Patent ID: 8165931
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method for allocating materials to an automated purchase assembly conversion process to support a dynamic configure-to-order production operation, the computer implemented method comprising: analyzing, by a processor, a configure-to-order backlog order to determine demand for a particular purchase assembly; identifying, by the processor, whether the demand for the particular purchase assembly can be filled with an on-hand purchase assembly in inventory; responsive to identifying that the demand for the particular purchase assembly can be filled with an on-hand purchase assembly in inventory, allocating, by the processor, the on-hand purchase assembly in inventory to fill the demand; responsive to identifying that the demand for the particular purchase assembly can not be filled with an on-hand purchase assembly in inventory identifying, by the processor, whether the on-hand purchase assembly in inventory and the particular purchase assembly are of a same conversion family, wherein the same conversion family is a group of related data processing systems schematics containing hardware parts common to each member of the conversion family; responsive to identifying that the on-hand purchase assembly in inventory and the particular purchase assembly are of a same conversion family, identifying, by the processor, whether parts from an other on-hand purchase assembly in inventory and the on-hand individual parts can be reallocated to the on-hand purchase assembly to fill a bill of materials for the particular purchase assembly; identifying, by the processor, a conversion priority for the on-hand purchase assembly and a conversion priority for other on-hand purchase assemblies of the same conversion family; responsive to identifying that the conversion priority for the on-hand purchase assembly is a higher conversion priority than the conversion priority for other on-hand purchase assemblies of the same conversion family, preferentially allocating, by the processor, the on-hand purchase assembly to fill the demand for the particular purchase assembly over the other on-hand purchase assemblies of the same conversion family; and responsive to identifying that the demand for the particular purchase assembly can be filled by reallocating the on-hand purchase assembly in inventory and on-hand individual parts, reallocating, by the processor, the on-hand purchase assembly in inventory and the on-hand individual parts to fill the demand.