Patent ID: 7894922
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: G05B,G06Q,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for generating electronic data for use in planning an execution of a manufacturing process, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving user defined groupings for multiple execution-level manufacturing operations that are defined in a manufacturing process execution-level electronic data model and that define a process flow to produce a product, the defined groupings forming respective rough-cut operations, wherein at least one of the defined groupings includes a process step definition that has multiple different defined alternative steps; generating and storing in memory the electronic data for use in planning execution of the manufacturing process using the defined groupings for the multiple execution-level manufacturing operations, wherein the generated electronic data includes, for each rough-cut operation that includes a process step definition that has multiple different defined alternative steps, at least first and second planning modes each comprising a sequence of operations, the first planning mode including at least one of the multiple alternative steps and the second planning mode including at least another of the multiple alternative steps, wherein each of the planning modes includes at least one first execution-level operation that is common to all of the planning modes and is not included in the process step definition that has the multiple different defined alternative steps, and at least one second execution-level operation that is different from any operations in each of at least one other planning mode and is included in the process step definition that has the multiple different defined alternative steps, each of the rough-cut operations having at least one rough-cut capacity requirement corresponding to a resource requirement; obtaining, from planning-level data, parameters that specify the resource requirements for the rough-cut capacity requirements; and using the generated electronic data stored in memory, including the rough-cut capacity requirements as specified by the parameters, in time duration calculations for the planning of the manufacturing process.