Management method, management system, and program

Abstract

This management method is used for managing warehouse information held by a system that manages warehouse work, wherein, when a change in warehouse information is received, one or more simulations of the warehouse work are executed on the basis of the content of the change and the warehouse information, and the content of the influence of the change on the warehouse work is reported on the basis of the result of executing the one or more simulations.

Description

Management Method, Management System, and Program

[0006] ,

[0005] ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management method, a management system, and a program.

[0002] Conventionally, a system for performing a simulation for managing warehouse operations is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a simulation model generation system including an arithmetic unit communicably connected to a warehouse management system that manages inventory information of articles managed by a warehouse. The arithmetic unit acquires slot information of slots for storing articles stored in a simulation target warehouse from the warehouse management system. Then, the arithmetic unit generates a simulation model for managing operations in the simulation target warehouse based on the slot information.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7493191

[0004] When the warehouse information held in a system for managing warehouse operations is changed, it is required to grasp the impact of the change on the warehouse operations. However, the warehouse information may include various types of information such as the layout or resources of the warehouse. Therefore, the impact of a change in the warehouse information on the warehouse operations may become complicated, and it is difficult to grasp. For example, when a change in the warehouse information is made, it becomes difficult to grasp whether it is possible to realize a shipping plan using the changed warehouse information, or whether it is possible to realize a one-day work plan using the changed warehouse information. There is no means for grasping the impact on the warehouse operations due to such a change in the warehouse information.

[0005] The present disclosure has been devised in view of the above-described conventional situation, and an object thereof is to grasp the impact of a change in warehouse information on warehouse operations.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a management method for warehouse information held by a system for managing warehouse operations, the method including: when receiving a change in the warehouse information, executing one or more simulations of the warehouse operations based on the content of the change and the warehouse information; and notifying the content of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the execution results of the one or more simulations.

[0007] Furthermore, this disclosure provides a management system comprising: a system for holding warehouse information and managing warehouse operations; and a simulation system for performing simulations of the warehouse operations, wherein when the system receives a change in the warehouse information, it transmits the warehouse information to the simulation system based on the content of the change; the simulation system uses the received warehouse information to perform one or more simulations of the warehouse operations; and the system notifies the simulation system of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

[0008] Furthermore, this disclosure provides a program that can communicate with a system that holds warehouse information and manages warehouse operations, and that enables a computing device that performs simulations of warehouse operations to receive warehouse information from the system upon receiving a change in the warehouse information, based on the content of the change, to perform one or more simulations of the warehouse operations using the received warehouse information, and to notify the computing device of the content of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

[0009] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between methods, apparatus, systems, storage media, computer programs, etc., are also valid as aspects of this disclosure.

[0010] This disclosure allows us to understand the impact that changes in warehouse information have on warehouse operations.

[0011] Block diagram showing an example configuration of the integrated management system according to Embodiment 1 Table diagram showing an example of an impact management table according to Embodiment 1 Sequence diagram showing the warehouse information change process of the integrated management system according to Embodiment 1 Block diagram showing an example configuration of the integrated management system according to Embodiment 2 Sequence diagram showing the warehouse information change process of the integrated management system according to Embodiment 2

[0012] The embodiments will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following explanation are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) [System Configuration] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the integrated management system 1 according to Embodiment 1. Note that the system configuration shown in Figure 1 is just one example, and one system may be divided into multiple parts, or multiple systems may be combined into one. Furthermore, multiple instances of the single system or device shown in Figure 1 may be provided. Moreover, the processing entities shown below are just examples, and a part of the function of one system may be realized as the function of another system.

[0014] The integrated management system 1 comprises a warehouse management system 10, a warehouse operation management system 20, a simulation system 30, and a terminal 40. Each component of the integrated management system 1 is configured to communicate with one another via a network.

[0015] The warehouse management system 10 is a system that manages and controls logistics within a warehouse. For example, the warehouse management system 10 manages inventory management of goods, the inflow and outflow of goods (e.g., receiving and shipping), and the movement of goods within the warehouse. In this specification, "goods" includes merchandise and cargo, and these terms may be interpreted interchangeably. The warehouse management system may be referred to as a Warehouse Management System (hereinafter referred to as "WMS"), etc. The warehouse management system 10 is composed of a processor 11 and memory 12. The processor 11 may be configured using, for example, a Central Processing Unit (hereinafter referred to as "CPU"), a Graphical Processing Unit (hereinafter referred to as "GPU"), a Micro Processing Unit (hereinafter referred to as "MPU"), a Digital Signal Processor (hereinafter referred to as "DSP"), or a Field Programmable Gate Array (hereinafter referred to as "FPGA"). The processor 11 realizes various functions of the inventory management unit 13 and the shipping plan generation unit 14 by, for example, referring to various data such as inventory information 15 and shipping plans 16 stored in the memory 12, and by reading programs. The inventory management unit 13 performs inventory management of goods in a warehouse, for example. The shipping plan generation unit 14 generates a shipping plan 16 based on, for example, order information 54, which will be described later.

[0016] Memory 12 is a storage unit for storing various data and programs. Memory 12 may consist of volatile / non-volatile storage devices such as Random Access Memory (hereinafter referred to as "RAM"), Read Only Memory (hereinafter referred to as "ROM"), and Hard Disk Drive (hereinafter referred to as "HDD"). Memory 12 stores and holds inventory information 15 and shipping plans 16. Inventory information 15 is information on the inventory of goods in the warehouse. Shipping plans 16 are plans for which goods to ship, when, and to where.

[0017] The warehouse management system 10 may be configured to communicate with the order management system 50. The order management system 50 includes a processor 51 and a memory 52. ​​A detailed explanation of the processor 51 and memory 52 is omitted. The functions of the order management unit 53 are realized through the cooperation of the processor 52 and the memory 52. ​​The order management unit 53 may, for example, receive orders for goods from companies, generate order information 54 indicating the contents of the order, that is, when, who, and which goods were ordered, and transmit it to the warehouse management system 10. The order management system 50 may, for example, be a system for supply chain management.

[0018] The warehouse operation management system 20 is a system that manages and controls operations within a warehouse. The warehouse operation management system 20 may also be referred to as a Warehouse Execution System (hereinafter referred to as "WES"). For example, the warehouse operation management system 20 provides comprehensive control over the work content of various work entities within the warehouse, as well as the equipment within the warehouse. The warehouse operation management system 20 consists of a processor 21 and a memory 22. A description of the processor 21 and memory 22 is omitted. The memory 22 stores and holds resource information 26, location information 27, and work plans 28. Resource information 26 is information about various work entities such as workers and robots within the warehouse, as well as resources such as equipment. Location information 27 is information about the location within the warehouse, such as goods, shelves that store goods, and aisles in the warehouse. Work plans 28 are plans of when, which work entity, and what work it will perform. The processor 21 and memory 22 work together to realize various functions of the resource management unit 23, location management unit 24, and work plan generation unit 25. The resource management unit 23 manages and updates resource information 26, for example. The location management unit 24 manages and updates location information 27, for example. The work plan generation unit 25 generates a work plan 28 based on resource information 26, location information 27, inventory information 15, and shipping plan 16, for example.

[0019] The warehouse management system 10 and the warehouse operation management system 20 are systems for managing warehouse operations. Warehouse operations refer to various tasks related to a warehouse, such as receiving and shipping operations. Warehouse operations may also include tasks related to equipment within the warehouse.

[0020] In this specification, the various types of information stored and held in the memory 12 of the warehouse management system 10 and the memory 22 of the warehouse operation management system 20 may be referred to as warehouse information.

[0021] The simulation system 30 is a system that performs simulations of warehouse operations. In this specification, simulation may be referred to as "SIM". Therefore, the simulation system may be referred to as the "SIM system". The simulation system 30 may be configured to communicate with the warehouse management system 10 and the warehouse operation management system 20, respectively. The simulation system 30 includes a processor 31 and a memory 32. A description of the processor 31 and the memory 32 is omitted. The memory 32 stores and holds input data 37, prediction results 38, and impact management table 39. The input data 37 is data received by the simulation system 30 from the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 for performing the simulation. The input data 37 may include warehouse information. The prediction results 38 may be the results of the simulation, or the difference between the results of the simulation and a specified tolerance range. Details of the impact management table 39 will be described later with reference to Figure 2.

[0022] The processor 31 and memory 32 work together to realize various functions of the simulation condition acquisition unit 33, simulation execution unit 34, prediction result output unit 35, and change impact management unit 36. The simulation condition acquisition unit 33 acquires simulation conditions. Simulation conditions may include, for example, the initial conditions of the simulation, environmental conditions, various parameters, and time scale. Initial conditions of the simulation may include, for example, the initial positions of various resources in the warehouse. Environmental conditions of the simulation may include, for example, the temperature inside the warehouse. Various parameters of the simulation may include, for example, the movement speed of workers. The time scale of the simulation may include, for example, how long the simulation will last. The simulation condition acquisition unit 33 may acquire simulation conditions based on, for example, user input.

[0023] The simulation execution unit 34 uses the simulation conditions and input data 37 to perform a simulation of warehouse operations. As will be described later with reference to Figure 2, the simulation execution unit 34 may perform a simulation of one or more warehouse operations (in other words, tasks). Since warehouse operations include various tasks, it is not necessary to perform a simulation of all tasks; it is sufficient to perform a simulation of the tasks that are to be simulated. The simulation execution unit 34 may also perform a simulation based on instructions to perform a simulation from the change impact management unit 36, which will be described later. The simulation execution unit 34 may perform the simulation using known technology, for example, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 7493191. The results of the simulation performed by the simulation execution unit 34 are output as prediction results 38 by the prediction result output unit 35 and stored and retained in the memory 32.

[0024] The Change Impact Management Unit 36 ​​determines whether it is necessary to run a simulation of warehouse operations using the Impact Management Table 39 when warehouse information held in the warehouse management system 10 or warehouse operation management system 20 is changed. If the Change Impact Management Unit 36 ​​determines that it is necessary to run the simulation, it instructs the Simulation Execution Unit 34 to run the simulation.

[0025] Terminal 40 is an information processing device (processing unit) configured for use by workers both inside and outside the warehouse. Terminal 40 may be a stationary information processing device (processing unit) such as a Personal Computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), or it may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal, Point of Sales (hereinafter referred to as "POS") terminal, handheld terminal, or smartphone. Terminal 40 sends and receives data with the warehouse management system 10, warehouse operation management system 20, simulation system 30, etc., and is used to receive notifications from each system and to configure or operate each system. Note that terminal 40 and the simulation system 30 do not necessarily have to be configured to communicate with each other. In this embodiment, an example of terminal 40 sending and receiving data with the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 will be described.

[0026] The terminal 40 comprises a processor 41, memory 42, input device 43, display device 44, and communication device 45. Each component is configured to communicate via an internal interface 46. A detailed explanation of the processor 41 and memory 42 is omitted.

[0027] The input device 43 receives operations and instructions from users, such as warehouse managers, warehouse workers, or system administrators who build the integrated management system 1. The input device 43 may consist of a mouse, keyboard, touch panel display, etc.

[0028] The display device 44 displays various user interfaces to the user. The display device 44 may consist of a liquid crystal display, a touch panel display, or the like.

[0029] The communication device 45 is an interface for communicating with external devices via a network. The communication standards that the communication device 45 can support are not particularly limited and may support either wired or wireless communication standards. Furthermore, the communication device 45 may support multiple communication standards. Therefore, the network used by the communication device 45 may be composed of a combination of networks using multiple communication standards.

[0030] Each of the systems shown in Figure 1, namely the warehouse management system 10, the warehouse operation management system 20, the simulation system 30, and the order management system 50, may have the same hardware configuration as the terminal 40. In other words, each of the warehouse management system 10, the warehouse operation management system 20, the simulation system 30, and the order management system 50 may be equipped with input devices, display devices, communication devices, etc. Also, each of the warehouse management system 10, the warehouse operation management system 20, the simulation system 30, and the order management system 50 may be, for example, a stationary information processing device such as a PC. The integrated management system 1 may be configured as an on-premise server device at the location where the warehouse is located, or it may be configured as a cloud-based system on a network.

[0031] Figure 2 is a table diagram showing an example of an impact management table 39 according to Embodiment 1. Table TBL1 in Figure 2 shows an example of an impact management table 39. Note that the data structure of the impact management table 39 is not limited to the format shown in Figure 2, and may be structured data such as a relational database. The impact management table 39 may be created in advance by the user, or it may be created using Artificial Intelligence (hereinafter referred to as "AI") technology. The method for creating the impact management table 39 will be described later. Hereinafter, the impact management table may be referred to as a table.

[0032] Table TBL1 contains data for each piece of warehouse information indicating whether or not it will be used in one or more warehouse operation simulations, as well as data for determining whether or not a simulation should be executed when the warehouse information is changed. Hereinafter, the conditions for determining whether or not a simulation should be executed may be referred to as the simulation execution conditions.

[0033] For example, Table TBL1 indicates that information I1, which shows the location information of shelves in storage area A within the warehouse, is the subject of the first simulation but not the subject of the second simulation. In this specification, information being the subject of a simulation means that the information is used in that simulation. Table TBL1 also indicates that if information I1 is changed, and the difference in shelf positions before and after the change is Xm or more on average, then it is necessary to run a simulation using information I1 (for example, the first simulation). Storage area A is one of the storage areas for goods within the warehouse and is a name used to distinguish it from storage area B, which will be described later.

[0034] In this specification, the terms "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish them from other elements and are not intended to be interpreted restrictively. Also, for the sake of explanation, Table TBL1 indicates whether each piece of warehouse information is subject to the first simulation and whether it is subject to the second simulation, but the simulation of warehouse operations is not limited to just the first and second simulations. The first simulation may, for example, be a simulation of the outbound operations in storage area A. The second simulation may, for example, be a simulation of the outbound operations in storage area B. Since warehouse operations include a wide variety of tasks, it is preferable that simulations of each of these tasks can be performed.

[0035] For example, although not shown in the diagram, a third simulation, which simulates the receiving operation in storage area A, may be run. In this way, simulations with different work processes from the outbound operation may be run. Also, for example, simulations corresponding to each work process in the functional hierarchy may be run. Here, the functional hierarchy is a hierarchical structure in which each business process that constitutes warehouse operations is organized according to its function (in other words, the level of detail of the process). Each functional hierarchy may be represented by a level. For example, a fourth simulation, which is a simulation of the entire warehouse operation at functional hierarchy level 4, may be run. For example, in the fourth simulation, the work of each work group composed of multiple workers in the warehouse, and the handover of the deliverables of that work between work groups may be reproduced. Also, for example, a fifth simulation, which is a simulation of the entire warehouse operation at functional hierarchy level 6, may be run. For example, in the fifth simulation, each task performed by each worker in the warehouse may be reproduced. In this way, the level of the functional hierarchy determines how finely the work process is reproduced. Furthermore, for example, a sixth simulation may be run to measure the distance traveled during outbound operations. Also, for example, a seventh simulation may be run to measure the time spent on outbound operations. Simulations specialized for measuring specific metrics, such as the sixth and seventh simulations, may be run. Note that even simulations that are not specialized for measuring specific metrics, such as the first simulation, may yield distance traveled or time spent as a result of the simulation. Furthermore, simulations with different return periods may be run. For example, an eighth simulation that reproduces one day's worth of warehouse operations, and a ninth simulation that reproduces one year's worth of warehouse operations, may be run. The various simulations described above are examples for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting.

[0036] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I2, which shows the location information of shelves in storage area B, is not the subject of the first simulation, but the subject of the second simulation. Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I2 is changed, and the average distance traveled by the shelves before and after the change is Xm or more, then it is necessary to run a simulation using Information I2 (for example, the second simulation).

[0037] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I3, which shows information about items stored in storage area A, is the subject of the first simulation but not the subject of the second simulation. Also, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I3 is changed, and the change is a reduction in the number of items, then the first simulation must be executed. Moreover, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I3 is changed, and the change is an increase in the number of items, then the tenth simulation must be executed. In this way, the criteria for determining whether or not to execute a simulation for a particular piece of warehouse information may be set for each simulation.

[0038] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I4, which shows the location information of the aisle in storage area A, is the subject of the first simulation but not the subject of the second simulation. Also, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I4 is changed, and the change in Information I4 is a change in the direction restriction of the aisle, then it is necessary to run a simulation using Information I4 (for example, the first simulation).

[0039] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I5, which shows the working hours of workers, is subject to both the first and second simulations. Table TBL1 also indicates that if Information I5 is changed, and the worker whose working hours have been changed is responsible for critical tasks in warehouse operations, then a simulation using Information I5 (e.g., the first and second simulations) must be performed. Note that the information showing the working hours of workers may be separated for each worker.

[0040] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I6, which shows information about a worker's processing ability, is not the subject of the first simulation, but the subject of the second simulation. Also, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I6 is changed, and the difference in processing ability before and after the change is, on average, greater than or equal to X, then it is necessary to run a simulation using Information I6 (for example, the second simulation). A worker's processing ability may be, for example, the number of times that worker can complete a specific task within a specified time. Note that the information showing a worker's processing ability may be separated for each worker.

[0041] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I7, which is the plan for tomorrow's shipping operations, is the subject of the first simulation but not the subject of the second simulation. Also, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I7 is changed, and the shipping volume after the change exceeds the shipping volume margin set before the change, then it is necessary to run a simulation using Information I7 (for example, the first simulation).

[0042] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I8, which is the shipping plan for the day after tomorrow, is not subject to the first and second simulations. Also, Table TBL1 indicates that if Information I8 is changed, and the shipping volume after the change exceeds the shipping volume margin set before the change, then a simulation using Information I8 is required.

[0043] Furthermore, Table TBL1 indicates that Information I9, which is the plan for tomorrow's receiving operations, is the subject of both the first and second simulations. Table TBL1 also indicates that if Information I9 is ​​changed, and the amount of goods received after the change exceeds the receiving margin set before the change, then a simulation using Information I9 is ​​required.

[0044] Also, the table TBL1 indicates that the information I10, which is the plan for the incoming goods operation the day after tomorrow, is not the target of the first simulation and the second simulation. Also, when the information I10 is changed, the table TBL1 indicates that when the incoming quantity after the change of the information I10 exceeds the margin of the incoming quantity set before the change, it is necessary to execute the simulation using the information I10.

[0045] For example, when multiple types of information are changed, the change impact management unit 36 evaluates the determination conditions for whether to execute the simulation set for each of the multiple types of changed information as an OR condition. Specifically, for example, when each of the information I1 and the information I3 is changed, the change impact management unit 36 determines that it is necessary to execute the first simulation when it is determined that either the determination condition for whether to execute the simulation set for the information I1 or the determination condition for whether to execute the simulation set for the information I3 is satisfied.

[0046] The change impact management unit 36 may evaluate the determination conditions for whether to execute the simulation set for each of the multiple types of information as an AND condition. A specific example will be described using the information I11 in the table TBL1. The information I11 is a combination of multiple pieces of information. Here, the information I11 is a combination of the Nth warehouse information and the Mth warehouse information in the table TBL1. Note that each of N and M is a natural number of 1 or more, and N and M are different numbers. The table TBL1 indicates that when the information I11 is changed, that is, when the Nth warehouse information and the Mth warehouse information are changed, when the content of the change satisfies the determination condition for whether to execute the simulation set for the information I11, it is necessary to execute the simulation (for example, the first simulation) using the information I11. The determination condition for whether to execute the simulation set for the information I11 is a combination of the determination conditions for whether to execute the simulation set for each of the Nth warehouse information and the Mth warehouse information. Thus, the determination condition for whether to execute the simulation may be an AND condition of two or more determination conditions different from the said determination condition.

[0047] Here, an example of the method for creating the impact management table 39 will be described. The impact management table 39 may be created based on the operations of a user such as a system administrator who constructs the integrated management system 1. More specifically, the processor 31 of the simulation system 30 may create the impact management table 39 based on user operations via the terminal 40. Each process by the processor 31 for creating the impact management table 39 described below may be performed based on user operations, but the description may be omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0048] The processor 31 of the simulation system 30 may acquire warehouse information from each of the warehouse management system 10 and the warehouse operation management system 20. Here, the processor 31 may acquire data for executing the simulation from the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20. That is, the processor 31 may acquire the input data 37.

[0049] The processor 31 (simulation condition acquisition unit 33) may further acquire simulation conditions for each simulation, such as the first simulation and the second simulation. The simulation condition acquisition unit 33 may acquire simulation conditions, for example, based on an input from the user. Or, the simulation conditions for each simulation are pre-held in the memory 32 or the like, and the simulation condition acquisition unit 33 may acquire the pre-held simulation conditions.

[0050] The processor 31 may associate the input data 37 with the simulation conditions for each simulation. Thereby, the processor 31 can associate the warehouse information used in the simulation and the simulation conditions such as various parameters for each of the plurality of simulations.

[0051] The processor 31 (simulation execution unit 34) may repeatedly modify warehouse information based on user operations via the terminal 40, execute the simulation, and evaluate the index values ​​obtained from the simulation. Here, the index value is a value used to evaluate the results of the simulation. The index value may be, for example, the working time required for warehouse operations in a day, the distance traveled by each worker in the warehouse, or the warehouse throughput. The index value may be set in advance by the user for each simulation. The processor 31 may evaluate the index value by comparing the index value (reference value) obtained from the simulation using the warehouse information before modification with the index value obtained from the simulation using the warehouse information after modification. As a specific example, the case in which the warehouse information to be modified is the shelf location information of storage area A will be described.

[0052] In this case, the processor 31 changes the shelf positions in storage area A by an average of 1m, runs a simulation, and obtains the work time as an indicator value. Here, it is assumed that the processor 31 has already run a simulation before changing the shelf positions in storage area A and obtained the work time as an indicator value (reference value). Furthermore, for warehouse information other than the shelf position information in storage area A, the most recent actual data may be used as is. In other words, the processor 31 may use the acquired warehouse information as is for warehouse information that is not subject to change. The processor 31 may compare the indicator value (i.e., work time) before and after changing the shelf positions in storage area A and determine whether the indicator value has deteriorated beyond a predetermined range. The predetermined range may be defined as, for example, 1%. In this case, the processor 31 may determine whether the work time has increased by 1% or more due to the change in the shelf positions in storage area A. The predetermined range may be arbitrarily set by the user, for example, or it may be set for each indicator value. Furthermore, the difference between deterioration and improvement of the indicator value may also be set by the user. In the example above, it is defined that the indicator value deteriorates when the working time increases. If the processor 31 determines that the indicator value has not deteriorated beyond a predetermined range, it further changes the position of the shelves in storage area A by an average of 1m (i.e., a cumulative average change of 2m), runs the simulation, and obtains the indicator value. The processor 31 compares the indicator value (reference value) before changing the position of the shelves in storage area A with the indicator value after a cumulative average change of 2m. In this way, the processor 31 may repeat the process of changing the warehouse information, running the simulation, and evaluating the indicator value obtained from the simulation. Let us explain the case where, for example, the working time deteriorates beyond a predetermined range when the position of the shelves in storage area A is changed by an average of 5m cumulatively as a result of repeating the above process. In this case, the processor 31 may set the execution condition for the simulation (for example, the first simulation) using the shelf position information (information I1) of storage area A to "the difference in position before and after the change is 5m or more on average."

[0053] Thus, if the processor 31 determines that the indicator value has deteriorated beyond a predetermined range, it may set the execution conditions for a simulation using the warehouse information based on the changes in the warehouse information at the time of the determination.

[0054] Furthermore, if the indicator value improves, the simulation execution conditions do not need to be set even if the indicator value exceeds a predetermined range. Also, the processor 31 may repeat the process of changing the warehouse information, executing the simulation, and evaluating the indicator value obtained from the simulation for each piece of warehouse information.

[0055] The method for creating the impact management table 39 described above is just one example and is not limited to this. Furthermore, the procedure for creating the impact management table 39 as described above may be performed periodically, thereby updating the impact management table 39 as needed. For example, the method for creating the impact management table 39 described above may not be triggered by user operation, but may be automatically performed by AI at predetermined time intervals. By updating the impact management table 39 as needed, it becomes possible to reflect the impact of fluctuations in logistics due to off-peak and peak seasons in the impact management table 39 in real time.

[0056] Next, with reference to Figure 3, the processing of the integrated management system 1 when there is a change in warehouse information will be explained. Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the warehouse information change processing of the integrated management system 1 according to Embodiment 1. Note that "WMS / WES" in Figure 3 means "WMS or WES". Figure 3 shows the processing when the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 receives an instruction to change the warehouse information it holds. Although some parts are omitted in Figure 3, the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 sends and receives data with the terminal 40. Here, we will explain using the case where the warehouse management system 10 receives an instruction to change the warehouse information as an example. Note that users such as warehouse managers can grasp the warehouse information held in the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 using the terminal 40, and have already confirmed the warehouse information held in each system at the start of the sequence diagram shown in Figure 3.

[0057] The user sends instructions to the warehouse management system 10 to change warehouse information via terminal 40 (step S100).

[0058] The warehouse management system 10 receives instructions to change warehouse information (step S101).

[0059] The warehouse management system 10 transmits the details of the warehouse information change received in step S101 to the simulation system 30 (step S102). The simulation system 30 receives the details of the warehouse information change. The details of the warehouse information change may include the changed information from the warehouse information, the information before the change, and the information after the change.

[0060] The change impact management unit 36 ​​of the simulation system 30 determines whether or not to run the simulation using the received changes to the warehouse information and the impact management table 39 (step S103). Here, the change impact management unit 36 ​​determines whether or not to run each of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations (for example, the first simulation, the second simulation, etc.). However, for the sake of simplicity, the one or more simulations of warehouse operations will simply be referred to as a simulation.

[0061] The simulation system 30 transmits the result of the determination in step S103 regarding whether or not the simulation should be executed to the warehouse management system 10 (step S104). The warehouse management system 10 receives the result of the determination regarding whether or not the simulation should be executed.

[0062] First, we will explain the case where it is not necessary to run a simulation, that is, the case where it is not necessary to run any of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations. Not needing to run a simulation means that none of the conditions for determining whether or not to run a simulation are met, and the possibility that a change in warehouse information will affect warehouse operations is extremely low, or the impact of a change in warehouse information on warehouse operations is extremely small. If it is not necessary to run a simulation (step S105: NO), the warehouse management system 10 reflects the change in warehouse information (step S115). Here, "impact" refers to so-called negative impacts on warehouse operations (for example, delays in work time). If a change in warehouse information has a so-called positive impact on warehouse operations (for example, improved work efficiency), it is preferable that the change be reflected.

[0063] The warehouse management system 10 then sends a notification to the terminal 40 indicating that the changes to the warehouse information have been reflected (step S116). This allows the user to confirm that the changes to the warehouse information have been completed on the display device 44 of the terminal 40. The integrated management system 1 then terminates this processing flow.

[0064] Next, we will explain when it is necessary to run a simulation, that is, when it is necessary to run at least one of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations. If it is necessary to run a simulation, the warehouse management system 10 sends the information necessary to run the simulation to the simulation system 30 (step S106). The simulation system 30 then receives the information necessary to run the simulation. The information necessary to run the simulation may include not only the changed information from the warehouse information, but also other warehouse information, such as warehouse layout information. The simulation system 30 may also receive and acquire the information necessary to run the simulation from the warehouse operation management system 20 as needed.

[0065] The simulation execution unit 34 of the simulation system 30 executes the simulation based on the information necessary for the simulation, namely the changes to the warehouse information and the warehouse information itself (step S107). Note that the changes to the warehouse information and the warehouse information refer to the changed warehouse information and the warehouse information that has not been changed but is necessary for the simulation. The simulation to be executed may be, for example, a simulation of a day's work in a warehouse.

[0066] The simulation system 30 transmits the simulation results to the warehouse management system 10 (step S108). For example, if a simulation of a day's work in the warehouse is performed, one of the simulation results may be the end time of the day's work in the warehouse. In this case, the simulation system 30 transmits the execution results, including the end time of the day's work in the warehouse, to the warehouse management system 10.

[0067] The warehouse management system 10 determines whether the received simulation execution results are acceptable, or in other words, whether the simulation execution results are within a preset acceptable range (step S109). For example, let's consider the case where the warehouse management system 10 receives the end time of a day's work in the warehouse as one of the simulation execution results. In this case, the acceptable range may be set to, for example, the end time of work. The warehouse management system 10 may determine that the simulation execution results are not within the acceptable range if the end time of the simulation execution results exceeds the preset end time of work. Conversely, the warehouse management system 10 may determine that the simulation execution results are within the acceptable range if the end time of the simulation execution results does not exceed the preset end time of work.

[0068] The warehouse management system 10 may determine whether the results of one or more simulations performed are within an acceptable range. If any of the one or more results are outside the acceptable range, the warehouse management system 10 may proceed to step S110. In other words, if any of the one or more results are outside the acceptable range, the warehouse management system 10 may determine that the simulation results are not within a predetermined acceptable range.

[0069] If the warehouse management system 10 determines that the simulation results are within a pre-set acceptable range (step S109: YES), it reflects the changes to the warehouse information (step S115). Then, the warehouse management system 10 sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the reflection of the changes to the warehouse information is complete (step S116). Then, the integrated management system 1 terminates this processing flow.

[0070] If the warehouse management system 10 determines that the simulation results are outside a preset acceptable range, that is, that the simulation results are outside the acceptable range (step S109: NO), it sends a notification to the terminal 40 regarding the impact on warehouse operations caused by the change in warehouse information (step S110). This allows the user to check the impact on warehouse operations caused by the change in warehouse information on the display device 44 of the terminal 40 and decide whether to reflect the change in warehouse information or cancel the change in warehouse information.

[0071] The impact on warehouse operations resulting from changes in warehouse information may be the results of a simulation, or the difference between the simulation results and the specified acceptable range. For example, an impact on warehouse operations resulting from changes in warehouse information may be that the work time after the change exceeds the pre-set work time. Notification of the impact on warehouse operations resulting from changes in warehouse information may be a message such as, "This change will cause the work completion time to exceed the specified time by 30 minutes. Is this acceptable?"

[0072] Based on user operations, terminal 40 sends an instruction to the warehouse management system 10 indicating whether or not to reflect the changes in warehouse information in the warehouse management system 10, in other words, an instruction to update the warehouse information or to cancel the changes to the warehouse information (step S111).

[0073] The warehouse management system 10 determines whether to reflect or cancel the changes to the warehouse information based on instructions from the user via the terminal 40 (step S112).

[0074] If the warehouse management system 10 reflects the changes in warehouse information (step S112: YES), it reflects the changes in warehouse information (step S115). Then, the warehouse management system 10 sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the reflection of the changes in warehouse information is complete (step S116). Then, the integrated management system 1 terminates this processing flow.

[0075] If the warehouse management system 10 does not want to reflect the changes to the warehouse information, that is, if it wants to cancel the changes to the warehouse information (step S112: NO), it discards the instruction to change the warehouse information received in step S101 (step S113). Then, the warehouse management system 10 sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the changes to the warehouse information have been canceled (step S114). As a result, the user can confirm that the changes to the warehouse information have been canceled on the display device 44 of the terminal 40. Then, the integrated management system 1 terminates this processing flow.

[0076] In the explanation of the sequence diagram in Figure 3, an example is shown in which the warehouse management system 10 sends and receives data to and from the terminal 40 and the simulation system 30, respectively. However, in the explanation of the sequence diagram in Figure 3, the warehouse management system 10 may be read as the warehouse operation management system 20. In other words, the user may change the warehouse information held in the warehouse operation management system 20. In this case, for example, in step S101, the warehouse operation management system 20 receives an instruction to change the warehouse information. The user may also change both the warehouse information held in the warehouse management system 10 and the warehouse information held in the warehouse operation management system 20. In this case, the processes executed by the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20, such as steps S101 and S102 in the sequence diagram of Figure 3, may be performed simultaneously by the warehouse management system 10 and the warehouse operation management system 20, respectively.

[0077] In this way, the integrated management system 1 can manage warehouse information held by the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20, which manages warehouse operations. Specifically, when the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 receives a change in warehouse information, it transmits the warehouse information to the simulation system 30 based on the content of the change. The simulation system 30 uses the received warehouse information to perform one or more simulations of warehouse operations. Based on the results of the execution of one or more simulations, the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 notifies the terminal 40 of the impact of the change in warehouse information on warehouse operations. This allows the user to understand the impact that the change in warehouse information has on warehouse operations.

[0078] Furthermore, the one or more simulations performed by the simulation system 30 may be one or more simulations of warehouse operations that use at least modified information from the warehouse information.

[0079] Furthermore, the execution conditions for the simulation may be defined for each piece of warehouse information. The simulation system 30 may use the impact management table 39 to determine whether the changes to the warehouse information satisfy the execution conditions for the simulation. The simulation system 30 may perform this determination for the execution conditions of the simulation that correspond to the changed information among the warehouse information. If the simulation system 30 determines that the changes satisfy at least one of the execution conditions for the simulation, it may perform one or more simulations of warehouse operations.

[0080] Furthermore, if the simulation system 30 determines that the changes to the warehouse information do not satisfy any of the simulation execution conditions, the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 may reflect the changes to the warehouse information.

[0081] Furthermore, the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 may determine whether each of the results of one or more simulations of warehouse operations performed by the simulation system 30 is within a specified acceptable range. If the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 determines that at least one of the results of one or more simulations of warehouse operations is outside the acceptable range, it may notify the user of the impact of the changes to the warehouse information on the warehouse operations. On the other hand, if the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 determines that each of the results of one or more simulations of warehouse operations is within the acceptable range, it may reflect the changes to the warehouse information.

[0082] (Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1 described above, the integrated management system 1 was configured such that the simulation system 30 includes an impact management table 39 and determines whether or not to run a simulation. On the other hand, Embodiment 2 describes a configuration in the integrated management system 1A (see Figure 4) in which the warehouse management system 10A (see Figure 4) or the warehouse operation management system 20A (see Figure 4) determines whether or not to run a simulation. In describing the integrated management system 1A according to Embodiment 2, the same content as the description of the integrated management system 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be simplified or omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences.

[0083] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the integrated management system 1A according to Embodiment 2. The integrated management system 1A has the same configuration as the integrated management system 1 of Embodiment 1. However, the integrated management system 1A includes a warehouse management system 10A instead of the warehouse management system 10, a warehouse operation management system 20A instead of the warehouse operation management system 20, and a simulation system 30A instead of the simulation system 30.

[0084] The warehouse management system 10A is configured to include a processor 11A instead of the processor 11 of the warehouse management system 10 of Embodiment 1, and a memory 12A instead of the memory 12. The memory 12A stores and holds the impact management table 39A. The impact management table 39A may have the same configuration as the impact management table 39 of Embodiment 1. Furthermore, the functions of the change impact management unit 36A are realized through the cooperation of the processor 11A and the memory 12A. When warehouse information held in the warehouse management system 10A is changed, the change impact management unit 36A uses the impact management table 39A to determine whether or not it is necessary to run a simulation of warehouse operations. If the change impact management unit 36A determines that it is necessary to run a simulation, it instructs the simulation system 30A to run the simulation.

[0085] The warehouse operation management system 20A is configured to include a processor 21A instead of the processor 21 of the warehouse operation management system 20 of Embodiment 1, and a memory 22A instead of the memory 22. The memory 22A stores and holds the impact management table 39B. The impact management table 39B may have the same configuration as the impact management table 39. Furthermore, the functions of the change impact management unit 36B are realized through the cooperation of the processor 21A and the memory 22A. When warehouse information held in the warehouse operation management system 20A is changed, the change impact management unit 36B uses the impact management table 39B to determine whether or not it is necessary to run a simulation of warehouse operations. If the change impact management unit 36B determines that it is necessary to run a simulation, it instructs the simulation system 30A to run the simulation.

[0086] The simulation system 30A is configured to include a processor 31A in place of the processor 31 of the simulation system 30 of Embodiment 1, and a memory 32A in place of the memory 32.

[0087] Thus, in Embodiment 2, both the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A are equipped with an impact management table. The warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A can determine, based on the impact management table, whether or not it is necessary to run one or more simulations of warehouse operations, using the functions of the change impact management unit.

[0088] The impact management tables 39A and 39B may, but are not limited to, the same configuration as the impact management table 39 of Embodiment 1. For example, information about workers among the warehouse information may be held in the warehouse operation management system 20A and not in the warehouse management system 10A. Information about workers among the warehouse information is, for example, information I5 or information I6 shown in Figure 2. In this case, the impact management table 39A provided by the warehouse management system 10A does not need to include information about workers such as information I5 and information I6. On the other hand, information such as shelf location information in the storage area among the warehouse information is often held in both the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A. Thus, depending on the type of warehouse information, the warehouse information may be held in only one of the warehouse management system 10A or the warehouse operation management system 20A, or it may be held in both the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A. Therefore, the impact management tables 39A and 39B may be the same or have different configurations. In other words, the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operations management system 20A may have the same impact management table, or they may have different impact management tables.

[0089] For example, information related to items, such as items or shelves in which items are stored, as shown in table TBL1 in Figure 2 (information I1, information I2, and information I3), may be included in either impact management table 39A or impact management table 39B. Also, for example, information related to aisles, resources such as workers, and work-related information such as work plans, as shown in table TBL1 in Figure 2 (information I4, information I5, information I6, information I7, information I8, information I9, and information I10), may be included in impact management table 39B.

[0090] Next, with reference to Figure 5, the processing of the integrated management system 1A when there is a change in warehouse information will be explained. Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the warehouse information change processing of the integrated management system 1A according to Embodiment 2. In Figure 5, assuming that a user changes the warehouse information held in the warehouse operation management system 20A, the processing flow when the warehouse operation management system 20A receives an instruction to change the warehouse information will be explained. Note that when the warehouse information held in the warehouse management system 10A is changed, in the following explanation of Figure 5, the warehouse operation management system 20A will be read as the warehouse management system 10A, the change impact management unit 36B as the change impact management unit 36A, and the impact management table 39B as the impact management table 39A.

[0091] The user sends instructions to the warehouse operation management system 20A to change warehouse information via terminal 40 (step S200).

[0092] The warehouse operation management system 20A receives instructions for changes to warehouse information (step S201).

[0093] The change impact management unit 36B of the warehouse operation management system 20A determines whether or not to run a simulation using the details of the changes to the warehouse information and the impact management table 39B (step S202). Here, the change impact management unit 36B determines whether or not to run each of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations (for example, the first simulation, the second simulation, etc.). However, for the sake of simplicity, the one or more simulations of warehouse operations will simply be referred to as a simulation.

[0094] First, we will explain the case where it is not necessary to run a simulation, that is, the case where it is not necessary to run any of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations. If it is not necessary to run a simulation (step S203: NO), the warehouse operation management system 20A reflects the changes in warehouse information (step S213).

[0095] The warehouse operation management system 20A then sends a notification to the terminal 40 indicating that the changes to the warehouse information have been reflected (step S214). This allows the user to confirm that the changes to the warehouse information have been completed on the display device 44 of the terminal 40. The integrated management system 1A then terminates this processing flow.

[0096] Next, we will explain when it is necessary to run a simulation, that is, when it is necessary to run at least one of the one or more simulations of warehouse operations. If it is necessary to run a simulation, the warehouse operation management system 20A sends the information necessary to run the simulation to the simulation system 30A (step S204). The simulation system 30A then receives the information necessary to run the simulation. The simulation system 30A may also receive and obtain the information necessary to run the simulation from the warehouse management system 10A as needed.

[0097] The simulation execution unit 34 of the simulation system 30A executes the simulation based on the information necessary for the simulation, namely the changes to the warehouse information and the warehouse information itself (step S205).

[0098] The simulation system 30A transmits the simulation results to the warehouse operation management system 20A (step S206).

[0099] The warehouse operation management system 20A determines whether the received simulation execution results are acceptable, or in other words, whether the simulation execution results are within a preset acceptable range (step S207).

[0100] If the warehouse operation management system 20A determines that the simulation results are within a pre-set acceptable range (step S207: YES), it reflects the changes to the warehouse information (step S213). Then, the warehouse operation management system 20A sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the reflection of the changes to the warehouse information is complete (step S214). Then, the integrated management system 1A terminates this processing flow.

[0101] If the warehouse operation management system 20A determines that the simulation results are outside a preset acceptable range, that is, that the simulation results are outside the acceptable range (step S207: NO), it sends a notification to the terminal 40 regarding the impact on warehouse operations caused by the change in warehouse information (step S208). This allows the user to check the impact on warehouse operations caused by the change in warehouse information on the display device 44 of the terminal 40 and decide whether to reflect the change in warehouse information or cancel the change in warehouse information.

[0102] Based on user operations, terminal 40 sends an instruction to the warehouse operation management system 20A indicating whether or not to reflect the changes in warehouse information in the warehouse operation management system 20A, in other words, an instruction to update the warehouse information or to cancel the changes to the warehouse information (step S209).

[0103] The warehouse operation management system 20A determines whether to reflect or cancel changes to warehouse information based on instructions from the user via the terminal 40 (step S210).

[0104] If the warehouse operation management system 20A reflects the changes in warehouse information (step S210: YES), it reflects the changes in warehouse information (step S213). Then, the warehouse operation management system 20A sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the reflection of the changes in warehouse information is complete (step S214). Then, the integrated management system 1A terminates this processing flow.

[0105] If the warehouse operation management system 20A does not want to reflect the changes to the warehouse information, that is, if it wants to cancel the changes to the warehouse information (step S210: NO), it discards the instruction to change the warehouse information received in step S201 (step S211). Then, the warehouse operation management system 20A sends a notification to the terminal 40 that the changes to the warehouse information have been canceled (step S212). As a result, the user can confirm that the changes to the warehouse information have been canceled on the display device 44 of the terminal 40. Then, the integrated management system 1A terminates this processing flow.

[0106] Thus, either the warehouse management system 10A or the warehouse operation management system 20A may determine whether or not to run the simulation based on the impact management table.

[0107] Furthermore, for example, a user may modify both the warehouse information held only in the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A. In this case, the processes executed by either the warehouse management system 10A or the warehouse operation management system 20A, such as steps S201 and S202 in the sequence diagram of Figure 5, may be performed simultaneously by both the warehouse management system 10A and the warehouse operation management system 20A. In other words, each process in the sequence diagram shown in Figure 5 may be executed simultaneously by multiple warehouse management systems and warehouse operation management systems.

[0108] (Modifications of the Embodiments) In Embodiment 1 described above, an example was shown in which the warehouse management system 10 or the warehouse operation management system 20 notifies the user via the terminal 40 of the impact of changes to warehouse information on warehouse operations. In Embodiment 2 described above, an example was shown in which the warehouse management system 10A or the warehouse operation management system 20A notifies the user via the terminal 40 of the impact of changes to warehouse information on warehouse operations. However, the invention is not limited to these, and the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) may also notify the user via the terminal 40 of the impact of changes to warehouse information on warehouse operations. Similarly, the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) may notify the user via the terminal 40 that the changes to warehouse information have been canceled.

[0109] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1 described above, an example was shown in which the impact management table 39 is used to determine whether the changes to the warehouse information satisfy the simulation execution conditions defined for each warehouse information. Furthermore, in Embodiment 2 described above, an example was shown in which the impact management tables 39A and 39B are used to determine whether the changes to the warehouse information satisfy the simulation execution conditions defined for each warehouse information. However, the system is not limited to these examples, and the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) may also use the trained AI model described below to determine whether the changes to the warehouse information satisfy the simulation execution conditions defined for each warehouse information.

[0110] The AI ​​model may be trained to output the degree of impact of the change in warehouse information on the indicator value when the warehouse information before the change and the content of the change in warehouse information are input. The degree of impact of the change in warehouse information on the indicator value may be, for example, the difference in the indicator value before and after the change in warehouse information. When the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) receives the content of the change in warehouse information, it may input the warehouse information before the change and the content of the change in warehouse information into the AI ​​model. The simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) may determine whether or not to run the simulation based on the degree of impact of the change in warehouse information on the indicator value output from the AI ​​model. For example, if the indicator value is the total working time of warehouse operations, and the degree of impact of the change in warehouse information on the indicator value indicates that the total working time will increase by 1% or more, the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) may determine that it is necessary to run the simulation using that warehouse information.

[0111] The AI ​​model may be generated by the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) based on user operations via the terminal 40. The user may generate training data for generating the AI ​​model using the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A) in a manner similar to the method for creating the impact management table 39 described as an example in Embodiment 1 above. Specifically, the training data may include each warehouse information in the state before the warehouse information is changed, the index value in that state (i.e., the result of running a simulation using the warehouse information before the change), the details of the changes to the warehouse information, and the degree of impact of the changes to the warehouse information on the index value. This allows the AI ​​model to learn how much the index value changes depending on which and to what extent certain pieces of warehouse information are changed.

[0112] The generated AI model may be stored, for example, in memory 32 (memory 32A), or it may be stored in an external device (not shown), the cloud, etc., so that it can be accessed by the simulation system 30 (simulation system 30A).

[0113] (Summary of Embodiments) The following technologies are disclosed based on the above description of embodiments. The components etc. in the above embodiments are examples, but are not limited to these.

[0114] (Technology 1) The method for managing warehouse information held by a system that manages warehouse operations (for example, warehouse management system 10, warehouse management system 10A, warehouse operation management system 20, warehouse operation management system 20A) is as follows: When a change in warehouse information is received, the system executes one or more simulations of warehouse operations based on the content of the change and the warehouse information, and based on the results of the execution of one or more simulations, it notifies the user of the content of the impact of the change on warehouse operations.

[0115] This means that if warehouse information is changed, a simulation of warehouse operations will be run that uses the changed warehouse information. Based on the simulation results, the impact of the change in warehouse information on warehouse operations will be notified. This allows users, such as warehouse managers or workers, to understand the impact that changes in warehouse information have on warehouse operations.

[0116] (Technology 2) The management method described in Technology 1 may use a table (for example, Impact Management Table 39) for determining whether the content of the change satisfies the execution conditions of the simulation specified for each warehouse information, and if it is determined that the content of the change satisfies at least one of the execution conditions, one or more simulations may be executed.

[0117] This means that the simulation will only run if the execution conditions set for the changed warehouse information are met. In other words, simulations that do not meet the execution conditions will not run, thus preventing simulations from running when the change in warehouse information is unlikely to affect warehouse operations, or when the impact of the change in warehouse information on warehouse operations is extremely small. This reduces the processing load.

[0118] (Technology 3) The management method described in Technology 2 may reflect the changes in the system if it is determined, using a table, that the changes do not satisfy any of the execution conditions corresponding to each of the changed pieces of information.

[0119] This means that changes to warehouse information will be reflected in the system without running a simulation if the likelihood of the changes affecting warehouse operations is low, or if the impact of the changes on warehouse operations is extremely small.

[0120] (Technology 4) The management method described in any one of Techniques 1 to 3 determines whether each of the results of one or more simulations is within the specified acceptable range, and if it is determined that at least one of the results of one or more simulations is not within the acceptable range, the details of the impact may be notified.

[0121] This allows, for example, users to be notified of the impact of the changes to warehouse information on warehouse operations if the results of a simulation using the modified warehouse information deviate from a pre-set tolerance range.

[0122] (Technical 5) The management method described in Technical 4 may be changed to the system if it is determined that each of the results of one or more simulations is within an acceptable range.

[0123] This means that if the results of a simulation using the modified warehouse information fall within a pre-set acceptable range, the changes to the warehouse information will be reflected in the system.

[0124] (Technology 6) The management method described in any one of Techniques 1 to 5 may include one or more simulations of warehouse operations that use at least the changed information among the warehouse information.

[0125] This ensures that simulations using the updated warehouse information are executed. Simulators using only the unchanged warehouse information are not run, thus reducing the processing load.

[0126] (Technical 7) In the management methods described in Technical 1 to 6, warehouse information may include warehouse layout information managed by the system (e.g., location information 27), inventory information of goods stored in the warehouse (e.g., inventory information 15), shipping and receiving plans for goods (e.g., shipping plans 16, work plans 28), and resource information in the warehouse (e.g., resource information 26).

[0127] This means that if information about the warehouse layout, inventory of goods stored in the warehouse, shipping and receiving plans for goods, or resources such as equipment and workers in the warehouse are changed, the impact of those changes on warehouse operations will be notified to the user, for example.

[0128] (Technical 8) In the management method described in Technical 2 or 3, the execution condition may include AND conditions of two or more execution conditions different from the said execution condition.

[0129] This allows the simulation execution conditions to include AND conditions for multiple execution conditions.

[0130] (Technology 9) A management system (for example, integrated management system 1, integrated management system 1A) comprises a system that holds warehouse information and manages warehouse operations (for example, warehouse management system 10, warehouse management system 10A, warehouse operation management system 20, warehouse operation management system 20A) and a simulation system that performs simulations of warehouse operations (for example, simulation system 30, simulation system 30A). When a system receives a change in warehouse information, it transmits the warehouse information to the simulation system based on the content of the change. The simulation system uses the received warehouse information to perform one or more simulations of warehouse operations, and the system notifies the user of the impact of the change on warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

[0131] As a result, the management system can achieve the same effect as Technology 1.

[0132] (Technical 10) The program is capable of data communication with a system that holds warehouse information and manages warehouse operations (for example, warehouse management system 10, warehouse management system 10A, warehouse operation management system 20, warehouse operation management system 20A), and causes a computing device that performs simulations of warehouse operations (for example, simulation system 30, simulation system 30A) to receive warehouse information from a system that has received a change in warehouse information, based on the content of the change, to perform one or more simulations of warehouse operations using the received warehouse information, and to notify the system of the content of the impact of the change on warehouse operations based on the results of the execution of one or more simulations.

[0133] This allows the program to achieve the same effect as Technique 1.

[0134] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, this disclosure is not limited to such examples. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will also be understood to fall within the technical scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the various embodiments described above can be combined arbitrarily without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0135] This application is based on the Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-184399 filed on October 18, 2024, the Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-088823 filed on May 28, 2025, and the Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-088824 filed on May 28, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.

[0136] The technology disclosed herein is useful as a management method, management system, and program.

[0137] 1, 1A Integrated Management System 10, 10A Warehouse Management System 11, 11A, 21, 21A, 31, 31A, 41, 51 Processor 12, 12A, 22, 22A, 32, 32A, 42, 52 Memory 20, 20A Warehouse Operation Management System 30, 30A Simulation System 40 Terminal 43 Input Device 44 Display Device 45 Communication Device 50 Order Management System

Claims

1. A method for managing warehouse information held by a system for managing warehouse operations, wherein, upon receiving a change in the warehouse information, the system executes one or more simulations of the warehouse operations based on the content of the change and the warehouse information, and notifies the system of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

2. The management method according to claim 1, wherein a table for determining whether the content of the change satisfies the execution conditions of the simulation defined for each piece of warehouse information is used to determine whether the content of the change satisfies at least one of the execution conditions, and if it is determined that the content of the change satisfies at least one of the execution conditions, one or more simulations are executed.

3. The management method according to claim 2, wherein, using the table, it is determined that the content of the change does not satisfy any of the execution conditions, the change is reflected in the system.

4. The management method according to claim 1, which involves determining whether each of the results of the execution of one or more simulations is within a specified acceptable range, and if it is determined that at least one of the results of the execution of one or more simulations is outside the acceptable range, it notifies the details of the impact.

5. The management method according to claim 4, wherein if it is determined that each of the results of the one or more simulations is within the acceptable range, the change is reflected in the system.

6. The management method according to claim 1, wherein one or more simulations of warehouse operations are performed using at least the changed information among the warehouse information.

7. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the warehouse information includes warehouse layout information managed by the system, inventory information of goods stored in the warehouse, a shipping and receiving plan for the goods, and resource information in the warehouse.

8. The management method according to claim 2, wherein the execution condition includes two or more AND conditions of the execution condition that are different from the execution condition.

9. A management system comprising: a system for holding warehouse information and managing warehouse operations; and a simulation system for performing simulations of the warehouse operations, wherein when the system receives a change in the warehouse information, it transmits the warehouse information to the simulation system based on the content of the change; the simulation system performs one or more simulations of the warehouse operations using the received warehouse information; and the system notifies the system of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

10. A program that can communicate with a system that holds warehouse information and manages warehouse operations, and that enables a computing device that performs simulations of warehouse operations to receive warehouse information from the system upon receiving a change in the warehouse information, based on the content of the change, to perform one or more simulations of the warehouse operations using the received warehouse information, and to notify the system of the content of the impact of the change on the warehouse operations based on the results of the one or more simulations.

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