Distribution management system and distribution management method

Abstract

A distribution management system (100) according to the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a storage unit (22) that stores a unique identifier (ID) assigned to a steel material (St), characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material (St), and usage history information indicating a history of usage of the steel material (St) in association with each other; and a control unit (23) that acquires the unique identifier (ID) of the steel material (St) and outputs the characteristic information and the usage history information stored in the storage unit (22) in association with the unique identifier (ID).

Description

Distribution management system and distribution management method

[0001] This disclosure relates to a distribution management system and a distribution management method. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-066121, filed in Japan on April 14, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, the distribution of steel materials has been managed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing method that acquires product information from a first user terminal, associated with product identification information of manufactured steel products, and acquires finished product identification information of a finished product manufactured from one or more steel products, including the steel product, from a second user terminal, associated with the product identification information, and stores the product information and finished product identification information in a storage unit, associated with the product identification information. Patent Document 2 also discloses an information processing system that acquires and registers mill sheet information including commercial flow information showing the commercial flow of steel materials, and discloses the mill sheet information to the steel material customers based on the commercial flow information. Patent Document 3 also discloses a label that includes an optically coded area and a transponder, and the data obtained by reading either or both of them is used to acquire identification data.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-148316, Japanese Patent No. 7439334, International Publication No. 2024 / 076299

[0004] However, the aforementioned conventional technology still had room for improvement in the efficiency of steel distribution.

[0005] This disclosure is made in view of the circumstances described above, and aims to provide a distribution management system and a distribution management method that can streamline the distribution of steel materials.

[0006] A distribution management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material; and a control unit that acquires the unique identifier for the steel material and outputs the characteristic information and usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

[0007] A distribution management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a distribution management method using a distribution management system comprising a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material, characterized in that the method comprises an acquisition step of acquiring the unique identifier for the steel material, and a control step of outputting the characteristic information and the usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

[0008] This disclosure provides a distribution management system and a distribution management method that can streamline the distribution of steel materials.

[0009] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the commercial flow of steel materials. This is a diagram showing an example in which steel materials are assigned unique identifiers. This is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the distribution management system according to the embodiment. This is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of a terminal device. This is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of a management device. This is a schematic diagram showing a first example of information exchange in the distribution management method according to the embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing a second example of information exchange in the distribution management method according to the embodiment. This is a flow chart showing an example of the commercial flow of steel materials. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device applied to the embodiment.

[0010] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a distribution management system and a distribution management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The distribution management system and distribution management method according to this embodiment can be used, for example, for distribution management when distributing steel materials.

[0011] In this embodiment, steel material distribution management includes, for example, appropriately managing the price of steel materials. The price of steel materials may be appropriately determined by the distribution management system and distribution management method according to this embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, steel material distribution management may also include, for example, steel material inventory management. Steel material inventory management refers to managing information such as the location where the steel materials subject to transactions are stored or used, and the planned use and period of use of the steel materials. Such information may also be appropriately managed by the distribution management system and distribution management method according to this embodiment.

[0012] (Commercial Flow (General and Lease-Including)) First, the commercial flow of steel materials in which the distribution management system and distribution management method according to this embodiment are used will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the commercial flow of steel materials St. Hereinafter, using Figure 1, the cases in which steel materials St are traded by buying and selling and traded by leasing will be described together. In this embodiment, the buying and selling or leasing of steel materials St may be carried out for each individual steel material St, or for each lot containing multiple steel materials St. Steel materials St are manufactured as building materials by manufacturer M (for example, a blast furnace manufacturer), and as shown in Figure 1, for example, they are sold from manufacturer M to distributor D (flow F101). Alternatively, the steel materials St manufactured by manufacturer M may be sold directly from manufacturer M to user U (flow F102), or from manufacturer M to leasing company L (flow F103).

[0013] Distributor D sells the steel material St purchased from manufacturer M to user U (flow F104) or to leasing company L (flow F105). Distributor D may store the purchased steel material St as inventory, or may adjust the amount of steel material St inventory by selling the inventory of steel material St to another distributor D different from itself (flow F106).

[0014] In this embodiment, the steel material St is, for example, a steel pile, a steel pipe pile, a steel sheet pile, a structural steel, a rail, or a steel pipe. However, it is not limited to these, and the steel material St may be any other material, such as temporary steel materials. Furthermore, the steel material St may include blast furnace material or electric furnace material.

[0015] User U uses steel material St. User U may purchase and use the steel material St from, for example, manufacturer M or distributor D, or lease it from leasing company L. The period for which User U uses the steel material St may be, for example, two to five years, or several months. Here, User U may be a subcontractor that actually carries out the construction, a construction company that acts as the prime contractor for the construction company, or any other construction company. If User U purchases and uses the steel material St, User U uses the steel material St at the construction site and sells it to distributor D after use, as shown in Figure 1 (flow F107).

[0016] In this case, user U may sell the steel material St to another user U different from itself (flow F108). For example, the steel material St may be sold from a subcontractor to a general contractor, or from a general contractor to a subcontractor. Not limited to the above, in flow F108, the steel material St may be traded among any user U, including general contractors, subcontractors, and construction companies.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the leasing company L leases, for example, steel material St to user U (flow F109). In this case, user U may be a subcontractor or a construction company. The construction company here may also be a general contractor that is the prime contractor for the construction company that actually carries out the construction. The period for which user U uses the steel material St may be, for example, two to five years, or it may be just a few months. When user U leases and uses the steel material St, user U uses the steel material St at the construction site and returns it to the leasing company L after use (flow F110). The leasing company L may store the steel material St as inventory, or it may adjust the amount of steel material St inventory by selling its inventory of steel material St to another leasing company L different from itself (flow F111).

[0018] Distributor D inspects the steel material St sold by user U. If the steel material St is still usable, distributor D repairs the steel material St as necessary, as shown in Figure 1, and then sells it back to user U (flow F112). In this way, the steel material St may be bought, sold, and used multiple times (for example, about 10 times). If the steel material St is no longer usable due to deterioration or damage, user U sells the steel material St to scrap dealer S as scrap material (flow F113). If the steel material St is traded in lots, all of the multiple steel material St may be inspected, and repairs to the steel material St may be carried out individually according to the type and extent of deformation.

[0019] Leasing company L inspects the steel material St returned by user U. If the steel material St is still usable as leased material, leasing company L repairs the steel material St as necessary, as shown in Figure 1, and leases it again to user U (flow F114). In this way, the steel material St may be leased multiple times (for example, about 10 times). Leasing company L may also sell the returned steel material St to distributor D (flow F115). Leasing company L may also purchase steel material St again from distributor D as needed (flow F116). If the steel material St is no longer usable as leased material due to deterioration or damage, leasing company L sells the steel material St as scrap to scrap dealer S, as shown in Figure 1 (flow F117). If steel material St is traded in lots, some of the steel material St from multiple lots may be sold as scrap to scrap dealer S.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, scrap dealer S sells the steel materials St purchased as scrap from user U and leasing company L to distributor D (flow F118). Distributor D sells the steel materials St purchased as scrap from scrap dealer S to manufacturer M (flow F119).

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, scrap dealer S may purchase steel St directly from user U as scrap material (flow F113), or directly from leasing company L (flow F117). Scrap dealer S may then sell the steel St purchased in this way to distributor D (flow F119). Manufacturer M then purchases steel St as scrap material from distributor D (flow F119) and uses it as part or all of the raw material to manufacture steel St again.

[0022] As described above, steel material St is distributed. In the distribution of steel material St described above, the distributor D that sells leased material and the distributor D that sells scrap material do not have to be the same company. Also, if steel material St is used multiple times, the user U that uses the steel material St does not have to be the same company.

[0023] Furthermore, transactions of steel materials St with leasing company L and user U, and transactions of scrap materials with scrap dealer S, may be conducted directly by manufacturer M without going through distributor D. In this case, leasing company L and user U may also sell steel materials St that they cannot use or no longer use directly to manufacturer M without going through scrap dealer S.

[0024] Furthermore, for example, if a seller of steel materials St (e.g., distributor D) conducts a transaction on the premise that the used steel materials St will be bought back by a buyer (e.g., user U) after the steel materials St have been used, the seller of steel materials St may guarantee a buyback price after use based on the value of steel materials St predicted in this embodiment, which will be described later. In this case, the seller of steel materials St may also sell the steel materials to the buyer at a discounted price based on the future value of steel materials St predicted in this embodiment, which will be described later.

[0025] In the aforementioned commercial flow, it is necessary to promote a circular economy. That is, for example, when manufacturer M purchases scrap material, it is preferable to purchase it in a state where scrap material with fewer impurities (high grade) and scrap material with relatively more impurities (low grade) are separated, thereby reducing the cost required for recycling steel material St. In this embodiment, impurities include, for example, Cu (copper), Sn (tin), Ni (nickel), Cr (chromium), etc., which are difficult to remove when manufacturing steel material St from scrap material.

[0026] When steel materials (St) are used at a construction site, for example, steel materials (St) from different manufacturers may be mixed together, or steel materials (St) produced in blast furnaces may be mixed with steel materials produced in electric furnaces. At a construction site, it is difficult to separate steel materials (St) from different manufacturers, or steel materials (St) produced in blast furnaces and steel materials produced in electric furnaces.

[0027] If the scrap material purchased by manufacturer M is a mixture of steel materials (St) from different manufacturers, for example, if the steel materials (St) have different compositions, or if the composition of each steel material (St) is unknown, the purity of the scrap material will decrease. Also, if steel materials (St) produced by blast furnaces and steel materials (St) produced by electric furnaces are mixed, the purity of the scrap material will decrease because electric furnace materials contain more impurities such as copper than blast furnace materials. Furthermore, it is difficult to separate blast furnace materials and electric furnace materials by visual inspection or other means.

[0028] (Unique Identifier) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which a unique identifier ID is provided to a steel material St. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a unique identifier ID is assigned to the steel material St. Then, for example, when a manufacturer M purchases the steel material St as a scrap material, the steel material St is sorted based on the unique identifier ID. Thereby, for example, the steel material St can be sorted into at least those having the unique identifier ID and those not having the unique identifier ID. Further, for example, steel materials St from different manufacturers, steel materials St manufactured from blast furnace materials, and steel materials St manufactured from electric furnace materials can be sorted. This enables the manufacturer M to purchase higher-quality scrap material.

[0029] In the present embodiment, as the unique identifier ID, for example, an IC tag, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) label, an RFID tag, a one-dimensional barcode, or a two-dimensional barcode is suitably used. Further, the unique identifier ID may be a dot array readable by any arbitrary device or the like. In the present embodiment, that the unique identifier ID is assigned to the steel material St may mean that the aforementioned tag, label, or barcode is provided on the steel material St.

[0030] The unique identifier ID may be provided, for example, by the manufacturer M at the time of shipment of the steel material St, may be provided by a distributor D at the time of sale of the steel material St, may be provided by a leasing company L at the start of leasing, or may be provided in any other process in the market distribution of the steel material St.

[0031] When the unique identifier ID is an IC tag, an RFID label, or an RFID tag, the unique identifier ID may be provided, for example, by being affixed to the steel material St. When the unique identifier ID is a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode, the unique identifier ID may be provided, for example, by affixing a label on which the barcode is printed, or may be provided on the surface of the steel material St by printing, laser marking, or the like.

[0032] Furthermore, if steel materials St are traded on a lot-by-lot basis, a unique identifier ID may be assigned to, for example, only one or more representative steel materials St included in the lot. Alternatively, a unique identifier ID may be assigned to each steel material St included in the lot, containing information indicating the lot in which the steel material St is contained. Alternatively, a unique identifier ID may be assigned to each steel material St included in the lot, containing information indicating the lot in which the steel material St is contained, and information indicating the individual number of the steel material St within the lot.

[0033] In this embodiment, the unique identifier ID may store, for example, information about a link to access a database of various information related to steel material St. The database may be stored, for example, in the storage unit 22 of the management device 20, which will be described later. The database may also store various information about multiple steel materials St together. The database stored in the storage unit 22 may include, for example, the information stored in the characteristic information storage unit 221, the status data storage unit 222, the lease data storage unit 223, and the usage data storage unit 224, which will be described later.

[0034] In this embodiment, the information included in the unique identifier ID may be editable by the manufacturer M, the leasing company L, the user U, or the distributor D. That is, each of the aforementioned companies may edit and update the various information registered in the database using the terminal device 10 described later. This is preferable to ensure that the information on steel materials St distributed as leased materials and steel materials St traded through sales is always up-to-date.

[0035] Here, when steel materials St are used at a construction site, a portion of the steel material St, including its end (for example, about 50 cm to 1 m), may be removed due to wear and tear on the end of the steel material St. For example, if the unique identifier ID is provided only at one end in the longitudinal direction of the steel material St, the unique identifier ID may be removed along with the end of the steel material St, making it impossible to separate the steel material St. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the unique identifier ID be provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the steel material St, as shown in Figure 2. The location where the unique identifier ID is provided may be appropriately determined depending on the type of steel material St. Details of other unique identifier IDs will be described later. The distribution management system 100 and distribution management method according to this embodiment are used to manage the distribution of steel material St to which the unique identifier ID has been assigned as described above.

[0036] (Distribution Management System) First, the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the distribution management system 100 includes a terminal device 10 and a management device 20. The terminal device 10 and the management device 20 are connected to each other via a network 70. The network 70 may be a wireless communication network or a wired communication network. The network 70 may be configured using, for example, the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The network 70 may be configured by combining multiple networks.

[0037] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 is composed of information devices such as smartphones, tablets, personal computers, and dedicated equipment. In this embodiment, each of the businesses using the distribution management system 100 (for example, manufacturer M, distributor D, leasing company L, user U, and scrap dealer S) may have a terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 comprises a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, an output unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0038] The communication unit 11 is a communication device. The communication unit 11 may be configured, for example, as a network interface. The communication unit 11 communicates data with other devices (for example, the management device 20) via the network 70 in accordance with the control of the control unit 15. The communication unit 11 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

[0039] The input unit 12 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, or touch panel. The input unit 12 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the terminal device 10. The input unit 12 may also be an interface for connecting the input device to the terminal device 10. In this case, the input unit 12 inputs the input signal generated in the input device in response to the user's input to the terminal device 10. The input unit 12 may also be configured using a microphone and a speech recognition device. In this case, the input unit 12 acquires the acoustic signal generated by the user's speech, performs speech recognition on the words spoken by the user, and inputs the recognized string information to the terminal device 10. The speech recognition process may be performed by the control unit 15. The input unit 12 may be configured in any way that allows user instructions to be input to the terminal device 10.

[0040] The output unit 13 outputs information in a format that the user can recognize. The output unit 13 may be an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 13 may also be an interface for connecting an image display device to the terminal device 10. In this case, the output unit 13 generates a video signal for displaying image data and outputs the video signal to the image display device connected to it. The output unit 13 may also be a device that outputs sound, such as a speaker. The output unit 13 may also be an interface for connecting an audio output device such as a speaker or headphones to the terminal device 10. In this case, the output unit 13 generates an audio signal for playing audio data and outputs the audio signal to the audio output device connected to it. The output unit 13 may also be configured as a touch panel integrated with the input unit 12.

[0041] The storage unit 14 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 14 stores data used by the control unit 15. The storage unit 14 stores data necessary when the control unit 15 performs processing.

[0042] The control unit 15 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory (main memory). The control unit 15 functions when the processor executes a program. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 15 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor memory devices (e.g., SSDs: Solid State Drives), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor memory devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0043] The control unit 15 may, for example, execute an application installed on its own device (terminal device 10). The program installed on the terminal device 10 may cause the computer to function as the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment. A specific example of such an application is an application provided as a dedicated application for the distribution management system 100. Another specific example of such an application is a web browser application. Such an application may be pre-installed on the terminal device 10, or it may be downloaded each time a determination process is executed. For example, if it is implemented as a web browser application, the terminal device 10 may download and execute the application from a device specified by the web server (for example, the web server itself or another server) in response to the terminal device 10 connecting to a specific web server. The control unit 15 operates according to the program of the application being executed.

[0044] The control unit 15 controls the terminal device 10 in accordance with user operations and information received from the management device 20. For example, the control unit 15 transmits information entered by the user through the operation of the input unit 12 to the management device 20 using the communication unit 11. For example, when the control unit 15 receives information transmitted from the management device 20 via the network 70 to the communication unit 11, it generates screen data based on the received information and displays the screen data on the output unit 13. Such screen data includes images and characters that represent the information transmitted from the management device 20. For example, when the control unit 15 receives information transmitted from the management device 20 via the network 70 to the communication unit 11, it generates audio data based on the received information and outputs the audio data from the output unit 13.

[0045] In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 may have a function to read a unique identifier ID. Specifically, for example, the terminal device 10 may be equipped with a reader (not shown) for reading the unique identifier ID (e.g., an RFID reader or a barcode reader). Alternatively, the terminal device 10 may have a reader function (e.g., a camera capable of reading barcodes). Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the act of the terminal device 10 capturing information contained in the unique identifier ID using a reader (or a reader function) may be referred to as the terminal device 10 reading the unique identifier ID.

[0046] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the management device 20. The management device 20 is configured using information processing equipment such as a personal computer or a server device. In this embodiment, the management device 20 may be connected to all of the terminal devices 10 owned by each business that uses the distribution management system 100, via a network 70. The management device 20 comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

[0047] The communication unit 21 is a communication device. The communication unit 21 may be configured, for example, as a network interface. The communication unit 21 communicates data with other devices (for example, terminal devices 10) via the network 70 in accordance with the control of the control unit 23. The communication unit 21 may be a wireless communication device or a wired communication device.

[0048] The storage unit 22 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 22 stores data used by the control unit 23. The storage unit 22 may function, for example, as a characteristic information storage unit 221, a state data storage unit 222, a lease data storage unit 223, and a usage data storage unit 224.

[0049] The characteristic information storage unit 221 is a functional unit that stores characteristic information indicating the properties of the steel material St in association with a unique identifier ID assigned to the steel material St. In this embodiment, the characteristic information is, for example, information about the manufacturer of the steel material St, as well as information such as dimensions, shape, and chemical composition of the material. The characteristic information may also be, for example, information described in the mill sheet of the steel material St, created by manufacturer M. The characteristic information storage unit 221 may store an electronic file of the mill sheet of the steel material St in association with the unique identifier ID. The electronic file of the mill sheet stored in this way may be accessible as appropriate by each business using the distribution management system 100.

[0050] The state data storage unit 222 is a functional unit that stores in association the unique identifier ID assigned to the steel material St and state data, which is information regarding the state of the steel material St. In this embodiment, the state data includes information about the amount of steel material St that has been partially removed, information about records of repair or reinforcement of the steel material St, and CO2 of the steel material St. ２ It includes at least one of the following: information about the load.

[0051] Information about the amount of steel material St that has been partially removed is stored, for example, when a portion of the steel material St, including its ends, is removed due to wear or other reasons. The amount of steel material St that has been partially removed may be indicated, for example, by the length of the portion of the steel material St that has been removed, or by the length of the portion of the steel material St that remains after a portion has been removed. The information about the amount of steel material St that has been partially removed may also include information indicating that the steel material St has not been partially removed. Such information may be recorded, for example, by the manufacturer M or the leasing company L when unused steel material St is shipped. Furthermore, when transactions of multiple steel materials St are conducted on a lot-by-lot basis, if some of the steel material St is partially removed, the transactions of the steel material St that has not been partially removed and the steel material St that has been partially removed may be conducted separately. In that case, the partially removed steel material St may be assigned a new unique identifier as needed.

[0052] Information regarding the repair or reinforcement of steel materials St is stored, for example, when the steel materials St are repaired or reinforced in response to wear or other issues. Repair or reinforcement of steel materials St may include, for example, repainting or rust-preventive treatment on areas where the paint or rust-preventive treatment has peeled off, adding reinforcing material to areas where the plate thickness of the steel materials St has decreased, correcting deformation from the original shape using tools such as presses, electric jacks, hydraulic jacks, and hammers, reinforcing damaged areas by welding, bonding, bolting, etc., or processing burrs with a grinder. Information regarding the repair or reinforcement of steel materials St may include, for example, a document indicating the specific details of the repair or reinforcement work, or the date and number of times the repair or reinforcement was performed. In addition, information regarding the repair or reinforcement of steel materials St may also include information indicating that the steel materials St have not been repaired or reinforced. Such information may be recorded, for example, by the manufacturer M, the leasing company L, and the distributor D when unused steel materials St are shipped. Furthermore, when transactions of multiple steel materials St are conducted on a lot-by-lot basis, and some of the steel materials St are repaired or reinforced, the unrepaired or reinforced steel materials St and the repaired or reinforced steel materials St may be traded separately. In that case, the repaired or reinforced steel materials St may be assigned a new unique identifier as needed.

[0053] CO ２ Information about the load is stored, for example, when the steel material St is produced, transported, and installed. ２ Load refers to, for example, the CO2 generated when steel material St is manufactured. ２ This information could also indicate CO emissions, or CO generated during transportation, construction, casting, extraction, or longitudinal welding. ２ This may also be information showing the emissions of steel (St). ２ The load may be indicated, for example, by a numerical value representing the volume.

[0054] The lease data storage unit 223 is a functional unit that stores in association the unique identifier ID assigned to the steel material St used as leased material and lease data, which is information regarding the lease of the leased material. In this embodiment, the lease data includes at least one of the following: information about the intended use of the steel material St when it was leased, information about the user of the steel material St, information about the period during which the steel material St was leased, information about the number of times the steel material St was leased, information about the number of times the steel material St was used, and information about the ground on which the steel material St was used.

[0055] Information regarding the intended use of the leased steel material St and information regarding the user of the steel material St are stored, for example, when the steel material St is shipped from the leasing company L to the user U, or when the user U receives the steel material St from the leasing company L. Information regarding the intended use of the leased steel material St and information regarding the user of the steel material St may be registered, for example, by the leasing company L or by the user U.

[0056] Information about the lease period of the steel material St is stored, for example, when user U enters into a lease agreement with lessor L, or when user U returns the steel material St to lessor L. If the lease period is determined at the time of the lease agreement, lessor L may register the information about the lease period at the time of the lease agreement; if the lease period is not determined at the time of the lease agreement, user U may register the information about the lease period when the steel material St is returned.

[0057] Information regarding the number of times the steel material St has been leased, the number of times the steel material St has been used, and the ground on which the steel material St has been used is stored, for example, when the steel material St is shipped from the leasing company L to the user U, or when the steel material St is returned from the user U to the leasing company L. Information regarding the number of times the steel material St has been leased may be registered, for example, by the leasing company L. Information regarding the number of times the steel material St has been used and the ground on which the steel material St has been used may be registered, for example, by the user U. In addition to this information, the lease data may also include, for example, information regarding the lease agreement (e.g., information regarding the lessee), information regarding the lease start date and the scheduled lease end date. The lease data may also include information indicating that the steel material St is unused. Such information may be recorded, for example, by the leasing company L when unused steel material St is shipped.

[0058] The usage data storage unit 224 is a functional unit that stores in association the unique identifier ID assigned to the steel material St that is traded through buying and selling, and usage data, which is information relating to the trading and use of the steel material St. In this embodiment, the usage data includes at least one of the following: information about the purpose of use when the steel material St was bought and sold, information about the user of the steel material St, information about the period during which the steel material St was used, information about the number of times the steel material St was bought and sold, information about the number of times the steel material St was used, and information about the ground on which the steel material St was used.

[0059] Information regarding the intended use of the steel material St when it is bought and sold, and information regarding the user of the steel material St, is stored, for example, when the steel material St is shipped from distributor D to user U, or when user U receives the steel material St from distributor D. Information regarding the intended use of the steel material St when it is bought and sold, and information regarding the user of the steel material St, may be registered, for example, by distributor D or by user U.

[0060] Information about the period during which the steel material St was used is stored, for example, when user U enters into a sales contract with distributor D, or when user U sells the used steel material St to distributor D. If the period of use of the steel material St is determined at the time of the sales contract, distributor D may register the information about the period of use at the time of the sales contract; if the period of use is not determined at the time of the sales contract, user U may register the information about the period of use of the steel material St when user U sells the used steel material St to distributor D.

[0061] Information regarding the number of times steel materials St have been bought and sold, information regarding the number of times steel materials St have been used, and information regarding the ground on which steel materials St have been used are stored, for example, when steel materials St are shipped from distributor D to user U, or when user U sells used steel materials St to distributor D. Information regarding the number of times steel materials St have been bought and sold may be registered, for example, by distributor D. Information regarding the number of times steel materials St have been used and information regarding the ground on which steel materials St have been used may be registered, for example, by user U. In addition to this information, usage data may also include, for example, information regarding the sales contract (for example, information regarding user U who purchased the material) and information regarding the date the sales contract was concluded. Usage data may also include information indicating that the steel materials St are unused. Such information may be recorded, for example, by distributor D, etc., when unused steel materials St are shipped.

[0062] The control unit 23 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 23 functions as an information control unit 231, a discrimination unit 232, a prediction unit 233, a value calculation unit 234, and an information generation unit 235 when the processor executes a program. Note that all or part of each function of the control unit 23 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor memory devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor memory devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0063] The information control unit 231 is a functional unit that controls the input and output of information. For example, the information control unit 231 acquires a unique identifier ID from the terminal device 10, stores various information corresponding to the acquired unique identifier ID in the storage unit 22, or reads various information corresponding to the acquired unique identifier ID from the storage unit 22 and outputs it. In this embodiment, acquiring a unique identifier ID means that the information control unit 231 acquires information contained in the unique identifier ID provided on the steel material St via the terminal device 10 or the like.

[0064] The information control unit 231 obtains the unique identifier ID in the following manner, for example. First, the terminal device 10 reads the unique identifier ID, and the information contained in the unique identifier ID (i.e., information regarding links to access databases of various information related to steel material St) is taken into the terminal device 10.

[0065] The terminal device 10 transmits the information contained in the unique identifier ID, which it has acquired as described above, to the management device 20 via the communication unit 11 and the network 70. The information control unit 231 receives the information contained in the unique identifier ID transmitted in this manner via the communication unit 21. This allows the information control unit 231 to acquire the unique identifier ID.

[0066] After obtaining the unique identifier ID as described above, the information control unit 231 further receives various information corresponding to the obtained unique identifier ID from the terminal device 10 and stores it in the storage unit 22. Specifically, for example, the information control unit 231 receives various information such as characteristic information of steel material St, status data, lease data, and usage data that each business using the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment inputs via the terminal device 10, and stores it in the storage unit 22.

[0067] Therefore, the acquisition of a unique identifier ID by the information control unit 231 may be performed, for example, when manufacturer M or distributor D stores characteristic information of steel material St in characteristic information storage unit 221, or when leasing company L, distributor D or user U stores status data in status data storage unit 222, lease data in lease data storage unit 223, or usage data in usage data storage unit 224, etc.

[0068] Furthermore, after acquiring a unique identifier ID, the information control unit 231 may read various information corresponding to the acquired unique identifier ID from the storage unit 22 and output it to the output unit 13 as information that can be displayed. Specifically, for example, the information control unit 231 may output characteristic information, status data, lease data, or usage data of the steel material St that is stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID.

[0069] Therefore, the acquisition of a unique identifier ID by the information control unit 231 may be performed, for example, when each business using the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment refers to various information about the steel material St corresponding to the unique identifier ID. The various information output in this manner may be used, for example, for the discrimination unit 232 to discriminate the characteristic information of the steel material St, the prediction unit 233 to predict the usable period of the steel material St, and the value calculation unit 234 to calculate the value of the steel material St as scrap material.

[0070] The discrimination unit 232 is a functional unit that discriminates the characteristic information of the steel material St. For example, the discrimination unit 232 determines whether the steel material St is of high quality or not based on the characteristic information of the steel material St output by the information control unit 231. The result of the discrimination by the discrimination unit 232 may be output as information that can be displayed on, for example, the output unit 13 of the terminal device 10.

[0071] The discrimination unit 232 may perform the discrimination of characteristic information of the steel material St, for example, when a scrap dealer S purchases used steel material St from a leasing company L, or when a manufacturer M or distributor D purchases it from scrap dealer S. This may enable, for example, manufacturer M to efficiently recover high-quality scrap material, especially when the steel material St is blast furnace material.

[0072] The prediction unit 233 is a functional unit that predicts the usable period of the steel material St based on its characteristic information and usage history information. In this embodiment, the usable period of the steel material St refers to the period until the steel material St becomes unusable due to deterioration or other reasons. The prediction unit 233 may also predict the number of times the steel material St can be used.

[0073] The prediction unit 233 predicts the usable period or number of times for the steel material St, based, for example, on characteristic information stored in association with the unique identifier ID of the steel material St acquired by the information control unit 231, and usage history information, which is information showing the usage history of the steel material St. The prediction unit 233 may also predict the usable period or number of times for the steel material St based on the period and number of times used in the past for another steel material St used in an environment similar to that of the steel material St being predicted. The prediction unit 233 may appropriately acquire such past information of the steel material St from the storage unit 22. The prediction result by the prediction unit 233 may be output as information that can be displayed on, for example, the output unit 13 of the terminal device 10.

[0074] The usage history information for steel material St may, for example, be state data stored in the state data storage unit 222, lease data stored in the lease data storage unit 223, or usage data stored in the usage data storage unit 224. In other words, the usage history information for steel material St may include at least one of state data, lease data, and usage data. The storage unit 22 may store a unique identifier ID and usage history information, which is information indicating the usage history of steel material St, in association with each other. That is, when the prediction unit 233 predicts the usable period of steel material St, in addition to the characteristic information stored in the characteristic information storage unit 221, it may refer to the state data stored in the state data storage unit 222, the lease data stored in the lease data storage unit 223, and the usage data stored in the usage data storage unit 224, all relating to the usage history information of steel material St.

[0075] The prediction unit 233 may predict the usable period of the steel material St, for example, when the leased steel material St is returned from user U to the leasing company L, or when the used steel material St is purchased by distributor D after being traded and used. This may enable, for example, the leasing company L to efficiently determine whether the steel material St returned from user U can continue to be used as leased material, or enable the distributor D to efficiently determine whether the used steel material St purchased from user U can continue to be used for buying and selling.

[0076] The value calculation unit 234 is a functional unit that calculates the current or future economic value (monetary value) of steel material St. The value calculation unit 234 calculates the current or future economic value of steel material St based on, for example, the usage history information of steel material St, characteristic information stored in association with the unique identifier ID of steel material St acquired by the information control unit 231, and one or more pieces of market trend information. The value calculation unit 234 may also calculate the economic value of steel material St as scrap material based on, for example, the characteristic information and usage history information stored in association with the unique identifier ID of steel material St. The value calculation unit 234 also calculates CO2 reduction that reflects the number of times (or the period) that steel material St can be used. ２You can calculate the value, or the CO of steel material St. ２ The monetary value of the load may be calculated. The result of the calculation by the value calculation unit 234 may be output as information that can be displayed on, for example, the output unit 13 of the terminal device 10.

[0077] When calculating the value of steel material St as scrap material, the value calculation unit 234 may, similar to the prediction unit 233, refer to the characteristic information stored in the characteristic information storage unit 221, as well as the state data stored in the state data storage unit 222, the lease data stored in the lease data storage unit 223, and the usage data stored in the usage data storage unit 224, all relating to the usage history information of steel material St.

[0078] The value calculation unit 234 may perform the calculation of the value of steel material St as scrap material, for example, when manufacturer M purchases steel material St as scrap material. This may allow manufacturer M to appropriately determine the purchase price of the scrap material. A specific example of the method for calculating the economic value of steel material St by the value calculation unit 234 will be described below.

[0079] (Value of New Material) First, the method for calculating the value of steel material St as new material will be explained. In this embodiment, new material refers to steel material St that has been manufactured by a manufacturer but has not yet been traded. In other words, the value of new material is equivalent to the price at which steel material St would be sold by the manufacturer immediately after it is manufactured. In this embodiment, the value of new material is applied, for example, in flows F101 to F103 described above.

[0080] The value calculation unit 234 may, for example, calculate the value of new materials based on the market price of steel St or the transaction history. The value calculation unit 234 may obtain the market price of steel St from, for example, the internet via the network 70 and the communication unit 21. The value calculation unit 234 may also obtain the transaction history by reading it from the storage unit 22. The transaction history may be stored in the storage unit 22 at an appropriate time by, for example, each business using the distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment. The value calculation unit 234 may also determine the value of new materials from the actual market price. In this case, the value calculation unit 234 may obtain the actual market price from, for example, the internet via the network 70 and the communication unit 21.

[0081] (Value of steel after new material is sold) Next, the method for calculating the value of steel St after new material is sold will be explained. In this embodiment, "after new material" refers to steel St after it has been first sold by the manufacturer. That is, the value of steel St after new material is equivalent to the price at which it is traded by distributors D, users U, etc., after it has been first sold by the manufacturer. The value of steel St after new material may be a price that takes into account, for example, the number of times it has been used or the price of the scrap market. In this embodiment, the value of steel St after new material is applied, for example, in flows F104 to F108 and F111 described above.

[0082] The value calculation unit 234 may, for example, calculate the value of the steel material St when it is bought and sold after new material is acquired, taking into account the number of times the steel material St can be used, the usable period, etc. The number of times the steel material St can be used and the usable period are the prediction results of the prediction unit 233 for the number of times the steel material St can be used and the usable period of the steel material St. In other words, the value calculation unit 234 may determine the transaction price of the steel material St based on the usable period or number of times the steel material St can be used predicted by the prediction unit 233. In this way, the value calculation unit 234 may determine the value of the steel material St when it is bought and sold after new material is acquired, based on the prediction results of the future number of times the steel material St can be used and the usable period of the steel material St, taking into account the deterioration status of the steel material St at the time of previous transactions and past usage history.

[0083] Further, in the present embodiment, the value at the time of trading after the new material stage may be calculated, for example, by "{(value of new material) − (value as scrap)} × {(usable period or number of times at the time of value calculation) / (usable period or number of times at the new material stage)} + (value as scrap)".

[0084] (Value as Scrap) Next, a method for calculating the value of the steel material St as scrap will be described. The value as scrap corresponds to the price when the steel material St is traded as a scrap material after it is determined that the steel material St is unusable. In the present embodiment, the value as scrap is applied, for example, in the above-described flows F113, F117, F118, and F119.

[0085] The value calculation unit 234 may calculate the value as scrap, for example, based on the price of the scrap market conditions and further in consideration of the quality of the steel material St to be traded. The quality may be determined from the content of a specific element, or may be determined from the manufacturer M that manufactured the scrapped steel material St or the manufacturing method. The value calculation unit 234 may acquire the price of the scrap market conditions from, for example, the Internet via the network 70 and the communication unit 21. Further, the value calculation unit 234 may acquire the purity of the steel material St by reading the characteristic information stored in association with the unique identifier ID from the storage unit 22. Further, the value calculation unit 234 may determine the value as scrap from, for example, information on market conditions acquired via the Internet, unit price corresponding to the purity of the steel material St, size, weight, and the like.

[0086] The value calculation unit 234 appropriately calculates the value of the steel material St as described above. In addition to the above, the value calculation unit 234 may calculate the price of the steel material St in consideration of the transportation cost, storage cost, management cost, and profit of the steel material St, or may calculate the price by taking into account a value obtained by converting the C ２ O load amount into a monetary value.

[0087] The information generation unit 235 is a functional unit that generates various types of information for each business that uses the distribution management system 100 to refer to. For example, the information generation unit 235 generates, in a referable format, information regarding the results of the steel material St price calculation by the value calculation unit 234, which is necessary for each business to determine the price when trading steel material St. Specifically, the information generation unit 235 reads information on the steel material St prices in each of the above-described flows that are specified by each business, generates it as information that can be displayed on the output unit 13 of the terminal device 10, and may display it on the output unit 13 as appropriate. Each business may, for example, make the above-described specification via the input unit 12. Each business may determine the price of steel material St at the time of trading based on the information generated by the information generation unit 235 and displayed on the output unit 13.

[0088] Furthermore, the information generation unit 235 may, for example, determine whether or not to scrap the steel material St based on the current economic value of the steel material St and the predicted value of the future repair costs that will be required for the steel material St. The predicted value of the future repair costs that will be required for the steel material St is, for example, the repair cost calculated based on the damage condition assumed according to the dimensions, material, and number of uses of the steel material St. The value calculation unit 234 may calculate the future repair costs that will be required for the steel material St based on, for example, the number of times and duration that the steel material St has been used, the deterioration status of the steel material St and the usage history of the steel material St, or it may estimate based on past information about other steel material St that has been used in an environment similar to that of the steel material St being calculated.

[0089] In this embodiment, the information generation unit 235 may calculate the repair cost of the steel material St based on the above, compare it with the value of the steel material St when it is bought and sold as new material, and then decide whether or not to use the steel material St. The above-mentioned decision result by the information generation unit 235 is generated as information that can be displayed on the output unit 13 of the terminal device 10 and may be displayed on the output unit 13 as appropriate. Each business (for example, user U) may decide whether or not to scrap the steel material St based on the above-mentioned decision result by the information generation unit 235. The distribution management system 100 according to this embodiment is configured with the above-mentioned configuration.

[0090] (Distribution Management Method) Next, the distribution management method according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of information exchange in the distribution management method according to this embodiment. First, the first example of the distribution management method according to this embodiment will be described using Figure 6. In the first example, the transaction of steel material St or scrap material between manufacturer M and leasing company L is conducted through distributor D, similar to the example of commercial flow shown in Figure 1. In the example shown in Figure 6, distributor D trades steel material St with multiple manufacturers: first manufacturer M1, second manufacturer M2, and third manufacturer M3, which is different from the example shown in Figure 1. Hereinafter, the three manufacturers will be referred to as manufacturer M when they are not distinguished.

[0091] In the first example, steel materials St manufactured by the three manufacturers M are mixed and distributed. Therefore, when the steel materials St are collected as scrap by manufacturer M, the manufacturer M that produced the steel materials St and the manufacturer M that collects the steel materials St as scrap may be different. Also, in the first example, blast furnace materials and electric furnace materials may be mixed and distributed. Furthermore, in the first example, the scrap materials are traded between the leasing company L and the distributor D via the scrap dealer S, similar to the example of the commercial flow shown in Figure 1.

[0092] First, manufacturer M assigns a unique identifier ID to the steel material St that it sells to leasing company L. Then, it stores characteristic information and status data corresponding to the steel material St to which the unique identifier ID has been assigned in the storage unit 22. The status data to be stored in the storage unit 22 at this time may include information indicating that the steel material St has not been partially removed, and information indicating that the steel material St has not been repaired or reinforced. When storing the characteristic information and status data in the storage unit 22, manufacturer M first obtains the unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step). That is, by reading the unique identifier ID with the terminal device 10, it causes the information control unit 231 of the management device 20 to obtain the unique identifier ID (the same applies hereafter). At this time, the management device 20 may switch to a state in which the characteristic information and status data of the steel material St to which the unique identifier ID has been assigned can be stored in the characteristic information storage unit 221 and the status data storage unit 222, respectively.

[0093] Then, as shown in Figure 6, manufacturer M inputs characteristic information and status data of the steel material St via the input unit 12 of the terminal device 10 (flow F201). The input characteristic information and status data are transmitted to the management device 20 via the network 70 and may be stored in the characteristic information storage unit 221 and the status data storage unit 222 by the information control unit 231 (flow F202). At this time, the input characteristic information and status data may be displayed on the output unit 13. After the characteristic information and status data of the steel material St are stored in association with the unique identifier ID in this way, the steel material St is sold from manufacturer M to distributor D. Distributor D sells the steel material St purchased from manufacturer M to leasing company L.

[0094] Leasing company L leases steel materials St purchased from distributor D to user U as leased material. At this time, when leasing company L delivers the steel materials St to user U, or when user U returns the steel materials St, Leasing company L stores lease data corresponding to the steel materials St, which are assigned a unique identifier ID, in the storage unit 22. Leasing company L may also store information indicating that the steel materials St are unused as lease data in the storage unit 22 when leasing the steel materials St for the first time. When storing lease data in the storage unit 22, leasing company L first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel materials St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 may switch to a state in which the lease data of the steel materials St, which are assigned a unique identifier ID, can be stored in the lease data storage unit 223.

[0095] Then, as shown in Figure 6, the leasing company L inputs lease data for the steel material St via the input unit 12 of the terminal device 10 (flow F203). The input lease data is transmitted to the management device 20 via the network 70 and may be stored in the lease data storage unit 223 by the information control unit 231 (flow F202). At this time, the input lease data may be displayed on the output unit 13. After the lease data for the steel material St is stored in association with the unique identifier ID in this way, the steel material St is handed over from the leasing company L to the user U. After the user U uses the steel material St handed over from the leasing company L for construction work, the user U returns it to the leasing company L.

[0096] Here, depending on wear on the end of the steel material St, user U or leasing company L may remove a portion of the steel material St, including the end, or repair or reinforce the steel material St. In this case, user U or leasing company L stores in the storage unit 22 as status data that a portion of the steel material St has been removed, repaired, or reinforced. When storing the status data in the storage unit 22, user U or leasing company L first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 may switch to a state in which the status data of the steel material St to which the unique identifier ID has been provided can be stored in the status data storage unit 222.

[0097] Then, as shown in Figure 6, user U or leasing company L inputs status data of the steel material St via the input unit 12 of the terminal device 10 (flow F204). The input status data is transmitted to the management device 20 via the network 70 and may be stored in the status data storage unit 222 by the information control unit 231 (flow F202). At this time, the input status data may be displayed on the output unit 13.

[0098] When the user U returns the steel material St, the leasing company L determines whether the returned steel material St can continue to be used as leased material. In determining whether the returned steel material St can continue to be used as leased material, the leasing company L first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 outputs characteristic information, status data, and lease data stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID via the information control unit 231 (control step). Then, the management device 20 uses the prediction unit 233 to predict the usable period of the steel material St (prediction step). The data output by the information control unit 231 and the prediction results from the prediction step may be displayed on the output unit 13.

[0099] Based on this, the leasing company L checks the latest information regarding the steel material St and predicts the usable period of the steel material St based on the prediction results of the prediction unit 233. Then, it determines whether the steel material St can continue to be used as leased material.

[0100] If the leasing company L determines that the steel material St is still usable, it will use the steel material St again as leased material. If the leasing company L determines that the steel material St is no longer usable, it will sell the steel material St as scrap material. When selling the steel material St as scrap material, the leasing company L first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 may switch to a state in which it can store in the lease data storage unit 223 that the steel material St to which the unique identifier ID has been assigned will be sold as scrap material.

[0101] Then, as shown in Figure 6, the leasing company L inputs a statement that it will sell the steel material St as scrap material via the input unit 12 of the terminal device 10 (flow F205). The input information is transmitted to the management device 20 via the network 70 and may be stored in the lease data storage unit 223 by the information control unit 231 (flow F202). At this time, the input information may also be displayed on the output unit 13. In addition to the statement that the steel material St will be sold as scrap material, information guaranteeing that the steel material St to be sold is of high quality may also be stored in the lease data storage unit 223. After the statement that the steel material St will be sold as scrap material is stored in association with the unique identifier ID, the leasing company L sells the steel material St to the scrap dealer S as scrap material.

[0102] When recovering steel materials St as scrap from leasing company L, scrap dealer S first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel materials St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 outputs characteristic information stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID, status data related to usage history information, and lease data via the information control unit 231 (control step). Then, the management device 20 uses the discrimination unit 232 to determine the characteristic information of the steel materials St to be recovered (discrimination step). The data output by the information control unit 231 and the discrimination results from the discrimination step may be displayed on the output unit 13.

[0103] In this manner, scrap dealer S collects scrap materials while appropriately sorting them. For example, if the collected scrap materials do not have a unique identifier ID, scrap dealer S may collect the scrap materials as low-grade materials, or may determine the grade of the scrap materials by conducting a separate component analysis.

[0104] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, scrap dealer S may store the results of the discrimination of the characteristic information of the steel material St in the discrimination step in the state data storage unit 222, associating it with a unique identifier ID (flow F206). Scrap dealer S sells the scrap recovered in this way to distributor D. Distributor D sells the steel material St sold by scrap dealer S to manufacturer M.

[0105] When recovering steel material St as scrap from distributor D, manufacturer M first obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step). At this time, the management device 20 outputs characteristic information stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID, as well as status data and lease data related to usage history information, via the information control unit 231 (control step). Then, the management device 20 uses the discrimination unit 232 to determine the characteristic information of the steel material St to be recovered (discrimination step). The data output by the information control unit 231 and the discrimination results from the discrimination step may be displayed on the output unit 13.

[0106] In this way, manufacturer M collects the scrap material while appropriately sorting it. That is, in the first example, the discrimination step may be performed twice, by scrap dealer S and manufacturer M. The discrimination step may also be performed by distributor D. Furthermore, the discrimination result in the discrimination step may be stored in the state data storage unit 222 by scrap dealer S as described above, or by manufacturer M. If the discrimination step is performed by distributor D, the discrimination result may be stored in the state data storage unit 222 by distributor D (flow F207).

[0107] Furthermore, when manufacturer M recovers steel material St as scrap from distributor D, and obtains a unique identifier ID for the steel material St (acquisition step), the management device 20, in addition to the discrimination step described above, calculates the value of the steel material St as scrap material using the value calculation unit 234 (calculation step). The calculation result from the calculation step may be displayed on the output unit 13.

[0108] This allows manufacturer M to appropriately determine the purchase price of steel St as scrap material. For example, if, in the above-mentioned discrimination step, it is confirmed that the steel St to be recovered as scrap material is of high quality, manufacturer M may pay distributor D a price that includes an incentive in addition to the price determined in the calculation step. In this case, manufacturer M may reflect either the incentive, the price of the scrap material, or both in the price at which it sells newly manufactured steel St to distributor D.

[0109] Furthermore, if, for example, the collected scrap material does not have a unique identifier ID, manufacturer M may determine the price based on the results of the steel material St's characteristic information determination by scrap dealer S. In this case, the price may be determined by taking into account, for example, the material mixing ratio in the scrap material.

[0110] Manufacturer M manufactures new steel materials St using steel materials St recovered as scrap from distributor D, and sells them back to distributor D. The distribution management method according to the first example is carried out in this manner. After the steel materials St are recovered as scrap, if the unique identifier ID attached to the recovered steel materials St is still usable, the unique identifier ID may be removed from the steel materials St and reused. Also, if the unique identifier ID is a barcode printed on the surface of the steel materials St, the same barcode may be printed on newly manufactured steel materials St and reused. However, the reuse of the unique identifier ID shall only be carried out if it does not lead to confusion of the history information of the steel materials St and the reliability of traceability is ensured.

[0111] Furthermore, manufacturer M may determine the price at which it sells the manufactured steel material St to distributor D by taking into account the predicted price at which the steel material St will be recovered as scrap material. That is, manufacturer M may, for example, sell the steel material St to distributor D at a discount that takes into account the predicted price at which it will be recovered as scrap material. Also, manufacturer M may guarantee the predicted price at which the steel material St will be recovered as scrap material when purchasing the scrap material.

[0112] Furthermore, the various types of information stored in the memory unit 22 as described above may be made accessible to each business using the distribution management system 100 as needed (flow F208). This may help ensure greater traceability of the steel material St even after it has been sold as scrap material.

[0113] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of information exchange in the distribution management method according to the embodiment. The second example of the distribution management method shown in Figure 7 differs from the first example shown in Figure 6 in that the transaction of used steel material St (scrap material) between the leasing company L and the distribution company D is conducted without going through the scrap dealer S. The following will explain the differences between the second example of the distribution management method and the first example, and will omit explanations of content that is the same as the first example.

[0114] In the second example, since scrap materials are traded between the leasing company L and the distributor D without involving the scrap dealer S, the sorting step by the scrap dealer S is not performed. In other words, in the second example, the sorting step is performed only once by the manufacturer M. Alternatively, the sorting step may be performed twice by both the manufacturer M and the distributor D.

[0115] Next, an example of the commercial flow of steel material St according to this embodiment will be explained using Figure 8. Figure 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the commercial flow of steel material St. In the example shown in Figure 8, first, the first manufacturer M1 sells the steel material St it has produced to the first distributor D1 (flow F301). At this time, the first manufacturer M1 provides characteristic information of the steel material St, status data indicating that the steel material St has not been partially removed and that the steel material St has not been repaired or reinforced, and CO ２ Load information may be stored in association with a unique identifier ID.

[0116] First distributor D1 stores the purchased steel material St as inventory and sells it to general contractor G (flow F302). At this time, first distributor D1, for example, the CO2 generated when transporting the steel material St. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ You may update the load information.

[0117] General contractor G stores purchased steel materials St as inventory, for example, with an eye on its own construction projects. At this time, if general contractor G may lose the opportunity to use the steel materials St, for example, if there are no suitable projects to be awarded or if a project is delayed, general contractor G sells the steel materials St from its inventory to a second distributor D2 (flow F303). At this time, general contractor G also considers the CO2 emissions generated when transporting the steel materials St. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ You may update the load information.

[0118] The second distributor D2 stores the purchased steel material St as inventory and sells it to the first subcontractor Sb1 (flow F304). At this time, the second distributor D2, for example, the CO2 generated when transporting the steel material St. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ You may update the load information.

[0119] The first subcontractor Sb1 uses the purchased steel material St as, for example, temporary structural members. Then, the first subcontractor Sb1 removes the used steel material St, repairs it, and sells it as used material to the second subcontractor Sb2 (flow F305). At this time, the first subcontractor Sb1 also uses the purchased steel material St to generate CO2, for example, during transportation and construction. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ The load information may be updated, or usage data, which is information regarding the trading and use of steel materials St, and the repair costs of steel materials St may be stored in association with a unique identifier ID, or information regarding the economic value of steel materials St, calculated based on this information, may be stored in association with a unique identifier ID.

[0120] The second subcontractor Sb2 uses the purchased steel material St as, for example, temporary structural members. Then, the second subcontractor Sb2 removes the used steel material St, repairs it, and sells it as used material to the third subcontractor Sb3 (flow F306). At this time, the second subcontractor Sb2 also uses the purchased steel material St to generate CO2, for example, during transportation and construction of the steel material St.２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ The load information may be updated, as may the usage data, which is information regarding the trading and use of steel materials St, or the repair costs of steel materials St, or the information regarding the economic value of steel materials St, which is calculated based on this information, may be updated.

[0121] The third subcontractor Sb3 uses the purchased steel material St as, for example, temporary structural members. Then, the third subcontractor Sb3 removes the used steel material St, determines that it cannot be used any further, and sells it as scrap to a scrap dealer S (flow F307). At this time, the third subcontractor Sb3 incurs, for example, CO2 generated during the transportation and construction of the steel material St. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ The usage data, which includes information on load, steel material (St), and its transaction and use, may be updated.

[0122] Scrap dealer S cuts the steel material St purchased as scrap into appropriate dimensions for use as iron source and sells it as scrap to second manufacturer M2 (flow F308). At this time, scrap dealer S generates CO2 through the transportation and cutting of the steel material St. ２ Based on the quantity, the CO stored in association with the unique identifier ID ２ You may update the load.

[0123] In the example of the steel material St trade flow described above, the price of each transaction from flow F302 to flow F308 may be determined, for example, by referring to the value of the steel material St shown by the distribution management system 100, or furthermore, CO ２ The load may also be determined by taking into account the value obtained by converting the load into monetary terms.

[0124] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an example hardware configuration of an information processing device 90 applied to an embodiment. The information processing device 90 comprises a processor 91, main memory 92, communication interface 93, auxiliary storage device 94, input / output interface 95, and internal bus 96. The processor 91, main memory 92, communication interface 93, auxiliary storage device 94, and input / output interface 95 are connected to each other via the internal bus 96 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The information processing device 90 may be applied to, for example, a terminal device 10 and a management device 20. In this case, for example, the communication unit 11 and the communication unit 21 may be configured using the communication interface 93. For example, the storage unit 14 and the storage unit 22 may be configured using the auxiliary storage device 94. Also, the control unit 15 and the control unit 23 may be configured using the processor 91 and the main memory 92.

[0125] As described above, according to the distribution management system 100 of this embodiment, the storage unit 22 stores in association the unique identifier ID assigned to the steel material St, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material St, and usage history information indicating the usage history of the steel material St. The control unit 23 then acquires the unique identifier ID for the steel material St and outputs the characteristic information and usage history information stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID. This makes it possible to appropriately sort the steel material St in circulation. Therefore, for example, when collecting steel material St in circulation as scrap material, it is possible to collect high-grade scrap material while appropriately sorting it. Thus, high-grade scrap material can be collected efficiently. This makes the distribution of steel material St more efficient. Furthermore, by manufacturing new steel material St using high-grade scrap material, it is possible to promote the circular economy of steel material St.

[0126] Furthermore, the value calculation unit 234 calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material St based on its characteristic information. This makes it easy to determine the price of the steel material St when it is traded.

[0127] Furthermore, the storage unit 22 stores the unique identifier ID and the usage history information, which is information indicating the history of the use of the steel material St, in association with each other, as described above. The control unit 23 includes a prediction unit 233 that predicts the usable period of the steel material St based on the characteristic information and usage history information of the steel material St. This makes it possible to appropriately predict the timing for recovering the steel material St in circulation. Therefore, by recovering the steel material St as scrap material at a more appropriate timing, the distribution of steel material St can be made more efficient.

[0128] Furthermore, the value calculation unit 234 calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material St based on either the usage history information of the steel material St, or the characteristic information and / or market trend information. This makes it easier to determine the price of the steel material St more appropriately when trading it.

[0129] Furthermore, the value calculation unit 234 reflects the number of times the steel material St can be used and reduces CO2 emissions. ２ Further value calculation. This reduces CO2 emissions in calculating the price of steel (St). ２ Value can be taken into account. Therefore, it becomes easier to determine the price of steel materials (St) more appropriately when trading them.

[0130] Furthermore, the memory unit 22 stores state data, which is information regarding the state of the steel material St. The state data includes information about the amount of steel material St that has been partially removed, information about records of repairs or reinforcements of the steel material St, and CO2 of the steel material St. ２ It includes at least one of the following: information about the load; information about the load; and so on. This makes it possible to obtain detailed information about the state of the steel material St. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the timing for recovering steel material St in circulation.

[0131] Furthermore, the steel material St is leased material. By recovering the steel material St that is distributed as leased material at the appropriate time, for example, it is possible to maintain a high quality of the steel material St that is distributed as leased material. Also, for example, by manufacturing new steel material St using steel material St recovered as scrap material, it is possible to promote the circular economy of steel material St. Also, for example, it becomes easier for leasing companies L to centrally manage the steel material St as leased material.

[0132] Furthermore, the storage unit 22 stores lease data, which is information related to the lease of the leased material. The lease data includes at least one of the following: information about the intended use of the leased steel material St, information about the lease period of the steel material St, and information about the number of times the steel material St was leased. This makes it possible to understand in detail how the steel material St was used as leased material. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the timing of retrieval of steel material St circulating as leased material.

[0133] Furthermore, the steel material St is blast furnace material. This allows for more efficient distribution of blast furnace material.

[0134] Furthermore, the steel material St includes steel piles, steel pipe piles, steel sheet piles, structural steel, rails, or steel pipes. This makes it possible to streamline the distribution of these steel materials St.

[0135] Here, as the ends of the steel material St wear down with use, a portion of the steel material St, including the ends, may be removed. For example, if the unique identifier ID is provided on only one end of the steel material St in the longitudinal direction, the removal of the unique identifier ID along with the end of the steel material St may make it impossible to distinguish the steel material St. Therefore, the unique identifier ID is provided on both ends of the steel material St in the longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to identify the steel material St by the unique identifier ID provided on the other end of the steel material St, even if, for example, one end of the steel material St is removed along with the unique identifier ID.

[0136] Furthermore, according to the distribution management method of this embodiment, in the acquisition step, a unique identifier ID is obtained for the steel material St. Then, in the control step, characteristic information and usage history information stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the unique identifier ID are output. This makes it possible to appropriately sort the steel material St in circulation. Therefore, for example, when recovering steel material St in circulation as scrap material, high-grade scrap material can be appropriately sorted and recovered. Thus, high-grade scrap material can be recovered efficiently. This makes the distribution of steel material St more efficient. In addition, by manufacturing new steel material St using high-grade scrap material, the circular economy of steel material St can be promoted.

[0137] Furthermore, when recovering steel materials (St) as scrap, the system includes an additional identification step to determine the characteristic information of the recovered steel materials (St). This allows for more reliable identification of detailed information about the steel materials (St), specifically at the stage of recovering them as scrap.

[0138] Furthermore, the steel material St is leased material. By recovering the steel material St that is distributed as leased material at the appropriate time, for example, it is possible to maintain a high quality of the steel material St that is distributed as leased material. Also, for example, by manufacturing new steel material St using steel material St recovered as scrap material, it is possible to promote the circular economy of steel material St. Also, for example, it becomes easier for leasing companies L to centrally manage the steel material St as leased material.

[0139] (Second Embodiment) Next, a distribution management system 100 and a distribution management method according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In this second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment, and their descriptions are omitted, with only the differences being described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that various information relating to the steel material St is stored in a storage unit provided in the unique identifier ID. In the second embodiment, the unique identifier ID may be an IC tag, an RFID label, an RFID tag, a one-dimensional barcode, or a two-dimensional barcode.

[0140] In the second embodiment, the unique identifier ID may store various information for each individual steel material St to which the unique identifier ID is provided. That is, in the second embodiment, the unique identifier ID may store characteristic information of the steel material St, status data and lease data related to usage history information, and usage data related to the steel material St traded through buying and selling.

[0141] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, a database of various information relating to multiple steel materials St may or may not be stored in the storage unit 22 of the management device 20. If stored in the storage unit 22 of the management device 20, the unique identifier ID may store information relating to a link for accessing the database, in addition to various information relating to each individual steel material St to which the unique identifier ID is provided.

[0142] In the second embodiment, the information stored in the unique identifier ID may be editable by the manufacturer M, the leasing company L, the user U, or the distributor D. This is preferable so that the information of the steel material St distributed as leased material, stored in the unique identifier ID, is always up-to-date.

[0143] In the second embodiment, the information contained in the unique identifier ID may be updated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, for example, manufacturer M may input characteristic information of steel material St via the input unit 12 of the terminal device 10, thereby storing the characteristic information in the unique identifier ID. In the second embodiment, if a database of various information relating to multiple steel materials St is stored in the storage unit 22 of the management device 20, the characteristic information may be stored in the unique identifier ID upon input by manufacturer M, and at the same time, the same information may be stored in the storage unit 22 of the management device 20 in the manner described above in the first embodiment. Updates of various information by other businesses may also be performed in the same manner.

[0144] In the second embodiment, the various information stored in the unique identifier ID may be made accessible, for example, by each business using the distribution management system 100 by obtaining the unique identifier ID for the steel material St using the terminal device 10.

[0145] It should be noted that the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, the input and updating of various information concerning steel material St corresponding to the unique identifier ID may be performed as appropriate by each business using the distribution management system 100, not limited to the above-described form. That is, for example, the characteristic information of steel material St may be input by a leasing company L or a distributor D instead of manufacturer M.

[0146] Furthermore, the unique identifier ID may be provided on the steel material St by a distributor D or leasing company L instead of manufacturer M. The control unit 23 may also have a data conversion unit for presenting the steel material St's characteristic information and usage history information to a CIM (Construction Information Modeling) or BIM (Building Information Modeling) system. In that case, in addition to the steps described above in the embodiment, the control unit 23 may also have a data conversion step for presenting the steel material St's characteristic information and usage history information to a CIM or BIM system.

[0147] Furthermore, the characteristic information of the steel material St may include information indicating that the steel material St was produced through scrap recycling. In this case, for example, the characteristic information of the steel material St may include information indicating the scrap utilization rate of the material. Furthermore, the characteristic information of the steel material St may include information indicating that a material with a high carbon neutrality rate is used. This information may be included in the mill sheet of the steel material St, or in an appendix attached to the mill sheet. Furthermore, the characteristic information of the steel material St may include a file of certificates indicating that the steel material St is green steel. Such certificates may, for example, be attached to the mill sheet of the steel material St.

[0148] Furthermore, the storage unit of the management device 20 may reside on the cloud. That is, various information concerning the steel material St corresponding to the unique identifier ID may be stored on the cloud. Also, the information stored by the distribution management system 100 may be shared among some of the businesses that use the distribution management system 100.

[0149] Furthermore, in the distribution management method of this embodiment, sampling inspections may be conducted as appropriate to confirm whether various information relating to steel material St corresponding to the unique identifier ID (for example, the purchase price of steel material St as scrap material) is appropriate.

[0150] Furthermore, the distribution management system 100 and distribution management method of this embodiment may be used to realize the following Web sales system. That is, a Web sales system may be realized in which steel material St can be sold on the Web by adding a predetermined profit to the value of steel material St calculated by the value calculation unit 234 and information generation unit 235 described above, and presenting this value as the sales price on the Web. In addition, the characteristic information stored by the storage unit in association with the unique identifier assigned to the steel material may include the commercial flow.

[0151] Furthermore, it is possible to replace the components in the above embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0152] (Note) The distribution management system and distribution management method according to the above embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0153] <1> A distribution management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material; and a control unit that acquires the unique identifier for the steel material and outputs the characteristic information and usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

[0154] According to the distribution management system described above, the memory unit stores the unique identifier assigned to the steel material, characteristic information indicating the steel material's properties, and usage history information indicating the steel material's usage history, in association with each other. The control unit then retrieves the unique identifier for the steel material and outputs the characteristic information and usage history information stored in the memory unit in association with the unique identifier. This allows for the proper sorting of steel materials in circulation. Therefore, for example, when collecting steel materials in circulation as scrap, high-quality scrap materials can be properly sorted and collected. Thus, high-quality scrap materials can be collected efficiently. This makes the distribution of steel materials more efficient. Furthermore, by using high-quality scrap materials to manufacture new steel materials, the circular economy of steel materials can be promoted.

[0155] <2> The distribution management system described in <1> above may further include a value calculation unit that calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material based on the characteristic information.

[0156] Furthermore, the value calculation unit calculates the current or future economic value of the steel based on its characteristic information. This makes it easy to determine the price when trading steel.

[0157] <3> In the distribution management system described in <1> above, the control unit may be configured to include a prediction unit that predicts the usable period of the steel material based on the characteristic information and usage history information of the steel material.

[0158] Furthermore, the memory unit stores the unique identifier and usage history information, which indicates the history of steel material use, in association with each other, as described above. The control unit includes a prediction unit that predicts the usable period of the steel material based on the steel material's characteristic information and usage history information. This makes it possible to appropriately predict the timing for recovering steel material in circulation. Therefore, by recovering steel material as scrap at a more appropriate time, the distribution of steel material can be made more efficient.

[0159] <4> The distribution management system described in <3> above may further include a value calculation unit that calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material based on the usage history information, or one or both of the characteristic information and market trend information.

[0160] Furthermore, the value calculation unit calculates the current or future economic value of the steel based on either the usage history information of the steel, or either characteristic information and market trend information, or both. This makes it easier to determine the price of steel in transactions more appropriately.

[0161] <5> In the distribution management system described in <4> above, the value calculation unit reflects the number of times the steel material can be used and reduces CO2 emissions. ２ A configuration that further calculates value may be adopted.

[0162] Furthermore, the value calculation unit reflects the number of times the steel material can be used, resulting in CO2 reduction. ２ Further value calculation. This reduces CO2 emissions in calculating the price of steel. ２ Value can be taken into account. Therefore, it becomes easier to determine the price of steel materials more appropriately when trading them.

[0163] <6> In a distribution management system according to any one embodiment of <1> to <5> above, the storage unit further stores state data which is information relating to the state of the steel material, and the state data includes information about the amount of the steel material that has been partially removed, information about records of the steel material being repaired or reinforced, and CO2 of the steel material. ２ A configuration may be adopted that includes at least one of the following: information about the load amount.

[0164] Furthermore, the memory unit stores state data, which is information about the condition of the steel material. This state data includes information about the amount of steel material that has been partially removed, information about records of repairs or reinforcements made to the steel material, and CO2 levels of the steel material. ２ It includes at least one of the following: information about the load, etc. This makes it possible to obtain detailed information about the condition of the steel material. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the timing of retrieving steel material in circulation.

[0165] <7> In a distribution management system according to any one of the embodiments described in <1> to <6> above, a configuration may be adopted in which the steel material is leased material.

[0166] Furthermore, steel materials are leased materials. By recovering leased steel materials at the appropriate time, for example, it is possible to maintain a high quality of steel materials that are distributed as leased materials. Also, for example, by manufacturing new steel materials using steel materials recovered as scrap, it is possible to promote a circular economy for steel materials. In addition, for example, it becomes easier for leasing companies to centrally manage steel materials as leased materials.

[0167] <8> In the distribution management system described in <3> above, the storage unit may further store lease data which is information relating to the lease of the leased material, and the lease data may be configured to include at least one of the following: information about the use of the steel material when it was leased, information about the period during which the steel material was leased, and information about the number of times the steel material was leased.

[0168] Furthermore, the memory unit stores lease data, which is information related to the lease of the leased material. This lease data includes at least one of the following: information about the intended use of the steel material when it was leased, information about the duration of the lease, and information about the number of times the steel material was leased. This makes it possible to understand in detail how the steel material was used as leased material. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the timing of retrieval of steel material circulating as leased material.

[0169] <9> In a distribution management system according to any one of the above <1> to <8>, a configuration may be adopted in which the steel material is blast furnace material.

[0170] Furthermore, the steel used is blast furnace steel. This allows for more efficient distribution of blast furnace steel.

[0171] <10> In a distribution management system according to any one of the above <1> to <9>, a configuration may be adopted in which the steel material is a steel pile, a steel pipe pile, a steel sheet pile, a structural steel, a rail, or a steel pipe.

[0172] Furthermore, the steel materials include steel piles, steel pipe piles, steel sheet piles, structural steel, rails, or steel pipes. This allows for more efficient distribution of these steel materials.

[0173] <11> In a distribution management system according to any one embodiment of <1> to <10> above, a configuration may be adopted in which the unique identifier is provided at both ends of the steel material in the longitudinal direction.

[0174] In this case, due to wear and tear on the ends of the steel material during use, a portion of the steel material, including the ends, may be removed. For example, if a unique identifier is provided on only one end of the steel material in the longitudinal direction, the removal of the unique identifier along with the end of the steel material may make it impossible to distinguish the steel material. Therefore, unique identifiers are provided on both ends of the steel material in the longitudinal direction. This allows the steel material to be identified by the unique identifier provided on the other end, even if, for example, one end of the steel material is removed along with the unique identifier.

[0175] <12> A distribution management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a distribution management method using a distribution management system comprising a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material, characterized in that it comprises an acquisition step of acquiring the unique identifier for the steel material, and a control step of outputting the characteristic information and the usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

[0176] According to the distribution management method described above, a unique identifier is obtained for each steel material in the acquisition step. Then, in the control step, characteristic information and usage history information stored in the memory unit, associated with the unique identifier, are output. This makes it possible to appropriately sort the steel materials in circulation. Therefore, for example, when recovering steel materials in circulation as scrap, high-grade scrap materials can be appropriately sorted and recovered. Thus, high-grade scrap materials can be recovered efficiently. This makes the distribution of steel materials more efficient. Furthermore, by manufacturing new steel materials using high-grade scrap materials, the circular economy of steel materials can be promoted.

[0177] <13> The distribution management method described in <12> above may further include a discrimination step for determining the characteristic information of the steel material to be recovered when the steel material is recovered as scrap material.

[0178] Furthermore, when recovering steel materials as scrap, the system includes an additional identification step to determine the characteristics of the steel materials to be recovered. This allows for more reliable identification of detailed information about the steel materials, specifically at the stage of recovering them as scrap.

[0179] <14> In the distribution management method relating to <12> or <13> above, a configuration characterized in that the steel material is leased material may be adopted.

[0180] Furthermore, steel materials are leased materials. By recovering leased steel materials at the appropriate time, for example, it is possible to maintain a high quality of steel materials that are distributed as leased materials. Also, for example, by manufacturing new steel materials using steel materials recovered as scrap, it is possible to promote a circular economy for steel materials. In addition, for example, it becomes easier for leasing companies to centrally manage steel materials as leased materials.

[0181] The distribution management system and distribution management method described herein are extremely useful in industry because they can streamline the distribution of steel materials.

[0182] 10 Terminal device 11 Communication unit 12 Input unit 13 Output unit 14 Storage unit 15 Control unit 20 Management device 21 Communication unit 22 Storage unit 23 Control unit 100 Distribution management system ID Unique identifier St Steel material

Claims

1. A distribution management system comprising: a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material; and a control unit that acquires the unique identifier for the steel material and outputs the characteristic information and usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

2. The distribution management system according to claim 1, further comprising a value calculation unit that calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material based on the characteristic information.

3. The distribution management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit includes a prediction unit that predicts the usable period of the steel material based on the characteristic information and usage history information of the steel material.

4. The distribution management system according to claim 3, further comprising a value calculation unit that calculates the current or future economic value of the steel material based on the usage history information, or one or both of the characteristic information and market trend information.

5. The value calculation unit reflects the number of times the steel material can be used and reduces CO2 emissions. ２ The distribution management system according to claim 4, characterized by further calculating value.

6. The storage unit further stores state data which is information relating to the state of the steel material, the state data including information about the amount of the steel material that has been partially removed, information about records of the steel material being repaired or reinforced, and the CO2 of the steel material. ２ The distribution management system according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes at least one of the following: information about the load amount.

7. The distribution management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the steel material is leased material.

8. The distribution management system according to claim 7, wherein the storage unit further stores lease data which is information relating to the lease of the leased material, and the lease data includes at least one of the following: information about the use of the steel material when it was leased, information about the period during which the steel material was leased, and information about the number of times the steel material was leased.

9. The distribution management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the steel material is blast furnace material.

10. The distribution management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the steel material is a steel pile, a steel pipe pile, a steel sheet pile, a structural steel, a rail, or a steel pipe.

11. The distribution management system according to claim 10, characterized in that the unique identifier is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the steel material.

12. A distribution management method using a distribution management system comprising a storage unit that stores in association a unique identifier assigned to a steel material, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the steel material, and usage history information indicating the history of use of the steel material, the distribution management method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring the unique identifier for the steel material; and a control step of outputting the characteristic information and the usage history information stored in the storage unit in association with the unique identifier.

13. The distribution management method according to claim 12, further comprising a discrimination step of determining the characteristic information of the steel material to be recovered when recovering the steel material as scrap material.

14. The distribution management method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the steel material is leased material.

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