An improved logistics planning method and system for recommending optimal order quantities and timing, choice of vendor locations and storage locations, and transportation modes, for individual items and for product families. The system is designed for use in cooperation with the computer having memory and incorporates item, customer, supplier, and routing information databases. In operation, the item, customer and supplier databases are accessed in order to provide customer and warehouse demand forecasts. The routing and customer databases are similarly accessed to provide transportation cost forecasts necessary to determine optimized routing modes for selected items, customers and suppliers. The demand and transportation costs are processed in accordance with a dynamic programming model to determine stock and non-stock order/shipment solutions for the selected items and customers, including optimized supplier and routing selection, order timing and quantity.
A method and system for generating and solving production model algorithms for the optimum management of production rates, equipment utilization, raw material, utilities, inventories and production schedule so as to increase total output and/or decrease total cost per unit of production for a continuous or semi-continuous manufacturing facility. The application updates dynamically so that users are provided real-time optimized production decisions on the basis of current information.
Currently lacking are effective and accurate tools to help petroleum traders and logistics personnel to make better decisions, collaborate in real-time and negotiate deals in a private and secure environment. The present invention addresses this and other needs in the industry.In particular, the present invention provides a non-client computer resident method optimizes vessel scheduling by aggregating vessel information. At least some of the vessel information is automatically downloaded from an electronic source. The aggregated vessel information is stored in a vessel information database comprising vessel information database records. Information is obtained about a potential vessel contracting transaction. The vessel information database is searched in a real-time manner to match the potential vessel contracting transaction to at least one of the vessel information database records such that the vessel contracting transaction is optimized. At least one of the optimized vessel contracting transactions is then reported. Optimization factors used to produce the optimized vessel contracting transactions include lowest cost and fastest delivery.
A value-based framework is used for managing inventory. This framework allows firms to set risk and return targets for inventory related capital investments and operational management. A set of possible inventory investments is generated, and a value of possible inventory investments is then computed. The value of possible inventory investments is computed by first decomposing cash flows associated with the inventory investment into a combination of cash flows that can be represented by a portfolio comprised of long and short positions in an underlying asset. Then a valuation methodology is used to compute the value of each long and short position in the portfolio. The values of each long and short position in the portfolio is summed to determine a value of the portfolio. The value of the inventory investment is set equal to the value of the portfolio. An inventory investment with a best value is selected.
A computer implemented system for inter-domain analysis is disclosed. The system includes a domain engine (234), associated with a first supply chain entity, having a local model representing a supply chain activity of the first supply chain entity. The domain engine (234) operable to generate a model agent (240) that represents a partial replica of the local model. The system also includes another domain engine (236), associated with a second supply chain entity, having a local model representing a supply chain activity of the second supply chain entity. The other domain engine is operable to generate a model agent representing a partial replica of the local model. The domain engines (234 and 236) further operate to expand the respective local models using the remote model agents (240) to accomplish local inter-domain analysis. In one embodiment, the model agents (240) can be data model agents, object model agents and behavior model agents.
The present invention relates to abstract product descriptions and methods. In a first general aspect, a method comprises a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform operations for configuring a logistic unit for planning and processing in a logistic environment. The method may comprise accessing a template database object that may be compatible with a modeled logistic environment process, and receiving a user assignment of defined attributes for the accessed template object. The defined attributes may describe a feature common to multiple different physical receptacles used to contain stock in a logistic environment or a feature common to contents of the receptacles. The generated logistic unit may be based on the template database object and the defined attributes, wherein the logistic unit is assignable to a stock item to define how the stock item is to be handled in the modeled logistic environment process.
