Abstract:
The supply chain management system employs at least one database having supplier question records that include question data entities for storing questions, answer data entities for storing answers and relationship data entities for storing relationship links to other records. A question manager manipulates the questions, records and relationship links, allowing new question records to be inserted or deleted from any point within the relationship data structure. An analysis engine presents supply chain information relative to a chosen point in the relationship data structure. The engine matches questions and answers along a relationship path. Results may be shown graphically, with colors used to highlight which conditions within the supplier chain need attention.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to supply chain management. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of managing information about suppliers within a supply chain. 
     2. Discussion 
     Manufacturing a complex product such as an automobile requires a large number of parts and processes. Each of these parts and processes can involve the input of any number of suppliers, both within and outside of the manufacturer. A supplier may supply a part, such as a vehicle headlamp, or may provide a service, such as marketing the vehicle. Each supplier in turn has its own suppliers that supply parts and services to it. For example, the vehicle headlamp manufacturer may receive materials such as plastic for the lens, and may perform services internally, such as testing the headlamps. Because of the complexity of an automobile, there can be several sub layers to each supplier, which quickly multiplies into a large number of suppliers contributing to the end product. A supply chain such as the automotive manufacturing supply chain described here, involves an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) such as the automobile manufacturer, and this tiered structure of suppliers, sub-suppliers, etc. 
     It is important to be able to access information about chosen points on the supply chain in order to identify problems which could affect efficiency of the manufacturing process. For example, if the OEM did not receive delivery of vehicle headlamps, production of the end product automobile could be delayed. It is helpful to be able to identify potential problems along the supply chain before they turn into delays in the production of the end product. For example, if there is a potential delay in the receiving of headlamps because the supplier&#39;s plant burned down, it may be possible for the OEM to find a replacement supplier in order to avoid delay, if the OEM receives the information soon enough. Furthermore, if the OEM can identify problems in the supplier&#39;s supply chain, such as a problem receiving plastic for the headlamp lenses, the OEM can take measures to help the supplier manage its sub-supplier in order to avoid delay in the production of the end product. 
     Current methods of managing a supply chain often involve making personal contact with representatives of suppliers, who in turn make personal contact with representatives from their suppliers. This information must then be compiled and presented to the decision makers within an organization. Inherent in this method is the delay encountered when busy people try to coordinate schedules to exchange this information. Because business success in industries such as the automotive industry is often tied to efficient delivery of products to the marketplace, minimizing the delay in the exchange of supply chain information is especially beneficial. The rapid growth of computing and network technology, for example the Internet, is allowing for much quicker exchange of information. There is great interest in leveraging this technology to more efficiently manage supply chains. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages as well as others. The present invention provides a system for obtaining information about points in a supply chain. The system comprises databases having a plurality of records. The records store question and corresponding answer data, in question data entities and answer data entities, respectively, for the points in the supply chain. The records also store relationship links to other records, in relationship data entities, such that the supplier question records and their corresponding relationship links form a relationship data structure. The records and their relationship links are manipulated by a question manager, wherein new question records can be inserted or deleted from any point within the relationship data structure. The answer data of the records are manipulated by an answer manager. 
     The system further comprises an analysis engine for analyzing and presenting the supply chain information contained in the relationship data structure. This information can be analyzed and presented relative to a chosen point in the relationship data structure, allowing for the obtaining of information about a chosen point in the supply chain. The analysis engine matches questions and answers along a relationship path in the relationship data structure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and subjoined claims and by referencing the following drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 provides a block diagram showing an example of an automotive supply chain; 
     FIG. 2 provides a block diagram showing an example of a structure for linking information providers and recipients in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 provides an example of presented output for an analyzed supply chain in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 provides a block diagram of a supply chain management system of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 provides a block diagram showing the management of questions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 provides a block diagram of an analysis engine of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 7 provides a block diagram of question and answer analysis in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 provides a block diagram of a supplier information record in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a supply chain  10 , such as an automotive supply chain. A supply chain generally includes an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)  12 , which manufactures the end product, such as an automotive vehicle. Manufacturing a vehicle generally includes assembling many parts and performing many processes and services. Each of those parts and processes are provided by suppliers, both internal to and external to the OEM  12 . An external supplier that supplies the OEM  12  directly can be referred to as a Tier  1  supplier  14 . Each Tier  1  supplier may, in turn, be supplied by suppliers external to it, which can be referred to as Tier  2  suppliers  16 . Tier  2  suppliers  16  are supplied by Tier  3  suppliers  18 , etc. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown a supply chain management system  20  for managing information about a supply chain. In a preferred embodiment, the supply chain management system  20  includes at least one database  22  for storing records which contain information about points in the supply chain. At least one input terminal  24  is provided, whereby information can be added to records and records can be added to the database  22 . The system includes at least one output terminal  26  for accessing the information in the database  22 . The supply chain management system  20  is managed through at least one central computer  28 . The database  22 , the input terminals  24 , the output terminals  26 , and the central computers  28  communicate between each other across a network  30 . In one preferred embodiment, the network  30  is the Internet. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the OEM and each supplier will input information into the supply chain management system  20  using the input terminal  24 . The information is processed by the central computer  28  and stored in the database  22 . The OEM can then analyze the information in the database  22  using the central computer  28  and access the information for presentation using the output terminal  26 . In one preferred embodiment, one central computer  28  processes the information for both inputting and analyzing the information. In another preferred embodiment, a plurality of central computers  28  perform these functions. In another preferred embodiment, suppliers can access and analyze the information stored on the database  22  through output terminals  26 . 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, information about points in the supply chain is managed by asking and answering questions related to a first point on the supply chain. The questions can concern information about the first point specifically, or can concern information about the first point in relation to other points on the supply chain to which the first point is linked. In order to obtain information about a point on the supply chain upon which the OEM or a supplier depends, the requesting entity poses a question or plurality of questions to its supplier or a plurality of its suppliers. A non-limiting example of a question asked of a supplier may be “have the plastic lenses for the headlamps been received?” The answers to the questions provide information that the OEM and suppliers use to manage the supply chain. 
     With reference to FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the questions and corresponding answers are stored in the database  22  in supplier information records  32 . With reference to FIG. 8, the supplier information records  32  include an identification data field  70  for storing identification information, a question data field  72  for storing the question, at least one answer data field  74  for storing an answer to the question, and a relationship links data field  76  for storing information describing how supplier information records  32  relate to other supplier information records  32 . In one mode of operation, the identification data field  70  includes information from a bill of materials (BOM) for a part or process. In another preferred embodiment, the supplier information record also includes a key data field  78 , described below. 
     Typically questions are focused around corporate metrics or milestones. With further reference to FIG. 4, the questions can fall into one of at least three categories: global questions  34 , which are asked of each supplier in the supply chain, tier specific questions  36 , which are asked of each supplier in a specific tier of the supply chain, and custom questions  38 , which the OEM or a supplier can pose to their suppliers. The questions and their relationship to other supplier information records  32  are managed by a question manager  40 . The question manager  40  identifies each supplier information record  32  within the database, and manages relationship link data fields  76  within the supplier information records  32  to allow easy access of information about the relationship of one question to another. 
     It is often difficult to predict in advance all questions that will need to be asked to obtain the proper information about a supply chain. The ability to add the custom questions  38  solves this problem. This allows the OEM and suppliers to ask for the correct information to pinpoint a problem within the supply chain. New custom questions  38  are added to the relationship data structure through a question interface  42 , which, in a preferred embodiment, is through one of the at least one input terminals  24 . The question interface  42  can be in the form of an Internet web page, although those skilled in the art will recognize that any number of user interfaces are within the scope of the present invention. The function of adding new questions  44  is handled by the question manager  40 , which creates and manages a new supplier information record  32  for the new question, adds the question to the question data field  72 , and manipulates the relationship link data fields  76  of the new record  32  and existing records  32  to properly reflect the new question&#39;s relationship to supplier information records  32  already stored in the database  22 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, with reference to FIG. 5, a new custom question  38  is posed by the OEM to a supplier, such as Supplier A  46 , which is added to the list of questions Supplier A questions  48  that the supplier is responsible for answering. Likewise, Supplier A  46  poses new custom questions  38  to its supplier, Supplier B  50 , which gets added to the list of Supplier B questions  52  which Supplier B is responsible for answering. As necessary, each supplier poses custom questions to its suppliers. In another preferred embodiment, the OEM or a supplier can pose questions to a sub-supplier, which is a supplier that supplies the OEM&#39;s supplier. Thus, it is possible for an entity to pose questions to another entity more than one tier removed. This is handled by the question manager  40 , which manages the relationship link data fields of the supplier information records  32 . 
     With reference to FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, questions in the supplier information records  32  are answered using an answer interface  54 , which can be through one of the input terminals  24 . The answer interface  54  can be an Internet web page, but one skilled in the art will recognize that any of a number of possible interfaces is within the scope of the present invention. The answer question function  56  is managed by an answer manager  58 , which manipulates at least one answer data field  74  in the supplier information record  32  corresponding to a question. The answer to a question is thus stored in the database  22  along with the question and relationship data. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, each question has a single answer. The questions are binary in nature, and thus require an answer of either affirmative or negative. In another preferred embodiment, the questions have more than two possible answer choices. Furthermore, each question data field  72  can have more than one answer data field  74  corresponding to it. In this embodiment, the answer data fields  74  are structured as an array. In another preferred embodiment, the answer data field  74  contains a link to plurality of answer data. 
     With further reference to FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the question, answer, and relationship information in the database  22  is analyzed and presented to at least one recipient by an analysis engine  60 . With reference to FIG. 6, the analysis engine  60  includes a report manager  62  which manages the generation and presentation of reports  64 . In general, a report  64  displays information from the database  22  in a form in which the recipient of the report can efficiently base decisions. The information in the report  64  is derived from the supplier information records  32  in the database  22 . The report manager  62  manages the analysis of the supplier information relative to points in the relationship data structure using the relationship link data fields  76  of the supplier information records  32 . 
     The results of an analysis performed by the analysis engine  60 , in the form of a report  64 , can be presented through an output interface  66 . The output interface  66  can be presented through one of the output terminals  26 , and can be in the form of an Internet web page. Alternatively, as one skilled in the art will recognize, the report  64  presented can be in any of a number of other interfaces, or in any of a number of other forms, such as a computer print out. 
     The analysis of the information in the supplier information records  32  includes the comparison of questions to answers by a translator  68 . The information presented by the report manager  62  about a given supplier includes information on the comparison of the questions stored in the question data fields  72  to the answers stored in the answer data fields  74 . A report  64  includes a graphical representation of the supply chain from the perspective of a given point along the supply chain, as shown in FIG.  3 . Indicia is provided on the graphical representation to illustrate the state of the points in the supply chain, where a given point on the supply chain can be a comparison of a question to its corresponding answer. In one preferred embodiment, the indicia is a color scheme, wherein the points are represented as boxes on a graphical representation of the supply chain and the boxes are assigned a color. A red color assigned to a box indicates an alert. An alert may indicate that there is a problem at that point in the supply chain, and that action should be taken. An assignment of the color green to the box, on the other hand, indicates that there is no alert. An assignment of the color yellow to the box indicates that the state of the box is undetermined. 
     The initial state of every box is yellow, representing that the state of that box has not yet been determined. Generally, the manufacturing of a product such as an automobile operates on a temporal milestone system, where certain processes must be completed and products delivered by chosen deadlines. As questions become relevant, they are answered by the entity along the supply chain responsible for that question. When a question is answered, the box representing the point on the supply chain is assigned a color. In another preferred embodiment, a box representing a point on alert is assigned a red color, while other boxes representing other points within the same supplier will be assigned a yellow color. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the indicia displayed in a box depends on the state of a point in the supply chain on which it is linked in a dependent relationship. In other words, if that box represents a question about a part or a process, the state of the box may be dependent upon a supplier. If the information represented by the box depends on another point that has been assigned an alert indicia such as a red color, the box will automatically be assigned an alert indicia as well. Thus, if a supplier multiple levels below a point on the supply chain has been assigned an alert, that alert will be propagated in real time up the chain to higher tier supplier and the OEM, so as to alert the OEM and higher tier suppliers of a problem in the most timely manner possible. This allows later stage suppliers and the OEM to react more quickly to supply problems. 
     However, not all recipients of reports will be satisfied with a alert/non-alert scheme of indicia that simply propagates an alert up the chain. Some recipients may want multiple levels of alert, such as a warning and high-alert, thus allowing the recipient to evaluate in finer granulation the points in the supply chain to focus energy on. Accordingly, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a third level of alert is provided, mainly a cautionary state of alert, which is represented by indicia, such as a yellow color. With reference to FIG. 7, the state of a chosen point in the supply chain, say Point A  80 , is dependant on the state of the points on which it is dependant, say Points B-D  82 . In one preferred embodiment, if a point on which Point A  80  is dependant is on high alert, but it does not warrant Point A  80  to be on high alert as well, Point A will be assigned a caution (yellow). The translator  68  determines the level of alert to assign the chosen point based on the points on which it is dependant. The state of each point can include information about the question and answer combinations of points below it. For example, if a question on which a point is dependently linked is answered in such a way as to indicate a problem, the dependent point will reflect that problem as either a cautionary or high alert state with the appropriate indicia. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the translator  68  weighs the question/answer combinations on which Point A  80  is dependently linked to determine the proper level alert. The question/answer combinations are assigned a numerical weighting, such as a binary weighting. The state of Point A  80  is then determined as a logical combination of Points B-D  82 . The translator  68  uses a key  86  unique to Point A to determine the level of alert to assign Point A based on Points B-D. The key can be implemented as a data field in the supplier information record  32  and as such, stored in the database  22  along with the question, answer, and relationship linking information. 
     To facilitate quicker response to supply chain issues, it is beneficial to manage supply chain information in such a way as to deliver appropriate information to individuals responsible for points in the supply chain. For example, a manager within a Tier  1  supplier  14  will be responsible to react to a different set of information than a manager within the OEM  12 . Accordingly, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, reports are automatically tailored to individual recipients. With reference to FIG. 6, this is accomplished by coupling a distribution manager  86  to the report manager  62  of the analysis engine  60 . The distribution manager  86  uses a distribution list  88  to determine the information to present to an individual recipient. The distribution list  88  can contain information such as the starting point in the supply chain where data will be presented relative to. The information presented will thus be the supplier information for those points on the supply chain linked to the starting point. For example, a Tier  2  producer of headlamps will be presented with information on the suppliers on which the headlamps are dependant, such as an external Tier  3  supplier responsible for delivering the plastic for the lenses, and an internal supplier responsible for manufacturing the lenses. 
     In one mode of operation, a user accesses a report through the output interface  66 , thus receiving supply chain information only when requested. The identity of the user is compared to the distribution list  88  to determine the information to present to the user in the report  64 . However, it is beneficial to inform a user of an alert at a point in the supply chain upon which the user is dependant. This allows for an immediate response to a potential problem, thus allowing the user more time to minimize the negative impact of the problem. Accordingly, in another mode of operation, the distribution list  88  also contains delivery information for an individual recipient. This allows the report manager  62  to route a report  64  directly to a recipient. Upon processing an alert at a point in the supply chain, the analysis engine  60  routes a report  64  to all users responsible for points which are dependent upon the point that is on alert. This can be accomplished by sending the recipient and email  90  with the report  64 , although one skilled in the art will recognize that other forms of distribution of reports  64  are within the scope of the present invention. 
     Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification and following claims.