Automated procurement device

A system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a computer readable memory in circuit communication with the processor;
• and
• a computer readable storage medium in circuit communication with the processor;
• wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby:
• receives, via an internet-of-things infrastructure network communication, sensor device data from sensor devices of a plurality of bins within the internet-of-things infrastructure network structure;
• measures from the received sensor device data amounts of commodities that are held within each of the plurality of bins;
• estimates from the measured amounts of commodities variations in rates of consumption for respective commodities that are within each of the plurality of bins;
• in response to determining from the estimated rates of consumption that a quantity of a first commodity within a first bin of the plurality of networked bins is below a first threshold restocking level applicable to the first bin, communicates with a server via network communications to retrieve pricing metric values that are applicable to restocking operations to restock different individual commodities within different respective ones of the plurality of networked bins including the first bin;
• identifies as a function of the determining pricing metric values a subset of the plurality of bins that each generate combination cost savings from combining respective ones of different restocking operations with a first restocking operation that restocks a first restocking quantity of the first commodity within the first bin;
• determines from the sensor data a plurality of difference amount values, one for each of the subset plurality of bins, that current commodity quantities within each of the subset plurality of bins differ from respective threshold restocking levels that are applicable to each of the subset plurality of bins as a function of the estimated rates of consumption;
• prioritizes the subset plurality of bins for selection relative to each other as a function of their respective determined difference amount values, by prioritizing ones of the subset bins having higher difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are below their respective applicable threshold restocking levels relative to others of the subset bins having lower difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are below their respective applicable threshold restocking levels, and then next prioritizing remainder others of the subset bins that each have lower difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are above their respective applicable threshold restocking relative to others of the reminder others subset bins having higher difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are above their respective applicable threshold restocking levels;
• selects a highest prioritized bin of the subset plurality of bins that has enough capacity to accommodate a second restocking quantity of a second commodity within the selected bin;
• in response to determining that the combining generates a combination cost saving relative to a cost of executing the first restocking operation without combining with the second restocking operation, combines the first restocking operation that restocks the first restocking quantity of the first commodity within the first bin with the second restocking operation that restocks the second restocking quantity of the second commodity within the selected bin of the subset plurality of bins into a combined restocking operation;
• and
• executes the combined restocking operation by restocking the first restocking quantity of the first commodity into the first bin and restocking the second restocking quantity of the second commodity into the selected bin of the subset plurality of bins.

A computer program product for automatically combining commodity acquisition operations to maximize cost savings, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for execution by a processor that cause the processor to:
• receive, via an internet-of-things infrastructure network communication, sensor device data from sensor devices of a plurality of bins within the internet-of-things infrastructure network structure;
• measure from the received sensor device data amounts of commodities that are held within each of the plurality of bins;
• estimate from the measured amounts of commodities variations in rates of consumption for respective commodities that are within each of the plurality of bins;
• in response to determining from the estimated rates of consumption that a quantity of a first commodity within a first bin of the plurality of networked bins is below a first threshold restocking level applicable to the first bin, communicate with a server via network communications to retrieve pricing metric values that are applicable to restocking operations to restock different individual commodities within different respective ones of the plurality of networked bins including the first bin;
• identify as a function of the determining pricing metric values a subset of the plurality of bins that each generate combination cost savings from combining respective ones of different restocking operations with a first restocking operation that restocks a first restocking quantity of the first commodity within the first bin;
• determine from the sensor data a plurality of difference amount values, one for each of the subset plurality of bins, that current commodity quantities within each of the subset plurality of bins differ from respective threshold restocking levels that are applicable to each of the subset plurality of bins as a function of the estimated rates of consumption;
• prioritize the subset plurality of bins for selection relative to each other as a function of their respective determined difference amount values, by prioritizing ones of the subset bins having higher difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are below their respective applicable threshold restocking levels relative to others of the subset bins having lower difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are below their respective applicable threshold restocking levels, and then next prioritizing remainder others of the subset bins that each have lower difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are above their respective applicable threshold restocking relative to others of the reminder others subset bins having higher difference amount values determined for current commodity quantities that are above their respective applicable threshold restocking levels;
• select a highest prioritized bin of the subset plurality of bins that has enough capacity to accommodate a second restocking quantity of a second commodity within the selected bin;
• in response to determining that the combining generates a combination cost saving relative to a cost of executing the first restocking operation without combining with the second restocking operation, combine the first restocking operation that restocks the first restocking quantity of the first commodity within the first bin with the second restocking operation that restocks the second restocking quantity of the second commodity within the second bin of the plurality of bins into a combined restocking operation;
• and
• execute the combined restocking operation by restocking the first restocking quantity of the first commodity into the first bin and restocking the second restocking quantity of the second commodity into the selected bin of the subset plurality of bins.