing part will be out of stock using the estimated delivery delay, the required quantity, and the inventory quantity; calculates the business opportunity loss for the product related to the missing part using the calculated number of days that the missing part will be out of stock, the price, and the expected sales volume; A supply chain risk assessment device that calculates the degree of impact by allocating the calculated business opportunity loss to each target, which is a part that constitutes a product related to the missing part.

2. A supply chain risk assessment device according to claim 1, wherein the bill of materials information indicates the dependency status between parent parts that make up the product and child parts that make up the parent parts.

3. A supply chain risk assessment device according to claim 2, wherein the impact processing unit calculates the impact by further using the dependency relationships in the bill of materials information.

4. A supply chain risk assessment device according to claim 1, further comprising an optimization processing unit that modifies the shipping plan based on the risk information of the parts.

5. A supply chain risk assessment device as described in claim 4, wherein the optimization processing unit modifies the shipping plan based on the risk information when the risk indicated by the risk information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

6. A supply chain risk assessment method executed by a supply chain risk assessment device having a storage unit that stores in advance bill of materials information, required quantities of parts, and inventory quantities of the parts, wherein an incident information acquisition unit acquires incident information; a bill of materials information acquisition unit identifies from the storage unit bill of materials information indicating the bill of materials of a product related to a missing part that may become out of stock due to an incident indicated by the incident information; a product shipping plan information acquisition unit acquires, from the identified bill of materials information, shipping plan information indicating a shipping plan for the product related to the missing part, including the price and expected sales volume of the product; an impact processing unit calculates the impact of the incident indicated by the acquired incident information; an output unit outputs the calculated impact; the impact processing unit estimates a delivery delay for the missing part that may become out of stock due to the incident indicated by the acquired incident information; and the impact processing unit calculates the number of days for which the missing part will be out of stock using the estimated delivery delay, the required quantity, and the inventory quantity; a supply chain risk assessment method in which the impact processing unit calculates a business opportunity loss for a product related to the missing part using the calculated number of days of shortage, the price, and the expected sales volume; and the impact processing unit calculates the impact by allocating the calculated business opportunity loss to each target, which is a part that makes up the product related to the missing part.

7. A supply chain risk assessment method according to claim 6, wherein the bill of materials information indicates the dependency status between parent parts that make up the product and child parts that make up the parent parts.

8. A supply chain risk assessment method according to claim 7, wherein the impact processing unit calculates the impact by further using the dependency relationships of the bill of materials information.

9. A supply chain risk assessment method according to claim 6, wherein the supply chain risk assessment device further comprises an optimization processing unit, and the optimization processing unit modifies the shipping plan based on the risk information of the parts.

10. A supply chain risk assessment method as described in claim 9, wherein the optimization processing unit modifies the shipping plan based on the risk information if the risk indicated by the risk information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

11. A computer that is a supply chain risk assessment device is made to function as: a storage unit that stores in advance bill of materials information, required quantities of parts, and inventory quantities of the parts; an incident information acquisition unit that acquires incident information; a bill of materials information acquisition unit that identifies from the storage unit bill of materials information indicating the bill of materials of products related to missing parts that may become out of stock due to an incident indicated by the incident information; a product shipment plan information acquisition unit that acquires, from the identified bill of materials information, shipment plan information indicating a shipment plan for products related to the missing parts and including the price and expected sales volume of the products; an impact processing unit that calculates the impact of the incident indicated by the acquired incident information; and an output unit that outputs the calculated impact, wherein the impact processing unit estimates a delivery delay for missing parts that may become out of stock due to an incident indicated by the acquired incident information; calculates the number of days that the missing parts will be out of stock using the estimated delivery delay, required quantities, and inventory quantities; and calculates the business opportunity loss for products related to the missing parts using the calculated number of days that they will be out of stock, the price, and the expected sales volume. A program for calculating the degree of impact by allocating the calculated business opportunity loss to each target, which is a part that constitutes a product related to the missing part.

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