JP2016045539A - Information processing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing device and method of information processing that make plans of a production schedule from print-out to a post-process and delivery in an on-demand printing.SOLUTION: An information processing device has selection means 702 that: combines a production process for printing out a first print material with a production process for printing out a second print material; creates a combination of a plurality of production processes for printing out the first and second print materials; calculates a cost as to respective combinations of the plurality of created production processes using a preliminarily stored calculation reference value for calculating a cost of each production process; and selects one combination of the production process from the combinations of the plurality of production processes on the basis of the calculated cost.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that drafts a production plan from, for example, on-demand printing to printing, post-processing, and shipping, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that determines a manufacturing process for producing a mixture of a plurality of types of deliverables.

  In recent years, on-demand printing has become popular in production sites due to the improvement of printing technology by order orders via the Internet and digitization of image forming apparatuses. On-demand printing has features such as handling a very small lot, quick delivery, and a low price compared to conventional products, although there are many product lineups and options to meet each customer's request.

  In on-demand printing having such characteristics, there is a demand for efficiently creating an appropriate production plan. This is because, in order to create a production plan, it is necessary to sufficiently consider the product specifications that change according to the contents of the order, the operating conditions of the manufacturing equipment, the work period between manufacturing processes, and the like. However, in the case of on-demand printing, because the product lineup and options are abundant, the product specifications and work schedules for each order are disjoint and the delivery time is short, so it is difficult for people to think about the production plan.

  The technology that supports the production planning is to pre-set process information from printing to post-processing and shipment for each type of deliverable, and automatically create a production plan based on the process information. (For example, JP-A-2004-310746).

JP 2004-310746 A

Patent document 1 registers one manufacturing process for each product in advance with respect to the system, and manufactures a product requested in the order based on the manufacturing process when an order is received. Scheduling a job to do so is disclosed. However, if a large number of orders for multiple varieties and extremely small lots are submitted in one day, the pre-registered manufacturing process is appropriate when viewed as a single product, but the result of a production plan that combines them is not appropriate. There is a case. For example, the printing process and the post-processing process are composed of preparatory work / main work / post-work, but when the production processes of the deliverables are combined using the technology of Patent Document 1, the work setup is different, so production It takes time to prepare the equipment for operation and it is not in time for delivery. In addition, every time an order is received, it takes time for the person in charge of production to consider the optimal combination of manufacturing processes.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and provides an information processing apparatus and method for determining a manufacturing process suitable for producing a mixture of products having different product specifications.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention prints the first and second printed materials by combining a manufacturing process for printing the first printed material and a manufacturing process for printing the second printed material. Using a creation means for creating a combination of a plurality of manufacturing processes to perform, and a cost calculation reference value stored in advance for calculating the cost of each manufacturing process, Provided is an information processing apparatus having cost calculation means for calculating a cost and selection means for selecting one manufacturing process combination from the plurality of manufacturing process combinations based on the calculated cost. To do.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine a manufacturing process suitable for producing a mixture of a plurality of types of deliverables included in an order when a large number of orders for a large variety and a very small lot are received in a day. Can do. As a result, production efficiency can be increased. In addition, each time an order is received, it is possible to reduce the labor for the person in charge of production to consider the optimal combination of manufacturing processes.

It is a figure which shows the relationship between the order which concerns on embodiment of this invention, a deliverable, and parts. It is a figure which shows the example of the order which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the order information which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the network structure of the information processing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the management server which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the management server which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the software structure of the management server which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the manufacturing process database which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the cost point database which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the work definition database which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the manufacturing process combination determination process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the manufacturing process combination list creation process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the manufacturing process combination which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cost calculation processing flow with respect to one combination which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cost calculation processing flow for every step which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the cost calculation which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the combination selection processing flow of the manufacturing process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the manufacturing process edit screen which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the manufacturing process combination confirmation dialog which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the production plan edit screen which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the barcode example of the print data which concerns on this embodiment.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the relationship between orders, deliverables, and parts in the present embodiment. The order 100 is composed of at least one deliverable. In the present embodiment, two printed materials, a book 101 and a book 104, are assumed as deliverables. Although the plate types of the deliverables are different from each other, in this embodiment, the plate type of the book 101 is letter half-cut and the plate type of the book 104 is A5. Each deliverable is composed of one or more parts. In the present embodiment, the book 101 includes a body 102 and a cover 103, and the book 104 includes a body 105 and a cover 106. Each part content is submitted as one PDF (Portable Document Format, hereinafter referred to as “PDF”) file, and image data is arranged in the PDF file.

  The order 100 indicates that it is an order, and includes information (order information) that identifies the deliverable that is the object of the order. The information for specifying the product includes information for specifying the content of the product, information for specifying the parts, information for specifying the quantity, and the like. The deliverables (the book 101 and the book 104 in this example) are specified by the order information included in the order 100, and the parts are also specified. In the example of FIG. 1, the parts are a body 102, a cover 103, a body 105, and a cover 106 according to the contents of the order 100. Of course, the image printed on these parts is also specified by the order 100.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the order 100 of this embodiment. The actual data of the order 100 sent from the order server via the Internet has a folder structure shown in FIG. A deliverable folder 202 and a deliverable folder 206 are located immediately below the highest order folder 201. The deliverable folder 202 is used as a folder for the book 101, and the deliverable folder 206 is used as a folder for the book 104. The order information 203 and the parts folders 204 and 205 are immediately below the deliverable folder 202, and the order information 207 and the parts folders 208 and 209 are immediately below the deliverable folder 206. In the order information 203 and 207, option settings for the corresponding deliverables, component configuration, orderer, delivery destination, and the like are described. Also, the content of each corresponding component is stored in the component folder 204, 205, 208, 209. Note that the content here refers to a PDF, and image data is arranged in the PDF.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the order information 203 of this embodiment. The order information 203 is expressed in a PrintTalk format of CIP4 (Cooperation For the Integration of Processes in Press, Press, PostPress Organization). The PrintTalk format is a standard format for transaction data exchange. Also, based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), CIP4 JDF (Job Definition Format) is used for the specification expression of printed matter. The PrintTalk format is roughly divided into a header element, a request element, and a JDF element. The request element corresponds to order detailed information, and JDF corresponds to specification information of a printed matter that is a product.

  In FIG. 3, the order information 203 has order detail information 300 describing an order number and an order date. The order detail information 300 includes orderer information 301, a delivery method 302, product number and product name, product information 303 describing product type number, and part information 304. A product or part can be specified by the order detail information 300.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this information processing system is composed of a network system of an order server 400 and a printing laboratory 402 which are first largely connected by a WAN 401 or the like.

  The order server 400 is a server computer that functions as a Web-based submission system. When placing an order, the customer starts a Web browser at home (in-house) and accesses a Web site provided by the order server 400. The customer uploads the photo to the order server 400, pays the amount presented, and places an order. This order is the order 100, and order information specifying the deliverables and parts included in the order 100 is the order information 203.

  The printing laboratory 402 is an image forming system that includes a management server 403, an image forming apparatus 404, and a post-processing apparatus 405. The post-processing device 405 may be connected to the LAN or may not be connected. In the present embodiment, the post-processing device 405 is connected to the LAN.

  The management server 403 receives the order 100 issued from the order server 400, stores and manages the received order information 203, and generates a workflow describing a process for producing a deliverable according to the order information. Computer. The management server 403 functions as an information processing apparatus that manages printing by the image forming apparatus 404 and post-processing by the post-processing apparatus 405. The image forming apparatus 404 is connected to the management server 403 by communication, and executes a printing process, that is, a print job among the workflow processes output by the management server 403, and prints a printed material part as a product. . In addition, finishing jobs are also output as steps constituting the workflow, and each post-processing apparatus executes the jobs by executing those jobs.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 403 of this embodiment. Order management software 500 and workflow management software 501 are installed in the management server 403 so as to be executable. The order receiving software 500 receives an order from the order server 400 via the network 401, and the workflow management software 501 manages the received order and outputs a job related to the order to the image forming apparatus 404 and the post-processing apparatus 405. . The management server 403 has a database 502 that stores received order information, content data, and the like. In the present embodiment, software is synonymous with a program.

  When the workflow management software 501 receives an order from the order receiving software 500, the workflow management software 501 registers the data of the order in the database 502, and further performs prepress processing, job creation processing, and job for each part of the product (printed material) related to the order. Perform output processing. As the prepress process, an image correction process is performed on the image arranged in the content data of the parts of the photobook. Also, a PDF layout process is performed on the content data of the parts of the photobook to add a register mark used at the time of cutting and a barcode for inspection. After the prepress process, the workflow management software 503 creates a job for each component, and outputs the created job to the image forming apparatus 404 and the post-processing apparatus 405.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the management server 403 according to the present embodiment. The central processing unit 604 transfers programs such as order receiving software 500 and workflow management software 501 and related data from a storage medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, and IC memory card via a medium reader 605 connected to the system. Read. Alternatively, the central processing unit 604 receives data via the network 401 and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 607 such as a hard disk. Thereafter, an application program loaded from the auxiliary storage device 607 to the main storage device 600 is executed to process information input from the input device 603, and the image forming device 404 or the like via the output device 602 or the network I / F 606. Output to the post-processing device 405. In this embodiment, the output device 602 is a display device such as a display, and is distinguished from the image forming apparatus 404 originally included in the output device. The input device 603 is assumed to be configured with a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like. The procedure shown in the flowchart described below is stored in one of the main storage device 600, auxiliary storage device 607, and ROM 601 of the management server 403, and is normally executed after being copied to the main storage device 600 by the central processing unit 604. The

  Further, the auxiliary storage device 607 may be configured with a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk, or may be configured with a combination thereof. Further, even if each device is connected via a network, the present invention is not limited.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the characteristics of the processing in this embodiment. Hereinafter, processing of the workflow management software 501 will be described with reference to the relationship with the database 502. The workflow management software 501 includes an order receiving unit 700, a cost calculating unit 701, and a manufacturing process determining unit 702. The database 502 includes an order database 703, a manufacturing process database 704, a cost point database 705, and a work definition database 706. Each of these units indicates a functional block that is realized by the central processing unit 604 executing the workflow management software 501 and the database 502, and can also be a means for realizing each function.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the manufacturing process database 704. The manufacturing process database 704 is characterized by having one or more manufacturing processes per product. For example, in the manufacturing process database 704 of FIG. 8, the book 101 can have a plurality of manufacturing processes such as a manufacturing process 811 and a manufacturing process 812. Steps 1 to 9 indicated by 802 to 810 are work groups constituting each manufacturing process, and one step represents one work. Each step may be an operation that involves the use of a machine, or may be an operation that is performed manually without using a machine. When producing one deliverable, steps 1, 2, 3,... 9 are performed in order.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the cost point database 705. The cost point database 705 defines preparatory work and post work that can occur before and after each step in the manufacturing process database 704, and cost points 903 for each work. In the present embodiment, the “cost point” is a cost calculation reference value expressed by dividing each work content into five stages 1 to 5 (1 is the cheapest and 5 is the highest). Note that the stage division is not limited to five stages. Further, it is convenient to store the cost points in a cost point database in the form of a table. The manufacturing process database 704 and the cost point database 705 are linked in a work definition database 706 described later.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the work definition database 706. The work definition database 706 defines a work relationship between the manufacturing process database 704 and the cost point database 705. For example, in the manufacturing process database 704, step 803 (“cover printing A3”) of the manufacturing process 811 (book 101) is specified by step 1002 of the work definition database 706. As a result of determining the value of step 1002, it is specified that the work type 1000 of step 803 (“cover printing A3”) of the manufacturing process 811 (book 101) is “press”, and the work type detail 1001 is “print”. It is specified that there is. Conversely, step 1002 in which the work type 1000 is “press” can also be specified. Also. The device assigned to each step 1002 can also be identified.

  Upon receiving an order from the order receiving software 500, the order receiving means 700 registers order information and contents, which are information for specifying the deliverable, in the order database 703. For example, in the case of the example of FIG. 1, when order information of the order 100 is received, the book 101 and the book 104 are specified from the order information, and further, the body 102, the cover 103, and the book 104 which are parts of the book 101. The body 105 and the cover 106 are specified. The order receiving means 700 registers the identified book 101 and book 104 and the parts related to the book 101 and book 104 in the order database 703. The order receiving means 700 also registers the order number, order date, and product specification information described in the order information at the time of order registration. Further, a product number is issued to each product, and the product number is also stored in the order database 703.

  The cost calculation means 701 mainly plays two roles. The first role is to acquire an order from the order database 703, acquire the manufacturing process of the deliverable described in the order from the manufacturing process database 704, and create one or more combinations of manufacturing processes. The second role is to calculate the cost of each combination of manufacturing processes based on the cost points acquired from the cost point database 705.

  The manufacturing process determining means 702 determines a manufacturing process combination that is most suitable for the purpose of production by mixing orders stored in the order database 703 from among the manufacturing process combinations. Specifically, the manufacturing process determining means 702 compares the results of cost calculation performed by the cost calculating means 701 and selects the combination of manufacturing processes with the lowest cost.

<Manufacturing process combination determination process>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process combination determination processing flow in the present embodiment. In the workflow management software 501 shown in FIG. 7, the manufacturing process combination determination process is performed for all deliverables included in the orders registered in the order database 703 by the order receiving means 700. However, products that have already been produced and shipped are not subject to the manufacturing process combination determination process.

  First, in step S1100, the workflow management software 501 starts manufacturing process combination determination processing. In step S1101, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires all orders stored in the order database 703. As described above, if the order status has already been shipped, it is excluded from processing. In S1102, the cost calculation unit 701 analyzes the order information of each order acquired in S1101, and acquires the product type number described in the order information.

  In S1103, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires all one or more manufacturing processes associated with the product type number from the manufacturing process database 704 based on the product type number. In S 1104, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires cost points from the cost point database 705. In step S1105, the cost calculation unit 701 creates a list of manufacturing process combinations based on the manufacturing process acquired in step S1103. Details of the manufacturing process combination list creation process will be described later.

In S1106, the cost calculation unit 701 calculates the cost for one manufacturing process combination created in S1105 based on the cost point acquired in S1104. Details of the cost calculation process will be described later. In step S1107, the cost calculation unit 701 checks whether cost calculation for all the manufacturing process combinations has been completed. If the cost calculation has been completed for all the manufacturing process combinations, the cost calculation unit 701 moves to S1108 and shifts the control to the manufacturing process combination selection process. If the cost calculation has not been completed for all the manufacturing process combinations, the cost calculation unit 701 proceeds to S1106 and performs cost calculation for the next manufacturing process combination.
This completes the manufacturing process combination determination processing flow.

<Production process combination list creation process>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process combination list creation processing flow in the present embodiment. When called in S1105 of the above-described manufacturing process combination determination processing flow, control is transferred to the manufacturing process combination list creation process in S1200, and the process starts. When the manufacturing process combination list creation process is completed, control is returned to the manufacturing process combination determination process flow again.

  In S1201, the cost calculation means 701 acquires one manufacturing process of the first product among the manufacturing processes acquired in S1103. For example, in the case of the example of FIG. 8, the manufacturing process 811 is acquired. In S1202, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires one manufacturing process of the second product among the manufacturing processes acquired in S1103. For example, in the case of the example of FIG. 8, the manufacturing process 813 is acquired.

  In S1203, the cost calculation unit 701 confirms the delivery date of the first product and the second product stored in the order database 703, and determines whether the delivery date is the same. The delivery date is described in the delivery method 302 of the order information 203 illustrated in FIG. Specifically, the delivery date can be acquired by referring to the value of DropIntent / Required / @ Preferred. If the delivery date is within a predefined threshold, the cost calculation unit 701 moves to S1204. If the delivery date is other than the threshold value, the process moves to S1210 and the next manufacturing process is performed. If the delivery date is within the threshold, it means that the products are produced on the same day, and if the delivery date is other than the threshold, it means that the products are produced on different days. In other words, when products are produced on the same day, a production plan must be made in consideration of a combination of production processes of the products. Note that the threshold value may be described as a setting file of the information processing apparatus so that it can be changed, or may be described in the program so that it cannot be changed.

  In step S1204, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires one step described in the first product manufacturing process 811. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the value “cover printing A3” stored in step 803 of the manufacturing process 811 is acquired. In step S1205, the cost calculation unit 701 acquires one step described in the second product manufacturing process 813. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the value “Cover Print A5” stored in Step 803 of the manufacturing process 813 is acquired.

  In step S1206, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the steps acquired in steps S1204 and S1205 are the same work. Specifically, the cost calculation unit 701 refers to the work definition database 706 in FIG. 10 and confirms the work type details of the step. The work type details of the value “Cover Print A3” stored in Step 803 of the manufacturing process 811 is “Print”. The work type details of the value “Cover Print A5” stored in Step 803 of the manufacturing process 813 is “Print”. Therefore, it is determined that the operations of “Cover Print A3” and “Cover Print A5” are the same. If it is determined in step S1206 that the steps are not the same work, the cost calculation unit 701 moves to step S1212 and moves to the next step in the manufacturing process of the second product. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the process moves from step 803 to step 804. Then, the cost calculation unit 701 performs the processing of S1205 and S1206.

  In step S1207, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the devices used by the steps acquired in steps S1204 and S1205 are the same. Specifically, the cost calculation unit 701 refers to the database column 1003 of the work definition database 706 in FIG. The device 1003 with the value “cover printing A3” stored in step 803 of the manufacturing process 811 is “image forming apparatus 404”. Further, the device 1003 with the value “cover printing A5” stored in step 803 of the manufacturing process 813 is “image forming apparatus 404”. Therefore, it is determined that the devices used in the steps of “cover printing A3” and “cover printing A5” are the same. If it is determined in step S1207 that the devices used in steps are different, the cost calculation unit 701 moves to step S1212 and moves to the next step in the manufacturing process of the second product. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the process moves from step 803 to step 804. And the cost calculation means 701 performs the processing of S1205 to S1207.

  In step S1208, the cost calculation unit 701 checks whether all the steps described in the manufacturing process of the first product have been processed. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, when all of steps 802 to 810 have been processed, the cost calculation unit 701 determines that all steps have been processed. On the other hand, if there is any unprocessed step among steps 802 to 810, the cost calculation unit 701 determines that the processing has not been completed for all the steps. If the cost calculation unit 701 determines that all the steps of the first product have been processed, the process proceeds to S1209. If the cost calculation unit 701 determines that all the steps of the first product have not been processed, the process proceeds to S1213. In S1213, the process moves to the next step in the manufacturing process of the first product. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the process moves from step 803 to step 804. Then, the cost calculation unit 701 performs the processing of S1204 to S1208.

  In S1209, the cost calculation unit 701 stores the combination of the manufacturing processes determined in the processes from S1204 to S1208 in the array. In S1210, the cost calculation unit 701 confirms whether or not the manufacturing process of the second product that is the combination target with the first product has been processed. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, there are two manufacturing processes 811, a combination with the manufacturing process 813 and a combination with the manufacturing process 814. When the manufacturing process combination processing is completed for both the manufacturing processes 813 and 814, the cost calculation unit 701 proceeds to S1211. When the manufacturing process combination process is not completed, the process proceeds to S1202, and the manufacturing process combination process with the next manufacturing process of the second product is performed.

In step S1211, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether all the manufacturing processes of the first product have been processed. When all the manufacturing processes of the first product are processed, the cost calculating unit 701 moves to S1214 and completes the manufacturing process combination creating process. When all the manufacturing processes of the first product are not processed, the cost calculation unit 701 moves to S1201 and performs a manufacturing process combination list creation process for the next manufacturing process of the first product.
The manufacturing process combination list creation process is thus completed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the result of the manufacturing process combination list creation processing flow. A manufacturing process combination 1301 is created for the combination of the manufacturing process 811 and the manufacturing process 813 in FIG. 8, and a manufacturing process combination 1302 is created for the combination of the manufacturing process 811 and the manufacturing process 814. Further, a manufacturing process combination 1303 is created for the combination of the manufacturing process 812 and the manufacturing process 813 in FIG. 8, and a manufacturing process combination 1304 is created for the combination of the manufacturing process 812 and the manufacturing process 814.

<Cost calculation processing>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a cost calculation processing flow for one manufacturing process combination. In the example of FIG. 13, there are manufacturing process combinations 1301, 1302, 1303, and 1304, and this processing is performed for each of them. When the manufacturing process combination list creation process is completed in S1214, the process control moves to S1106 in FIG. 11, where S1400 in FIG. 14 is started. S1401 to S1404 exemplify that cost calculation is performed for each work type such as pre-press, press, post-press, and delivery. In S1405, the calculation results are added up and stored in the array in S1406. In this embodiment, cost calculation is performed separately for each work type. However, the cost calculation may be performed for all work types, and the unit of cost calculation is limited in the present invention. It is not a thing. For example, the cost calculation process when the work type of S1402 is press will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a cost calculation processing flow for each step according to the present embodiment.
In step S1501, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the two steps of preparation work can be merged. For example, the steps 1306 of the combination 1301 in FIG. Regarding the determination of whether or not merging is possible, if the parameters related to the step described in the order information completely match, merging is possible. If they do not match completely, it is determined that merging is not possible. If the steps can be merged, the process proceeds to S1502. If the steps cannot be merged, the process proceeds to S1508. The parameters are described in the part information 304 of the order information 203 illustrated in FIG.

  In step S1502, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the work type of the step is prepress and the barcode is printed in the print data. If there is a bar code, the process proceeds to S1503. If there is no barcode, the process moves to S1504. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the meaning of the bar code to be printed is described in the part information 304 of the order information 203 illustrated in FIG.

  In step S1503, the cost calculation unit 701 confirms whether the barcode positions in the print data are the same. As exemplified in FIG. 21, a bar code is printed outside the register mark for post-processing such as case binding and crease in the print data, and the job setting is called by scanning the bar code. ing. When combining manufacturing processes, if barcodes with the same meaning are printed at different positions between manufacturing processes, the position must be confirmed during barcode scanning when working with multiple deliverables in succession. Don't be. For example, such a situation occurs when the printing positions are different, such as barcodes 2100 and 2103 and barcodes 2101 and 2012 in FIG. Accordingly, the position of the barcode is confirmed in S1503, and if it is not the same position, the content of the imposition process instruction is changed so that a barcode having the same meaning is printed in the same position in S1513.

  In step S1504, the cost calculation unit 701 considers that the two steps can be completely merged and performs cost calculation. That is, the preparatory work cost is a value obtained by adding the values described in the cost point 903 of the cost point database 705 in FIG.

  In step S1508, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the paper sizes used in the step are the same. In the case of the same paper size, the process proceeds to S1512. If the paper sizes are different, the process moves to S1509. In S1512, since the paper size is the same, the cost calculation means 701 adds only once for the machine preparation and parameter input in the post-press preparation work, and for the other preparatory work, the value obtained by multiplying by 2 is the preparation work. Cost. In step S1509, the cost calculation unit 701 creates a third manufacturing process so as to match the larger paper size. That is, the paper size of one manufacturing process is changed to the paper size of the other manufacturing process that is desired to be printed simultaneously. As a result, the paper size is unified, and the preparation work for post-processing can be unified.

  In step S1510, the cost calculation unit 701 confirms whether the material cost of the third manufacturing process created in step S1509 is within an allowable range. This confirmation may be a form in which a confirmation dialog as illustrated in FIG. 19 is displayed on the screen to prompt the judgment, or a material cost threshold value is defined in advance in the setting file, and the judgment is made based on whether the value is within the threshold value. May be. If the material cost is within the allowable range, the third process is adopted, and the process proceeds to S1512. If the material cost is above the allowable range, the third step is discarded and the process proceeds to S1511. S1511 means a case where merging is completely impossible. Therefore, in S1511, the cost calculation unit 701 considers that the preparatory work occurs twice in each step, and adds 2 to each of the values described in the cost points 903 of the cost point database 705 in FIG. Let the value be the cost of the preparatory work.

  In step S1505, the cost calculation unit 701 determines whether the subsequent work can be merged. The determination criteria are the same as the preparation work described in S1501. If merging is possible, the process moves to S1506. In the case of a merge load, the process proceeds to S1514. In S1506, the cost calculation means 701 considers that the post-operations occur only once and performs cost calculation. That is, the post-operation cost is a value obtained by adding the values described in the cost point 903 of the cost point database 705 in FIG. In S1514, the cost calculation means 701 considers that the preparatory work occurs twice in each step, adds the values described in the cost points 903 of the cost point database 705, and further multiplies the value by 2 to the post work. Cost.

In step S1507, the cost calculation unit 701 confirms whether or not processing has been completed for all steps. If the processing for all the steps has been completed, the cost calculation means 701 moves to S1515 and returns the process control to S1405 in FIG. If the processing has not been completed for all steps, the cost calculation unit 701 proceeds to S1501 and performs cost calculation for the next step.
This is the end of the description of the cost calculation processing flow for each step.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the result of the cost calculation process. As shown in FIG. 13, there were originally four manufacturing process combinations 1301 to 1304, but since a third manufacturing process was newly created during the cost calculation process, five manufacturing processes 1602 were added in FIG. 16. A cost point of the manufacturing process combination is exemplified by 1601.

<Production process combination selection process>
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process combination selection processing flow according to the present embodiment.
In step S <b> 1701, the manufacturing process determination unit 702 compares the values of the cost points 1601 of the manufacturing process combinations 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304, and 1602 calculated by the cost calculation unit 701.

In step S1702, the manufacturing process determination unit 702 determines whether there is only one combination of manufacturing processes with the lowest cost. When there is only one combination of manufacturing processes with the lowest cost, the manufacturing process determining unit 702 adopts the manufacturing process combination (S1703). If there are two or more manufacturing process combinations with the lowest cost, candidates are displayed on the screen as illustrated in FIG. 20 (S1703).
This completes the process related to the manufacturing process combination determination.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process editing screen according to the present embodiment. On the manufacturing process edit screen 1800, the manufacturing process of each product stored in the manufacturing process database 704 is displayed. In addition, the structure which receives the change of the manufacturing process displayed on the manufacturing process edit screen 1800 may be sufficient, and it does not restrict | limit this invention. Reference numeral 1801 denotes the name of the deliverable acquired from the order database 703. In 1802, the details of the manufacturing process of the product selected in 1801 and 1803 are displayed. In FIG. 18, the details of the manufacturing process clearly indicate to which machine each step is assigned and who is in charge. In 1803, a list of manufacturing steps of the product selected in 1801 is displayed. Reference numeral 1804 denotes a production planning start button. When this button is pressed, the manufacturing process combination determination process is started.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process combination confirmation dialog 1900 according to the present embodiment. For example, when the cost calculation unit 701 creates the third manufacturing process, there is a possibility that the material cost may change because the paper used for labor saving is changed. This dialog is displayed for the purpose of requesting confirmation from the printing site manager (user) whether this is an allowable range (S1510 in FIG. 15). If the “Yes” button 1901 on the manufacturing process combination confirmation dialog 1900 is pressed, the process proceeds to S1512 in FIG. 15, and if the “No” button 1902 is pressed, the process proceeds to S1511 in FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the production plan editing screen 2000 according to the present embodiment. After the manufacturing process combination is determined, a production plan created based on the manufacturing process combination and the order is displayed on the production plan display unit 2001. Further, when there are two or more manufacturing process combination candidates, the production plan candidates are displayed on the production plan selection unit 2002. When one of the plurality of production plan candidates is selected, the content of the selected production plan candidate is displayed on the production plan display unit 2001.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since it is possible to determine a combination of manufacturing processes suitable for producing products with different product specifications in a mixed manner, it is possible to unify the work setup and create a production plan in time for delivery. Can support. In addition, since the combination of manufacturing processes can be automatically determined, it is possible to reduce the troublesome work of the plan review that has occurred in the production manager at the time of production planning.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. To be executed.

Claims (7)

Combining a manufacturing process for printing the first printed material and a manufacturing process for printing the second printed material to create a combination of a plurality of manufacturing processes for printing the first and second printed materials. Creating means to
Cost calculation means for calculating the cost for each of the plurality of combinations of the created manufacturing processes using a cost calculation reference value stored in advance for calculating the cost of each manufacturing process;
Selection means for selecting one manufacturing process combination from the plurality of manufacturing process combinations based on the calculated cost;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cost calculation unit generates a new manufacturing process when the paper sizes of the first and second printed materials are different.   3. The information according to claim 2, wherein the cost calculation means includes means for requesting a user to confirm whether the material cost for the manufacturing process is within an allowable range when the new manufacturing process is generated. Processing equipment.   When the first printed product and the second printed material have the same meaning barcode, the cost calculating means performs a new manufacture so that the barcode is arranged at the same position when the barcode is not at the same position. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a process is generated. A combination of a plurality of manufacturing steps for printing the first and second printed matter by combining a plurality of manufacturing steps for printing the first printed matter and a manufacturing step for printing the second printed matter. Creating process to create
A cost calculation process for calculating a cost for each of the plurality of combinations of the created manufacturing processes using a cost calculation reference value stored in advance for calculating the cost of each manufacturing process;
A selection step of selecting one combination of manufacturing steps from the combination of the plurality of manufacturing steps based on the calculated cost;
An information processing method characterized by comprising:   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the information processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4.   A storage medium for storing the program according to claim 6.

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