US 2002/0165747 A1Published application

Supply chain visibility system and method

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorsJoseph Lee Shriver, Roger A. Parry, James H. Webber

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Abstract

A supply chain visibility system having a plurality of graphical user interfaces and a processing element is provided. Each graphical user interface includes a plurality of panels for interacting with suppliers and recipients of the supply chain. Each graphical user interface includes configuration panels for presenting a proposed configuration and for releasing changes to the proposed configuration along with a set of delivery due dates for the parts used to assemble the final assembly. A statement of work panel reports the shipping status of the parts used to assemble the final assembly. A delinquent parts panel lists those parts that have not been received by their due dates. A return for repair and a replacement panels receive information on parts that must be returned or replaced due to loss or damage. An email dispatch system alerts supply chain participants to entries and changes made to the configuration and the shipping status of the parts.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A supply chain visibility system operably connected to a network for coordinating a supply chain of a plurality of parts to be assembled into a finished assembly for each of a plurality of effectivities, said parts supplied by a plurality of suppliers and received by at least one recipient, the supply chain visibility system comprising:

a plurality of graphical user interfaces associated with respective suppliers and the recipient and interconnected via the network, each graphical user interface capable of presenting:
a configuration panel operable to display a final configuration agreed to by the suppliers and the at least one recipient, said final configuration defining at least a portion of the finished assembly for which the parts need to be shipped;
a template panel operable to display a common set of parts that are common to each of the plurality of effectivities, the common set of parts being those parts necessary to assemble the final configuration;
a statement of work panel for each effectivity, each statement of work panel operable to display a final set of parts derived from the common set of parts, said statement of work panel also operable to display a shipping status of the final set of parts;
and
a shipment entry panel configured to receive shipping status data from the suppliers and the recipient, said shipping status data usable to update the shipping status of the final set of parts;
and
a processing element comparing the shipping status data received by the shipment entry panel to the shipping status of the final set of parts and updating the shipping status of the parts so that the suppliers and the recipient have an ongoing view of the shipping status of the final set of parts to permit assembly of the finished assembly to be planned accordingly.

5 more elements

A method of coordinating a supply chain of a plurality of parts to be assembled into a finished assembly for each of a plurality of effectivities, said parts supplied by a plurality of suppliers and received by at least one recipient, each of the plurality of suppliers and the at least one recipient having a graphical user interface that is connected to and supplied information via a network, said method comprising:

displaying, using a configuration panel of each graphical user interface, a final configuration that defines a portion of the finished assembly for which the parts need to be shipped;
displaying, using a template panel of each graphical user interface, a common set of parts that are common to each of the plurality of effectivities, the common set of parts being those parts necessary to assemble the final configuration;
generating a final set of parts by applying the common set of parts across each of the plurality of effectivities;
displaying, using a statement of work panel of each graphical user interface, a shipping status of the final set of parts;
and
receiving shipping status data from the suppliers and the recipient and updating the shipping status of the final set of parts so that the suppliers and the recipient have an ongoing view of the shipping status of the final set of parts to permit assembly of the finished assembly to be planned accordingly.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.