Parallel Transport Load Builder for Supply Chain Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional transport load builder (TLB) applications in supply chain management are inefficient, as they typically create transport loads one at a time, leading to long processing times and potential errors when manually grouping transportation lanes, which can result in lockups if the quantity exceeds available capacity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a parallel processing profile that allows for the automated creation of multiple transport loads simultaneously by building packages of transportation lanes based on information associated with each lane, selecting lanes for each package, and generating transport loads in parallel, thereby reducing processing time and minimizing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional TLB applications create transport loads one at a time, then the system is simple to operate, but the processing time becomes very long
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transport load creation process into multiple independent packages that can be processed in parallel. Each package contains a subset of transportation lanes that are grouped together, allowing the system to create multiple transport loads simultaneously rather than sequentially, thereby reducing total processing time while maintaining operational simplicity through automated package management
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a parallel processing dimension to the traditional sequential TLB operation. By implementing multiple TLB processes that run simultaneously on different packages of transportation lanes, the system transitions from one-dimensional sequential processing to multi-dimensional parallel processing, significantly improving productivity without requiring complex manual intervention
2Productivity
If users manually group transportation lanes into packages and start multiple TLB processes, then processing time is reduced, but errors and lockups occur when quantities exceed available capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically managing the packaging of transportation lanes and coordinating multiple TLB processes without requiring user intervention. The automated package building logic ensures that quantities available in each package do not exceed actual capacity, preventing lockups and errors while maintaining parallel processing speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that monitor the availability of transportation lanes and adjust package compositions accordingly. Before starting multiple TLB processes, the system checks the actual quantity of lanes available and ensures that each package's requested quantity does not exceed what is actually available, preventing capacity-related errors and process lockups
3Loss of time
If the system creates multiple transport loads in parallel, then processing time is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-grouping transportation lanes into packages before initiating parallel TLB processes. This preliminary packaging step, handled automatically by the system, organizes the data structure in advance so that when parallel processing begins, the system simply needs to execute the TLB processes on pre-prepared packages, reducing overall processing time without adding operational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for creating a transport load for one or more stock transfers. In one exemplary embodiment, the systems and methods may include providing a parallel processing profile to be associated with the distribution plan. The method may also include building one or more packages of one or more transportation lanes, wherein building one or more packages comprises providing a lanes table of the one or more transportation lanes. The lanes table may comprise information associated with each of the one or more transportation lanes. The method may further include selecting the one or more transportation lanes for each package based on the information and the parallel processing profile, and generating the transport load for each package.