Pull to customer order demand fulfillment system and method

US7577577B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Dell Products L.P. · US

Inventors

• David James Lyon · Austin, US
• Tomasz Piotr Wala · Austin, US
• Mark R. Graban · Austin, US
• Lee B. Beard · Round Rock, US
• Kevin T. Jones · Austin, US
• Thomas J. Clark · Powell, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 31, 2001
• Grant date: Aug 18, 2009
• Expiry date: Jun 18, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0201
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A demand fulfillment system and method that uses customer orders to generate a work schedule and a material delivery schedule for a factory that mass produces items, particularly commodities, built to customer order. The demand fulfillment system enables the manufacturer to operate the factory with minimal in-house inventory of parts and/or raw materials by only scheduling work for which inventory is available. Parts and/or raw materials are requested and delivered to an operation of at least one operation on a manufacturing line in the factory from in-house and external inventory based upon the work scheduled for that operation.