CN1452105A - Stock managing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

An inventory management system and method are used for suppliers to quickly respond to their customers' needs to provide timely replenishment. The system includes a supplier information system, a customer information system and an inventory control device, and the three transmit EDI information to each other through an EDI value-added network through the EDI transceiver device contained therein. Both suppliers and customers can access the information in the inventory database through the Internet, and the supplier information system can use the inventory warning report generated by the inventory control device to adjust its replenishment plan to meet the customer's requirements for the supply of goods in a timely manner. need.

Description

Inventory management system and method

【Field of Invention】

The present invention relates to an inventory management system and method, in particular to a system and method that enables suppliers to replenish goods in real time according to customer demands.

[Background of the invention]

Traditional inventory management systems and methods utilize a large number of manual operations, and these inventory management systems are managed by users themselves, which will occupy a lot of manpower and material resources of users. For example, a production company makes long-term orders according to the production schedule, and then sends the order to one or more suppliers. The suppliers arrange the supply of goods according to the order and transport them to the production company by means of transportation. There will be many variable factors in the process, such as delays in transportation, changes in the production schedule of the enterprise, etc., which may lead to the situation that the supplier cannot supply the goods required by the production enterprise in time. And in this kind of supply relationship, the supplier can only formulate its own shipment plan according to the customer's order, but cannot make timely adjustments according to the historical demand status and development trend of the customer (that is, the production enterprise), which lacks The necessary flexibility cannot guarantee that customers will get the goods they need in time.

Now there is a new method of inventory management to control sales data and inventory, as the basis for market demand forecasting and inventory replenishment, through sales data to obtain consumer demand information, suppliers can plan more effectively and faster In response to market changes and consumer needs, this inventory management method is generally called a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI). The VMI method can be used to reduce inventory, increase inventory turnover, and maintain inventory. optimization, and suppliers and wholesalers can share important information, both parties can improve demand forecasting, replenishment planning, promotion management and transportation loading planning, etc. Replenishment based on actual or predicted consumer demand, VMI can be applied to suppliers, wholesalers and logistics centers, etc.

At present, the VMI method is widely used between suppliers and wholesalers. Suppliers use the wholesaler's shipment data as a reference for replenishment. For example, the US Patent and Trademark Office announced on July 10, 1997 No. "Electronic method and system for controlling and tracking information related to business transactions" (Electronic method and system for controlling and tracking information related to business transactions) patent, which discloses a VMI system used between manufacturing enterprises and wholesalers A commercial transaction between the manufacturing enterprise and the wholesaler can be traced through an electronic system, the electronic system includes a supplier's computer and at least one receiver's computer. The method includes the initial step of receiving and retrieving electronic information by a business controller, which processes the electronic information and generates an updated electronic information, which information may be stored by the provider computer and the recipient computer, or by Periodic visits between each other achieve mutual synchronization, which can achieve information sharing between the provider's computer and the recipient's computer.

However, there are some shortcomings in this system. Although the system can achieve information sharing between the provider and the receiver, it cannot meet the temporary needs of the receiver (customer), such as the temporary change of the customer's production schedule, or the occurrence of In an emergency situation (such as an increase in demand due to an abnormality of a certain type of goods), even if the supplier (supplier) can know immediately, it will take a certain amount of time to prepare the source of goods and arrange transportation, so it cannot respond to customers in a timely manner The demand may cause the customer's production to be delayed or interrupted.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide an inventory management system and method, which can enable suppliers to quickly respond to customer needs, so as to provide timely replenishment.

【Content of invention】

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an inventory management system and method, which can enable suppliers to respond to customer needs in time to provide timely replenishment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inventory management system and method, which can enable suppliers to know whether a certain type of goods in their warehouse exceeds the predetermined inventory level, so as to adjust their replenishment plan in time.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides an inventory management system for suppliers to quickly respond to their customers' needs, so as to provide timely replenishment. The system includes a supplier information system, a customer information system and an inventory control device, and the three transmit EDI information to each other through an EDI value-added network through the EDI transceiver device contained therein. Wherein, the inventory control device also includes an inventory server, a website server and an inventory database, and the inventory server can manage and control the warehouse's receiving, delivery, warehousing and other processes and perform corresponding data maintenance; the website server can receive Inquiry requirements from customers, inventory managers, and suppliers, providing information such as receipt, inventory, delivery, and inventory warning reports; the inventory database stores relevant inventory information, and it communicates with inventory servers and inventory servers through the internal network of the enterprise. The web server is connected to receive access requests from the central inventory server and query requests from the web server. The inventory control device also includes an electronic mail server, which can transmit inventory information to the supplier information system and the customer information system. Among them, the inventory control device can generate an inventory early warning report, which can show whether each kind of goods in the warehouse is within the predetermined inventory level range, and the supplier can obtain the inventory early warning report by email or by visiting the website where the inventory server is located , adjust its replenishment plan according to the inventory warning report, so as to meet the customer's demand for supply goods in a timely manner.

The present invention also provides an inventory management method, which includes the following steps: (a) the customer sets a safety stock level for each item, such as the maximum and minimum values of the safety stock; (b) the inventory control device will Regularly calculate the current stock level of each kind of goods; (c) the inventory control device will judge whether the current stock level calculated by it is within the range of the predetermined safety stock level; (d) if the current stock level is within the predetermined safety stock level within the range, return to step (b), wait for the next time period, and recalculate the current inventory level; (e) if the current inventory level exceeds the predetermined safety stock level range (too much or too little), the inventory control device An inventory warning report will be generated, which will list the information of each goods exceeding the predetermined safety stock level, including the supplier customer of the goods, the predetermined stock level and the current stock level, etc.; (f) the stock control device will email (g) The supplier will adjust its Replenishment schedules, such as slowing down or speeding up replenishment.

Utilizing the system and method provided by the present invention, the supplier can quickly respond to the needs of its customers, provide timely replenishment, and adjust its replenishment plan according to the inventory warning report generated by the inventory control device to meet the needs of its customers. Demand changes.

【Description of drawings】

Fig. 1 is a hardware architecture diagram of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a physical warehouse of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the inventory server of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of EDI information transmission of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of warehouse receipt of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of warehouse delivery of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of generating an inventory warning report of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the website server of the inventory management system and method of the present invention.

[Explanation of the preferred embodiment]

As shown in FIG. 1 , it is a hardware architecture diagram of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. The system includes an inventory control device 1 , at least one supplier information system 2 and at least one customer information system 3 . Wherein, the supplier information system 2 is set up at different suppliers, and includes an EDI transceiver device 20 inside. The EDI transceiver device 20 is used for receiving and transmitting various EDI information, such EDI information includes related information such as inventory, delivery, receipt and invoice.

The customer information system 3 is installed at different customers, and the customer information system 3 may include an internal MRPII system or an ERP system (such as SAP, etc.) or other similar systems. It also includes an EDI transceiver 30 inside, and the EDI transceiver 30 can transmit or receive various EDI information through an EDI Value Added Network (VAN).

The inventory control device 1 is set inside a warehouse, and includes an inventory server 11 , an inventory database 12 , an email server 14 , a network server 13 and a plurality of client computers 15 . These client computer 15 systems are dispersedly placed at the goods entrance and exit of the warehouse for use by inventory managers, and are connected to the inventory server 11 through the enterprise intranet (not shown). Each client computer 15 is connected to a barcode scanner 16, through which the barcode scanner 16 scans the barcode attached to the packaging box/box or pallet of the goods, and the relevant information can be collected into the inventory through the inventory server 11 database 12. The connection architecture between the client computer 15 and the inventory server 11 is a typical C/S (Client-Server) two-tier architecture, and the client computer 15 can perform related operations through the inventory server 11 .

The inventory server 11 is connected with the inventory database 12 through the enterprise intranet (not shown in the figure), and it can write inventory information into the inventory database 12, or read the inventory information therein.

The web server 13 is also connected to the inventory database 12 through the enterprise intranet, and the information in the inventory database 12 can be read through the web server 13 . In the present invention, the user can visit the World Wide Web (WWW) website where the website server 11 is located by the Internet Explorer browser of Microsoft Corporation or the Navigator browser of Netscape Corporation, and send a query request to the inventory database 12 through the website server 13, and the inventory The database 12 will analyze it, and then feed back corresponding information to the website server 13, and the client computer can obtain the information. In the present invention, the users include inventory managers, as well as related customers and suppliers.

The system also includes an email server 14, through which the inventory management device 1 can send some forms, such as inventory warning reports, to corresponding suppliers and customers.

The system also includes at least one provider web browser 6 and at least one customer web browser 7 . Suppliers and customers can use it to query the inventory information of related goods in the warehouse through the Internet.

The relevant terms involved in the present invention are explained as follows below:

Suppliers, the suppliers referred to in the present invention include but are not limited to suppliers, sellers and other entities that provide goods.

Customers, the term customers in the present invention include but not limited to recipients, buyers, distributors and other entities that receive goods.

Goods, the goods referred to in the present invention are parts, semi-finished products and finished products provided by suppliers to customers.

Warehouse is a temporary cargo storage entity set up by the supplier at the customer's nearest location.

Goods receipt refers to the action that the warehouse receives the goods from the supplier or the customer receives the goods from the warehouse.

Storage refers to the process of putting goods from suppliers into a specific location in the warehouse according to certain rules.

Shipment refers to the action of the supplier delivering the goods to the warehouse or the warehouse delivering the goods to the customer.

As shown in FIG. 2 , it is a schematic diagram of a physical warehouse of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. The warehouse is set up near the customer base, so that customers can receive the goods from the supplier at any time from the warehouse. The warehouse is divided into 6 areas: container terminal 170, feeding area 171, storage area 172, material preparation area 173, shipping warehouse 174 and shipping dock 175. The supplier's goods generally flow through the above-mentioned areas to the final customer base. Processes such as goods receipt, storage, and delivery are all managed by the inventory control device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , it is a structural diagram of the functional modules of the inventory server of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. The inventory server 11 includes a basic data maintenance module 110 , a receiving operation module 111 , a delivery operation module 112 , a storage operation module 113 and a special operation module 114 . Among them, the basic data maintenance module 110 is used to maintain the basic data involved in the system, and the maintenance actions include defining, establishing, modifying, adding, deleting and querying the basic data. These basic data are stored in the inventory database 12, and the data include storage data, supplier data, customer data and goods data, etc., wherein the storage data includes codes and attribute data of storage areas, storage positions, etc.; Information includes such as supplier code, supplier name, EDI name, EDI code, supplier address, type and status; customer information includes customer code, customer name, EDI name, EDI code, customer address, type and status, etc.; while the goods information includes such as the supplier code to which it belongs, the customer code to which it is expected to flow, its corresponding item number, the date of receipt and the expected delivery date, etc.

The receiving operation module 111 is used to receive the goods from the supplier, and the actions include, for example, issuing receipt documents, recording receipts by different categories, and generating receipt inquiry reports. The delivery operation module 112 is used for the operation of delivery from the warehouse to the customer, and its actions include, for example, listing of delivery documents, various types of delivery, and generation of delivery inquiry reports. The warehousing operation module 113 is used for various operations of the goods inside the warehouse, such as moving warehouses, taking inventory of goods, and generating inventory inquiry reports. The special operation module 114 is used to process some special operation processes, such as customer return, material return, recovery operation and form reprinting.

As shown in FIG. 4 , it is a schematic diagram of EDI information transmission of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. Information can be exchanged between suppliers, customers and warehouses through EDI. In the present invention, a middleman (not shown in the figure) is also included, which is an EDI service provider, which can provide services such as EDI message format conversion and transmission. The EDI messages transmitted by all the EDI transceiver devices of the present invention need to be processed by the intermediary information system (for the convenience of description, this step will be omitted in the following text). The customer information system 3 can transmit the EDI850 purchase message to the supplier information system 2; the supplier information system can transmit the EDI943 delivery suggestion message to the warehouse; and the inventory control device 1 can transmit the EDI944 receipt confirmation message to the supplier information system 2 , EDI856 receipt confirmation message and EDI846 inventory information; and customer information system 3 can transmit EDI862 delivery demand message and EDI861 receipt confirmation message to inventory control device 1; and inventory control device 1 can transmit EDI846 inventory information to customer information system 3 . The present invention also relates to some other EDI messages, such as EDI810 invoice message (not shown), which will not be described in detail in this specification.

As shown in FIG. 5 , it is a flowchart of warehouse receipt of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. First, the supplier information system 2 generates a delivery notice and a delivery document (such as a delivery note) according to the customer's purchase order, the customer's production schedule and the inventory status of the warehouse, and sends it to the inventory control device 1 through an EDI943 message The EDI transceiver device 11 (step S50); after the inventory control device 1 receives these EDI messages, relevant personnel (such as inventory managers) will query the storage resource utilization in the inventory database 12 according to the information provided by the supplier. situation, and arrange inventory resources (such as storage locations, storage areas, etc.) Confirm the receipt requirements, and then wait for the supplier or its carrier to transport these goods to the container terminal 170 and the material feeding area 171 (step S51).

When the goods are transported to the container terminal 170 and the feeding area 171, the relevant personnel check the goods according to the received delivery documents (step S52) to determine whether they are consistent with those recorded in the delivery documents, and if not, send an EDI message To the supplier information system 2 to confirm or reject these goods (step S53); if they match, unload the goods, and arrange corresponding storage areas, storage positions and storage areas, etc.

The inventory control device will generate a barcode for each item according to the attributes of the batch of items. The barcode contains information such as the supplier, customer, and arrival date of the item, and is printed and pasted on the box/box. The goods are handed over to the warehouse management personnel, and according to the arrangement, each goods is returned (step S54).

As shown in FIG. 6 , it is a warehouse delivery flow chart of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. First, the customer information system 3 sends a delivery requirement to the inventory control device 1 through the EDI862 (step S60); after the inventory control device 1 receives the notification of the goods requirement, relevant personnel will input the delivery requirement on the client computer 15, That is, the shipping operation module 102 of the inventory server 10 will be used to generate a shipping notice (step S61) and sent to the customer information system 3 using EDI (step S62); Resources (operator, distribution status, use of material preparation area), generate a "pull material list" (step S63), print the material pull list and transfer the goods to the operator, transfer these goods to the material preparation area, and change The status of the pull list (step S64). Judging whether these goods are consistent with the records of the bill of materials, if they are consistent, the barcode scanner connected to the client computer 15 scans the barcode on the packaging box/case of the goods, and the information of these goods will be collected into the inventory database 12, Using the delivery operation module 102, the attributes of the goods will be changed, and the delivery documents, such as delivery notes, will be processed, and relevant personnel will load these goods on the means of transport for delivery to the customer (step S65).

As shown in FIG. 7 , it is a flow chart of generating an inventory warning report of the inventory management system and method of the present invention. The customer information system 3 can first set a safety stock level for the use of each product, that is, the comprehensive customer's production schedule and the historical records of the use of the product, that is, the stock of the product in the warehouse is generally maintained at a certain level. level (such as the maximum value and minimum value of the stock quantity) (step S60), in addition, the safety stock level can also be set according to the demand forecast of the customer; The current inventory level, that is, the amount in stock and the amount in transit of each kind of goods, wherein the time period can be set according to specific conditions, such as half a day, one day or three days (S61); the inventory control device 1 then compares the goods Whether the current stock level is within the predetermined safety stock level range (S62); if it is within the predetermined safety stock level range, then return to step S61, wait for the next time period, and recalculate the current stock level of the goods; if If the predetermined safety stock level range (too much or too little) is exceeded, the inventory control device 1 will generate an inventory warning report, which will list the information of each goods exceeding the predetermined stock level, including the supplier and customer of the goods information, predetermined inventory level and current inventory level, etc. (step S63); then the inventory control device 1 will send the inventory warning report to relevant suppliers, customers or other personnel in the form of e-mail. Alternatively, these information can also be provided on the website server 13 for relevant personnel to inquire (step S64).

After the supplier information system 2 receives the inventory warning report, it will use it to adjust its replenishment action. For example, when the current inventory level of a certain type of goods in the warehouse exceeds the maximum value of the predetermined safety stock level, it will Slow down the frequency of delivery of this type of goods to the warehouse; when the current inventory level of a certain type of goods in the warehouse is lower than the minimum value of the predetermined safety stock level, it will speed up the frequency of delivery of this type of goods to the warehouse, even if there is no The same will be done if there is an order for this type of goods, so as to ensure the temporary needs of its customers for this type of goods (such as increased production, temporary demand increase caused by too many bad materials, etc.) (step S65).

As shown in FIG. 8 , it is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the website server of the present invention. The web server 13 is connected to the inventory database 12 . The website server 13 includes three sub-modules, namely, an inventory query sub-module 130 , a report making sub-module 131 and an authority control sub-module 132 . Through the inventory query sub-module 130, various inventory information in the system can be queried according to customers, storage areas, suppliers, and goods categories or document numbers, for example, the approximate location of certain types of goods and their current inventory levels can be queried. . The result generated by the query can be presented in the form of a report through the report making sub-module 131 . In addition, the report making sub-module 131 can also generate an inventory early warning report and an inventory age analysis table, and the inventory age analysis table lists the analysis of the storage time of each type of goods in the warehouse. The authority control sub-module 132 is capable of setting the access authority of each user and authenticating the user. For example, for a certain supplier, they can only inquire about the inventory information of other suppliers directly related to it through the web server 13 . Through the web server 13, relevant users can easily know the relevant inventory information.

Claims (13)

1. An inventory management system that enables suppliers to respond to their customers' replenishment needs in a timely manner, characterized in that the system includes: A supplier information system, which includes an EDI transceiver device capable of receiving and sending EDI information; A customer information system comprising an EDI transceiver capable of exchanging EDI information with said supplier information system; An inventory control device, which is used to control the receipt, delivery and storage of goods from suppliers, including: An inventory server, which includes an EDI transceiver device, the EDI transceiver device can exchange EDI information with the supplier information system and customer information system, and can receive the operation information of the goods in and out of the warehouse; A website server, which can receive inquiries from customers, inventory managers and suppliers, and provide receipt, inventory, delivery and inventory warning report information; An inventory database, which stores relevant storage data, supplier information, customer information and goods information, which is connected to the inventory server and the website server through the network, and can receive access requests from the inventory server and the website server; and An email server, which can transmit the inventory information generated by the inventory database to the supplier information system and the customer information system. 2. The inventory management system according to claim 1, further comprising a supplier web browser and a customer web browser, which can access the web server through the Internet and receive feedback information. 3. The inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the inventory control device further comprises at least one client computer connected to a barcode scanner, which can be used to scan barcodes to collect information on incoming and outgoing goods. 4. The inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the inventory server further comprises a receiving operation module, a shipping operation module, a storage operation module and a special operation module. 5. The inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the EDI information is EDI850 purchase information, EDI943 delivery suggestion message, EDI944 receipt confirmation message, EDI856 receipt confirmation message, EDI846 inventory information and EDI862 delivery demand information. 6. The inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the inventory information transmitted by the email server is an inventory warning report. 7. An inventory management method that enables suppliers to respond to their customers' replenishment needs in a timely manner, the method is implemented through an inventory management system, and the inventory management system includes a customer information system, a supplier information system and a The inventory control device is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: (a) Set a safe stock level range for each item in the customer information system and transmit it to the stock control device; (b) The inventory control device regularly calculates the current inventory level of each kind of goods according to a time period; (c) whether the current inventory level calculated by the inventory control device is within the predetermined safety stock level; (d) When the calculated current inventory level does not exceed the predetermined safety stock level range, return to step (b), wait for the next time period, and recalculate the current inventory level of the goods; (e) When the current inventory level in step (b) exceeds the predetermined safety stock level range, the inventory control device will generate an inventory warning report; (f) The inventory control device sends the inventory warning report to relevant suppliers or customers or other personnel in the form of email; (g) The supplier information system adjusts its replenishment plan according to the inventory warning report. 8. The inventory management method according to claim 7, wherein setting a safety stock level range for each item is based on the customer's production schedule and the history of the item's use. 9. The inventory management method as claimed in claim 7, wherein setting a safe stock level range for each item is based on customer demand forecast for the item. 10 . The inventory management method according to claim 7 , wherein the safe stock level range is an inventory quantity of the goods between a maximum inventory value and a minimum inventory value. 11 . 11. The inventory management method according to claim 7, wherein the time period can be customized. 12. The inventory management method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of placing the inventory warning report on a website server, and the inventory warning report can be obtained by relevant personnel accessing the website server. 13. The inventory management method according to claim 7, wherein the adjustment of the replenishment plan includes increasing the replenishment frequency and reducing the replenishment frequency.

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