Supply Chain Message Binding Framework for Visibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current supply chain management systems lack automation and visibility, particularly when activities reach their full potential, due to the absence of intersection data elements between transactions, making it difficult to track messages and provide visibility to all participants, leading to uncertainty and disruptions in delivery timelines.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing messages in a supply chain by binding messages received from one player with related messages using a framework that defines intersection data elements, such as common data elements or logic paths, and retrieving these messages to create a binding message set for display or further processing, allowing for improved visibility and communication between participants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a unified data standard and data model are implemented among multiple supply chain participants, then visibility and communication improve, but the complexity of coordination and agreement between parties increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the supply chain communication system into modular event sets, where each event type (e.g., order events, shipment events, inventory events) has its own standardized data model. This allows different participants to implement only the event types relevant to their role, reducing coordination complexity while maintaining visibility through standardized event structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal event-driven framework that can handle multiple types of supply chain transactions through a common data model. The standardized event structure serves multiple functions: tracking, notification, analysis, and coordination, eliminating the need for separate communication protocols for different participants.
2Loss of information
If comprehensive tracking of all messages and transactions is implemented, then visibility across the supply chain improves, but the system complexity and data management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the message tracking system into discrete event types, where each event represents a specific transaction or status change. This segmentation allows the system to track only relevant messages for each participant rather than all possible messages, reducing data management burden while maintaining comprehensive visibility through aggregated event data.
3Productivity
If the supply chain operates at full potential with multiple participants, then productivity increases, but visibility and coordination become infeasible due to lack of intersection data elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal event model that serves all supply chain participants regardless of their specific role or scale. This unified framework enables comprehensive visibility across the entire supply chain network, allowing the system to maintain coordination and tracking capabilities even as productivity and participant numbers increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for retrieving messages of a supply process in a supply chain and methods for making and using the same. The system may bind a message received from a player of the supply chain with existing related messages, build a binding message set based on bound messages and retrieve the messages based on the binding message set. Messages issued by the player may follow frameworks generated between the player and other players of the supply chain. In accordance to a specific framework, a message between two players may have a common data element and may follow rules proscribed within the framework. Global standards or common data elements is not required, thereby permitting each participant in the supply chain to transmit messages in their preferred format.