Patent ID: 7333870

Claim:
A computer implemented method, in a computer system, for managing a supply chain by automatically analyzing shifting demand for personalized parts, the computer implemented method comprising: receiving a plurality of orders, wherein the plurality of orders form a demand and wherein the demand results in a set of parts that need to be personalized; analyzing the demand against current parts in existing inventory; determining the current parts necessary to fulfill the demand; automatically generating, by the computer system, instructions for personalizing the current parts to correspond with the demand; responsive to the current parts not including parts that have been personalized according to a particular personalization to fulfill one of said plurality of orders, automatically generating, by the computer system, instructions for re-personalizing parts that have already been personalized according to a different personalization; processing the instructions for personalizing the current parts and processing the instructions for re-personalizing parts that have already been personalized according to said different personalization; and in response to processing the instructions for re-personalizing parts that have already been personalized according to said different personalization, using the computer system to re-personalize parts, which have already been personalized according to the different personalization by transforming the parts that have already been personalized according to the different personalization, into parts that are personalized according to the particular personalization.