JP7339545B2 - Product storage management method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a product storage space management method in a manufacturing process in which a product processed in multiple upstream processes is further processed in multiple downstream processes via a product storage space.

In a manufacturing process that produces products, for example, a steel manufacturing process, it is common practice to store products that have been processed in an upstream process that has multiple processing lines, temporarily store them in a product storage area, and then process them further in a downstream process that has multiple processing lines. It is For example, products that have been pickled in a plurality of pickling lines are each stored in storage areas for storing the products processed in the pickling lines, and then transported to storage areas for the cold rolling process, which is the downstream process. It is cold-rolled in the cold-rolling process after waiting for the production turn. The cold rolling process also has a plurality of cold rolling lines, and in many cases, one cold rolling line is designated according to the plate thickness and product type of the product to be produced, and the product is processed.

In the manufacturing process as described above, from the viewpoint of productivity, it is required that the upstream and downstream processes be performed smoothly and efficiently. Production efficiency is affected not only by the processing capacity of upstream and downstream processes, but also by the inventory status of product storage areas provided in each process, the transport capacity of transport devices that transport products between processes, and the like. As a case that hinders efficient production of upstream and downstream processes, for example, if a production plan is executed that requires product storage exceeding the maximum storage capacity of the rear storage area of the upstream process, processing will be stopped due to in-process adjustment suspension. A situation occurs in the upstream process that has to be done. Further, for example, if a production plan is executed in which there are no products to be processed in the downstream process from the front storage area of the downstream process, a situation occurs in the downstream process in which the processing must be stopped due to material shortage.

Such suspension due to in-process adjustment, shortage of materials, etc. is assumed not to occur at the stage of creating a production plan, but there are cases where actual production does not go as planned. Conventionally, suspensions are avoided by recreating production plans each time based on actual production results and production forecasts.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a material to be transported is transported between a material supply source, a plurality of processes, and at least one storage site according to a predetermined production plan, and the material to be transported is processed in the multiple processes, Disclosed is a physical distribution management support device for supporting physical distribution management of materials to be transported, which produces products from materials to be transported. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, attention is paid to the amount of distribution between processes and storage areas, and if the predicted value of the actual amount of distribution exceeds the upper limit of the amount of distribution, an alarm is issued to prompt a review of the production plan, or the production plan If there is a discrepancy between the actual situation and the actual production results, predict the fluctuations in the distribution volume that will occur in the future from the planned distribution volume, review the production plan based on the predicted fluctuations, and review the production plan based on the predicted fluctuations. Reduce the occurrence of pauses.

Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, provided in at least one work process of a production line that produces a product through a plurality of work processes, Memorize the current stock quantity of produced parts, create a revised plan for the production schedule from the results of simulated execution of the production schedule of parts to be produced in the future in the own work process, and simulate the revised plan. A production plan modification system is disclosed that determines whether a part to be produced in an in-house work process will be out of stock, and displays whether or not to adopt the modification plan. In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the amount of work in progress in the downstream process is predicted based on the amount of work in the upstream and downstream processes in the production plan, and the production plan is reviewed so that the amount of work in process in the downstream process does not become zero. This reduces the occurrence of material shortage stoppages in downstream processes.

JP 2019-020875 A JP-A-6-143106

However, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose a production planning method, and if the production plan is not based on the actual situation, the discrepancy between the production plan and actual production results becomes extremely large. In this case, even if the production plan is reviewed and the distribution is revised when the actual production results are clarified, the revision timing is too late, so the frequency of stoppages cannot be reduced.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, although it is considered that the frequency of material shortages can be reduced, the prediction assuming the maximum inventory capacity of the storage area is also a prediction based on transportation from the rear storage area in the upstream process to the front storage area in the lower process. has not been implemented. For this reason, the technique described in Patent Document 2 cannot suppress suspension of work-in-progress adjustment, and suspension that may occur due to shortage of transportation capacity or the like cannot be suppressed.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the frequency of suspension of work-in-progress adjustment and shortage of materials in the manufacturing process of products, thereby achieving efficient production. To provide a product storage management method capable of realizing

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the manufacturing process, according to the production schedule, from the first storage place that stores the product processed in the first step to the second step A product storage site management method when transporting products to be processed in a second storage site to a second storage site, wherein the first step includes a plurality of first processing lines, and the first storage site includes a first A plurality of first storage areas provided corresponding to each of the processing lines, the second step having a plurality of second processing lines, and a second storage area corresponding to each of the second processing lines. For the production schedule of the first forecast period from the forecast start time to the first forecast end time, at each of the plurality of forecast time points set in the first forecast period , based on the number of products processed in the first process, the number of products processed in the second process, and the total number of products stored in the first storage area and the second storage area, the first Shorter than the first prediction period for the first prediction step of predicting whether or not a pause will occur in the process or the second process, and the production schedule predicted that no pause will occur in the first prediction step, For each of the first processing lines, the number of products processed in the first processing line at each of the plurality of prediction times set in the second prediction period from the prediction start time to the second prediction end time, Occurrence of suspension in the first processing line based on the number of products transported from the first storage area corresponding to the processing line to each second storage area and the product inventory quantity in the first storage area at the time of prediction start Predicting the presence or absence of each second processing line, the number of products processed in the second processing line, the number of products transported from each first storage area to the second storage area corresponding to the second processing line, and , a second prediction step for predicting the presence or absence of pauses in the second processing line based on the number of products in stock in the second storage area at the time of prediction start; and the first prediction step or the second prediction step and an adjusting step of adjusting the production schedule when it is predicted that a stoppage will occur in the production site.

In the first prediction step, the value obtained by subtracting the number of products processed in the second process from the number of products processed in the first process at the end of the first prediction, the first storage place and Based on the total number of products stored in the second storage area, the excess or deficiency of the products in the first storage area and the second storage area is calculated, and whether or not there is a pause in the first process or the second process You can predict.

In a second prediction step, for each first processing line, the number of products to be processed minus the number of products to be conveyed from the first storage area corresponding to the first processing line to each second storage area; , based on the number of products in stock in the first storage area at the time of prediction start, calculate the excess or deficiency of the products stored in the first storage area, predict whether the first processing line will be suspended, For each second processing line, the number of products to be processed minus the number of products conveyed from each first storage area to the second storage area corresponding to the second processing line, and the value at the time of prediction start Based on the number of products in stock in the second storage area, the excess or deficiency of the products stored in the second storage area may be calculated to predict whether or not the first processing line will be suspended.

When it is predicted that a pause will occur in the first prediction step, in the adjustment step, schedule information representing the processing start time and processing end time for each product in each processing line of each process is changed in the production schedule. , then the first prediction step may be performed again.

When it is predicted that a pause will occur in the second prediction step, in the adjustment step, the conveying capacity information representing the conveying capacity of the product from the first storage place to the second storage place is changed, and then the second The prediction step may be performed again.

Further, the product storage space management method may include a notification step of notifying the user of the prediction result when it is predicted that a pause will occur in the first prediction step or the second prediction step.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the manufacturing process of a product, it is possible to reduce the occurrence frequency of in-process adjustment stoppages and material shortage stoppages, thereby realizing efficient production.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the movement of a product from an upstream process to a downstream process in a manufacturing process; 1 is a functional block diagram showing one configuration example of a management system including a storage space management device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a production schedule for a first prediction period; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inventory management information including the maximum inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of storage areas a1 to an and b1 to bm of storage areas a and b; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of transport capability information; 5 is a flow chart showing a product storage space management method according to the same embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the first determination step that the in-process adjustment suspension will occur; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the first determination step that a shortage of products will be suspended; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of adjusting a production schedule; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a production schedule for a second prediction period; FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the inventory status of products in rear storage areas a1 to an of the storage area a. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the inventory status of products in front storage areas b1 to bm of the storage area b; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the second determination step that a pause will occur; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of adjustment of conveying capability information; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows the steel manufacturing process which consists of a pickling process, a cold-rolling process, an annealing process, a plating process, and a packing process as an example of a manufacturing process.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

[1. Process overview]
First, based on FIG. 1, an example of a manufacturing process for a product according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating movement of a product from an upstream process A to a downstream process B in a manufacturing process.

In the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 1, products processed in an upstream process A having a plurality of upstream processing lines A1 to An are transferred to a downstream process B having a plurality of downstream processing lines B1 to Bm by a conveying device 10 such as a truck. transported to and processed. On the delivery side of the upstream processing lines A1 to An, there are rear storage areas a1 to an for storing the products processed by the respective upstream processing lines A1 to An as rear storage areas a (simply referred to as "storage areas a"). is provided. Similarly, on the inlet side of the downstream processing lines B1 to Bm, a front storage area b (also simply referred to as “storage location b”) is provided as a front storage area b1 for storing products to be processed in each of the downstream processing lines B1 to Bm. ~ bm are provided. Note that n and m are natural numbers of 2 or more.

For example, the manufacturing process is a steelmaking process, the upstream process A is a pickling process, and the downstream process B is a cold rolling process. In this case, the coils C pickled in a plurality of pickling lines of the pickling process are stored in rear storage areas provided on the delivery side of each pickling line, and then transported to the rear storage area by the conveying device. It is transported from the rear storage area to the front storage area of the front storage area. Then, the coils C stored in the front storage areas are cold rolled in the cold rolling lines corresponding to the front storage areas.

In such a manufacturing process, in order for the processing of the upstream and downstream processes to be carried out smoothly and efficiently, in addition to the processing capacity of the upstream and downstream processes, the inventory status of the product storage areas provided in each process , production planning that takes into account the transport capacity of transport equipment that transports products between processes. On the other hand, if all the above are considered in detail, it will take time to adjust the production plan. Therefore, with the product storage space management method according to the present embodiment, in addition to the processing capacity of the upstream process and the downstream process, the inventory status of the product storage space, the transport capacity of the transport device, etc. are considered, and efficient processing is realized. Produce a production plan while suppressing an increase in adjustment load. The product storage management method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below.

[2. Product storage management method]
[2-1. System configuration]
First, based on FIG. 2, the configuration of a management system 100 including a storage space management device 120 that executes the product storage space management method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the management system 100 including the storage space management device 120 according to this embodiment.

In the manufacturing process, the management system 100 according to the present embodiment moves from a first storage area for storing products processed in a first process to a second storage area for storing products processed in a second process. It is a system for managing the inventory status of the products in the first and second storage areas in the process of transporting them to. Specifically, when the management system 100 executes the production schedule generated in advance based on the production plan in processing the products in the first process and the second process, the excess or deficiency of the products occurs and the production is interrupted. If there is a possibility that productivity will decline, the production schedule will be readjusted to suppress the decline in production efficiency. A case of managing the product inventory status in the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 1 will be described below. In FIG. 1, the upstream process A corresponds to the first process, the downstream process B to the second process, the rear storage space a to the first storage space, the front storage space b to the second storage space, and the coil C to the product. Further, the plurality of upstream processing lines A1 to An of the upstream process A are the first processing lines, the plurality of downstream processing lines B1 to Bm of the downstream process B are the second processing lines, the front storage areas a1 to an are the first storage areas, The rear storage areas b1-bm correspond to the second storage areas.

The management system 100 includes an input device 110, a storage site management device 120, an output device 130, and a production schedule storage section 140, as shown in FIG.

The input device 110 is a device for a user to input information, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, and a lever, and is operated by the user to input information. Information input from the input device 110 is output to the storage site management device 120 . For example, the user uses the input device 110 to input a period for predicting the inventory status of products at the storage sites a and b with respect to the production schedule generated in advance based on the production plan. The input device 110 outputs the input information to the storage site management device 120 .

The storage space management device 120 determines whether or not there is a possibility that an excess or deficiency of products will occur and productivity will decrease when a production schedule generated in advance based on the production plan is executed, and based on the determination result, the production schedule will be adjusted. adjust. The storage space management device 120 has a first determination section 121 , a second determination section 123 and an adjustment processing section 125 .

The first determination unit 121 broadly predicts the product movement and storage conditions based on the production schedule for the first prediction period recorded in the production schedule storage unit 140, which will be described later. The first determination unit 121 determines the number of products processed in the upstream process A (first process), the number of products processed in the downstream process B (second process), and the Based on the number of products processed in and the total number of products stored in the rear storage area a (first storage area) and the front storage area b (second storage area), excess or deficiency of products in storage areas a and b judge. The first prediction period is a period from the start of prediction to the end of the first prediction, and is set, for example, to about two to three weeks.

The upstream process A and the downstream process B each have a plurality of processing lines, and the storage sites a and b also have a plurality of storage areas respectively corresponding to the plurality of processing lines. For this reason, it is desirable to make detailed predictions for each processing line and each storage area in order to correctly determine the excess or deficiency of products in the storage areas a and b. However, a detailed prediction over the entire first prediction period results in a high computational load. Therefore, the first determination unit 121 predicts the inventory status of products in units of processes and in units of storage areas, each of which considers a plurality of processing lines and a plurality of storage areas as one unit. Details of the prediction processing in the first determination unit 121 will be described later.

When the first determination unit 121 determines that there is an excess or deficiency of products in the storage areas a and b, the first determination unit 121 instructs the output device 130 to notify the user of the occurrence of the excess or deficiency of the products. Also, the first determination unit 121 instructs the adjustment processing unit 125 to adjust the production schedule. Then, the first determination unit 121 predicts the product inventory status again based on the adjusted production schedule. If it is determined that there will be no excess or shortage of products in the storage areas a and b, the first determination unit 121 sets the current production schedule as a setting candidate, and instructs the second determination unit 123 to start prediction. I do.

Based on the production schedule adjusted by the first determination unit 121, the second determination unit 123 determines excess or deficiency of products in each storage area during the second prediction period. The second prediction period is a period from the prediction start point to the second prediction end point, and is set shorter than the first prediction period. If the second prediction period is set too long, the production schedule adjustment load will increase, while if it is set too short, the prediction accuracy will decrease. Therefore, the second prediction period is set based on past results, or is set by obtaining an appropriate period through simulation. The second prediction period is set, for example, to about two or three days.

Specifically, the second determination unit 123 determines, for each of the upstream processing lines A1 to An of the upstream process A, the number of products processed in the upstream processing lines Aa to An, and the number of products corresponding to the upstream processing lines A1 to An. Based on the number of products transported from the rear storage areas a1 to an to each of the front storage areas b1 to bm, and the number of products in stock in the rear storage areas a1 to an at the time of prediction start, to the first storage areas a1 to an Determining excess or deficiency of stored products. In addition, the second determination unit 123 determines the number of products to be processed in the downstream processing lines B1 to Bm for each of the downstream processing lines B1 to Bm of the downstream process B, Products to be stored in the front storage areas b1 to bm based on the number of products transported to the front storage areas b1 to bm corresponding to ~Bm and the number of products in stock in the front storage areas b1 to bm at the time of prediction start Judging the excess or deficiency of Details of the prediction processing in the second determination unit 123 will be described later.

In this way, the second determination unit 123 determines in detail the product excess/deficiency for each storage area for a period shorter than the first prediction period. When the second determination unit 123 determines that an excess or deficiency of products occurs in any of the storage areas a1 to an or b1 to bm, the output device 130 notifies the user of the occurrence of the excess or deficiency of the products. instruct to do so. The second determination unit 123 also instructs the adjustment processing unit 125 to adjust the production schedule. Then, the second determination unit 123 predicts the product inventory status again based on the adjusted production schedule. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no excess or shortage of products in all of the storage areas a1 to an and b1 to bm, the second determination unit 123 decides to carry out production according to the production schedule at this time. decide.

The adjustment processing unit 125 adjusts the production schedule so that the excess or deficiency of products will not occur when it is predicted that there will be an excess or deficiency of products in the storage area. Cases in which excess or deficiency of products occurs in the storage area include, for example, cases in which products exceeding the maximum storage capacity of the rear storage area in the upstream process are stored in the rear storage area, or there are no products to be processed in the downstream process from the front storage area in the downstream process. There are cases, etc. The adjustment processing unit 125 adjusts the production schedule by changing the processing time of the product, changing the type of product to be processed, and changing the carrying capacity of the product according to each case. . The details of the production schedule adjustment by the adjustment processing unit 125 will be described later. The adjustment processing unit 125 adjusts the production schedule in response to instructions from the first determination unit 121 and the second determination unit 123, and transmits the adjusted production schedule to the first determination unit 121 and the second determination unit 123. Output.

The output device 130 receives the determination results of the first determination unit 121 and the second determination unit 123 of the storage space management device 120 and notifies the user of the occurrence of excess or deficiency of products in the storage space. The output device 130 may be, for example, a CRT display device, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, an EL display device, or a display device that visually notifies the user of information, or may be a printer, a mobile communication terminal, or the like. good too. Alternatively, the output device 130 may be an audio output device that outputs information as audio, such as a speaker.

The production schedule storage unit 140 stores a production schedule generated based on the production plan. The production schedule is initially preset based on the production plan and recorded in the production schedule storage unit 140 . Thereafter, the production schedule is reviewed by the storage area management device 120 at a predetermined timing, and the production schedule readjusted by the adjustment processing unit 125 is determined by the second determination unit 123 for all the storage areas a1 to an and b1 to bm. , the production schedule in the production schedule storage unit 140 is updated to the adjusted production schedule. In addition, the production schedule storage unit 140 may also store information on the transport capability for transporting products from the upstream process A to the downstream process B. FIG.

A configuration example of the management system 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above.

The storage management device 120 of the management system 100 is composed of various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Therefore, it can be realized by being operated. The storage space management device 120 may be various processors as described above, or may be a so-called microcomputer in which a processor and a storage device such as a memory are integrated. Alternatively, the storage space management device 120 may be various information processing devices such as a PC (Personal Computer) and a server.

Moreover, the production schedule storage unit 140 may be a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a storage device for storing data. A memory such as a RAM may be built in the storage site management device 120, for example. The storage device can be composed of, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, a magneto-optical storage device, or the like.

[2-2. Storage management processing]
Next, a product storage management method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 14. FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a production schedule for the first prediction period. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inventory management information including the maximum inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of each of the storage areas a1 to an and b1 to bm of the storage areas a and b. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of transport capability information. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the product storage management method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the first determination step that the in-process adjustment suspension will occur. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the first determination step that there will be a shortage of products. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of production schedule adjustment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the production schedule for the second prediction period. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the inventory status of products in the rear storage areas a1 to an of the storage area a. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the inventory status of products in the front storage areas b1 to bm of the storage area b. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the inventory status of products when it is determined in the second determination step that a pause will occur. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of adjustment of conveying capability information.

In the product storage management method according to the present embodiment, the inventory is predicted in two steps, that is, the inventory quantity prediction for the storage locations a and b and the inventory quantity prediction for each storage area. Adjust the production schedule considering the logistics situation. As a result, the frequency of stoppages for work-in-progress adjustment and material shortages can be reduced compared to the conventional method.

First, a production schedule is stored in the production schedule storage unit 140 in executing the product storage space management method according to the present embodiment. The production schedule is planned based on the order received from the customer, and schedule information indicating the processing start time and processing end time for each product unit for each processing line of each process, and the maximum inventory quantity and actual inventory quantity in each storage area of each storage area. and inventory control information indicating

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the schedule information includes the serial numbers of the coils to be processed and their processing start and end times for each of the upstream processing lines A1 to An of the upstream process A. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the downstream process B includes the manufacturing number of the coil to be processed and the process start time and process end time of each of the downstream process lines B1 to Bm of the downstream process B. FIG. In FIG. 3, the schedule information is arranged in chronological order. Looking at FIG. 3, from the schedule information, for example, the coil 1001 processed in the upstream processing line A1 is processed in the downstream processing line B2, and the coil 1002 processed in the upstream processing line A1 is processed in the downstream processing line B1. Thus, the destination of movement from the upstream process A to the downstream process B can be specified.

The inventory management information includes, for example, the maximum inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of each of the storage areas ai and bj of the storage sites a and b, as shown in FIG. Maximum stock quantity represents the maximum number of products that can be stocked. The actual inventory count represents the number of products in stock at a certain point in time. Hereinafter, the maximum inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of each storage area a, b and each storage area ai, bj are expressed as follows. Note that i and j are natural numbers, i=1 to n and j=1 to m.

Nai: Maximum inventory quantity in storage area ai Nbj: Maximum inventory quantity in storage area bj N0ai: Actual inventory quantity at the forecast start time (T0) for storage area ai N0bj: Actual performance at the forecast start time (T0) for storage area bj Inventory quantity ΣNai: Maximum inventory quantity of storage location a ΣNbj: Maximum inventory quantity of storage location b ΣN0ai: Actual inventory quantity of storage location a at the forecast start time (T0) ΣN0bj: Actual inventory quantity of storage location b at the forecast start time (T0) Nab: total maximum number of stocks of storage areas a and b (= ΣNai + ΣNbj)
N0ab: Total actual inventory quantity at the forecast start point (T0) of storage sites a and b
(= ΣN0ai + ΣN0bj)

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the maximum inventory quantity Na1 of coils in the storage area a1 is 100, and the actual inventory quantity N0a1 at the prediction start time (T0) is 80 pieces. The maximum inventory quantity Nb1 of coils in the storage area b1 is 70, and the actual inventory quantity N0b1 at the prediction start point (T0) is 50 coils. The maximum inventory quantity ΣNai of the place a is 800, and the actual inventory quantity at the prediction start point (T0) is 700 pieces. The maximum inventory quantity ΣNbi of the place b is 700, and the actual inventory quantity at the prediction start point (T0) is 650 pieces. The total maximum inventory quantity Nab of the locations a and b is 1,500, and the total actual inventory quantity N0ab at the prediction start time (T0) is 1,350.

Furthermore, the production schedule storage unit 140 stores information on the transfer capability for transferring products from the upstream process A to the downstream process B as a production schedule. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the transport capacity information can be represented by the standard transport amount Kaibj (pieces/h) per hour from the rear storage area ai to the front storage area bj. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the standard transportation amount Ka1b1 from the rear storage area a1 to the front storage area b1 is 2 pieces/h, and the standard transportation amount Ka2b2 from the rear storage area a2 to the front storage area b2 is 3 pieces. /h. The carrying capacity information is set in advance in consideration of the carrying capacity of the carrier device 10, the processing capacity of the upstream process A and the downstream process B, and the like. As will be described later, the transport capacity information can be changed when the production schedule needs to be reviewed.

(S100: first prediction step)
In the product storage management method according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the first determination unit 121 of the storage management device 120 predicts the number of products in stock for each storage location in the first prediction period. , the presence or absence of suspension due to excess or shortage of products is predicted (S100). In the first prediction step, from the current manufacturing situation, a global prediction is made of the possibility of suspension if the product continues to be manufactured based on the current production schedule. That is, in the first prediction step, at each of a plurality of prediction points set in the first prediction period from the start of prediction to the end of the first prediction, the number of products processed in the upstream process A, Based on the number of products processed in B and the total number of products stored in storage locations a and b, the excess or deficiency of products in storage locations a and b is calculated, and the possibility of suspension occurring is predicted.

Specifically describing the first prediction step, first, as shown in FIG. 1 to p, where p is a natural number equal to or greater than 2. Set T1_p=T1). Here, the prediction start time T0 and the first prediction period T1 may be set in advance, or may be designated by the user using the input device 110 . In FIG. 3, the prediction start time T0 is set to midnight k days after the current time, and the first prediction period T1 is set to 15 days. Also, the interval at which the first prediction period T1 is divided can be set as appropriate, and is set to one hour in FIG. 3, for example. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the first prediction period T1 is divided into 360.

The first determination unit 121 calculates a value ( Hereinafter, it is also referred to as “the number of processing differences”.) is calculated. In addition, the first determination unit 121 calculates the total actual inventory quantity N0ab at the prediction start point (T0) of the storage sites a and b. Then, the first determination unit 121 calculates the sum of the processing difference number and the total actual inventory quantity N0ab as the total inventory quantity for each prediction time point T1_u. The total number of inventory is used to determine whether there is a possibility of suspension.

If the total inventory quantity at each prediction time T1_u exceeds the total maximum inventory quantity Nab of the storage sites a and b, there is a possibility that the product cannot be stored in the storage sites a and b, resulting in work-in-progress adjustment suspension. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 7, the number of products processed in the entire upstream process A is estimated to be 15000, and the number of products processed in the entire downstream process B is estimated to be 14700 when the prediction time T1_180 is reached. The number of processed differences is 300. Since the total actual stock quantity N0ab is 1350 pieces, the total stock quantity at this time is 1650 pieces, which exceeds the total maximum stock quantity Nab of 1500 pieces. In such a case, it is determined that there is a possibility that work-in-progress adjustment suspension will occur.

Further, when the number of processing differences at each predicted time T1_u is 0 or less, there is a possibility that products will be in short supply and material shortage will occur. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 8, the number of products processed in the entire upstream process A is estimated to be 600 and the number of products processed in the entire downstream process B is estimated to be 970 when the prediction time T1_80 is reached. The number of processed differences is -20. In such a case, it is determined that the number of products in the front storage space b is insufficient for the processing capacity of the downstream process B, and there is a possibility that a material shortage will occur.

In this way, the first determination unit 121 determines the number of products processed in the upstream process A at each of the plurality of prediction points set in the first prediction period from the prediction start point to the first prediction end point. , the number of products processed in downstream process B, and the total number of products stored in storage sites a and b, calculate the excess or deficiency of products in storage sites a and b, and predict the possibility of suspension. do.

(S110: notification step)
When the first prediction step of step S100 determines that a pause may occur, the first determination unit 121 notifies the output device 130 of the possibility of a pause. give instructions to In response to the instruction, the output device 130 notifies the user that there is a possibility that a suspension such as a suspension for work-in-progress adjustment or a shortage of materials will occur (S110). For example, if the output device 130 is a display, the content of notification is displayed on the display, or the display color of the display is changed to a warning color. Also, for example, if the output device 130 is a speaker, it outputs notification content or a sound representing it. In this way, the user is notified that a pause may occur if the operation is continued as it is.

(S120: first adjustment step)
When it is determined in the first prediction step of step S100 that there is a possibility of suspension, the adjustment processing unit 125 reviews the production schedule (S120). For example, based on the results of the first prediction step, the adjustment processing unit 125 increases or decreases the number of products processed in processes A and B, such as by changing the product production period, so as to avoid interruptions in production. Adjust schedule information for schedules.

For example, consider a case where the schedule information before adjustment is shown in FIG. 3 and there is a possibility that the work-in-progress adjustment suspension shown in FIG. 7 will occur. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the adjustment processing unit 125 reduces the number of products processed in the entire upstream process A at the time when the prediction time T1_180 is reached, and reduces the number of products processed in the entire downstream process B. The schedule information from the prediction start time T0 to the prediction time T1_180 is adjusted so as to increase. As a result, the total number of inventories is made equal to or less than the total maximum number of inventories Nab, thereby avoiding the occurrence of work-in-progress adjustment suspension.

The number of products processed in processes A and B can be increased or decreased by changing the schedule information. For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. The product that was there is changed to be processed later. In the example of FIG. 9, the processing timings of the coil 1003 of the upstream processing line A1 and the coil 2511 of the upstream processing line A1 are changed. In addition, in order to increase the number of products to be processed in the entire downstream process B at the time when the prediction time T1_180 is reached, for example, the number of products scheduled to be processed from the prediction start time T0 to the prediction time T1_180 is increased per unit time. is changed to a product type with a large number of products processed. For example, the coil 0003, which was originally scheduled to be processed in the downstream processing line B1, is changed to coils 0515 and 0516 that can process more products per unit time than the coil 0003 in FIG.

In this way, when the schedule information is adjusted by the adjustment processing unit 125 so as to avoid a pause, the first determination unit 121 executes the process of step S100 again based on the adjusted schedule information. Then, when it is determined in the first prediction step of step S100 that there is no possibility of a pause, the process of step S130 is executed.

(S130: second prediction step)
Next, the second determination unit 123 of the storage space management device 120 predicts the number of products in stock for each storage area in the second prediction period, and predicts whether there will be a pause due to excess or deficiency of products (S130). ). In the second prediction step, based on the current manufacturing situation, the possibility of suspension occurring when product manufacturing is continued based on the current production schedule is detailed in consideration of the product transport capacity of the transport device 10. predict to At this time, the production schedule used when it is determined in the first prediction step that there is no possibility of a pause occurring is used.

In the second prediction step, at each of a plurality of prediction times set in the second prediction period, the number of products to be processed in the upstream processing line, the number of products from the rear storage area corresponding to the upstream processing line to each front storage area Based on the number of products to be transported and the number of products in stock in the rear storage area at the start of prediction, the excess or deficiency of products in each rear storage area is calculated to predict the possibility of suspension. Also, the number of products processed in the downstream processing line and the number of products transported from each rear storage area to the front storage area corresponding to the downstream processing line at each of the plurality of prediction points set in the second prediction period. , and based on the number of products in stock in the front storage area at the time of prediction start, the excess or deficiency of products in each rear storage area is calculated, and the possibility of suspension occurring is predicted.

Specifically describing the second prediction step, first, as shown in FIG. 1 to q, q is a natural number equal to or greater than 2. Set T2_q=T2). Here, the second prediction period T2 may be set in advance, or may be designated by the user using the input device 110 . In FIG. 10, the second prediction period T2 is set to 4 days. Also, the interval at which the second prediction period T2 is divided can be set as appropriate, and is set to one hour in FIG. 10, for example. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the second prediction period T2 is divided into 96 parts. Note that the division number q of the second prediction period T2 may be the same as or different from the division number p of the first prediction period T1.

Next, the second determination unit 123 focuses on the rear storage area ai, and determines the number of products processed in the upstream processing line Ai from the prediction start time T0 to each prediction time T2_v. is subtracted by the number of products ΣKaibj×T2_v (j=1→m) to be conveyed to the front storage areas b1 to bm (hereinafter also referred to as “remaining rear surface storage number”). In addition, the second determination unit 123 determines the rear storage area ai obtained by adding the actual inventory quantity N0ai at the prediction start time (T0) to the remaining rear storage quantity at each prediction time T2_v from the prediction start time T0. Calculate the excess/deficiency evaluation value of each. Then, the second determination unit 123 compares the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v with the maximum inventory quantity Nai of each rear storage area ai.

If the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v exceeds the maximum stock quantity Nai of each rear storage area ai, there is a possibility that products cannot be stored in the rear storage area ai, resulting in work-in-progress adjustment suspension. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 11, when the prediction time T2_50 is reached in the rear storage area a1, the number of products processed in the upstream processing line A1 is 90, and the number of products to be processed from the rear storage area a1 to the front storage areas b1 to bm is 90. The number of products to be transported (ΣKa1bj×T2_50) is estimated to be 50, and the number of remaining rear surface storage is 40. At this time, the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the rear storage area a1 is 120, which exceeds the maximum stock quantity Na1 of 100 in the rear storage area a1. In such a case, it is determined that there is a possibility that work-in-progress adjustment suspension will occur.

Moreover, when the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v is 0 or less, there is a possibility that products will be in short supply and material shortage will occur. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 11, in the rear storage area an, when the prediction time T2_50 is reached, the number of products processed in the upstream processing line A1 is 600, and the number of products processed from the rear storage area an to the front storage areas b1 to bm is 600. The number of products to be transported (ΣKanbj×T2_50) is estimated to be 700, and the number of remaining rear surface storages is −100. At this time, since the maximum inventory number Nan of the rear storage area an is 50, the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the rear storage area an is -50. Furthermore, even when the predicted time T2_96 is reached, the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the rear storage area an is -50, and the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the rear storage area an remains -50. In such a case, the inventory of products in the rear storage area an is insufficient with respect to the processing capacity of each downstream processing line in the downstream process B, and as a result, the necessary products cannot be transported to the front storage areas b1 to bm. It is judged that there is a possibility that material shortage will occur.

Furthermore, the second determination unit 123 focuses on the front storage area bj, and determines the number of products transported from the rear storage areas a1 to an to the front storage area bj at the time from the prediction start time T0 to each prediction time T2_v. A value obtained by subtracting the number of products processed in the downstream processing line Bj from the number ΣKaibj×T2_v (i=1→n) (hereinafter also referred to as “remaining front storage number”) is calculated. In addition, the second determination unit 123 determines the rear storage area bj obtained by adding the actual inventory quantity N0bj at the prediction start time (T0) to the remaining rear storage quantity at each prediction time T2_v from the prediction start time T0. Calculate the excess/deficiency evaluation value of each. Then, the second determination unit 123 compares the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v with the maximum stock quantity Nbj of each rear storage area bj.

If the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v exceeds the maximum stock quantity Nbj of each front storage area bj, there is a possibility that products cannot be stored in the front storage area bj, resulting in work-in-progress adjustment suspension. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 12, the number of products (ΣKaib2×T2_50) transported from the rear storage areas a1 to an to the front storage area b2 at the predicted time T2_50 in the front storage area b2 is 1020. The number of products to be processed in the downstream processing line B2 is estimated at 1000, and the number of remaining front stocks is 20. At this time, the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the front storage area b2 is 110, which exceeds the maximum inventory quantity Nb2 of 100 in the front storage area b2. In such a case, it is determined that there is a possibility that work-in-progress adjustment suspension will occur.

Moreover, when the excess/deficiency evaluation value at each prediction time T2_v is 0 or less, there is a possibility that products will be in short supply and material shortage will occur. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 12, the number of products (ΣKaib1×T2_50) transported from the rear storage areas a1 to an to the front storage area b1 at the predicted time T2_50 in the front storage area b1 is 700. The number of products processed in the downstream processing line B1 is estimated at 750, and the number of remaining front stocks is -50. At this time, since the actual stock quantity N0b1 of the front storage area b1 at the prediction start time (T0) is 50, the excess/deficiency evaluation value of the front storage area b1 is zero. In such a case, the number of products transported and stored from the rear storage areas a1 to an to the front storage area bj is insufficient with respect to the processing capacity of each downstream processing line in the downstream process B, resulting in material shortage suspension. determined to occur.

In this way, the second determination unit 123 considers the carrying capacity of the carrier at each of the plurality of prediction times set in the second prediction period from the prediction start time to the second prediction end time. The excess or deficiency of products in each storage area ai, bj is calculated, and the possibility of suspension occurring is predicted.

(S140: notification step)
When the second prediction step of step S130 determines that a pause may occur, the second determination unit 123 notifies the output device 130 of the possibility of a pause. give instructions to In response to the instruction, the output device 130 notifies the user that there is a possibility that a suspension such as suspension for work in process adjustment or shortage of materials will occur (S140). The notification process of step S140 may be performed in the same manner as the process of step S110. This notifies the user that a pause may occur if the operation is continued as it is.

(S150: Second adjustment step)
When the second prediction step of step S130 determines that there is a possibility that a pause will occur, the adjustment processing unit 125 reviews the conveying capability information for conveying the product from the upstream process A to the downstream process B. (S150). For example, based on the result of the second prediction step, the adjustment processing unit 125 increases or decreases the number of products to be transported by, for example, changing the transport capability of products from the upstream process A to the downstream process B to avoid suspension. Adjust the capacity information in the production schedule so that

For example, when the pre-adjustment transport capacity information is set as shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. Consider the case where outages may occur. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, for the upstream processing line A1, the adjustment processing unit 125 increases the number of products transported from the rear storage area a1 to the front storage areas b1 to bm until the predicted time T2_50, and For the line An, the conveying capacity information is changed so as to reduce the number of products conveyed from the rear storage area an to the front storage areas b1 to bm until the predicted time T2_96. As a result, the total inventory quantity of the upstream processing line A1 is set to be equal to or less than the total maximum inventory quantity Na1 to avoid the occurrence of work-in-progress adjustment suspension, and the total inventory quantity of the upstream processing line An is set to be greater than 0. Avoid material outages.

The transfer capability information can be changed, for example, by changing the numerical value of the transfer capability information recorded in the production schedule storage unit 140, as shown in FIG. Specifically, by increasing the transport amount per one transport device 10 that transports the product from the storage site a to the storage site b, or by increasing the number of the transport devices 10, the product is transported from the storage site a to the storage site b. You can increase the number of products. Similarly, by reducing the transport amount per transport device 10 that transports products from the storage site a to the storage site b, or by reducing the number of transport devices 10, the number of products transported from the storage site a to the storage site b can be reduced.

For example, in the conveying capacity information of FIG. 14, regarding the upstream processing line A1, in order to increase the number of products conveyed from the rear storage area a1 to the front storage areas b1 to bm, it is possible to convey products from the rear storage area a1. It has been modified to be more powerful. Also, regarding the upstream processing line An, in order to reduce the number of products that are transported from the rear storage area a1 to the front storage areas b1 to bm, the transport capacity of the products whose transport source is the rear storage area an is changed to be small. ing. At this time, if the number of conveying devices 10 that convey products from place a to place b is limited, the distribution of usable conveying devices 10 is changed to adjust the conveying capacity.

In this way, when the adjustment processing unit 125 changes the conveying capability information so as to avoid a pause, the second determination unit 123 adjusts in the first prediction step based on the changed conveying capability information. The process of step S130 is executed again for the schedule information of the produced production schedule. Then, when it is determined by the second prediction step of step S130 that there is no possibility of a pause occurring, the second determination unit 123 determines the current production schedule and terminates the processing shown in FIG. do.

The product storage management method according to the present embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, the inventory is predicted in two steps, that is, the inventory quantity prediction for the storage areas a and b and the inventory quantity prediction for each storage area, and the recent distribution situation is considered based on the adjustment of the production schedule to some extent ahead. Adjust the production schedule. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence frequency of work-in-progress adjustment stoppages and material shortage stoppages compared to the conventional art.

In the manufacturing process, when the product storage space management method according to the embodiment of the present invention and the conventional product storage space management method are applied to manage the number of stocks in the storage space, the occurrence frequency of suspensions and the adjustment load of the production schedule compared. Here, as an example of the manufacturing process, a steel manufacturing process consisting of a pickling process, a cold rolling process, an annealing process, a plating process, and a packing process as shown in FIG. 15 was examined. Assuming that each process has three processing lines, a two-week production plan was formulated. The products in the front storage area of each processing line shall be stored in the rear storage area after being processed in the corresponding processing line according to the production plan, and further transported to the front storage area of the subsequent processing line according to the production plan. did. At this time, it was assumed that material shortage and in-process adjustment suspension would not occur in each processing line of the pickling process.

In the example, the product storage space management method according to the present embodiment described above was applied, and the following two-stage inventory prediction was performed once a day.
(First prediction) Prediction period: From today to two weeks ahead The number of products in stock is predicted for each storage area that aggregates the rear storage area of the previous process and the front storage area of the subsequent process. As a result of the prediction, when it was predicted that there was a possibility of a pause, the schedule information of the production schedule was adjusted until the possibility of a pause disappeared.
(Second prediction) Prediction period: Today to 3 days ahead The number of products in stock was predicted for each storage area. As a result of the prediction, when it was predicted that there was a possibility that a pause would occur, the transport capacity information was adjusted until the possibility of a pause disappearing.

On the other hand, as Comparative Example 1, by the method of Patent Document 1, the number of products in stock was predicted for each storage site once a day, with the prediction period set to the current day to three days ahead. As a result of the prediction, when it was predicted that there was a possibility that a pause would occur, the transport capacity information was adjusted until the possibility of a pause disappearing.

In addition, as a comparative example 2, the forecast period is from the current day to two weeks ahead, and the inventory amount is forecast for each storage area once a day. As a result of the prediction, when it was predicted that there was a possibility that a stoppage would occur, the schedule information and transport capacity information of the production schedule were adjusted until the possibility of a stoppage was eliminated.

Table 1 below shows the results of comparing the occurrence frequency of stoppages and the adjustment load of the production schedule for Example and Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

In Comparative Example 1, the number of occurrences of both work-in-progress adjustment suspension and material shortage suspension was higher than in Examples and Comparative Examples. This is because when the discrepancy between the actual production plan and the actual production results becomes extremely large, it is too late to revise the production schedule three days in advance, and it is thought that the effect of suppressing the occurrence of stoppages will decrease. be done. On the other hand, in Example and Comparative Example 2, the number of pauses was halved for both in-process adjustment pauses and material shortage pauses.

Although the results of the Example and Comparative Example 2 are the same in terms of the number of stops, the adjustment load required to adjust the production schedule is significantly different. In Comparative Example 2, since the inventory forecast was performed for each storage area in the entire forecast period, the production schedule must be adjusted for each storage area when a stoppage is expected. For this reason, in Comparative Example 2, it is considered that the adjustment load of the production schedule became extremely large compared to the example.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 carrier device 100 management system 110 input device 120 storage site management device 121 first determination unit 123 second determination unit 125 adjustment processing unit 130 output device 140 production schedule storage unit

Claims (6)

In the manufacturing process, according to the production schedule, when transporting from the first storage location storing the products processed in the first step to the second storage location storing the products processed in the second step A product storage management method,
The first step has a plurality of first processing lines,
The first storage area has a plurality of first storage areas provided corresponding to each of the first processing lines,
The second step has a plurality of second processing lines,
The second storage area comprises a plurality of second storage areas provided corresponding to each of the second processing lines,
The production schedule for the first prediction period from the prediction start point to the first prediction end point is processed in the first step at each of a plurality of prediction points set in the first prediction period. Based on the number of products, the number of products processed in the second step, and the total number of products stored in the first storage location and the second storage location, the first step or the second a first prediction step of predicting the presence or absence of pauses in the process;
A second prediction period from the start of prediction to the end of the second prediction, which is shorter than the first prediction period, is set for the production schedule for which no suspension is predicted in the first prediction step. At each of the multiple prediction time points obtained,
For each of the first processing lines, the number of products processed in the first processing line, the number of products conveyed from the first storage area corresponding to the first processing line to the respective second storage areas, and Based on the number of products in stock in the first storage area at the start of prediction, predicting whether or not there will be a pause in the first processing line,
for each of said second processing lines, the number of products to be processed in said second processing line, the number of products to be conveyed from each of said first storage areas to said second storage area corresponding to said second processing line; and a second prediction step of predicting whether or not the second processing line will be suspended based on the number of products in stock in the second storage area at the start of the prediction;
an adjustment step of adjusting a production schedule when it is predicted that a pause will occur in the first prediction step or the second prediction step;
product storage management methods, including; In the first prediction step, a value obtained by subtracting the number of products processed in the second process from the number of products processed in the first process at the end of the first prediction; Based on the total number of products stored in the first storage area and the second storage area, the excess or deficiency of the products in the first storage area and the second storage area is calculated, and the first step or the 2. The product storage management method according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of suspension in the second process is predicted. In the second prediction step,
For each of the first processing lines, a value obtained by subtracting the number of products to be transported from the first storage area corresponding to the first processing line to each of the second storage areas from the number of products to be processed, and the predicted start time Calculating the excess or deficiency of the products stored in the first storage area based on the number of products in stock in the first storage area in and predicting whether or not there will be a pause in the first processing line,
for each of the second processing lines, a value obtained by subtracting the number of products to be transferred from each of the first storage areas to the second storage area corresponding to the second processing line from the number of products to be processed; calculating the excess or deficiency of the products stored in the second storage area based on the number of products in stock in the second storage area at the time, and predicting whether there will be a pause in the first processing line; The product storage management method according to claim 1 or 2. When it is predicted that a pause will occur in the first prediction step,
In the adjustment step, of the production schedule, schedule information representing the processing start time and processing end time for each product of each processing line of each process is changed,
4. The product storage site management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said first prediction step is then executed again. If it is predicted that a pause will occur in the second prediction step,
changing, in the adjusting step, conveying capacity information representing the conveying capacity of the product from the first storage site to the second storage site;
5. The product storage site management method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said second prediction step is then executed again. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a notification step of notifying a user of a prediction result when it is predicted that a pause will occur in the first prediction step or the second prediction step. Product storage management method.

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