Patent ID: 8521622

Claim:
A computer system for managing orders of parts, the computer system comprising: a computer configured to execute the functions comprising: identifying a plurality of parts and a volume of each of the plurality of parts necessary to produce a first product model and a second product model, wherein the parts and the volume of each of the parts for the first product model have already been ordered, receiving an input of a production change from a first production plan for the first product model to a second production plan for the second product model, comparing the parts and the volume of each of the parts which have already been ordered which were identified for the first product model with the parts and the volume of each of the parts which were identified for the second product model, and calculating a difference for each part between the volume of each of the parts which have already been ordered which were identified for the first product model and the volume of each of the parts which were identified for the second product model, wherein the calculating is performed responsive to the input of the production change from the first product model to the second product model; wherein the computer is further configured to display a plurality of fields, wherein the plurality of fields comprises: a field for displaying the identified plurality of parts necessary to produce the first and second product models, a field for displaying the identified volume for each of the plurality of parts necessary to produce the first product model, a field for displaying the identified volume for each of the plurality of parts necessary to produce the second product model, a field for displaying the calculated difference for each part between the volume of each of the parts which have already been ordered which were identified for the first product model and the volume of each of the parts which were identified for the second product model, and a field for displaying a transaction status in association with the calculated difference for each part; wherein the computer is further configured to switch between a mode for displaying on a display only parts for which the calculated difference equals a negative number to indicate parts that need to be ordered and a mode for displaying all the plurality of parts; and wherein the computer is further configured to execute the function of ordering parts for the parts displaying the negative number that the parts already ordered for the first product model prior to receiving the input of the production change are used in the second production plan.