JPH06231138A - Cloth design supporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To know the price of designed cloth and time and quantity for obtaining it in real time by calculating the delivery date of the cloth from information indicating a data base retrieving result based upon the specifications of the cloth. CONSTITUTION:A cloth designing work station (CAD) 202 retrieves a cloth data base(DB) 116 storing the design data of various existing cloths e.g. based upon cloth specifications specified by a user. The CAD 202 retrieves also an inventory information DB 120 relating to the inventories of respective cloths and a cloth manufacturing process consisting of plural processes, i.e., a load master 108 relating to the load information of production equipments in a cloth producing company 300. In addition, the CAD 202 retrieves also a cloth production plan master 112, a work in process master 114, a cloth production company operating date calendar master 115, and so on. The CAD 202 calculates the delivery date of the cloth based upon these information. Consequently the price of the cloth or its arrival date can be immediately calculated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fabric design support system using a database containing information on design / production of fabrics used for clothing and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is well known that a computer-aided design system (CAD) is used for fabric design, but the conventional fabric design CAD is limited to the support of fabric design, and to the design support including actual fabric production. It's not. on the other hand,
The use of computers for dough production management has been practiced for a long time, but this is nothing more than a computerization of old manual work. However, in the individual fields of the fabric planning and the fabric production management, the fabric design CAD and the fabric production management computer are effectively used.

[0003]

In an actual fabric planning / fabric trading situation, a fabric trading company is required to meet various fabric specifications required by a trading partner (for example, a designer or a merchant of an apparel maker), price, delivery time, It is necessary to reply as soon as possible about quality (physical properties). However, regarding the price, delivery time, quality, etc. of the fabric, a specific answer must be made after the fabric production design of the required specifications has been conducted and the fabric design specialist and the fabric sales (fabric planning) specialist have consulted. I can't. In addition, even if discussions are held, it is often the case that the current situation such as the stock of raw materials for raw materials and the load of the fabric manufacturing process (the schedule is clogged) is not accurately grasped. Often out of reach. As a result, in the actual fabric trading, the customary business customs such as "Delivery of fabrics due to delay", "Price of fabrics is prevailing in the market", and "Quality of fabrics are inspected after production" are established. There is.

Based on the required specifications, the cloth designer has just finished designing the cloth on the CAD screen so that "how much and at what price and when the material can be obtained" can be displayed on the CAD screen in real time. In this case, the unfavorable business practice of the above-mentioned cloth trading can be greatly improved.

However, even if the conventional CAD for designing the cloth and the conventional computer for managing the cloth production are simply connected online, the new cloth just designed by the cloth designer on the screen of the CAD can be purchased at what price and at what time. It will not return in real time on the screen of CAD whether it can be obtained.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a fabric design support system in which it is possible to immediately (or with some waiting time) know at what price and when and how much the fabric will be available after designing the fabric. is there.

[0007]

The fabric design support system of the present invention is based on the fabric specifications specified by a system user (a fabric consumer or a fabric designer), and the stock information of the fabric raw materials, the fabric design information, A structure that searches the database containing the load (dough manufacturing schedule) information of the dough manufacturing process, the standard processing time information in each dough manufacturing process, and calculates the delivery date of the dough from the information obtained as a result of the search To have.

[0008]

[Function] When the system user finishes designing the dough according to the predetermined dough specifications by CAD, at that time, how many raw materials of the designed dough are available, and what manufacturing process is available The database is searched for information such as what schedule can be used, and what is the standard processing time in each manufacturing process required for weaving / dying the fabric. Knowing the amount of raw materials, the manufacturing process schedule, and the standard processing time of each scheduled manufacturing process, the amount of fabric that can be manufactured and its delivery date are calculated. Further, when the unit price of the raw material and the unit time cost of the standard processing time are retrieved from the database, the price of the dough is calculated.

The above database search and delivery / price calculation can be processed in real time by a computer. Therefore, when the system user finishes designing the fabric, it becomes possible to know in real time (or with some waiting time) how much and when the fabric will be available.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, we assume a fabric design support system for the apparel industry.

As shown in FIG. 18, this fabric design support system is a general-purpose value-added system company (hereinafter referred to as an information service company) 100 that provides information services related to fabric production, and a high-speed digital line to this information service company 100. One or more cloth companies 200 connected via 10 and one or more cloth production companies 30 connected to the information service company 100 via the high-speed digital line 10.
It consists of 0.

[0012] Here, the cloth company 200 is planning the cloth.
It is a company (a cloth wholesaler, a cloth trading company) that performs cloth design and sales to a user (customer / fabric consumer), and the cloth company 200 does not have equipment related to cloth manufacturing. (However, even if a fabric company with a weaving function considers its own weaving function as one fabric production company,
The following description can be applied. ) Dough production company 300
Is a yarn processing company 310, a weaving company 320, a dyeing company 33.
0, each company has its own local database 304.

The information service company 100 has various miscellaneous companies whose activities are in the apparel industry, that is, apparel makers who are consumers of doughs, dough companies that do dough designing, dough production companies that do dough manufacturing, and doughs. A material supply company that deals with These providers can access the information service company 100 through the line 10 using their own terminals.

In the fabric company 200, a fabric design workstation (computer-aided design system; CAD) 202, for example, at the request of a customer apparel maker.
Is used to design the fabric. A fabric database (fabric DB) 204 that stores various fabric design data of the fabric company itself is connected to the workstation 202, and a tool for supporting the work of determining the design procedure / process method of the designed fabric ( Software) is installed.

If the client (apparel consumer / customer), the apparel maker, is a subscriber of the information service company 100, the apparel containing the materials of the apparel maker from the workstation 202 via the line 10. The database (apparel DB) 104 can be accessed.

In addition to the apparel DB 104, the information service company 100 stores a user master 106 that stores information about each fabric company 200 and a load master 108 that stores the load condition (operating condition) of the production equipment of each fabric manufacturing company 300. ,
A production capacity master 110 that stores data about the production capacity of each production facility, a production plan master 112 that stores data about the fabric production plan (schedule) at each dough production company 300, and various dough production processes at each dough production company 300. Work-in-progress master 11 that stores data related to recovery status
4. The dough production company working day calendar master 115 that stores data on the working days of each dough production company 300 is provided, and these masters 106 to 115 are the production planning system 102 processed by the host computer of the information service company 100. It is connected to the.

The production planning system 102 further includes
Design data of various existing fabrics (Information service company 100
Registered fabric data for all one or more fabric companies subscribing to)
Quality DB1 that stores data relating to the quality of each of the fabric DB116 that stores the fabric and the fabric registered in the fabric DB116
18, inventory information DB 120, data DB containing data on the stock of each fabric registered in the fabric DB 116
Manufacturing procedure DB 122 that stores data related to the processing procedure of each material registered in 116, processing history DB 124 that stores data related to the processing history of each material registered in material DB 116, and manufacturing cost of each material registered in material DB 116 A manufacturing cost DB 126 that stores data regarding the above is connected. The data stored in the quality DB 118 includes sensory data such as a texture expressed in characters, in addition to the physical data expressed in numerical values.

Although the equipment scale may vary from company to company, the fabric production company 300 is a yarn processing company 310 and a weaving company 32.
0, a dyeing company 330 (or a yarn processing section, a woven section, and a dyeing section).

The yarn processing company 310 has a twisting machine, a yarn winder, a false twisting machine, etc. as its production equipment.
The woven company 320 has a warper, a sizing machine, a drawing machine, a loom, a dryer, etc. as its production equipment. Further, the dyeing company 330 has, as its production equipment, a hair roaster, a scouring and bleaching machine, a mercerizing machine, a washing machine, a roving machine, a raising machine, a press machine, a yarn dyeing machine, a printing machine, a dryer, a dyeing pot, and the like. I have it.

The local database 304 of each of the companies 310 to 330 has various information (production equipment data, equipment repair plan / repair plan update data, equipment load) of its own production equipment. Status data, production progress management data
Data, manufacturing record data, inventory / shipment data, etc.).

The database 304 is built in a hard disk (not shown) installed in a communication terminal for the information service company 100, for example. Database 304
The content of the information is 100
Are sequentially transferred to and registered in various masters and various databases of the information service company 100.

For example, ten dough production companies 300 have joined the information service company 100, and each company has one
Assuming that we have 0 looms and 3 dyeing kettles, each fabric company 200 will receive the information service of the information service company 100, and as many as 100 looms and 30
It is possible to make a fabric production plan considering individual dyeing pots. This production planning is performed by the production planning system 10
2 can be used.

Multi-type fabrics designed by a plurality of fabric companies 200 are usually independently produced in parallel by one or more fabric production companies 300. In this kind of dough production, in order to make a schedule for various kinds of dough production quickly and reasonably and at the minimum cost, the “current production plan” and “of each production equipment” of each dough production company 300 should be set. It is necessary to know "load status", "production progress status of each production facility", "raw material stock status", etc. The data required for these production scheduling is the information service company 10.
0 are registered in various masters 106 to 114 and various databases 116 to 126 (these registration data are updated every time the situation of each production company changes).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the information service system of the information service company 100 is interposed between the cloth company 200 and the cloth production company 300. This embodiment has an advantage that the information service company 100 can centrally manage information (operating statuses, etc.) of a large number of fabric production companies, but if the system scale of the information service company 100 is large, it may be difficult for the information processing company 100 to turn around quickly. (Production planning system 1
It is difficult to properly modify or change the 02 software according to the circumstances of each of the plurality of fabric production companies 200. )

The problem that the above small turning becomes difficult to work is that the scale of the production planning system 102 of the information service company 100 is reduced and the function of the production planning system 102 is set to the work station 202 of each dough production company 200. Once installed, it will be solved.

FIG. 19 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG.
The configuration when each fabric production company 200 owns its own production planning system is shown. In this embodiment, since the production planning system 102 does not need to consider other fabric production companies, the size of software may be much smaller than that of FIG. Further, since it is not necessary to think about other companies, the software of the production planning system 102 can be freely modified / changed according to the circumstances of the company. Figure 1
It is a flow chart explaining one operation of the cloth design support system concerning one example of this invention.

Now, assume that a fabric user (designer of an apparel maker, etc.) requests the fabric company 200 to fabricate (order) a fabric (step ST200,
Y). Then, the fabric designer of the fabric company 200 uses the fabric design workstation 202 to newly design (or change the design of the existing fabric) a fabric that is considered to meet the user's (orderer's) request (step ST20).
2).

[0028] This fabric design begins with the fabric DB2 of the company.
04 (or the fabric DB 116 of the information service company) is started to search for a similar existing design (step ST208). If a similar registered fabric is found in the fabric DB 204 (or the fabric DB 116), information on the fabric (design data, manufacturing process, productivity, required material,
The processing results, yield, inspection results, etc.) are read into the workstation 202 (step ST210).

Next, the found fabric is compared with the ordered fabric, design data, manufacturing process, productivity, required materials,
Regarding the processing result, yield, inspection result, etc., the difference between the two is extracted (step ST212). From these differences, the process excess / deficiency, material excess / deficiency, and productivity / yield difference are checked, and the cost of the ordered fabric is estimated with reference to the manufacturing cost DB 126. In this way, the difficulty level of the dough production including the cost factor (for example, it is difficult to manufacture the dough that is time-consuming to produce at low cost) is evaluated by using the data of the existing dough as a reference for comparison (step S
T214). In addition, in the above-mentioned cloth search, the same material as the ordered cloth may be found. In that case, the production and sales results of the equivalent fabric can be directly used for evaluation.

When the evaluation result of the degree of difficulty of fabric production is obtained, the production company suitable for producing the fabric (for example, a company that has a history of producing similar registered fabrics) determines that the information service company 1
Selected from among the 00 participating companies (for fabrics with high production difficulty, it is necessary to ask a company with appropriate technology / experience). The technology / experience of each dough production company is a database 11 of data such as quality, processing procedure, processing history, and manufacturing cost of various doughs produced by the company.
By reading from 6 to 126, an experienced person may make a comprehensive judgment.

Subsequently, the parameter 3 is set in the index register m (not shown) (step ST21).
5) For example, the current load status of the selected yarn processing company 310 (the operating status of each of the production facilities owned by the company) is read from the load master 108 (step ST216),
At the same time, the inventory quantity of the ordered fabric (if any) is read from the inventory information DB 120 (step ST218). (This inventory is not limited to that of the selected fabric production company.) If there is an inventory of the ordered fabric, then the shortfall to the inventory may be produced.
If there is no stock, plan the production to the desired quantity of the orderer.

When the dough production amount is determined according to the presence or absence of stock, a dough production plan designed by the workstation 202 is made (step ST220), and the plan is transmitted to the selected dough production company 300 (step ST22).
2).

The dough production company 300 considers the present situation of the company and examines the dough production plan from the dough company 200 sent via the information service company 100, and if yes, replies the acceptance. (Step ST226; ST
228, Y). When the production company 300 determines that the plan cannot be met (step ST228, N), the production plan is restarted from the drafting. Alternatively, the plan may be brought to another dough production company without remaking the production plan.

When the fabric production company 300 accepts the production plan (step ST228, Y), the fabric production company 200 decides on the production plan and confirms it for confirmation.
(Step ST230).

Here, it is checked whether the content of the index register m is 1 (step ST231).
If m is not 1 (step ST231, N), m is decremented by 1 (step ST233), and the weaving company 3
20 and dyeing company 330, step ST2
16 to ST230 are repeatedly executed. Each company 310-3
When the processing of steps ST216 to ST230 for 30 is completed, m becomes 1 (step ST231, Y),
The production plan is decided.

When the production plan is determined, the delivery date (delivery D) of the cloth can be calculated, and the price (cost C) of the cloth is calculated from the cost DB 126. Furthermore, by referring to the quality DB 118 in which the qualities of equivalent / similar fabrics are registered, the quality (quality Q) of the production-planned fabrics can be predicted to some extent (step ST232).

The quality / price / of the fabric requested for production /
When you want to know the delivery date (QCD) immediately after the fabric design is completed on the workstation 202 (quick response Q
R) may skip steps ST220 to ST230. In that case, regarding the shortfall against inventory,
The QCD is tentatively calculated on the assumption that a specific production facility of a fabric production company can be secured for a predetermined period, and the calculation result is returned to the display of the workstation 202.

Whether or not the calculated QCD satisfies the design specifications of the cloth is compared and examined (step ST23).
4) If not satisfied, start over from fabric design (step ST236, N). If the design specifications are satisfied (step ST236, Y), the QCD is sent together with the CAD data (including the image data) of the designed fabric to the fabric production client (orderer) to confirm whether or not it is acceptable (step ST238). ). If it is acceptable, the order is officially accepted (step ST240, Y), and if it is not acceptable, the order is canceled (step ST240, N).

The above procedure is for a fabric company 200. When the desired fabric cannot be obtained from the fabric company (step ST240, N), the fabric production client (designer of the apparel maker) can make a similar order to another fabric company 200. In that case, another cloth company 200 uses the information service company 100 to perform the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

The case of requesting a quotation for the fabric instead of receiving and placing the fabric production can be processed by the flowchart of FIG.
(If it is sufficient to know the approximate QCD, step ST2
It suffices to skip steps 20 to ST230 and make an estimate. )

As described above, after receiving the request for quotation (or provisional order), the answer of the fabric quality Q / the fabric price C / the fabric delivery date D is CAD (the fabric design workstation 20).
2) Real-time processing is possible on the above. In addition, it is possible to electronically process the series of processes from the production of fabrics, the delivery of products, and the issuing of bills after the official order is received by using the information service company 100. 2 and 3 are flowcharts for explaining another operation of the cloth design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Now, it is assumed that the cloth user has ordered a new cloth from the cloth company 200 (step ST100,
Y). Then, the fabric designer uses the fabric design workstation 202 to newly design a fabric that seems to meet the user's request (step ST102).

Next, the production procedure of this newly designed fabric is planned by using the fabric design tool 206 (step ST10).
4) After deciding the production procedure, make a production plan (step ST106).

After making the production plan, the cloth designer accesses the cloth DB 204 of the company and searches for the same cloth as the newly designed cloth (step ST108).
If the same registered fabric is found (step ST110, Y)
The cloth is determined to be a repeat order for the cloth company 200 (step ST112), and if the same registered cloth is not found (step ST110, N), the cloth is judged to be a new order (step ST114).

Quality / price / delivery date of newly designed fabric (Q
If you want to know the CD immediately (step ST116,
Y) The QCD is roughly calculated under the assumption that the production facilities of one or more specific fabric production companies can be secured for a predetermined period, and the calculation result is returned to the workstation 202 and displayed on the CRT display (step). ST12
0). As a result, when the fabric designer finishes designing the fabric, it becomes possible to know in real time how much and at what price the fabric will be available (or in some waiting time due to delay in system operation). In addition,
As a matter of course, depending on whether the above-mentioned material is a new order or a repeat order, the price / delivery time (C
D) will change.

There is no urgency (step ST116,
N), when you just need to know the QCD of the newly designed fabric,
That is, when a realistic QCD is not required at present (step ST118, N), the QCD based on the above assumption is roughly calculated, and the calculation result is the workstation 202.
And is displayed on the CRT (step ST120).

Although not urgent (step ST116,
N) When a realistic QCD is required for the newly designed fabric (step ST118, Y), the fabric is provided to one or more fabric production companies 300 that are determined to be suitable for the fabric production via the information service company 100. The production plan is transmitted (step ST122).

When this production plan is received (step ST
124), each dough production company 300 considers its own circumstances and examines the contents, and gives a reply as to whether or not the plan production can be accepted.

Answers from one or more fabric production companies 300 are returned to the fabric company 200 that has transmitted the production plan via the information service company 100 (step ST1).
26). When there is no acceptance of the draft fabric production plan during the reply from the fabric company 200 received from one or more companies (step ST128, N), the QCD based on the above assumption is roughly calculated, and the calculation result is the workstation 202. And is displayed on the CRT (step ST120).

When there is at least one company that has accepted the fabric production plan in the reply sent back to the fabric company 200 (step ST128, Y), the acceptance result is registered in the production plan master 112 of the information service company 100. (Step ST130).

Here, when the order from the cloth user (customer) is only the request for quotation (step ST132,
Y), a realistic QCD not based on the above assumption is returned to the customer (step ST134).

When the order from the customer includes not only the estimate request but also the actual fabric production request (step ST
132, N), the fabric designer creates a production instruction based on the contents registered in the production plan master 112 (step ST136). If the created production instruction does not match the fabric design (step ST138, N), the production instruction is recreated (step ST136). If the created production instruction matches the fabric design (step ST138,
Y), the production instruction is sent via the information service company 100 to one or more fabric production companies 300 that have accepted the production plan (step ST140).
(If there are multiple production-accepting companies, the contents of the order may differ for each company.)

Upon receipt of the above-mentioned production instruction (step ST142), each fabric production company 300 receives its own or the information service company 100's fabric DB116 and processing history DB1.
24, it is checked whether the same items as the instructions have been registered in the manufacturing cost DB 126 and the quality DB 118. If the same material is already registered (step ST144, Y), it is determined that the cloth of the instruction sheet is a repeat order for the cloth production company 300 (step ST146). If the same is not registered (step ST144, N),
The fabric of the instruction sheet is judged to be a new order for the fabric production company 300, and the production of the fabric is started based on the instruction (step ST148).

When the production of the dough specified by the instruction is completed, the production performance information about the produced dough in the dough production company 300 is stored in the company itself and the information service company 1.
00 is newly registered in the fabric DB 116, the processing history DB 124, the manufacturing cost DB 126, and the quality DB 118. Most of the fabrics ordered by the fabric company are newly designed fabrics. (The new design referred to here includes the ones that are slightly modified from the fabrics produced in the past.)

By giving the product information of the cloth, from the cloth DB 204/116, "production procedure", "processing content", "manufacturing cost", for the registered cloth produced in the past,
You can search for the most similar fabrics in terms of "texture", "material", and "woven structure". Fabric design workstation 2 with registered fabric design data from the fabric code of the retrieved fabric
If you call it on 02, you can correct the necessary parts. The necessary part here is the contents planned by the cloth design CAD, and is the design data itself. That is, "items related to finishing" and "items related to woven fabric (finishing length, wholesale length,
"Warp length, warp number)", "Items related to yarn (type and amount of warp yarn, type and amount of weft yarn)", etc. are necessary parts.

From the design data closest to the data produced in the past, the equipment required for production (twisting equipment, dyeing equipment, woven equipment, organizing equipment) is identified. At this stage, the production equipment required for production is listed. In addition, the "standard lead time" and "difficulty of fabric production" required for production are also considered here. FIG. 4 shows, for example, step ST in FIG.
20 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for newly designing a fabric in 202.

First, the fabric designer plans a fabric that is expected to satisfy the demands of the fabric user (for example, hemp fabric that is less likely to wrinkle and has the drape property of rayon, and a feeling of thickness and dullness). Step ST300). If this direction determines what kind of fabric to design,
Product information (color / texture of the fabric,
From the fabric design workstation 202, enter the type / consumer class / purpose of use of the fabric, the season in which the fabric is likely to be consumed, the year in which it has been popular in the past, etc.) (Step ST302).

The workstation 202 searches for a registered fabric file similar to the planned fabric from the fabric DB 204 of the company or the fabric DB 116 of the information service company 100 using the input information as a keyword (step ST304). When one or more registered fabric files satisfying some or all of the entered keywords are found, the data of these fabric files are returned to the workstation 202 and displayed on the CRT as a selection candidate file.

The fabric designer selects a fabric file that is closest to his or her intention from the candidate files (step ST
306). Then, the fabric design information of the selected file (finishing of the fabric, weaving method, type of thread used, etc.) is returned to the workstation 202 and listed on the CRT (step ST308).

The fabric designer selects the items necessary for obtaining the planned fabric (for example, the weaving method and the type of thread) from the listed fabric design information, and the detailed information of the selected item is displayed on the CRT. Call to. Then, addition, change, or correction is performed for a required portion of the selection items (step ST310).

With respect to the material of the selection file, the QCD (quality Q, cost C, delivery date D) of the material can be popped out from past results if the specific order quantity is determined. However, it is necessary to recalculate the QCD (particularly C and D) when a part of the selected file material is added, changed, or modified (step ST312).

As will be described later, the calculation of the cost C and the delivery date D can be executed by using the production schedule of the ordered fabric, the delivery date management table for each order, and the production process cost calculation table for the ordered fabric based on the Gantt chart. The quality Q can be checked by a simulation using a computer graphic image (a still image or an animation calculated by the ray tracing method) of the cloth calculated from the data of the registered cloth. As for the registered fabrics, in addition to the computer graphic image, a scanned image of the actual fabric and a video moving image of the actual fabric dropped or flapping are generated in the fabric DB (204, 11).
It may be stored in 6).

The fabric designer determines on the workstation 202 whether or not the calculated QCD satisfies the user's needs (drapeability, thickness, dullness, etc.). If it is determined that the QCD of the designed fabric meets the user's needs (step ST314, Y), the process of FIG. 4 ends,
For example, the process proceeds to step ST234 in FIG. 1 or step ST134 in FIG. If it is judged that the designed QCD does not meet the user's needs (step ST
314, N), do the fabric design again (step ST3)
16, Y) or the processing of FIG. 4 is terminated (step ST316, N). FIG. 5 shows, for example, step ST of FIG.
20 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for designing a fabric by changing the design of the existing fabric in 202.

First of all, the fabric designer has his own fabric DB 20.
A registered fabric file whose design is to be changed is searched from 4 (step ST404). The retrieved fabric file is read by the workstation 202 (step ST406), and design information (finishing, woven method, type of yarn used, etc.) of the file is processed by the workstation 202 and listed on the CRT (step ST406). Step ST408).

The fabric designer selects an item necessary for obtaining a desired fabric (for example, a fabric density item) from the listed fabric design information, and calls the detailed information of the selected item on the CRT. . Then, addition, change, or correction is performed for a required portion of the selected items (step ST410). For the fabric whose design has been changed in this way, the QCD (quality Q, cost C, delivery date D) can be calculated if the specific order quantity is determined, as in the case of the new design in FIG. (Step ST412).

For example, when the change is made to increase the fabric density, the parameters relating to the fabric density are changed (yarn amount + 5%, weaving speed-10%, etc.). By changing this parameter, for example, the weaving cost (C) is increased by + 10% and the production schedule (D) is increased by +3 days.

The fabric designer determines on the workstation 202 whether the calculated QCD satisfies the user's needs. If it is determined that the QCD of the redesigned fabric satisfies the user's needs (step ST414, Y), the process of FIG. 5 ends, and for example, step ST234 of FIG.
Alternatively, the process proceeds to step ST134 in FIG. If it is determined that the QCD of the design-changed fabric does not meet the user's needs (step ST414, N), the design change is redone (step ST416, Y) or the process of FIG. 5 is finished (step ST416, N). .

FIG. 6 shows, for example, step ST220 in FIG.
5 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for making a dough production plan in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the ordered quantity P and the delivery date D of the designed fabric have already been given.

First, the QCD of the fabric to be produced
A priority order of (quality Q, cost C, delivery date D) is set (step ST500). In this setting, for example, Q
If the total points of each CD are 100 points and the points are appropriately distributed to the QCD, the priority can be evaluated numerically.

The production plan of the dough is changed depending on which of the QCD is given priority. For example, if you want to prioritize delivery time D regardless of quality Q and cost C (D is 100 points and Q and C are 0 points), even if you temporarily suspend the production of other fabrics, a new design fabric for the ordered quantity is produced. You can make a production plan like this.

Alternatively, the delivery time D of the newly designed fabric is 2 at worst.
The production plan that is the most cost effective in that range may be delayed by one day (The operation of the overall production facility is confirmed after allowing a maximum of one day for the delivery delay for some of the other fabrics already in the production plan. (Such as rearranging the production plan to maximize the rate)
When you want to set up, for example, Q is 0 points, D is 30 points, C
Can be 70 points.

Alternatively, if it is important to maintain the delivery date D and to secure the quality Q regardless of the cost C of the newly designed fabric, for example, make a production plan with Q as 50 points, D as 50 points, and C as 0 points. be able to. The method of setting the priority order will be described later.

When the priority order of the QCD is decided, the process required for producing the cloth from the designed cloth data,
The process flow method and the standard lead time for each process are referred to as basic data (step ST502). After these data are referred to by the CAD software of the workstation 202, the number of processes n is initialized to 0 (step ST504).

First, the process number n is set to 1 (step ST506). Then, the quantity of the material necessary for the fabric production in the process number 1 is calculated based on the fabric design data (including the information such as the weave pattern and the weave density) and the order quantity P (step ST508). For example, if the process number 1 is one lot of plain (white) plain weave fabric having a length of 300 m and a width of 2 m, the amount of materials (warp yarn, weft yarn) necessary for weaving the plain fabric is workstation 202.
Is calculated (step ST510).

Also, one lot of the above-mentioned cloth (2mx300
The workstation 202 calculates the absolute amount of equipment required for weaving m) within a predetermined deadline (before the delivery date D of the finished fabric). For example, 1 lot of the above cloth (=
If we have to weave the order quantity P) in 2 days, we assume that the actual working time of the fabric production company is 10 hours a day, and 10 looms with a weaving speed of 3 m / hour can be used for 5 hours. , 10 looms are required.

When the production capacity PC of the loom that can be used to produce one lot of the above-mentioned material is less than the ordered quantity P (300 m) (step ST512, Y), for example, only 8 looms (PC = 240 m) can be used. Then, the production lot is divided into two (step ST514), and the divided second lot (2mx60m) is allocated to another dough production company.

For one lot (or each of two divided lots) of the above-mentioned cloth, when the cloth production can be processed by batch processing (step ST516, Y), the largest production equipment for batch processing (the loom in the above example). Production capacity BPC (240 m) of 8 units and first lot DP after division
(240 m) is compared (step ST520).
If the lot DP does not exceed the production capacity BDP (step ST522, N), the production equipment (8 looms / 2 looms in the above example; the quantity P (300 m) or the divided lot quantity (240 m / 60 m) according to the order quantity P (300 m). Production capacity 240m + 60
m) is selected (step ST524).

When the production process cannot support batch processing (N in step ST516), it is planned to perform dough production for one lot or a plurality of divided lots by continuous processing with usable equipment (step ST51).
8).

When the batch processing or continuous processing plan is determined, the plan is incorporated at the end of the current production schedule of the target production facility. That is, in the last step of the Gantt chart of the target production facility, the planned production of the fabric (plain plain weave) is performed (step ST5).
26).

Assuming that the total number of production steps of the fabric for which design has been completed is, for example, 10 (= nx), all production steps have not been completed after execution of the production quota for step number n = 1 (steps ST528, N). ). In this case, the process number n is incremented to 2 (step ST506), and the production framing of the next process (for example, yellow dyeing of the plain fabric) is performed (steps ST508 to ST526). Further, the production framing of the next step n = 3 (for example, weaving of the first pattern using a predetermined thread) is performed (step ST508 to step ST508).
ST526).

In addition, when dyeing / decorative weaving is not added to plain plain weave and the yarn-dyed woven fabric is woven using yarns of various colors, the dyeing process number of the yarn becomes younger than the weaving process number. .

Similarly, when the production framing of all the remaining seven processes such as the plural patterns using various threads and the weaving of ornaments is completed (step ST528, Y), the framing is finished. Desired QC in all steps (nx = 10)
It is checked whether D is satisfied. In this check, for example, when it is found that the delivery date D is not in time for the desired delivery date (step ST530, N), the production plan is redone. That is, the priority of QCD is rearranged (the priority of D is increased), the production equipment is changed to one with higher capacity, or the absolute amount of the production equipment is increased (production capacity PC is increased).

All processes (nx
= 10), if it is found that the desired QCD is satisfied (step ST530, Y), the production planning of the fabric is finished. FIG. 7 shows the quality Q of the cloth, the cost C, and the delivery time D.
It is a flow chart explaining how to do the production quota of the cloth according to each priority.

Now, it is assumed that which of the QCDs should be prioritized is determined in advance by the request of the cloth user (customer), and that data has already been registered in the user master 106.
The (relative) priority of this QCD is quantified by assigning 100 priority points to Q, C, and D respectively. In FIG. 7, first, the argument of the priority order of QCD (priority holding point) is referred to by the CAD software of the workstation 202 (step ST600). By comparing the points of each of the referenced QCDs,
It is determined which of the QCDs has priority (step ST602).

When quality Q is given the highest priority (for example, Q is 70 points or more), the production quota is set so that the best production company and production equipment most suitable for the production of the dough are used (step ST604). . When the best equipment for the dough is being used in other dough priority delivery production, the production plan will wait until the best equipment becomes available, even if other production equipment is available. Is set (step ST606).

When the cost C has the highest priority (for example, C
Is 70 points or more), the order quantity to the production company is divided so as to minimize the number of setups in consideration of the setup time of the production equipment (step ST608). This is also the drafting of a production plan that gives top priority to the current production plan.

The reason why this is done is that, depending on the current production plans of a plurality of dough production companies, the total cost may be lower if a small order is placed for each company than for one company. is there. For example, if you have a production company that dyes other fabrics light red in one dyeing kettle, this small order will continue to use the same dyeing kettle for light red or darker red dyeing. With such a setup, the number of setups for the dyeing kettle can be reduced and production cost can be suppressed, as compared with the case where another blue dyeing kettle is used for red dyeing (after washing the kettle). .

After the order quantity is appropriately divided with cost priority,
A production plan is made so that a major part of the divided order is continuously produced with a model having the largest production capacity in the production equipment to be used, and a surplus production quota not allocated to the model is produced with another facility (step ST610).

In the case where the cost is given the highest priority, the scheduling that does not affect other dough production slots is also considered. If it affects the production capacity of other fabrics, a penalty will occur due to the delay in delivery of other fabrics, or the operating rate of production equipment for other fabric production will decline, resulting in higher costs for the fabric company. This is because there is a risk that the profit will be reduced as seen in.

When the delivery date D is given the highest priority (for example, D is 70 points or more), the order quantity is divided by the number of facilities owned by the production company without considering the setup time of the production facilities (step ST
612). This is the drafting of a production plan that ignores the current production plan and completes the fabric production in the shortest time. For example, if a fabric production company owns 10 looms, even if those looms already have plans to be used for other fabric production, the schedule will be postponed and the order quantity of the fabric will be increased by 10 units. Split and use all 10 loom simultaneously to produce first.

Then, the production quota is applied at the end of the Gantt chart of each production facility (before the predetermined date) so that all the divided ordered materials are finished on the predetermined date (before the delivery date). (Step ST614).

When the delivery date D and the cost C are given the same priority (for example, D is 40 to 50 points and C is 40 to 50 points).
Point), the order quantity of the fabric of the present case is divided so as not to affect other production frames (step ST616). Then, under the condition that it does not affect other production quotas (the schedule is not delayed), the production quotation is carried out at the end of the Gantt chart of each production facility for each of the divided ordered quantity of fabrics. (Step ST618). This is a production plan reorganization plan that meets the needs of users, taking into consideration the current production plan.

Among the one or more dough production companies 300 that join the information service company 100, the production plan (production plan master The contents of 112) are changed or updated. The content of the update / the entire update result is based on the multiple fabric production companies 300 that are responsible for the production of the fabric.
Local database 304 distributed to each factory
Stored in.

In the production quota of FIG. 7, when the cost C is prioritized or the delivery date is prioritized, the production quota is performed at the end of the current production plan, so that the content is relatively simple.
On the other hand, when both the cost C and the delivery date D are important, it is not easy because it is necessary to consider the information regarding the user's desired delivery date / desired price together with the desired quality at the ordering stage.

That is, the user is given a score of 100 with respect to the request regarding the cloth, and the quality Q, the cost C, and the delivery date D are given.
The user's decision making is quantified by assigning a score in the order of necessity and priority among the three parameters. It is very difficult to satisfy the desired delivery date, desired price, and desired quality that have been quantified in this way according to the needs of the user. However, when planning a production plan, the production capacity master 110
And considering the contents of the current load master 108,
The dough production company 300 also interrupts the existing production plan to the extent that it does not cause a loss.

At this production planning stage, the feasible delivery date,
Simulate feasible cost and feasible quality, and search for the optimal solution that satisfies the desired delivery date, desired price, and desired quality. Here, it is possible to narrow down the optimal solution by converting the experience involved in production planning into a membership function, performing rough simulations by fuzzy reasoning. It is also possible to store the management process of the narrowing-down process itself in the fabric DB 116 and manage it as a provenance, and use it for making a empirical rule membership function in a fabric production plan later.

When the fabric design stage of FIG. 1 is completed, the equipment necessary for the production is listed on the CRT of the workstation 202. Here, it is possible to determine a procedure regarding processing, such as which equipment is used in what order and how much is used for the fabric production. Scheduling of this procedure is done using the Gantt chart.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure for creating a Gantt chart according to the designed production schedule of the cloth. Here, for example, dyeing of yarn before woven fabric and woven fabric after dyeing will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Among the Gantt charts for each equipment in the dyeing process (yarn dyeing), “Current” shows the current Gantt chart and “New” shows the production plan simulated by the fabric designer.

First, the contents to be registered in the production capacity master 110 are created based on the processing capacity of the production equipment (step S).
T700). For example, the first fabric production company, which is scheduled to outsource production, has one dyeing kettle with a capacity of 120 kg and one 50 kg kettle.
Owns two 0kg kettles and the second dough production company has a capacity of 10
Suppose you have one 0 kg dyeing kettle and two 50 kg kettles. (The data of these possessed facilities is stored in the local database 304 of the cloth production company.) In this case, the production capacity master 110 has a 120 kg kettle 1 for the yarn dyeing kettle to be used for the cloth production.
Table, 100 kg kettle, 50 kg kettle 3 and 30 kg
Two shuttles are registered.

[0100] In order to simplify the story, when only one fabric production company is requested to dye the fabric thread of this case, the company requires 120 kg kettle (dyeing equipment 1) and 50 kg kettle 1
Assume that you have a table (dyeing equipment 2). Then, the production planning system 102 of the information service company 100
Based on the contents of the production capacity master 110 in which these dyeing equipments are registered, the (host computer) displays the registered dyeing equipments 1 and 2 (120 kg kettle 1 on the vertical axis of the Gantt chart as shown in FIG. 9). Table, one 50 kg shuttle) (step ST702).

In FIG. 9, the portion marked with "-" indicates that the production quota has already been set,
The part without "-" indicates that the production schedule is open. Usually, the framing of a new dyeing process is performed on a portion without "-".

The processing speed (dyeing processing speed) of the dyeing pots of the equipments 1 and 2 can be known from the registered contents of the local database 304 of the fabric production company 300 or the production capacity master 110 of the information service company 100. For example, in the case of continuous processing, if it takes 3 hours for dyeing in a 120 kg kettle, the processing speed is 40 kg / h. If the dyeing time for a 50 kg kettle is two and a half hours, the processing speed is 20 kg.
/ H. These processing speed data are stored in the system 102.
Is set and input (step ST704). In the case of batch processing, the processing time is 3 hours in the above example regardless of the capacity of the pot.

If there is a past production record of dyeing similar to that of the fabric yarn of the present case by the kettles of the above facilities 1 and 2 (step ST7
06, Y), the processing procedure, the processing method, and the lead time for each process for the past results are read from the processing procedure DB 122 and the processing history DB 124 (step ST708). As a result, the dyeing processing time including the setup by those kettles can be substantially known. When there is no past production record of dyeing similar to that of the material yarn (step ST706, N), the processing procedure, the processing method, and the lead time for each step are provisionally set.

Next, the system 102 refers to the argument (priority score) of the QCD priority from the user master 106 (step ST710). After that, from the contents of the order, determine the production amount / use equipment / processing procedure of this dough thread,
The order number is framed based on the determined production amount / used equipment / processing procedure (step ST712).

This order number is indicated by marks A101 to A104 and X001 to X00 in the Gantt chart of FIG.
2 is shown. It is the frame of the order number here that how these marks (order numbers) are assigned to which equipment and for how long. When there is already another dyeing schedule using the equipments 1 and 2, this framing has an effect on the QCD priority of the fabric of this case and other dyeing schedules (priority of the QCD of other fabrics).
Considering the above, the Gantt chart creator will decide.

When the order number (mark) is framed, the start time of production (dyeing) indicated by each mark is designated (step ST714). For example, in the current Gantt chart example in FIG. 9, four marks A101 to A1 are used.
The start time of the dough divided into 04 is specified on October 1.

Capacity of production facilities 1 and 2 (120 kg, 50
kg), its processing speed (40 kg / h, 20 kg /
h), if the operating hours of the factory of the dough production company 300 per day and the monthly operating days of this factory are known, the situation in which these facilities are occupied can be calculated. For example, 1
10 hours a day from 25th January to 25th November
If it is operated daily, the total operating time will be 250 hours. If the total actual working time of each of the facilities 1 and 2 is 200 hours during that period, the occupancy rate (operating rate) of these facilities is calculated as 80%. Further, the operating rate of the entire factory including the facilities 1 and 2 is also 80%. In this way, equipment capacity, processing speed,
When the number of operating hours and the occupancy rate are obtained, the frame for the use of the facility is tentatively reserved (step ST716).

In this framing, if the dyeing processing of the marks A101 to A104 is not completed by a predetermined deadline (for example, November 1st), the allocation of each mark is changed and the operating rate is increased to 90%. The Gantt chart whose deadline is in time is created by taking steps such as (step ST718). The Gantt chart created in this way is the new Gantt chart of FIG. 9 (here, new marks X001 to X which are not included in the current Gantt chart).
002 is incorporated in the production schedule).

Where and when to place each mark on the Gantt chart is determined by the (artificial) judgment of the Gantt chart creator, but the subsequent processing is performed by the production planning system 1
02 software. For example, it is assumed that the CRT of the workstation 202 displays a chart as shown by "current" in FIG. The Gantt chart creator types a mark (for example, X001) from the keyboard, and the cursor (or mouse pointer) on the CRT
After moving to the specified position on the Gantt chart, hit the enter key. Then, in the chart of FIG. 9, for example, at the place of equipment 1, October 25 to November 4, mark X001.
Is entered.

At this time, when the start date of the mark X001 (October 25th) goes into the end of the existing mark A102 for one day, if there is a vacancy of one day or more before the start date of the mark A102, the mark A102 is automatically added. The software of the production planning system 102 can be configured so that the start date of the is delayed by one day. Even if there is no space more than one day before the start date of mark A102, if the cloth of mark X001 is higher than the cloth of mark A102 with respect to the priority point of the delivery date D, the positions of mark X001 and mark A102 are automatically switched. You can also add software to.

If there is no space more than one day before the start date of the mark A102 and the fabric of the mark A102 is higher than the fabric of the mark X001 with respect to the priority point of the delivery date D, the positions of the mark X001 and the mark A102 are not exchanged. It is also possible to build software so that one day's worth can be absorbed by increasing the operating rate of the equipment. If the operating rate of the equipment cannot be increased and the cloth of the mark X001 is the lowest with respect to the priority point of the delivery date D, the end date of the mark X001 is delayed by one day. Another mark with a short processing time (X00
2) is the period (10
15th to 18th of the month). The time data for each of the above marks is the calendar master 1 shown in FIG. 18 or 19.
It is stored in 15.

When all the marks have been input for dyeing the yarn of the present case, for example, the Gantt chart indicated as "current" and the Gantt chart indicated as "new" are displayed in the left column of FIG. In this example, by increasing the operating rates of the facilities 1 and 2 from 80% to 90%, the marks X001, X00
2 is inserted between the current marks A101 to A104.

Next, the Gantt chart creator (fabric designer) must confirm that the production schedule based on the "new" Gantt chart conforms to the sales plan and production schedule of the fabric, and the equipment 1 and 2 based on the "new" Gantt chart. It is determined from the operation rate of the above whether or not the sales results of the fabric of this case conform to the management policy (step ST720). If they do not match (step ST722, N), the work is reworked from the beginning. If it fits, that is, if the "new" Gantt chart is acceptable (step ST722, Y), the creation of the Gantt chart relating to the dyeing procedure of the yarn of the subject fabric is completed, and the content of the "new" Gantt chart is the production plan of the information service company 100. Registered in the master 112.

After the Gantt chart for dyeing the yarn is completed in this way, a Gantt chart as shown in FIG. 10 is created for the woven fabric using the dyed yarn, as in the case of the yarn dyeing.

In the example of FIG. 9, the production priority order of a newly ordered order is set to the lowest. Therefore, at the time of production planning, the production quota is set on the rightmost side of the current Gantt chart (X001). In addition, the production quota is set for the product (X002) for which production quota can be set between the existing Gantt charts (Fig. 9, Fig. 1).
0).

On the other hand, in the examples of FIGS. 11 and 12, the “new” order has a higher priority than the current production quota, and the new order marks (X001, X002) are the current marks ( The schedule of A101 to A104) is delayed and interrupted.

[0117] The rearrangement of the production quota in such a Gantt chart can be performed by changing the individual equipment operating rate, the overall operating rate,
When priority is set for delivery delay for each mark,
It is automatically scheduled by the software of the production planning system 102. (This automatic scheduling has a code indicating a priority assigned to each mark, and can be executed by retrieving and rearranging this priority code.) FIG. 13 shows delivery date management created in accordance with the dough production schedule. An example of a table is shown.

For example, in the Gantt chart of FIG.
In the current schedule, the planned completion date of the mark A101 assigned to the facilities 1 and 2 is October 12, 1992 (facility 1), but the mark X002 having a higher priority interrupts the facility 2. Therefore, in the new schedule, the planned completion date for the mark A101 of facility 2 is October 1, 1992.
It's been delayed for 8 days. In this case, the delivery delay for the mark A101 is 6 days, and the lead time of the mark A101 is increased from 65 days to 71 days.

Similarly, in the current schedule, the facilities 1, 2 are
Although the scheduled completion date of the mark A102 assigned to No. 1 is October 24, 1992 (equipment 1), the mark X001 having a higher priority interrupts the equipment 1. Therefore, in the new schedule, the planned completion date of the mark A101 of the facility 1 is delayed to October 31, 1992. in this case,
The delivery delay for the mark A102 is 7 days, and the lead time for the mark A102 is increased from 75 days to 82 days.

Note that the delivery of the current schedule may be accelerated due to the mark interruption of the new schedule.
For example, in the facility 1 of the new Gantt chart of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the processing of the mark A102 is postponed by one day due to the interruption of the mark X001. Then, the lead time of the mark A102 in the new Gantt chart is reduced by one day, and the delivery delay is minus one day.

By displaying the management table as shown in FIG. 13 on the CRT of the workstation 202, it is possible to immediately see what influence the current fabric production schedule will have when the newly designed fabric is incorporated into the current production schedule. Prove.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a cost calculation table for each process created according to the dough production schedule. This table is stored in the manufacturing cost DB 126 of the information service company 100, and each mark (order) is stored therein.
Unit costs such as equipment fixed cost allocation and work wages / setup wages are entered in advance.

The deciding factor of the cost is the proportional distribution method of the fixed cost calculated from the facility operating rate. In this case, fixed costs are allocated at the rate of equipment occupancy time per mark calculated from equipment availability. That is, the fixed cost allocation is equivalent to the facility fixed cost divided by the operating rate multiplied by the operating time. The work wage is calculated by "wage x work man-hours". The setup wage is calculated as “wage x setup man-hours”. Here, the work wage / setup wage is a cost incurred each time a process is performed. FIG. 15 shows a specific example of a cost calculation table created according to a normal production schedule.

For example, regarding the mark D001 in FIG.
The operating rate x of equipment used by this mark is 65%,
If the operating time y of the equipment is 10 hours and the hourly unit price z of the equipment fixed cost is 2000 yen, mark D001
The fixed cost allocation C (= yz / x) to 20,000 yen is

If the work wage at the mark D001 is 300 yen each time and it is required 10 times, the work wage A
Will be 3000 yen. Furthermore, if the setup wage at the mark D001 is 500 yen each time and it is necessary 6 times,
The setup wage B will be 3000 yen. Then, mark D00
The cost of 1 is A + B + C = 46000 yen. When the similar cost calculation is performed for the other marks in the dyeing process, the total cost of the dyeing process (for example, 55,000 yen) is calculated from the total of the marks.

Similarly, the total cost for the weaving process can be calculated. The cost C of the cloth is calculated from the sum of the total costs of the dyeing process and the weaving process. This cost C is returned to the workstation 202 and displayed on the CRT together with the delivery date D (for example, October 31, 1992 in the example of FIG. 9) found from the Gantt chart for the fabric.

FIG. 16 shows a concrete example of the cost calculation table created in accordance with the urgent production schedule. The contents are basically the same as in FIG. However, in urgent production, the facility operation rate decreases because scheduling is performed with the operation rate ignored. For example, in the example of FIG. 16, the operating rate of the mark D001 is reduced to 45% as compared with the case of FIG.
The operating rate of the mark D003 has dropped to 55%. As a result, the total cost of the dyeing process during emergency production increases from 55,000 yen to 68,000 yen.

When the delivery date D is found from the new Gantt chart created on the assumption of urgent production (priority to the delivery date D), the cost C of the dough at the time of this emergency production is also calculated from the decrease in the facility operation rate caused by this new Gantt chart. It These D /
C is a workstation 202 that has finished its fabric design
It is returned to and displayed on the CRT.

When the priority of the delivery date D is high, the operation rate of the entire equipment tends to decrease due to the interruption of the new fabric order. In this case, a fixed cost is calculated for the mark before the mark of the new fabric order is put and the mark before it is put. When such interrupt production is carried out, the entire decrease in the operating rate is added to this interrupt production, and the other marks give priority to the fixed cost distribution in the order stage. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a delivery date calculation procedure in the case of repeat production.

First, the fabric designer of the fabric company 200 confirms the contents of the order received from the customer (apparel maker) and confirms whether the received order is a repeat order of the fabric which has been produced in the past or a new design. Determine if you need it.
In case of repeat order, cloth DB204 / cloth DB1
An order using the code registered in 16 is made. Therefore, whether or not the order is a repeat order can be determined from the presence or absence of the registered code.

When the order is a repeat order (ST
800), the fabric designer confirms the fabric code and inputs the fabric code from the workstation 202 (step ST802).

The workstation 202 is the cloth D of the company.
The fabric file of the code input from B204 is searched. If it is not in the in-house DB 204, the cloth DB 116 of the information service company 100 is also searched as necessary. If the fabric file of the entered code is not found (step ST804, N), the customer is inquired to re-enter the correct code (step ST802).

When the cloth file of the inputted code is found, the design data of the cloth is read by the workstation 202.
Is read (step ST806). Since this fabric is a repeat order, its production procedure plan is recorded in the read file. Therefore, the outline schedule of the fabric production of the subject is grasped by referring to the procedure plan at the time of the previous production of the fabric (step ST808).

Next, a production plan for the dough is prepared (step ST810). In drafting the production plan, the actual load status of the production equipment of each fabric production company is grasped from the load master 108 (ST812). The load information indicating the load status is a Gantt chart showing the operating status of the equipment held by the fabric production company 300 after the production plan is distributed from the fabric company 200.

The load status of each cloth production company 300 is taken up by the cloth company 200 via the information service company 100 in the form of a Gantt chart. After that, "Production capacity master 1
10 ”,“ fabric design content / content of fabric designed by CAD ”,“ procedure plan / production plan master 112 ”, and“ load status / load master 108 ”are used to plan a dough production procedure, and each fabric production company is planned. The process of the production equipment is framed (step ST814). The frame of the production equipment is carried out by setting the database 304 having the equipment information, the production equipment used in the fabric design and the sequential flow of the equipment used in the procedure plan as the constraint conditions. The parameters required in the production plan are (1) the maximum point of the operation status of each production equipment (2) the minimum point of the operation status (average) of the entire production equipment (3) the landing height of each factory Maximum point (4) Minimum point of fixed cost to variable cost ratio in each factory (5) Calculated value in each of the short-term, medium-term, and long-term ranges of (1) to (4) above (6) Over production capacity There is discovery of road. So that the above parameters can be calculated separately,
The production facility is framed on the Gantt chart (step ST816).

The production plan made by the cloth company is merely a plan made from the standpoint of the cloth company. Therefore, in order to obtain the approval of each production company, the production plan is transmitted to each dough production company (step ST818).

The production company that has received the production plan compares the production plan currently in effect with the sent production plan. At this time, the changed parts on the Gantt chart are clearly indicated so that the old and new production plans can be compared.

This production plan change plan is "whether it is overloaded with respect to the production capacity of the company", "is the operating status better than before", "is there a factor that delays delivery?" Each of the fabric production companies considers it by using "whether a delay in delivery is large compared to other orders" or the like (step ST822). As a result of this examination,
Each fabric production company returns the acceptance decision result of the production plan to the fabric company (step ST824). At this time, in the case of quotation processing, the production plan master is not changed. In addition, the proposed change will be stored until the estimation expiration date.

The acceptance judgment result is received by the workstation 202 of the cloth company (step ST826).
If the production plan drafted by the fabric company is accepted by the fabric production company, the production plan is the information service company 100.
It is updated and registered in the production plan master 112. If not accepted, the fabric designer re-creates the production plan according to the reason (step ST810). Then, the work of steps ST812 to ST826 is repeated. The history is stored in the backup file of the production plan master 112 of the information service company 100.

Subsequently, based on the procedure plan of step ST814, the end portion of the Gantt chart of the latest step of the dough production process is returned to the customer (apparel maker) as the scheduled dough production end date (step ST828).

After that, when the actual production of the dough is started, the following processing is performed. That is, when the production plan is accepted by the fabric production company, a new production instruction is created based on the fabric design document. The production order is distributed in different formats for each fabric production company. The production instructions include "twisted yarn instruction", "colored instruction", "textile disassembly design instruction", and "organization processing instruction".

The production plan acceptance judgment is a secret notice regarding ordering, but the produced production instruction is positioned as a purchase order for the fabric production company, and becomes an official order. These pieces of information are also collectively delivered by the information service company 100 by the online data communication system between the cloth company 200 and the cloth production company 300.

When the production instruction is received, the cloth company 2
00 has been officially ordered from the fabric production company 300.
Incidentally, since the secret information regarding the production is generated at the stage of receiving the production planning, this production instruction is positioned as a trigger for starting the production.

After the start of production, the production record information relating to the production is registered in the database of the information service company 100 so that the next order can be smoothly received. That is, the actual flow of the process is registered in the machining procedure DB 122, the machining start time and the machining end time in each production facility,
Movement time between processing steps, stagnation time, processing conditions, etc. are registered in the processing history DB 124, equipment usage time, fixed cost distribution, actual variable costs are registered in the manufacturing cost DB 126, physical property test results, inspection information, yield. Etc. are registered in the quality DB 118.

The information to be registered in these databases is automatically taken up by the information service company 100 (in batch processing) at the finishing stage of processing in each fabric production company 300, and the workstation 202 of the fabric company 200.
(Or a host computer (not shown)) is added to the master file. When the production is completed in the final process of the cloth production company 300, the fact is reported to the cloth company 200 via the information service company 100.

After the completion of the production of the dough, the dough produced at the shipping destination designated by the customer (apparel maker) is shipped. At that time, the delivery company 200 issues a delivery slip, an invoice, and the like.

When there is an online ordering terminal between the cloth company and the apparel maker, the process of transmitting data such as delivery / billing is performed electronically. If there is no such terminal, the data will be sent by mail.

At the stage of completion of the fabric production, the fabric production company carries out the accounts receivable process. After the fabric is delivered, the receipt is the fabric company 20
Accounts payable will be processed as soon as 0 is reached. When the fabric company 200 is credited, the credit management master (not shown) of the fabric company 200 is updated.

In the case of ordinary transactions, there are cases in which actual transactions cannot be reached simply by requesting an estimate. However, it is indispensable to give the accurate QCD (quality, cost, delivery date) to the request for quotation in the credit of the fabric company. In the system of the present invention, the quotation processing can also be performed by computer processing, so that the QCD can promptly reply to the quotation request. When only estimating, production plan master 112
Will not be renewed, but the production plan will be retained without being erased until the estimation expiration date.

Usually, the estimation process requires a lot of time and labor, but the estimation process is greatly simplified by using the system of the present invention. In addition, the estimation accuracy is dramatically improved, and the estimation process can be executed in a short time each time. This is an unprecedented breakthrough improvement item.

[0151]

According to the fabric design support system of the present invention, when the system user finishes designing the fabric from the predetermined fabric specifications by the CAD system, at that time,
How much raw material of the designed fabric is available,
The database is searched for information such as which manufacturing process can be used and what schedule can be used, and what is the standard processing time in each manufacturing process required for thread processing, woven fabric, and dyeing. . If the amount of raw materials, the manufacturing process schedule, and the standard processing time of each scheduled manufacturing process are known, the amount of fabric that can be manufactured and its delivery date can be calculated. Further, when the unit price of the raw material and the unit time cost of the standard processing time are retrieved from the database, the price of the dough can be calculated.
Therefore, when the system user finishes designing the fabric, it becomes possible to know in real time (or with a little waiting time) when the fabric is available at what price.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first flowchart for explaining the operation of a fabric design support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second flowchart explaining the operation of the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a third flowchart explaining the operation of the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a case of newly designing a cloth in the cloth design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a case where a cloth design is performed by changing the design of an existing cloth in the cloth design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a procedure for planning a production plan for a designed fabric in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a drawing of a cloth production frame according to a priority of cloth quality (Q), cost (C) and delivery time (D) in the cloth design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart explaining how to do.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for creating a Gantt chart in accordance with a dough production schedule in the dough design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram exemplifying a Gantt chart of a dyeing process created in accordance with a fabric production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplifying a Gantt chart of a weaving process created in accordance with a fabric production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the Gantt chart of the dyeing process created according to the fabric production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the Gantt chart of the woven process created in accordance with the fabric production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram exemplifying a delivery date management table created in accordance with a fabric production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram exemplifying an outline of a cost calculation table created in accordance with a cloth production schedule in the cloth design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a specific example of a cost calculation table created in accordance with a normal production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a specific example of a cost calculation table created in accordance with an urgent production schedule in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a delivery time calculation procedure in the case of repeat production in the fabric design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a fabric design support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a fabric design support system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... High-speed digital line, 100 ... Information service company, 102 ... Production planning system (software), 104 ... Apparel database, 106 ...
..User master, 108 ... Load master, 110
..Production capacity master, 112 ... Production planning master, 1
14 ... Work in progress master, 115 ... Fabric production company working day calendar master, 116 ... Fabric database,
118 ... Quality database, 120 ... Stock information database, 122 ... Processing procedure database, 1
24 ... Processing history database, 126 ... Manufacturing cost database, 200 ... Fabric company, 202 ...
Fabric design workstation, 204 ... Fabric database, 206 ... Fabric design tool (software), 300 ... Fabric production company, 310 ... Thread processing company, 320 ... Woven company, 330 ... ..Dyeing companies,
304 ... Local database.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koji Otake 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Material stock information, cloth design information,
With a database that includes load information for the dough manufacturing process consisting of multiple processes and standard processing time information for each dough manufacturing process, the database is searched based on the specified dough specifications, and the result of the search A fabric design support system characterized by being configured to calculate the delivery date of the fabric from the obtained information. 2. The database includes information about a unit price of the dough raw material and a cost per unit time of the standard processing time, the database is searched based on the specified dough specification, and the result of the search is obtained. The fabric design support system according to claim 1, wherein the fabric design support system is configured to calculate the price of the fabric from the information.