Method and system for supply chain control

Abstract

In a method of controlling the flow and balance of goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption in a logistics system, customer and customer's customer product information comprising product balance data and outflow demand data are received from a customer means ( 2 ) in a supplier means ( 1 ). Based on said customer product information and delivery agreement data between said supplier means ( 1 ) and said customer means ( 2 ), a demand time for refilling of a customer storage means is determined and stored in said supplier means ( 1 ), and based on said customer product information, said delivery agreement data, and said demand time, a delivery time and customer demand quantity data for said customer is storage means are determined and stored in said supplier means ( 1 ). A delivery suggestion is created, and a delivery corresponding to said delivery suggestion is executed.

1 . A method of controlling the flow and balance of goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption in a logistics system, characterized by the steps of: 
 receiving in a supplier means ( 1 ) customer product information comprising at least customer product balance data and customer outflow demand data from a customer means ( 2 ), and customer's customer product balance data and customer's customer outflow demand data from a customer's customer means ( 3 );    based on said customer product information and delivery agreement data between said supplier means ( 1 ) and said customer means ( 2 ), determining and storing in said supplier means ( 1 ) a demand time for a refilling of a customer storage means;    based on said customer product information, said delivery agreement data, and said demand time, determining and storing in said supplier means ( 1 ) a delivery time, and customer demand quantity data for said customer storage means; and    creating a delivery suggestion comprising said demand time, said delivery time, and said demand quantity data.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterized by the further step of: 
 executing a delivery corresponding to said delivery suggestion information object.    
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , characterized by the further steps of: 
 transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) said delivery suggestion to an order means ( 4 );    transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery confirmation back to said supplier means ( 1 );    converting said delivery confirmation to an out-delivery information object;    transmitting said out-delivery to said customer means ( 2 );    transmitting from said customer means ( 2 ) an in-delivery based on said out-delivery to a customer purchasing means ( 5 );    in said purchasing means ( 5 ), creating a purchase order and transmitting a reception order to a customer stock means ( 6 );    transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery order to a delivery stock means ( 7 );    transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) a shipment confirmation to said customer means ( 2 );    transmitting from said customer stock means ( 6 ) a reception registration to said customer purchasing means ( 5 );    transmitting from said customer purchasing means ( 5 ) said reception registration to said customer means ( 2 );    recording said reception registration as a concluded in-delivery in said customer means ( 2 );    transmitting a concluded delivery to said supplier means ( 1 ); and    recording said concluded delivery as a concluded out-delivery in said supplier means ( 1 ).    
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 2 , characterized by the further steps of: 
 transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) said delivery suggestion to an order means ( 4 );    transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery confirmation back to said supplier means ( 1 );    converting said delivery confirmation to an out-delivery information object;    transmitting said out-delivery to a customer means ( 2 );    transmitting from said customer means ( 2 ) an in-delivery based on said out-delivery to a customer purchasing means ( 5 );    in said purchasing means, creating a purchase order and transmitting a reception order to a customer stock means ( 6 );    transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery order to delivery stock means ( 7 );    transmitting from said delivery stock means ( 7 ) a shipment registration to said order means ( 4 );    transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) said shipment registration to said supplier means ( 1 );    transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) a shipment confirmation to said customer means ( 2 );    transmitting from said customer stock means ( 6 ) a reception registration to said customer purchasing means ( 5 );    transmitting from said customer purchasing means ( 5 ) said reception registration to said customer means ( 2 );    recording said reception registration as a concluded in-delivery in said customer means ( 2 );    transmitting a concluded delivery to said supplier means ( 1 ); and    recording said concluded delivery as a concluded out-delivery in said supplier means ( 1 ).    
     
     
         5 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said product information further comprises customer storage reception schedule data, customer business calendar data, and customer virtual product balance in order to determine said demand time.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the step of determining and storing in said supplier means a demand time further comprises the step of: 
 based on said schedule data determining it said demand time is a reception day; if not assigning said demand time a reception time before said demand time.    
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the step of determining and storing in said supplier means a delivery time further comprises the steps of: 
 determining if said genereted delivery time is in conflict with a supplier business calendar, if so, said delivery time is assigned a reception time before said current generated delivery time, or    if said generated delivery time is late on a delivery suggestion is not generated.    
     
     
         8 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of determining and storing in said supplier means a delivery time further comprises the step of: 
 if said delivery time is already passed, determining a new delivery time.    
     
     
         9 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of determining and storing in said supplier means a demand quantity further comprises the steps of: 
 calculating a maximum quantity for said customer storage;    calculating a consumption value until said demand time; and    determining said demand quantity from said maximum quantity, said consumption value and said customer virtual product balance.    
     
     
         10 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by—before the step of creating a delivery suggestion—the further steps of: 
 determining if said delivery quantity is below a smallest delivery quantity, storing said smallest delivery quantity as delivery quantity; and  
 determining if said delivery quantity is bigger than one multiple unit, rounding said delivery quantity to an even number of multiple units and storing it in said supplier means ( 1 ).  
 
     
     
         11 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by the further steps of: 
 determining if a supplier product balance is less than said suggested delivery quantity; if so    distributing said current product balance among present delivery suggestion information objects.    
     
     
         12 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said customer product information is received in real time.  
     
     
         13 . A logistics system for controlling the flow and balance of goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption, comprising at least a supplier means ( 1 ) connected to at least a customer means ( 2 ), characterized by 
 means for receiving customer product information comprising at least customer product balance data and customer outflow demand data from said customer means ( 2 ), and customer's customer product balance data and customer's customer outflow demand data from a customer's customer means ( 3 ),    means for determining and storing in said supplier means ( 1 ) a demand time for a refilling of a customer storage means based on said customer product information and delivery agreement data between said supplier means ( 1 ) and said customer means ( 2 );    means for determining and storing in said supplier means a delivery time for said customer storage means, based on said customer product information, said delivery agreement data, and said demand time; and    means for creating a delivery suggestion comprising said demand time, said delivery time, and said demand quantity data.    
     
     
         14 . A logistics system according to  claim 13 , characterized by 
 means for executing a delivery corresponding to said delivery suggestion message.    
     
     
         15 . A logistics system according to  claim 14 , characterized by 
 means for transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) said delivery suggestion to an order means ( 4 );    means for transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery confirmation back to said supplier means ( 1 );    means for converting said delivery confirmation to an out-delivery information object;    means for transmitting said out-delivery to said customer means ( 2 );    means for transmitting from said customer means ( 2 ) an in-delivery based on said out-delivery to a customer purchasing means ( 5 );    means for creating a purchase order and transmitting a reception order to a customer stock means ( 6 );    means for transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) a delivery order to delivery stock means ( 7 );    means for transmitting from said supplier means ( 1 ) a shipment confirmation to said customer means ( 2 );    means for transmitting from said customer stock means ( 6 ) a reception registration to said customer purchasing means ( 5 );    means for transmitting from said customer purchasing means ( 5 ) said reception registration to said customer means ( 2 );    means for recording said reception registration as a concluded in-delivery in said customer means ( 2 );    means for transmitting a concluded delivery to said supplier means ( 1 ); and    means for recording said concluded delivery as a concluded out-delivery in said supplier means ( 1 ).    
     
     
         16 . A logistics system according to  claim 15 , characterized by 
 means for transmitting from said delivery stock means ( 7 ) a shipment registration to said order means ( 4 ); and    means for transmitting from said order means ( 4 ) said shipment registration to said supplier means ( 1 ).    
     
     
         17 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 16 , characterized in that said product information further comprises customer storage reception schedule data, customer business calendar data, and customer virtual product balance in order to determine said demand time.  
     
     
         18 . A logistics system according to  claim 17 , characterized by 
 means for determining if said demand time is a reception day based on said schedule data; and    means for assigning said demand time a reception time before said demand time if said demand time is not a reception day.    
     
     
         19 . A logistics system according to claims  17  or  18 , characterized by 
 means for determining if said generated delivery time is in conflict with a supplier business calendar, and  
 means for assigning said delivery time a reception time before said current generated delivery time if said generated delivery time is in conflict with a supplier business calendar.  
 
     
     
         20 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 19 , characterized by 
 means for determining a new delivery time if said delivery time is already passed.    
     
     
         21 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 20 , characterized by 
 means for calculating a maximum quantity for said customer storage;    means for calculating a consumption value until said demand time; and    means for determining said demand quantity from said maximum quantity, said consumption value and said customer virtual product balance.    
     
     
         22 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 21 , characterized by 
 means for determining it said delivery quantity is below a smallest delivery quantity,    means for storing said smallest delivery quantity as delivery quantity, and    means for determining if said delivery quantity is bigger than one muliple unit, rounding said delivery quantity to an even number of multiple units and storing it in said supplier means.    
     
     
         23 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 22 , characterized by 
 means for determining if a supplier product balance is less than said suggested delivery quantity; and    means for distributing said current product balance among present delivery suggestion information objects.    
     
     
         24 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 23 , characterized in that said system operates in a network, including several nodes (A), wherein each node comprises supplier means ( 1 ), customer means ( 2 ), customer's customer means ( 3 ).  
     
     
         25 . A logistics system according to  claim 24 , characterized in that said node (A) comprises order means ( 4 ), purchasing means ( 5 ) and stock means ( 6  and  7 ).  
     
     
         26 . A logistics system according to any of claims  13 - 25  characterized by means for measuring of a fill rate in the system.  
     
     
         27 . A logistics system according to  claim 26 , characterized in that said fill rate is the ratio between the virtual balance and the maximum balance.