Structured Order Items for Supply Chain Substitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current supply chain management systems are limited in their ability to efficiently manage product availability and substitution, particularly when ordered products are not available, as they only allow for single alternative product replacements and lack comprehensive handling of product lifecycle changes, such as variant products and component availability.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for creating and managing structured order items within a supply chain management system, which includes checking availability, replacing ordered products with variant products (KIT-Products or One-to-Many-Products), and updating customer orders by building a tree structure to handle product substitutions and component relationships, allowing for assembly or packing of available components to fulfill orders without additional production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If single alternative product replacement is used in availability check, then the system is simple to operate, but the system cannot handle variant products and component availability comprehensively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the product substitution process into multiple hierarchical levels: ordered products, variant products, replacement products, and alternative products. Each level handles specific aspects of substitution, allowing the system to manage complex product relationships through structured decomposition of the availability check process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tree structure dimension to the availability check process, organizing product substitutions in a hierarchical format that captures multi-level product relationships. This dimensional transformation enables comprehensive handling of variant products and components while maintaining systematic control over the substitution logic
2Reliability
If comprehensive product lifecycle management is implemented, then order fulfillment accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary availability checks on variant products and replacement products during the order processing stage. By proactively identifying available substitutes before finalizing the order, the system ensures accurate order fulfillment while minimizing delays during subsequent processing stages
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where availability check results inform subsequent substitution decisions. The system continuously evaluates availability status across multiple product levels and adjusts substitution choices based on real-time feedback, optimizing both accuracy and processing efficiency
3Productivity
If multiple replacement products are considered, then product availability is better optimized, but the complexity of managing replacement relationships increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments replacement products into distinct categories (variant products, alternative products) with clearly defined relationships to the ordered product. This segmentation simplifies the management of multiple replacement products by organizing them in a structured hierarchy rather than treating them as a monolithic set
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a tree structure to represent product relationships, transforming complex many-to-many relationships into a manageable hierarchical format. This dimensional organization enables efficient tracking and management of multiple replacement products while maintaining clear visibility of substitution paths
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for creating and managing structured order items. In one embodiment, a method is provided for creating and managing structured order items according to a customer order within a supply chain management system, wherein the customer order specifies a plurality of products and required quantities thereof. The method comprises the steps of checking availability of the required quantity of the products, and comparing the available quantity of the products with the ordered quantity of the products. The method further comprises replacing the ordered product by a variant product, if the available quantity of the product does not correspond to the ordered quantity of the product, the variant product comprising a plurality of replacement products. Additionally, the method includes creating structured order items according to the variant product, and updating the customer order to replace the ordered product with the structured order items.