Decision support system for the management of an agile supply chain

Abstract

Abstract A decision support system for the management of an agile supply chain that provides an architecture including a server side and a client side. The server side includes a decision support system database that interfaces with model engine that performs analysis of the data to support planning decisions. The server side includes a server manager that coordinates requests for service and information. The client side includes decision frames that present the various view points available in the system to the users. A frame manager coordinates the requests from decision support frames to access the needed data and models. The decision support frames provide a view into supply chain and integrate analytical models responsive to the view point of a business process such as demand management. The frames include a supply management frame, a demand management frame, a vendor managed replenishment frame, a Planning, Sales and Inventory planning frame and a distribution network design frame. The model engine includes a component procurement policy development module, a finished goods distribution network design module, an aggregate production planning module, a finished goods inventory management module, a sales forecasting and planning module, a market data analysis module, a vendor managed replenishment module and various utilities such as generic linear programming solvers and statistical analysis routines. The system also includes a demand and supply reconciliation process reconciling production, sales and inventory and reconciling a top-down forecast with a bottom-up forecast where an expert based model is used for the bottom-up forecast. A capacity planning process determines the feasibility of a capacity plan responsive to supply constraints. A vendor managed replenishment process plans inventory replenishment analysis and periods responsive to predicted sales and supply constraints. A scenario management process associated with all frames enables the user to analyze different hypothetical scenarios for comparison of business plans. The frame manager includes a system integrator and a functional integrator. A database management system manages the supply and maintenance of information needed by the modeling processes through the frame manager. A domain management process limits data available to said frames responsive to a user selection.

Inventors

• 👤 James D. c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Schmidt
• 👤 Omer c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Bakkalbasi
• 👤 Kumar c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Bhaskaran
• 👤 Ramki c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Desiragu
• 👤 Ying c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Huang
• 👤 Ray c/o Int. Octrooibureau B.V. Krasinski

Bibliographic Details