# US 7,610,112 B2 · Method for manufacturing with engineering change override > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,112 B2 - Document ID: US7610112B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/172,586 - Filed: 2008-07-14 - Published: 2008-11-06 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2006-08-22 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Ivory W. Knipfer; Fraser A. Syme; Matthew H. Zemke - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610112B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - G06Q 10/0631: Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations - G06Q 10/06315: {Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis} - G06Q 10/0872: {using inventory planning} - G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract The illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for processing orders. A request for delivery by a requested delivery date is received for an order having an original delivery date. The ordered product is broken down into one or more materials required for manufacturing the ordered product. For at least one material required for manufacturing the ordered product, a date when an engineering change becomes effective for the material is specified. An alternate bill of materials is created based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the material. An alternate manufacturing plan based on the alternate bill of materials is created. Manufacturing is initiated based on the alternate manufacturing plan. If manufacturing can be completed in time for delivery by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date of the order is replaced with the requested delivery date. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer program product stored in a computer usable medium including computer usable program code when executed by a computer for processing orders, said computer program product comprising: computer usable program code for receiving a request for delivery of an order by a requested delivery date; computer usable program code, responsive to receiving the request for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date, for specifying a date when an engineering change becomes effective for at least one material required for the order outside of a material requirements planning system, wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is the date when a manufacturing operation changes from the at least one material to a different version of the at least one material based on factors not accounted for by a current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is specified manually or programmatically for overriding the current date; computer usable program code for creating an alternate bill of materials based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective; computer usable program code for creating an alternate manufacturing plan based on an alternate bill of materials for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date; and computer usable program code for initiating the manufacturing operation based on the alternate manufacturing plan. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein the requested delivery date is earlier than the original delivery date. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the specifying and creating functions are performed by a component responsible for material requirements planning, and the initiating function is performed by a component responsible for manufacturing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date, the requested delivery date is committed for the order and the original delivery date is updated with the requested delivery date. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The computer program product of claim 4, wherein an original manufacturing plan is associated with the order, and wherein if the alternate manufacturing operation cannot be completed by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date is left unchanged, the order is manufactured based on the original manufacturing plan, and the manufacturing operation is applied towards a second order. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computer program product of claim 5, wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date the original manufacturing plan is replaced with the alternate manufacturing plan. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an original bill of materials is associated with the order, and wherein the original bill of materials is based on the current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and the alternate bill of materials is based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the order is one of a customer order and a field order. ### Claim 9 A data processing system for processing orders, the data processing system comprising: a bus system; a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions; and a processing unit connected to the bus system wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a request for delivery of an order by a requested delivery date; specify a date when an engineering change becomes effective for at least one material required for the order outside of a material requirements planning system in response to receiving the request for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date, wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is the date when a manufacturing operation changes from the at least one material to a different version of the at least one material based on factors not accounted for by a current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and wherein the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material is specified manually or programmatically for overriding the current date; create an alternate bill of materials based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective; create an alternate manufacturing plan based on an alternate bill of materials for delivery of the order by the requested delivery date; and initiate the manufacturing operation based on the alternate manufacturing plan. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein the requested delivery date is earlier than the original delivery date. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The data processing system of claim 9, wherein a component responsible for material requirements planning specifies the date when the engineering changes becomes effective for the at least one material required for the order outside of the material requirements planning system, creates the alternate bill of materials, and creates the alternate manufacturing plan, and a component responsible for manufacturing initiates the manufacturing operation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the order has an original delivery date, and wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date, the requested delivery date is committed for the order and the original delivery date is updated with the requested delivery date. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The data processing system of claim 12, wherein an original manufacturing plan is associated with the order, and wherein if the alternate manufacturing operation cannot be completed by the requested delivery date, the original delivery date is left unchanged, the order is manufactured based on the original manufacturing plan, and the manufacturing operation is applied towards a second order. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The data processing system of claim 13, wherein if the manufacturing operation can be completed by the requested delivery date the original manufacturing plan is replaced with the alternate manufacturing plan. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The data processing system of claim 12, wherein an original bill of materials is associated with the order, and wherein the original bill of materials is based on the current date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material, and the alternate bill of materials is based on the specified date when the engineering change becomes effective for the at least one material. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the order is one of a customer order and a field order.