Procurement System Multi-Supplier Order Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face prolonged delivery times when ordering quantities exceeding the supply capacity of a single supplier, as existing procurement systems struggle to efficiently distribute orders across multiple suppliers.
Innovation Solution
A procurement management system that acquires request and supply conditions, determines if distributing the order across multiple suppliers is feasible, and dynamically allocates the order among selected suppliers to meet the requested quantity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a user orders a quantity of articles exceeding the supply quantity of one supplier, then the requested quantity can be fulfilled, but the delivery time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the single large order into multiple smaller sub-orders, allocating portions of the request quantity to different suppliers based on their supply capacities. This allows parallel processing of orders across multiple suppliers, reducing the overall delivery time while fulfilling the total requested quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple suppliers into a supplying supplier group to collectively fulfill the user's request. By merging the capabilities of multiple suppliers, the system can handle larger quantities and reduce delivery time through coordinated supply from multiple sources.
2Loss of time
If the system automatically distributes orders across multiple suppliers, then delivery time is shortened, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The procurement management system performs automatic distribution of orders among suppliers without requiring manual user intervention. The system autonomously calculates optimal allocations, manages supplier selections, and handles order routing, thereby reducing user workload while managing complexity through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The procurement management system acts as an intermediary between users and multiple suppliers, managing the complexity of multi-supplier coordination. It handles supplier selection, order allocation, and supply monitoring, shielding users from the underlying system complexity while achieving efficient delivery.
3Productivity
If the system selects multiple suppliers for order distribution, then the request quantity can be fulfilled faster, but the determination of distribution conditions becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system evaluates multiple distribution conditions (such as supply capacity, delivery time, cost parameters) and dynamically adjusts the selection of suppliers based on these parameters. By changing and comparing different parameter combinations, the system determines the optimal set of suppliers that balance speed, cost, and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines distribution conditions by evaluating whether the total supply capacity of selected suppliers meets or exceeds the request quantity. It may select more suppliers than strictly necessary to ensure fulfillment, using a conservative approach that prioritizes successful order completion over minimizing the number of suppliers.
Data Source
AI summary
A procurement management system 100 includes: an acquisition unit 23A that acquires a request condition including a request quantity of an article requested by a user and a supply condition including a supply quantity of the article by each of a plurality of suppliers that can supply the article; a determination unit 23G that determines whether or not a distribution condition for distributing the request quantity of the article between two or more suppliers among the plurality of suppliers is satisfied based on the request condition and the supply condition; a selection unit 23B that selects two or more suppliers from among the plurality of suppliers as a supplying supplier group when the distribution condition is satisfied; and a distribution unit 23C that distributes the request quantity among the supplying supplier group.