Big data sourcing simulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10679178-B2
Application number	US-201514955509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A simulator is configured to simulate the fulfillment of orders by nodes. Each node has an inventory of products and is capable of shipping the products to destinations in response to receipt of a corresponding order. The simulator divides the nodes into groups and assigns a different priority to each group based on input provided by a user to the simulator to generate an ordered sequence of priorities. The simulator maintains safety stock data corresponding to each node that indicates minimum quantities of the products required to be present at the corresponding node. The simulator selects a current priority of the sequence and next simulates a first group among the groups having the current priority fulfilling the orders for a given product among the products while a quantity of the given product at each of the nodes in the first group is below the minimum quantity in the corresponding safety stock data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer program product to simulate fulfillment of orders for a plurality of physical distribution nodes, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:
presenting, by a computer program of the computer program product, a user interface including a demand projection slider that enables a user to specify a percentage to increase or decrease demand, wherein the computer program divides the nodes into related groups and assigns a different priority to each group to generate a sequence of priorities ordered from highest to lowest, where each node has an inventory of products including a given product and is capable of shipping the products to destinations in response to receipt of a corresponding order;
selecting, by the computer program, a first priority of the sequence;
determining, by the computer program, a first group among the groups having the first priority;
determining, by the computer program, the nodes of the first group having a quantity of the given product not below a minimum quantity in corresponding safety stock data at each of the nodes;
determining, by the computer program, which one of the determined nodes is closest to a destination of an order for the given product;
running, by the computer program, a process in the background that periodically updates a quantity of the given product at the one node based on electronic commerce (ECOM) orders for the given product stored in a database; and
simulating, by the computer program the one node fulfilling a first number of current orders for the given product during a current period base on the quantity of the given product at the one node,
wherein the first number is based on the percentage and a second number of previous orders for the given product in which the computer program simulated fulfillment of, during a previous period that is previous to the current period.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
selecting, by the computer program, a next priority of the sequence when all the nodes of the first group have a quantity of the given product below the Minimum quantity; and
simulating, by the computer program, a second group among the groups having the next priority fulfilling the orders for the given product.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the simulating comprises:
determining, by the computer program, which of the nodes of the first group is closest to the destinations of the orders and has a quantity of the given product above the minimum required quantity; and
simulating, by the computer program, the determined node fulfilling the orders for the given product.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the simulating comprises:
querying, by the computer program, the user to change the minimum required quantity using the user interface; and
simulating, by the computer program, the first group fulfilling the orders for the given product using the changed minimum required quantity.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
querying, by the computer program, the user to change one of the priorities using the user interface;
generating, by the computer program, a new sequence of the priorities ordered from highest to lowest based on the change;
selecting, by the computer program, a first priority of the new sequence; and
simulating, by the computer program, a second group among the groups having the first priority of the new sequence fulfilling the orders.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprises querying the user to add at least one temporary node with an inventory of products to the physical distribution nodes using the user interface.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to reduce or increase an average number of units processed by one of the nodes using the user interface.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to designate that at least one of the orders be split into multiple orders for fulfillment by at least two of the nodes using the user interface.

9. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein prior to the simulating, the method comprises querying the user to designate a plurality of the orders be consolidated into a single order for fulfillment by a single one of the nodes using the user interface.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brereton Joann Piersa
• Deshpande Ajay Ashok
• Hampapur Arun
• He Miao
• King Alan Jonathan
• Liu Xuan
• Milite Christopher Scott
• Park Jae-Eun
• Uichanco Joline Ann Villaranda
• Xing Songhua
• Igrejas Steve
• Fei Hongliang
• Ramamurthy Vadiraja
• Li Yingjie
• Hendrix Kimberly D
• Zheng Xiao Bo

Classifications

• G06Q30/0202

  Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities · CPC title

• G06Q10/067

  Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title