Patent ID: 7346530
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for scheduling deliveries of material comprising: obtaining a material requirement for an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line, the material requirement comprising an identified material and a material need-by time, the obtaining being performed by a module executing on a computer system; identifying a next truck scheduled for delivery to the operation, the next truck originating at a material source, the identifying being performed by a module executing on a computer system; determining whether a following truck scheduled for delivery to the operation after the next truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time of the material requirement, the determining being performed by a module executing on a computer system, and when the following truck has a material delivery time before the material need-by time, delaying processing of the material requirement, and when the following truck has a material delivery time after the material need-by time, determining whether a later opportunity to request the identified material exists, and when a later opportunity exists, delaying requesting the identified material and scheduling a delivery of the identified material, and when a later opportunity does not exist, requesting the identified material by adding the identified material to a material request for the next truck and scheduling a delivery of the identified material from the material source to the operation on the next truck.