Carbon management for sourcing and logistics

US8346595B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Mondhar Ben-Hamida · Chicago, US
• Chad Boucher · Concord, US
• Paolina Centonze · Amawalk, US
• Mary E. Helander · North White Plains, US
• Kaan K. Katircloglu · Yorktown Heights, US
• Karthik Sourirajan · White Plains, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 26, 2008
• Grant date: Jan 1, 2013
• Expiry date: Feb 19, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P90/90
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for carbon management for sourcing and logistics. In one embodiment, the method comprises using a computer for quantifying both a cost and a carbon impact of one or more logistics policies relating to a manufacturing process; and minimizing the cost and carbon impact using a defined equation including a first component representing a transportation cost, and a second component representing a carbon cost. In an embodiment of the invention, the quantifying includes using an analytics engine to quantify the cost and carbon impact. The analytics engine may include a shipment analysis module to calculate an optimal transportation policy, a sourcing analysis module for testing alternate sourcing options, a scenario analysis module to find an optimal order frequency, and a sensitivity analysis module to test the impact of various changes.