Patent ID: 6643556
Filing Date: 2003-11-04
Classification: G06Q,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for enhancing efficiency of a manufacturing operation based on variable demand and supply, comprising the steps of:selecting a number of bins for transferring material between a supplier and a consumer; determining a production rate of said supplier and a consumption rate of said consumer; determining a delivery time for delivering a bin from said supplier to said consumer; determining a signal time for notifying said supplier that said consumer requires another filled bin; and determining an amount of material to include in each bin based on a relationship between said consumption rate, said production rate, said delivery time, said signal time, and said number of bins wherein said determining an amount step is performed according to the equation: K=PC(S+D)/((Nâˆ’1)Pâˆ’C) â€ƒwhere K is the amount of material to include in each bin, P is the production rate, C is the consumption rate, S is the signal time, D is the delivery time, and N is the number of bins.