Method and system for capacity allocation in an assembly environment
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorBrenda Lynn Dietrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method suitable for producing a production plan that is feasible with respect to capacity availability. The method includes the steps of reading an end product demand and capacity availability information; selecting a specific demand derived from the end product demand and comprising an end product, a time period, and a quantity; determining whether the quantity can be produced in the time periods using the available capacity and surplus capacity from earlier periods; and, recording the amount of capacity used in each time period to produce this quantity; thereby enabling realization of end product demand when an imbalance of demand and capacity exists.
Claims20
A computer implemented method suitable for producing a production plan for assembled products, at least one of said products having a multi-level assembly structure, that is feasible with respect to capacity availability, the method comprising:
- (1) reading an end product demand and capacity availability information;
- (2) selecting a specific demand derived from the end product demand and comprising an end product, a time period, and a quantity;
- (3) determining whether the quantity can be produced in the time periods using the available capacity and surplus capacity from earlier periods;
- and
- (4) recording the amount of capacity used in each time period to produce this quantity, thereby enabling realization of the end product demand when an imbalance of demand and capacity exists,
- wherein said determining, without use of linear programming, determines a maximum quantity of assembled product demand that can be produced, and
- wherein said end product demand includes a plurality of end products produced using a plurality of resources allocated thereto.
An allocation method for utilization within a computer for generating a feasible production plan for assembled products, at least one of said products having a multi-level assembly structure, the computer implemented method comprising:
- (1) reading an end product demand comprising a part number p, a quantity q, and a time period t, and reading capacity availability information for periods 1 through t;
- (2) determining a planned quantity of production q′(t) less than or equal to the quantity q of the part number p that can be produced in the period t from subassemblies with available capacity;
- (3) updating the capacity by subtracting the capacity required to produce this planned quantity;
- (4) if possible, moving any remaining requirement q−q′ to successively earlier periods;
- (5) repeating said determining and said updating until time t is exhausted thereby computing q′(t−1), q′(t−2), . . . q′(1);
- (6) exploding the planned quantities of production q′(t), q′(t−1), . . . ,q′(1) of p through the bill of material of p to determine the requirements for each of the subassemblies p′ of p in each time period t′;
- (7) repeating 1-5 above for each part p′ used in p and each time period t′ until all requirements have been satisfied or no additional production is possible;
- and
- (8) reporting whether the quantity q can be produced by period t,
- wherein said determining, without use of linear programming, determines a maximum quantity of assembled product demand that can be produced, and
- wherein said end product demand includes a plurality of end products produced using a plurality of resources allocated thereto.
A computer implemented method suitable for producing a production plan for assembled products, at least one of said products having a multi-level assembly structure, that is feasible with respect to capacity availability, the method comprising:
- (1) reading an end product demand and capacity availability information;
- (2) selecting a specific demand derived from the end product demand and comprising an end product, a time period, and a quantity;
- (3) determining a quantity less than or equal to the demand quantity that can be produced in the time periods using the available capacity and surplus capacity from earlier periods;
- (4) recording the amount of capacity used in each time period to produce this quantity;
- and
- (5) recording any additional subassemblies or parts that are required to produce this quantity, thereby enabling realization of end product demand when an imbalance of demand and capacity exists,
- wherein said determining, without use of linear programming, determines a maximum quantity of assembled product demand that can be produced, and
- wherein said end product demand includes a plurality of end products produced using a plurality of resources allocated thereto.
A system suitable for producing a production plan for assembled products, at least one of said products having a multi-level assembly structure, that is feasible with respect to capacity availability, the system comprising:
- (1) means for reading an end product demand and capacity availability information;
- (2) means for selecting a specific demand derived from the end product demand and comprising an end product, a time period, and a quantity;
- (3) means for determining whether the quantity can be produced in the time periods using the available capacity and surplus capacity from earlier periods;
- and
- (4) means for recording the amount of capacity used in each time period to produce this quantity, thereby enabling realization of end product demand when an imbalance of demand and capacity exist,
- wherein said means for determining, without use of linear programming, determines a maximum quantity of assembled product demand that can be produced, and
- wherein said end product demand includes a plurality of end products produced using a plurality of resources allocated thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.