JP2003242331A - Method and system for making loading plan - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technology for making a loading plan that maintains appropriate stock by reflecting a sales situation, etc., of merchandise and improves the efficiency of loading work in loading merchandise in an automatic vending machine. <P>SOLUTION: A loading interval (A) is calculated by using a money collection parameter (S103), and a loading interval (B) is calculated from the actual sales results (S104). The shorter loading interval adopted from between the both loading intervals is defined as a loading interval (S105). Then, an ordering point is determined by a prescribed formula (S108), and a loading day is determined on the basis of the ordering point (S109). Meanwhile, a MAX reference (upper limit of the number of pieces of merchandise to be loaded) is determined on the basis of the loading interval (S106), and a loading amount is determined (S112). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and system for creating a vending machine loading plan.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the loading of products into an automatic vending machine is usually automatically performed by a worker who loads the products into the automatic vending machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "loader") at regular intervals. It was carried out by a method of patrol a vending machine and compensating for products that could be loaded into the vending machine. With this method,
Since the loading amount of the product is decided based on the experience and intuition of the loading worker based on the past loading record, the loading amount is not appropriate when an inexperienced loading worker performs the work. There was an occasion. To solve these problems,
There is a device that supports the replenishment of products in a vending machine (Patent Document 1).

[0003]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-116377

[0004]

On the other hand, depending on the type of product or vending machine, instead of loading the product into the vending machine as much as possible as described above, the market for selling the product through the vending machine There is a case where a method of loading an appropriate amount of products in consideration of the variable factors surrounding the item is desired. In order to realize loading by such a method, it is important to establish a method of making sales forecast for each product in consideration of product sales trends and how to reflect this sales forecast in the product loading plan. Becomes

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when loading a product into an automatic vending machine, it is possible to maintain an appropriate inventory while reflecting the sales status of the product and to improve the efficiency of the loading operation. It is intended to provide a technique for creating a loading plan. More specifically, when loading products into a vending machine, the lead time is shortened, the loading quantity is optimized (optimized), and the timing for creating a loading plan and the target are optimized. The purpose is to

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for creating a plan for loading a product into an automatic vending machine, the sales forecast quantity and the inventory forecast quantity taking into consideration the sales record of the vending machine. To determine the loading interval of the vending machine, calculate the order point considering the sales forecast quantity and the loading interval, and if there is a day within the loading interval where the inventory forecast quantity falls below the order point, set that day. A loading plan creation, which includes a step of setting a loading plan date to be a loading plan date which is the date of adding the number of loading interval days to the previous loading date if there is no day within the loading interval in which the predicted inventory quantity falls below the order point. A method is provided. The "ordering point" is a predetermined inventory amount, for example, an inventory amount that serves as an index of the timing of loading the product. That is, according to this method, the product is loaded so that the stock amount of the product in the vending machine does not fall below the stock amount designated as the order point.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a loading plan creating system for creating a plan for loading products into an automatic vending machine, wherein the sales forecast quantity and the inventory forecast quantity are obtained in consideration of the sales record of the vending machine. A forecasting means, a loading interval determining means for determining the loading interval of the vending machine, an ordering point calculating means for calculating an ordering point in consideration of the sales forecast amount and the loading interval, and an inventory forecasting quantity within the loading interval is an ordering point. If there is a day that falls below the specified load date, that day is set as the planned load date. A loading plan creating system, comprising: a determining unit;

According to the present invention, first, the loading interval is determined. "Loading interval" refers to the interval between the previous loading date and the next loading date, and is defined for each vending machine, each product or each column. In the present invention, the lead time can be calculated by once determining the loading interval,
This allows ordering points to be calculated. If there is a day with the predicted inventory quantity below the ordering point within the loading interval, then that day is taken as the planned loading date, and if there is no day with the predicted inventory quantity below the ordering point, then the day with the loading interval days added is added to the previous loading date. To decide. The loading interval is determined based on the number of loadings after determining the number of loadings per month of the vending machine in consideration of the inventory maintenance cost and the cost and labor involved in the loading work. In consideration of this loading interval, the ordering point, which is the standard for determining the planned loading date, is calculated. That is, the ordering point is
The sales amount from the time when the loading plan is made until the time when the loading work is actually carried out is predicted, and the stock amount is set so that it will not run out of stock.

Since the number of times of loading can be set to an appropriate value in consideration of the increase in loading efficiency and the increase in inventory, the loading plan should reflect the intentions of the loading operation manager and the inventory manager. You can After the loading interval is determined, the ordering point is calculated in consideration of the sales forecast quantity and the loading interval, and the day when the inventory forecast quantity falls below the ordering point is determined as the loading planned date. Since it is not necessary to create a uniform loading plan for all vending machines every day, the effort for planning can be reduced.
In addition, it is possible to surely grasp the time when the loading should be performed early and to create a rational loading plan.

In the method according to the present invention, the loading interval may be modified in consideration of the estimated sales amount, and the ordering point may be calculated based on the modified loading interval.

Further, the system according to the present invention may further comprise a loading interval correction means for correcting the loading interval in consideration of the sales forecast amount and transmitting the modified loading interval to the order point calculation means.

The method of determining the loading interval after determining the number of loadings per month of the automatic vending machine determines the loading interval from the viewpoint of loading work management and inventory management. Applying this loading interval can lead to out of stock during the loading interval. Therefore, in order to complement the above viewpoint, it is desirable to correct the loading interval in consideration of the sales situation of the product. The above configuration is based on such an idea, and the loading interval is corrected in consideration of the sales forecast amount. For example, the loading interval can be determined as follows. First, the loading interval (A) is created from the viewpoint of reducing the labor, cost, and the like involved in the loading work while considering that the inventory is not so large. Next, the loading interval (B) for preventing the product from running out is created in consideration of the expected number of products sold per day and the number of vending machines accommodated. Subsequently, the loading intervals (A) and (B) are compared, and the shorter one is adopted as the loading interval. When the loading interval (B) is shorter than the loading interval (A), correction is performed by replacing the loading interval (A) with the loading interval (B). Since the loading interval (A) is determined from the viewpoint of loading work management and inventory management, the characteristics of the target product / vending machine are not reflected. That is, the brand of each product is not recognized in the loading interval (A). Therefore, in the loading interval (B), the characteristics of the product / vending machine are considered, and the sales information of each product is considered. By taking both of these into consideration, the loading interval can be determined so as to improve the efficiency of loading work management and inventory management, and to realize proper inventory without causing the product to run out.

In the method of the present invention, the step of calculating the maximum number of loads based on the loading interval and the predicted sales amount,
The load may be calculated in consideration of the maximum number of loads and the inventory forecast value at the planned loading date.

Further, in the system of the present invention, the maximum loading number calculation means for calculating the maximum loading number based on the loading interval and the sales forecast amount, and the loading amount in consideration of the maximum loading number and the inventory forecast value at the loading planned date are taken into consideration. The charging amount calculating means for calculating can be further included.

The maximum loading number is the loading upper limit value determined in consideration of the sales of the product, and is different from the physical accommodation number upper limit value. For example, a value obtained by multiplying the predicted sales quantity per day of the product by the number of days of the loading interval determined as described above is set as the maximum loading quantity. Since the loading interval for the product will be equal to or less than the loading interval determined as described above, assuming that the maximum loading number of products is loaded, it is normally assumed that the product will not run out. To be done. By introducing such a concept of the maximum loading number, it is possible to calculate the number of items to be loaded at the same time in the process of creating the plan for determining the loading date, which makes the loading plan more efficient, and The usefulness of the plan itself is further improved.

In the method of the present invention, after the loading plan is created for a plurality of vending machines by the loading plan creating method, the step of leveling the number of vending machines to be loaded per day is further executed. Can be

Further, the system of the present invention further comprises leveling means for carrying out an operation for leveling the number of vending machines to be loaded per day for a loading plan created for a plurality of vending machines. Can be configured.

The loading plan determined as described above is created from the viewpoint of inventory management and efficiency improvement of the entire loading operation. Therefore, it may not always be a rational plan from the viewpoint of the loader. Therefore, by adopting the above-described configuration that equalizes the number of vending machines to be loaded per day, the loading work efficiency can be improved.

The above leveling can be realized by executing the following steps. That is, the step of creating an initial plan in which the vending machine to be loaded is allocated on each day and the vending machine to be loaded are arranged on the position coordinates,
Steps to grasp the distance between each vending machine, calculate the number of vending machines to be loaded on each day, and consider the calculated value as the reference loading number, the standard reference loading number, and the distance between each vending machine. Then, the leveling operation can be realized by sequentially executing the step of correcting the initial plan and leveling the number of loaded vending machines on each day.

According to the present invention, there is provided a loading plan creation system for creating a plan for loading products into an automatic vending machine, in which the sales results of the products in a plurality of vending machines for which the loading plan is created are held. Storage means, extraction means for extracting a vending machine for which a loading plan is to be created based on the order points and sales results that trigger the creation of a loading plan, and loading for creating a loading plan for the extracted vending machine A loading plan creating system, characterized by comprising:
Will be provided. According to the present invention, it is possible to selectively create a loading plan for the extracted vending machines instead of creating a loading plan for all the vending machines.

In the present invention, the loading plan creating means includes a predicting means for obtaining a sales forecast quantity and an inventory forecast quantity in the vending machine, and a loading interval determining means for determining the loading interval of the vending machine based on the sales record. And an ordering point calculating means for calculating an ordering point in consideration of the predicted sales amount and the loading interval.

In the present invention, the extracting means extracts, in the same vending machine, a vending machine in which the ratio of the products whose inventory quantity is below the ordering point and the products which are not below the ordering point has reached a predetermined value. You can

In the present invention, the extracting means can extract a vending machine in which the stock quantity of a specific product is below the order point.

It is to be noted that any combination of the above-mentioned constituents, and the expression of the present invention converted between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program and the like are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below by dividing it into a first embodiment and a second embodiment. In the first embodiment, a method of creating a loading plan will be mainly described, and in the second embodiment, a system for creating a loading plan considers that the creation process is efficiently performed at an operation level. An explanation will be given based on the configuration.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a loading plan creating apparatus 100 for realizing a loading plan creating method according to the first embodiment. Each component of the loading plan creation device 100 includes a CPU, a memory,
It is realized by an arbitrary combination of hardware and software centered on a program that loads the components of this figure loaded in memory, a storage unit such as a hard disk that stores the program, and a network connection interface. Those skilled in the art will understand that the method and the device have various modifications. Each drawing described below shows a block of a functional unit, not a configuration of a hardware unit.

The sales record data collection unit 161 acquires, from the sales record database 171, data relating to the sales record of the vending machine for which the loading plan is to be created. Based on this data, the prediction unit 162 determines the sales forecast quantity and the inventory forecast quantity. The loading interval determination unit 163 determines the loading interval (B) based on the sales record data obtained from the sales record database 171. On the other hand, the loading interval correction unit 164 reads the inventory management data stored in the inventory management database 172 and determines the loading interval (A) based on this. The inventory management data includes data on the number of times of loading, labor costs, fluctuations in the inventory amount, etc., when the amount of money collected from the vending machine per change is changed. The loading interval determination unit 163 compares the loading interval (A) and the loading interval (B), and adopts the shorter loading interval of these two loading plans.

When the loading interval is determined, the ordering point and the upper limit of the product loading amount are fixed. In this embodiment, the concept of the MAX standard is used as the maximum loading number. The MAX standard is represented by the product of daily sales and the number of days between loadings. MA
The X reference creation unit 165 determines the upper limit (MAX
Calculate the standard). The calculation method will be described later. The loading amount determination unit 166 determines the loading amount in consideration of the MAX standard thus obtained and the sales forecast amount acquired from the prediction unit 162.

The ordering point calculation unit 167 calculates the ordering point from the loading interval and the predicted sales amount. The loading date determination unit 168
The day when the ordering point falls below the inventory forecast quantity is calculated, and this day is determined as the planned loading date. The leveling operation unit 169 arranges the loading dates of the plurality of vending machines determined by the loading date determining unit 168 and performs an operation of leveling the number of loadings per day. In consideration of this result, the loading plan determination unit 170 finally determines the loading schedule and the loading amount.

Next, the method for creating a loading plan according to this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of the loading plan creating method according to the present embodiment. First, sales performance data is collected (S101). As shown in FIG. 6, the sales record data is transmitted from each vending machine 180 to the data collection server 182 via the vending machine management device 181 by an online method or an offline method. The data collection server 182 stores the collected data in the sales record database 171.

Returning to FIG. 2, subsequently, a daily sales forecast is created based on this sales data (S102). The daily sales forecast takes into account sales fluctuations depending on the day of the week,
Created on a weekly basis.

At the same time, the loading intervals of the products are calculated by two methods. One of the calculation methods is to calculate the loading interval from the parameters. The other is a method of obtaining the loading interval from the sales record.

First, a method for obtaining the loading interval (A) from the parameters will be described. Although various parameters may be used, this embodiment adopts the concept of a withdrawal money parameter. Collection of vending machine sales is usually
It is done at the same time when loading. Therefore, the number of times of loading and the loading interval are determined by defining the amount of collected gold per time. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining such a concept. The collected money is a value obtained by dividing the amount of money collected from a certain vending machine (group) per month by the number of workers. In this example, it is 20 million yen / month / person. In the present embodiment, the concept of “collected money parameter” is introduced based on the collected money. The collected money parameter refers to the amount of money that one worker collects per unit when loading products. In the present embodiment, the loading interval (A) is determined based on this collected money parameter.

In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the total number of times of loading, and the vertical axis represents the collected money parameter. If the collected money parameter is 100,000 yen, the total number of loadings per month will be 200.
When the collected money parameter is set to 80,000 yen, the total number of loadings per month is 250 times. That is, if the collected money parameter is set high, the loading interval becomes long, and the number of loadings can be reduced. As a result, the working time is reduced, and the gasoline cost and the high speed cost can be saved. On the other hand, if the product is loaded more than it sells, the excess inventory will increase. According to the study by the present inventor, the collected money parameter is set to 8
If the price is increased from 10,000 yen to 120,000 yen, (i) the number of automatic vending machines (average number of loaded machines) in which one worker carries out loading work per day will be reduced by about 30%. (ii) The work time required for one worker per day is reduced by about 15%. (iii) The average inventory amount will increase by about 40%. Has been obtained.

Therefore, the number of times of loading per month of the vending machine group is calculated in consideration of these points. Next, the loading frequency of each vending machine is calculated based on the loading frequency to obtain the loading interval. This loading interval is the loading interval (A) in FIG. 2 (S103).

Next, a method of obtaining the loading interval (B) from the sales record will be described. The loading interval can be basically obtained by the following formula 1. Interval days = number of items to be accommodated / number of items to be sold per day (1) However, in this formula, if the sales amount fluctuates due to various factors, the product may run out of stock. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the calculation is performed by the following equation (2) in consideration of the safety factor.

[Equation 1] This equation is obtained by solving the following equation in "interval days". Contained numbers = (sales quantity / day) × intervals of days + safety factor × standard deviation × (interval in days) ^1/2 Note that in the case of considering the safety factor without considering equation (1) and (Equation 2), for example, The loading intervals are different as follows.

[Table 1] Further, if the number of stored articles or the safety factor changes, the loading intervals will differ as follows.

[Table 2] As described above, the loading interval (B) shown in S104 in FIG. 2 is calculated.

The loading interval (A) obtained as described above,
(B) is compared and the shorter one is selected to determine the loading interval (S105). This is because stock shortages will occur unless they are matched to short ones. From the viewpoint of loading work management and inventory management, it is desirable to adopt the loading interval (A), but this loading interval is determined in consideration of the labor and cost of the loading work and the burden of having a lot of inventory. The sales trends of individual products are not taken into consideration. Therefore, when this loading interval is adopted, there is a possibility that some products may run out of stock. Therefore, as described above, the loading intervals (A) and (B) are compared and the shorter one is selected.

When the loading interval is determined, inventory transition prediction and ordering point are determined (S107, S108). Hereinafter, these points will be described.

The inventory transition forecast is calculated from the daily sales forecast and the loading interval (S107). As shown in the middle row of FIG. 4, the calculated inventory transition forecast represents daily changes in the inventory amount.

In the present embodiment, the date when the forecast inventory obtained from the above-mentioned inventory transition forecast falls below the order point is planned as the loading date. The ordering point is calculated by the following formula. Order point = sales quantity by the loading date + safety margin Here, safety margin = safety factor x (number of days until loading date x variation)
It is ^1/2 .

In the present embodiment, the loading plan is not uniformly created by linking it with the sales forecast, but the loading plan of the target product is created only on the day when the number of orders is below the ordering point. It takes a certain amount of labor and time to create sales forecasts and loading plans. On the other hand, it is sufficient to create the loading plan when the inventory has decreased. In consideration of these matters, in the present embodiment, a loading plan for a certain product is created when the product falls below the order point.

When the inventory transition and the order points are calculated, the loading date is determined (S109).

After determining the loading date, the loading plan is leveled (S110).

The loading plan according to the above-mentioned flow is intended to maintain an appropriate inventory, and is created from the viewpoint of inventory management and efficiency of the entire loading operation. Therefore,
From the perspective of the loader, it may not always be a reasonable plan. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the loading plan created by the above-described flow is modified in consideration of the efficiency of the loading operation. In the loading plan created from the viewpoint of inventory management, the number of vending machines to be loaded per day usually varies. In addition, there is a case where it is difficult to create an efficient route because the vending machines to be loaded are separated from each other. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the leveling operation of the number of vending machines to be loaded per day is performed while considering the distance between the vending machines to be loaded.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of this procedure.
In formulating a plan, first, sales performance data is collected (S201). The sales performance data includes past sales volume data and the like, and serves as a basic material when formulating a sales forecast. Next, a sales forecast for each product is established based on this sales record data (S202). A forecasted inventory is obtained based on this sales forecast, and the vending machine whose forecasted inventory is below the order point is targeted for loading. The number of vending machines to be loaded per day is calculated by setting a loading period consisting of a predetermined number of days and dividing the number of vending machines to be loaded within this period by the number of period days. The number of vending machines to be loaded varies from day to day to a certain degree. By performing an operation such as averaging this, the number of vending machines to visit per day is calculated. Hereinafter, this number is referred to as a reference loading number (S203). The method for calculating the reference loading number is not particularly limited, and various methods can be adopted. After that, the initial loading plan in which the vending machines to be visited are allocated on each activity day is fixed. Subsequently, the loading plan is fixed (S205) by equalizing the number of visiting vending machines per day (S204).

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing an example of the initial plan. Here, the plan for the period from October 1st to October 4th is shown. In the figure, A to L represent vending machines. Also, the dotted line in the figure indicates the reference number of loads, that is, the number of vending machines to be loaded per day. Figure 8
In (a), the number of loading vending machines on October 1 has not reached the standard loading number. Therefore, the shortage is moved from the vending machine scheduled to be visited on or after October 1. This moving operation is a unit operation for leveling in the present invention.

In this embodiment, the following rules are set when executing the moving operation. Rule 1: The priority order when selecting the target to move is
The order is (i) the planned date is near, (ii) the XY distance is short, and (iii) the loading interval is long. Rule 2: Distance measurement is based on the plan remaining on the day when the leveling up to the previous day is completed. Rule 3: If there is the same vending machine at the destination, do not move it. Rule 4: If the number of vending machines scheduled to be loaded exceeds the standard loading number and the excess cannot be moved before the previous day, it is confirmed as it is. Do not move the excess on a later day. Rule 5: No leveling for more than a certain number of days (business day basis).

The contents of the above rule will be described below by taking the leveling operation in FIG. 2 as an example.

In FIG. 8A, there is a shortage of one vending machine with respect to the standard loading number in the plan of October 1.
This shortage will be covered by a vending machine scheduled for loading after October 1st. Here, according to the rule 1, first, the vending machine to be moved is selected from October 2nd having the closest planned date. Here, there are C and D options, but of these, the one having a shorter XY distance is selected.
It is assumed that the positional relationship among A, B, C and D is as shown in FIG. 9, for example. Although various methods can be used to compare the distances, in the present embodiment, comparison is performed between a smaller value of d _CA and d _{CB and} a smaller value of d _DA and d _DB . Here, d _CA and d _DB are compared, and since d _CA > d _DB , the vending machine D is selected as the movement target. The state of moving this D on October 1st is shown in FIG. 8 (b).
Is. In the present embodiment, as a distance comparison method, a method of comparing the minimum distances among a plurality of standard vending machines is adopted, but other than this, a method of using an arithmetic mean or a geometric mean is used. And the like can be adopted.

In the leveling in the present invention, the concept of XY distance is introduced as described above, and the fact that the distance is short is taken into consideration with a high priority. This allows
The time and effort required for the visit can be reduced.
That is, the leveling in the present invention aims at leveling the number of visiting points (the number of vending machines in this embodiment), while other factor of "distance" is added in the process of performing the leveling. By doing so, the visit plan (loading plan) is rationalized from two aspects. In other words, the leveling of the order quantity shortens the lead time for visits and the work associated therewith, while the leveling method that takes distance into consideration can improve the work efficiency of one day.

Next, the process from the state shown in FIG. 8B to the state shown in FIG. 8C will be described. 1 in the state of FIG.
Since the plan for 2nd October is 2 short of the standard loading number, the vending machine scheduled to be loaded on the previous day will make up for it. Here, the vending machine to be moved is based on the rule 3 described above.
C is excluded from C, E, F, and G. From these, E and G with shorter distances are selected and moved to the plan for October 2, resulting in the state of FIG. 8 (c). In the state of FIG. 8C, the planned loading number exceeds the reference loading number on October 4th. However, there is no vacant space to move this excess before the day before. For this reason,
According to Rule 4 described above, the excess amount is fixed as it is without being moved on a later day. Therefore, FIG.
The state of (c) becomes the finally fixed loading plan. This is because the present invention aims to shorten the lead time, but if the excess amount is moved to a later date, the result will be contrary to this purpose.

The leveling process in FIG. 2 is performed as described above (S110). As a result, the loading schedule is determined (S111), and the loading amount is determined. The product loading amount is calculated by the following formula based on the finally fixed loading schedule (S106, S112). Load amount = MAX standard stock-Night inventory on the scheduled loading date = MAX standard inventory- (Previous day inventory-Sales forecast quantity up to the scheduled loading date + Confirmed loading plan loading amount-Safety margin) "MAX standard" is a vending machine This is a standard provided for each product and represents the number of products expected to be sold during the loading interval days. MAX standard = sales quantity per day x loading interval days

The "fixed loading plan loading amount" is the loading amount that has already been determined at the time of creating the loading plan, and is reflected in the inventory amount of products not yet loaded in the vending machine or the sales record. There is no stock quantity. That is, it is a value for absorbing an error in the inventory amount caused by a timing difference between the date and time when the loading plan is created, the date and time when the loading is actually performed based on the plan, and the date and time when the sales record is collected.

As described above, in this embodiment, the concept of "MAX standard" is introduced in calculating the loading amount. Normally, when loading products into a vending machine, the manufacturer will fill up the vending machine with products that can be loaded into the vending machine at each tour. Therefore, the concept of safety margin, inventory standard value, etc. The method of managing inventory by using is not usually adopted. On the other hand, depending on the type of product, it is necessary to consider the "daily" sales transition, including inventory, etc., and it is possible to optimize the sales forecast based on inventory standards, and eventually the forecast value. desired. Therefore, in this embodiment, by introducing the concept of the MAX standard inventory instead of the storable inventory, the loading quantity is determined from the viewpoint of maintaining an appropriate inventory instead of replenishing commodities that can be loaded. Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the MAX standard, the ordering point, and the safety margin. In the present embodiment, when the estimated stock quantity falls below the ordering point, loading is performed up to the MAX standard.

By the procedure described above, the loading schedule and the loading quantity are determined, and a rational loading plan is created.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 10 is an internal block diagram of a loading plan creating apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the configurations having the same reference numerals as the configurations already described have the same functions or operations as the configurations already described. In the following description, configurations having functions or operations different from those already described will be mainly described.

The sales record data collection unit 161 individually collects sales data from a plurality of vending machines for which a loading plan is to be created. The sales performance data collection unit 161
Vending machines connected to the network (hereinafter simply referred to as "online machines") or vending machines not connected to the network (hereinafter simply referred to as "offline machines")
To collect sales data for each. The sales record data collection unit 161 stores the collected sales data in the sales record database 171. The error adjustment unit 210 includes, for example, a failure of a vending machine included in the collected sales data,
Adjust for errors caused by errors in sales data communication. The error adjustment unit 210 may adjust the error by analyzing the day of the week or the sales tendency of each vending machine installed in the office, for example, based on the past sales record of the vending machine. Further, the error adjustment unit 210 may perform this analysis based on the sales record in a predetermined period such as the past month, for example. Thereby, the error can be reduced as much as possible, and the loading plan can be created according to the actual operation.

As described in the first embodiment, the loading plan is created by processing several steps. For example, if you plan to load hundreds to thousands of vending machines,
If all the vending machines are created, the processing amount becomes enormous. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vending machine for which the loading plan is to be created is extracted based on a predetermined condition, and the loading plan is created for the extracted vending machine. The extraction unit 202 performs such extraction processing. The creation timing storage unit 206 holds the timing for creating the loading plan, that is, the extraction condition. In the present embodiment, the creation timing storage unit 206 holds the ordering point for each product loaded in the vending machine or each column of the vending machine. The ordering point is the loading plan creation unit 2
When the loading plan is created by 04, it is stored in the creation timing storage unit 206. Here, the order point may be set for each product or column, but in the following description, it is assumed that the order point is set for each product loaded in each vending machine.

The extraction unit 202 is a sales record database 1
71 and the creation timing storage unit 206, a product whose inventory quantity is below the order point (hereinafter simply referred to as “order point out-of-stock product”) is searched for for each vending machine, and automatically based on the search result. Extract the vending machine. Figure 11
[Fig. 3] is a diagram showing a stock quantity and an ordering point state in a vending machine. In this figure, the horizontal axis shows the products and the vertical axis shows the stock amount of each product, and the stock amount 250a of the product E and the stock amount 250b of the product I are below the order point. The extraction unit 202 may extract, for example, a vending machine in which the number of out-of-order items is greater than a predetermined number as a target for creating a loading plan, or in the same vending machine, the inventory quantity is below the order point. You may extract the vending machine which the ratio of the commodities which did not fall below and the commodities which did not fall below reached a predetermined value. Further, the extraction unit 202 may extract, for example, a vending machine in which the inventory quantity of a specific product such as a sales promotion product or a new product is below the order point.

Returning to FIG. 10, the extraction unit 202 extracts the vending machine that meets such conditions and specifies the vending machine (hereinafter, simply referred to as "vending machine ID").
Is supplied to the loading plan creation unit 204. Loading plan creation unit 2
04 creates a loading plan for those vending machines. As a result, the vending machines for which the loading plan is to be created can be narrowed down, and the processing amount in this system can be reduced.

FIG. 12 shows the loading plan creating apparatus 20 of FIG.
6 is an example of a flowchart of processing in 0. Figure 10
The extraction unit 202 extracts the vending machine for which the loading plan is to be created (S150). The extraction unit 202 may perform the extraction process, for example, every night, or may perform the extraction process periodically at a predetermined timing, or at the time of collecting the sales data from the vending machine, that is, the latest vending machine It may be performed when the stock amount of is determined. The loading plan creation unit 204 in FIG. 10 determines whether or not there is an automatic vending machine for which a loading plan is created (S152). When the vending machine to be created exists (Y in S152), the loading plan creation unit 204 creates a loading plan for the vending machine (S154). In S152, when the vending machine to be created does not exist (N in S152), the loading plan creation device 200 ends the process.

FIG. 13 shows the loading plan creation unit 204 of FIG.
2 is an example of an internal configuration diagram of FIG. The loading interval calculation unit 208
The loading interval determination unit 163 and the loading interval correction unit 164 are included, and the loading interval is calculated for the automatic vending machine specified by the vending machine ID supplied from the extraction unit 202. The ordering point calculation unit 167 calculates the ordering point for each product from the loading interval and the predicted sales amount, and stores it in the creation timing storage unit 206. The loading date determination unit 168 calculates, as a scheduled loading date, a date when the predicted inventory quantity falls below the ordering point in a predetermined planning period.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the calculation process of the estimated loading date in the loading date determining unit 168. In this figure, the horizontal axis indicates the date and the vertical axis indicates the inventory forecast amount, and there are two loading dates within the planning period. The planning period may be set arbitrarily, and is set to, for example, one month. In this way, by setting the planning period to be somewhat long, there is a margin in the leveling process in the leveling operation unit 169. Also, by setting a shorter planning period,
Leveling becomes difficult, but you can make a detailed loading plan.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments are exemplifications, that various modifications can be made to combinations of respective constituent elements and respective processing processes, and that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. . As such a modification, the loading planning device 100 of FIG. 1 and the loading planning device 200 of FIG. 10 may be a system in which a plurality of servers are connected via a network. For example, in FIG.
The sales record data collection unit 161 may be configured by a server for collecting the sales record data, and the extraction unit 202 and the loading plan creation unit 204 may be configured by different servers.
Then, those servers may communicate data via the network to perform a process of creating a loading plan.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, first, the loading interval is determined using predetermined parameters, and then the ordering point serving as a reference for determining the loading planned date is calculated. By setting the parameters appropriately, it is possible to create a plan so that the optimal inventory is maintained in consideration of the inventory maintenance cost and the cost and labor involved in the loading work.
It is possible to rationalize the loading plan from the viewpoint of efficient loading work and inventory management. In addition, if the loading interval is modified in consideration of the forecasted sales amount and the ordering point is calculated based on the modified loading interval, individual product sales trends will be reflected and a more efficient loading plan will be created. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a loading plan creation device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a loading plan creation method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a collected money parameter.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a sales forecast, a forecast inventory, and a loading plan.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a MAX standard, an ordering point, and a safety margin.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system for collecting sales record data from an automatic vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a loading plan creation procedure including a leveling process.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a leveling method.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining how to obtain a distance when performing leveling.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a loading plan creation device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a stock quantity and an ordering point state in a vending machine.

12 is an example of a flowchart of processing in the loading plan creation device of FIG.

13 is an internal configuration diagram of the loading plan creation unit in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a process of calculating a scheduled loading date in the loading date determination unit of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

161 Sales Performance Data Collection Department 162 Predictor 163 Loading interval determination unit 164 Loading interval correction unit 165 MAX Standards Creation Department 166 Loading amount determination unit 167 Order Point Calculation Department 168 Loading date determination unit 169 Leveling operation unit 170 Loading plan determination unit 171 sales record database 172 Inventory Management Database 180 vending machines 181 Vending Machine Management Device 182 Data collection server 200 Loading plan creation device 202 Extractor 204 Loading Plan Creation Department 206 Creation timing storage 208 Loading interval calculator 210 Error adjuster

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A method for creating a plan for loading products into an automatic vending machine, the method comprising: determining a sales forecast quantity and an inventory forecast quantity in consideration of a sales record of the vending machine; Determining a loading interval, calculating an order point in consideration of the sales forecast amount and the loading interval, and if there is a day within the loading interval in which the inventory forecast amount falls below the order point, set that day. A planned loading date, and if there is no day in which the predicted inventory quantity falls below the ordering point within the loading interval, the loading planned date is set to the date of the previous loading date plus the number of loading interval days. How to create a loading plan. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the loading interval is modified in consideration of the sales forecast amount, and the ordering point is calculated based on the modified loading interval. How to create a loading plan. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum loading number is calculated based on the loading interval and the sales forecast amount, and the maximum loading number and the inventory on the loading planned date are included. And a step of calculating a loading amount in consideration of a predicted value. 4. A step of leveling the number of vending machines to be loaded per day after creating a loading plan for a plurality of vending machines by the method of creating a loading plan according to claim 1. A method for creating a loading plan, including: 5. A loading plan creation system for creating a plan for loading merchandise into an automatic vending machine, the predicting means for obtaining a sales forecast quantity and an inventory forecast quantity in consideration of a sales record of the vending machine. A loading interval determining means for determining a loading interval of the vending machine; an ordering point calculating means for calculating an ordering point in consideration of the sales forecast amount and the loading interval; and the inventory forecast amount within the loading interval. If there is a day below the ordering point, that day is taken as the planned loading date, and if there is no day within the loading interval where the forecasted inventory quantity falls below the ordering point, then the day with the number of loading intervals added is added to the previous loading day as the planned loading day. A loading plan creation system comprising: a loading plan date determining means for determining. 6. The loading plan correction system according to claim 5, wherein the loading interval is modified in consideration of the sales forecast amount, and the modified loading interval is transmitted to the ordering point calculation means. A loading plan creation system characterized by further comprising. 7. The loading plan creation system according to claim 5, wherein the maximum loading number calculating means for calculating the maximum loading number based on the loading interval and the sales forecast amount, the maximum loading number and the loading. A load amount calculation means for calculating the load amount in consideration of the inventory forecast value on the planned date,
A loading plan creating system, further comprising: 8. The loading plan creation system according to claim 5, wherein the loading plans created for a plurality of vending machines are leveled with the number of vending machines to be loaded per day. A loading plan creation system further comprising a leveling means for executing an operation. 9. A loading plan creation system for creating a plan for loading products into an automatic vending machine, comprising storage means for holding the sales results of the products in a plurality of vending machines for which loading plans are created. Extraction means for extracting the vending machine for which the loading plan should be created based on the ordering point that triggers the creation of the loading plan and the sales record, and a loading plan for creating the loading plan for the extracted vending machine A loading plan creation system comprising: a creating means. 10. The loading plan creation means, a prediction means for obtaining a sales forecast quantity and an inventory forecast quantity in the vending machine based on the sales record, and a loading interval decision for determining a loading interval of the vending machine. 10. The loading plan creation system according to claim 9, further comprising: a means, and an ordering point calculation means for calculating the ordering point in consideration of the predicted sales amount and the loading interval. 11. The extracting means extracts, in the same vending machine, a vending machine in which a ratio of a product whose inventory quantity is below the order point and a product whose inventory quantity is not below the order point has reached a predetermined value. The loading plan creation system according to claim 9 or 10. 12. The loading plan creation system according to claim 9, wherein the extraction unit extracts a vending machine in which the stock quantity of a specific product is below the order point. .