# US 7,613,536 B2 · Method for calculating a materials requirements plan for demands containing multiple demand dates and priorities > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,613,536 B2 - Document ID: US7613536B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/278,818 - Filed: 2006-04-06 - Published: 2007-10-11 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2006-04-06 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Robert A. Orzell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613536B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - G06Q 10/08726: {for replenishment processing, procedures, or recommendations using forecasting or optimisation} - 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 methodology disclosed herein calculates the dates that product must come to stock for every component in the supply chain as needed to meet exit demands associated with a plurality of due dates and priorities. Every planned product stock is thus associated with multiple stock dates and associated priorities as is every planned manufacturing start and every shipment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method of performing materials requirements planning comprising: inputting customer demand, where each customer demand has multiple independent due dates, each due date having a different priority; calculating demand on components for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; calculating demand on suppliers for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; and outputting at least one of said demand on components and said demand on suppliers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said calculating of said demand on said components comprises analyzing a bill of materials considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating required production starts considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating lotsizes considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating shipments between locations considering each of said due dates and said priorities and providing corresponding multiple shipping dates with associated priorities. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein said calculating of said shipments is based on a driver date. ### Claim 7 A computer storage device readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of performing materials requirements planning, said method comprising: inputting customer demand, where each customer demand has multiple independent due dates, each due date having a different priority; calculating demand on components for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; calculating demand on suppliers for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; and outputting at least one of said demand on components and said demand on suppliers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer storage device according to claim 7, wherein said calculating of said demand on said components comprises analyzing a bill of materials considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The computer storage device according to claim 7, said method further comprising calculating required production starts considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The computer storage device according to claim 7, said method further comprising calculating lotsizes considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The computer storage device according to claim 7, said method further comprising calculating shipments between locations considering each of said due dates and said priorities and providing corresponding multiple shipping dates with associated priorities. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer storage device according to claim 11, wherein said calculating of said shipments is based on a driver date. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented method of performing materials requirements planning comprising: inputting customer demand, where each customer demand has multiple independent due dates, each due date having a different priority, wherein said multiple independent due dates comprise a commit due date and a customer request due date; calculating demand on components for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; calculating demand on suppliers for each of said due dates, considering said priorities; and outputting at least one of said demand on components and said demand on suppliers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein said calculating of said demand on said components comprises analyzing a bill of materials considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising calculating required production starts considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising calculating lotsizes considering each of said due dates and said priorities. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising calculating shipments between locations considering each of said due dates and said priorities and providing corresponding multiple shipping dates with associated priorities. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein said calculating of said shipments is based on a driver date.