JP7514812B2 - Inventory adjustment device, inventory adjustment method, and inventory adjustment program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inventory adjustment device, an inventory adjustment method, and an inventory adjustment program.

Today, in the retail distribution industry, product inventory is managed separately for each sales channel, such as actual stores or EC (Electronic Commerce) sites, which are websites that sell products over the Internet. Specifically, traditionally, when a sales channel received a request (order), the requested number of products was transported from a central warehouse to the sales channel that made the request. For this reason, the inventory quantity for each sales channel is often managed based on the resulting inventory quantity.

Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2019-087203A) discloses an inventory status determination device that aims to appropriately determine the inventory status. In this inventory status determination device, a server device receives inventory data for each publication, including information such as the number of returns of the publication, from a publisher terminal. The server device also determines whether the inventory status of a specified publication corresponds to appropriate inventory, caution inventory, or excess inventory based on the received inventory data. The server device then transmits display information indicating the determination result regarding the inventory status to the publisher terminal. Such an inventory status determination device is capable of appropriately determining the inventory status by displaying the determination result regarding the inventory status.

JP 2019-087203 A

However, in the past, products were delivered to sales outlets in the order in which they were requested, and the requested number of products were delivered. This resulted in excess inventory in the sales outlets that had requested product delivery first, leading to an inventory imbalance between the sales outlets.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an inventory adjustment device, an inventory adjustment method, and an inventory adjustment program that enable balanced inventory allocation to each sales channel.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the inventory adjustment device according to the present invention has a reference number setting unit that sets a reference number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for a product; a reference ratio calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, a reference ratio that is the ratio of the reference number for each sales channel to the total number of the reference numbers for each sales channel; a shippable number calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, a shippable number calculated by subtracting the number of orders, which is the number of products requested to be stocked from the sales channel, from the current stock number of the sales channel; a reference stock number calculation unit that calculates a reference stock number by multiplying the total number of shippable numbers for each sales channel by the reference ratio for each sales channel; a shortage calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, the shortage of the shippable number against the reference stock number by subtracting the shippable number from the reference stock number; and a movement data generation unit that generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of products from another sales channel to a sales channel where there is a shortage of the shippable number against the reference stock number.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the inventory adjustment method according to the present invention includes a standard number setting step in which a standard ratio calculation unit sets a standard number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for a product; a standard ratio calculation step in which the standard ratio calculation unit calculates, for each sales channel, a standard ratio that is the ratio of the standard number for each sales channel to the total number of the standard numbers for each sales channel; and a shippable number calculation step in which a shippable number calculation unit calculates, for each sales channel, a shippable number calculated by subtracting the number of orders, which is the number of products requested to be stocked from the sales channel, from the current stock number of the sales channel. The system includes a standard inventory calculation step in which the standard inventory calculation unit calculates the standard inventory by multiplying the total number of shippable quantities for each sales channel by the standard ratio for each sales channel, a shortage calculation step in which the shortage calculation unit calculates the shortage of the shippable quantity against the standard inventory quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the shippable quantity from the standard inventory quantity, and a movement data generation step in which the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of products from other sales channels to a sales channel in which there is a shortage of the shippable quantity against the standard inventory quantity.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the inventory adjustment program of the present invention causes a computer to function as a reference number setting unit that sets a reference number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for a product; a reference ratio calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, a reference ratio that is the ratio of the reference number for each sales channel to the total number of the reference numbers for each sales channel; a shippable number calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, a shippable number calculated by subtracting the number of orders that are the number of products requested to be stocked from the sales channel from the current stock number of the sales channel; a reference stock number calculation unit that calculates a reference stock number by multiplying the total number of shippable numbers for each sales channel by the reference ratio for each sales channel; a shortage calculation unit that calculates, for each sales channel, the shortage of the shippable number against the reference stock number by subtracting the shippable number from the reference stock number; and a movement data generation unit that generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of products from another sales channel to a sales channel where there is a shortage of the shippable number against the reference stock number.

The present invention has the effect of enabling inventory allocation to be balanced among sales channels.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an inventory adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the inventory adjustment device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the warehouse reference quantity master. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a process for creating movement data in the inventory adjustment device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of the operation of creating movement data of the inventory adjustment device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the inventory status of each sales channel before inventory adjustment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for the warehouse reference quantity master. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a setting example of the warehouse reference quantity master. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a movement data creation processing screen for instructing the creation of movement data. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the calculation operation of the standard ratio of inventory for each sales channel. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of calculating the shippable quantity of a product for each sales channel. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of order data for products received from each sales channel. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the calculation operation of the standard inventory quantity of each sales channel. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of generating product movement data for each sales channel.

Below, an inventory adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The inventory adjustment device according to the embodiment is an inventory adjustment device that adjusts inventory of products in multiple sales channels (channels) that form a single sales network, such as stores, a company's own EC (Electronic Commerce: online shop), shopping malls, wholesalers, etc. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[Hardware configuration]
1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an inventory adjustment device 1 according to an embodiment. As the inventory adjustment device 1, in addition to a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, or a tablet personal computer can be used. Also, as the inventory adjustment device 1, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) device or a portable information processing device such as a smartphone can be used. Such an inventory adjustment device 1 includes a storage unit 2, a control unit 3, a communication interface unit 4, and an input/output interface unit 5.

An input device 6 and an output device 7 are connected to the input/output interface unit 5. A monitor device (including a home television) can be used as the output device 7. As the input device 6, a keyboard device, a mouse device, a microphone device, or a monitor device that cooperates with a mouse device to realize a pointing device function can be used.

The memory unit 2 may be, for example, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The memory unit 2 includes a warehouse reference quantity master 11 in which the reference stock quantity of products for each sales channel is set. The memory unit 2 also stores an inventory adjustment program for adjusting the inventory of each sales channel, creation time zone data indicating the time zone for generating movement data instructing the movement of products between each sales channel, and the movement data created during this time zone. The memory unit 2 also stores a current inventory table in which the current inventory quantity of each sales channel is stored, and order data for products from each sales channel.

[Functional configuration]
The control unit 3 executes the inventory adjustment program stored in the memory unit 2, thereby realizing each of the functions of the reference quantity setting unit 21, the creation time setting unit 22, the creation instruction detection unit 23, the reference ratio calculation unit 24, the shippable quantity calculation unit 25, the reference inventory quantity calculation unit 26, the shortage calculation unit 27, the movement data generation unit 28 and the display control unit 29.

The standard number setting unit 21 sets the standard inventory number of products for each sales channel in the warehouse standard quantity master 11. The creation time setting unit 22 sets the time period for generating transfer data to adjust product inventory. The creation instruction detection unit 23 detects operations by business operators, etc., that instruct the generation of transfer data. The standard ratio calculation unit 24 calculates the inventory allocation ratio (standard ratio) for each sales channel based on the standard number for each sales channel set in the warehouse standard quantity master 11.

The shippable quantity calculation unit 25 calculates the shippable quantity (actual stock - backlog) of the current inventory for each sales channel. The standard stock quantity calculation unit 26 calculates the standard stock quantity for each sales channel based on the standard ratio. The shortage calculation unit 27 calculates the shortage of inventory based on the standard stock quantity and the shippable quantity. The movement data generation unit 28 generates movement data that instructs the movement of goods between each sales channel during the time period set by the creation time setting unit 22. The display control unit 29 displays on the output device 7 a setting screen for the stock standard quantity for the warehouse standard quantity master 11, a creation instruction screen for movement data, etc.

[Summary of inventory adjustments for each sales channel]
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the inventory adjustment operation between sales channels in the inventory adjustment device 1 of the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 2, the central warehouse, the directly managed EC site, and the shopping mall (mall) are each "sales channels" and form one sales network. The products to be sold are temporarily received at the central warehouse, and the number of products corresponding to the inventory allocation process of the inventory adjustment device 1 described below is delivered from the central warehouse to the warehouse of the directly managed EC site and the warehouse of the shopping mall (mall).

A company with this sales network discloses the inventory levels in its directly managed EC site's warehouse to customers via its own EC site, and also discloses the inventory levels in its shopping mall warehouses (mall inventory) to customers via its department store site.

When the inventory adjustment device 1 performs inventory allocation processing for each sales channel, it determines the number of products to be transferred between each sales channel based on a certain criterion, such as a sales budget. This enables balanced inventory allocation for each sales channel.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an overview of the reference quantities for each sales channel set in the warehouse reference quantity master 11. As shown in Figure 3, the warehouse reference quantity master 11 sets the reference quantities for inventory for each sales channel along with the product group name and product name. In the example of Figure 3, "A100: Wheat flour" is set as the product group name, and "A10001: Wheat flour (weak flour)" is set as the product name. In addition, in the example of Figure 3, "1,000,000 units" is set as the mall warehouse reference quantity, "2,000,000 units" is set as the EC warehouse reference quantity, and "7,000,000 units" is set as the center warehouse reference quantity.

Figure 4 shows an overview of the process of creating movement data for moving goods between sales channels. First, as shown in Figure 4(a), the inventory adjustment device 1 calculates the standard ratio for each sales channel based on the standard number set in the product standard quantity master 11. The inventory adjustment device 1 also compares the shippable quantity obtained by subtracting the order quantity from the actual stock quantity for each sales channel with the standard stock quantity obtained by multiplying this shippable quantity by the standard ratio. The inventory adjustment device 1 then generates movement data that instructs the movement of goods from a sales channel where the standard stock quantity is greater than the shippable quantity to a sales channel where the standard stock quantity is less than the shippable quantity.

In the example of Figure 4 (b), the pattern in the first column shows a "no below-standard" pattern, where there is no sales channel where the standard inventory quantity is less than the shippable quantity. In this case, there is no movement of goods between the sales channels, so no movement data is generated.

In contrast, the pattern in the second column of Figure 4(b) shows an example in which the standard inventory quantity in the EC warehouse is "20 units" and the shippable quantity is "10 units," indicating that the shippable quantity is below the standard inventory quantity (below ratio). In this case, the inventory adjustment device 1 generates movement data to move the 10 products that make up the shortage in the EC warehouse from the center warehouse, which is a sales channel where the standard inventory quantity is greater than the shippable quantity, to the EC warehouse.

The pattern in the third column of Figure 4(b) shows an example in which the standard inventory quantity in the mall warehouse is "40 units" and the shippable quantity is "10 units," meaning that the shippable quantity is less than the standard inventory quantity (below ratio). In this case, the inventory adjustment device 1 generates movement data to move the 30 products that make up the shortage in the mall warehouse from the center warehouse, which is a sales channel where the standard inventory quantity is greater than the shippable quantity, to the EC warehouse.

The pattern in the fourth column of FIG. 4(b) shows an example where the standard inventory quantity in the EC warehouse is "20 units" and the shippable quantity is "10 units", which is below the standard inventory quantity (below the ratio). The pattern in the fourth column of FIG. 4(b) shows an example where the standard inventory quantity in the mall warehouse is "40 units" and the shippable quantity is "20 units", which is below the standard inventory quantity (below the ratio). In this case, the inventory adjustment device 1 generates movement data for moving a total of 30 products that make up the shortage in the EC warehouse and mall warehouse from the center warehouse, which is a sales channel where the standard inventory quantity is greater than the shippable quantity, to the EC warehouse (moving 10 units) and the mall warehouse (moving 20 units).

[Details of inventory adjustment operations for each sales channel]
The following is a detailed explanation of the inventory adjustment operation of the inventory adjustment device 1. Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of the inventory adjustment operation of the inventory adjustment device 1. The control unit 3 of the inventory adjustment device 1 executes the processes in sequence from step S1 of the flow chart of Figure 5 based on the inventory adjustment program stored in the memory unit 2.

As one example, let us assume that at this point in time, the inventory status of each sales channel (each warehouse) is such that the EC warehouse's shippable quantity is 10 units less than the standard inventory quantity, resulting in an inventory shortfall, as shown in FIG. 6. This inventory shortfall in the EC warehouse is resolved by moving 10 items from the center warehouse, where the standard inventory quantity is 30 units more than the shippable quantity, to the EC warehouse. The inventory adjustment device 1 operates as follows to generate movement data for moving 10 items from the center warehouse to the EC warehouse.

That is, first, in step S1, the business operator sets the standard inventory quantity for each product or product group for each sales channel (for each warehouse) in the warehouse standard quantity master 11. Specifically, when setting the standard quantity for the warehouse standard quantity master 11, the business operator operates the input device 6 to specify the display of the setting screen for the warehouse standard quantity master 11. When this display specification is made, the display control unit 29 controls the display of the setting screen for the warehouse standard quantity master 11 on the output device 7, for example, as shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the setting screen for the warehouse reference quantity master 11 has a selection field for selecting whether to set a new setting or change a previous setting, input fields (or selection fields) for the product group code, product code, and warehouse code, and an input field (or selection field) for the reference quantity. The business operator operates the input device 6 to select whether to set a new setting or change a previous setting, and sets the desired product group code, product code, and warehouse code. The business operator also sets the reference quantity based on the sales budget, etc.

In the example of Figure 7, the "New" setting is selected by the business operator, and the product group is set to "A100", which indicates wheat flour. The example of Figure 7 also shows an example in which the product code is set to "A10001", which indicates wheat flour (weak flour), and the warehouse code is set to "S001", which indicates an EC warehouse. The example of Figure 7 also shows an example in which "1,000,000 units" is set as the base quantity, which is the standard inventory quantity of wheat flour for this EC warehouse.

In this way, the business operator sets the product group code, product code, warehouse code, and reference quantity for each warehouse in the sales channel. As a result, the desired reference quantity is set in the warehouse reference quantity master 11 for each warehouse (sales channel) of the desired product group and product, as shown in FIG. 8. The example in FIG. 8 shows an example in which the reference quantities for the product group A100 indicating wheat flour and the product A10001 indicating wheat flour (weak flour) are set to "1,000,000 units" for the EC warehouse S001, "2,000,000 units" for the mall warehouse S002, and "7,000,000 units" for the center warehouse S003.

Next, in step S2 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the creation instruction detection unit 23 determines whether or not the business operator has performed an operation to instruct the creation of movement data via the input device 6. Specifically, when creating movement data, the business operator performs a display operation of a movement data creation processing screen that instructs the creation of movement data via the input device 6. When this display operation is performed, the display control unit 29 controls the display of a movement data creation processing screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, on the output device 7. As an example, the movement data creation processing screen displays a display indicating the keys to be operated when creating movement data, as shown in FIG. 9.

The example in Figure 9 shows that to start creating movement data, the "F10" function key on the input device 6 is operated (F10: execute). Therefore, in step S2, the creation instruction detection unit 23 determines whether or not the "F10" function key has been operated. When the creation instruction detection unit 23 detects an operation to instruct the creation of movement data (step S2: Yes), in step S3, the movement data generation unit 28 determines whether or not the current time slot is available for creating movement data.

In other words, it is preferable to create movement data that instructs the movement of goods between each sales channel during non-business hours, such as at night, when the inventory status of each sales channel is determined. For this reason, in the embodiment of the inventory adjustment device 1, the creation time setting unit 22 presets the time period for creating the movement data, such as 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., and this is stored in the memory unit 2 as creation time period data. For this reason, when an operation to instruct the creation of movement data is detected, the movement data generation unit 28 determines whether the current time counted by a timer (not shown) is within the time period indicated by the creation time period data for creating the movement data.

If the current time is not within the time period for which movement data is to be created (step S3: No), the inventory adjustment device 1 does not create movement data.

In contrast, if it is determined that the current time is within the time period for which movement data is to be created (step S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4, where the standard ratio calculation unit 24 calculates the standard ratio for each warehouse (sales channel) based on the standard number set in the product standard quantity master 11.

Specifically, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the standard ratio for each sales channel. In this example, the sales channels are the EC warehouse, the mall warehouse, and the center warehouse. As explained using FIG. 8, the standard numbers for each sales channel are set to "1,000,000" for the EC warehouse, "2,000,000" for the mall warehouse, and "7,000,000" for the center warehouse.

The base ratio calculation unit 24 calculates the base ratio (%) by dividing the base number for each sales channel by the total of the overall base number. That is, when calculating the base ratio for the EC warehouse, a base ratio of 0.1 (10%) is calculated by dividing 1 by (1 + 2 + 7). Similarly, when calculating the base ratio for the mall warehouse, a base ratio of 0.2 (20%) is calculated by dividing 2 by (1 + 2 + 7). Similarly, when calculating the base ratio for the center warehouse, a base ratio of 0.7 (70%) is calculated by dividing 7 by (1 + 2 + 7).

Once the standard ratio for each sales channel is calculated in this way, processing proceeds to step S5 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, where the shippable quantity calculation unit 25 calculates the shippable quantity of the current inventory for each sales channel. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the calculation operation of the shippable quantity for each sales channel. FIG. 11(a) is a schematic diagram of a current inventory table that stores the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity for each sales channel. In the example of FIG. 11(a), the actual inventory quantities for the EC warehouse, mall warehouse, and center warehouse are each 150 units.

In contrast, FIG. 12 shows an example of order data from each sales channel. In the example of FIG. 12, there is an order for 140 units from the EC warehouse, an order for 70 units from the mall warehouse, and an order for 40 units from the center warehouse. The inventory adjustment device 1 temporarily stores this order data (order quantity) in the memory unit 2.

As shown in FIG. 11(b), the shippable quantity calculation unit 25 calculates the shippable quantity for each sales channel by calculating "actual stock quantity - order quantity." Specifically, the shippable quantity calculation unit 25 calculates the shippable quantity for the EC warehouse by calculating "150 (actual stock quantity) - 140 (order quantity) = 10." The shippable quantity calculation unit 25 also calculates the shippable quantity for the mall warehouse by calculating "150 (actual stock quantity) - 70 (order quantity) = 80." The shippable quantity calculation unit 25 also calculates the shippable quantity for the center warehouse by calculating "150 (actual stock quantity) - 40 (order quantity) = 110."

Next, in step S6 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the reference stock quantity calculation unit 26 calculates the reference stock quantity (reference stock quantity) for each sales channel. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the calculation operation of the reference stock quantity. As shown in FIG. 13, the reference stock quantity calculation unit 26 calculates the reference stock quantity for each sales channel by multiplying the total number of shippable quantities for each sales channel explained using FIG. 11(b) by the reference ratio for each sales channel (see FIG. 10).

Specifically, the standard inventory quantity calculation unit 26 multiplies the total number of shippable quantities for each sales channel, 200 units, by the standard ratio for the EC warehouse, 10% (=0.1), to calculate a standard inventory quantity of 20 units as the standard inventory quantity for the EC warehouse. The standard inventory quantity calculation unit 26 also multiplies the total number of shippable quantities for each sales channel, 200 units, by the standard ratio for the mall warehouse, 20% (=0.2), to calculate a standard inventory quantity of 40 units as the standard inventory quantity for the mall warehouse. The standard inventory quantity calculation unit 26 also multiplies the total number of shippable quantities for each sales channel, 200 units, by the standard ratio for the center warehouse, 70% (=0.7), to calculate a standard inventory quantity of 140 units as the standard inventory quantity for the center warehouse.

Next, in step S7 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the shortage calculation unit 27 compares the shippable quantity calculated in step S5 with the standard stock quantity calculated in step S6 for each sales channel. Here, as an example, it is assumed that goods are replenished (moved) from the center warehouse to the EC warehouse, or from the center warehouse to the mall warehouse. In this case, the shortage calculation unit 27 determines whether the shippable quantity in the EC warehouse is less than the standard stock quantity, and also determines whether the shippable quantity in the mall warehouse is less than the standard stock quantity.

If the EC warehouse's available shipping quantity is equal to or greater than the standard stock quantity, and the mall warehouse's available shipping quantity is equal to or greater than the standard stock quantity, this means that there is no shortage of stock in the EC warehouse and the mall warehouse. Therefore, step S8 returns to No, and the process returns to step S2, where the operation to create movement data is repeatedly executed when an instruction to create movement data is detected during a specified time period as described above.

In contrast, FIG. 14(a) is a diagram showing the difference (shortage) between the shippable quantity and the standard stock quantity in the EC warehouse, and the difference (shortage) between the shippable quantity and the standard stock quantity in the mall warehouse. In the example of FIG. 14(a), the standard stock quantity in the EC warehouse is 20 units, while the shippable quantity is 10 units. In this case, the shortage calculation unit 27 determines that there is a shortage of 10 units in the inventory of the EC warehouse. In contrast, the standard stock quantity in the mall warehouse is 40 units, while the shippable quantity is 80 units. In this case, the shortage calculation unit 27 determines that there is a surplus of 40 units in the inventory of the mall warehouse.

Next, if a sales channel is detected in which the number of items that can be shipped is less than the standard inventory number (step S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the movement data generation unit 28 generates movement data for replenishing the shortage from the center warehouse for sales channels where the number of items that can be shipped is less than the standard stock number. Specifically, the above example is an example in which there is a shortage of 10 items in the stock of the EC warehouse. In this case, the movement data generation unit 28 generates movement data including information on the product name, the number of items to be moved, the source warehouse (sales channel), and the destination warehouse (sales channel), as shown in FIG. 14(b). That is, in this example, the movement data generation unit 28 generates movement data for the product name "A10001: Wheat flour (weak flour)," the number of items to be moved "10 items," the source warehouse (sales channel) "S003: Center warehouse," and the destination warehouse (sales channel) "S001: EC warehouse."

In this example, the number of products moved is equal to the shortage, but it is also possible to move a number of products close to the shortage, such as moving 8 products if there is a shortage of 10 products, or to move half the number of products that are lacking.

When the movement data is created in step S9, the process returns to step S2, and the operation of creating the movement data is repeatedly executed when an instruction to create the movement data is detected during a specified time period as described above.

The created movement data is also displayed on the output device 7 by the display control unit 29 in response to the operation of the business operator, for example, at the start of business the following morning. As a result, based on the displayed movement data, the business operator of the inventory adjustment device 1 requests the business operator of the center warehouse to replenish products at the EC warehouse, and the missing products are replenished from the center warehouse to the EC warehouse.

In this example, products are replenished from the center warehouse to the EC warehouse or the mall warehouse, but products may be replenished between any sales channels, for example, from the EC warehouse to the center warehouse or from the mall warehouse to the EC warehouse.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As is clear from the above description, the inventory adjustment device 1 of the embodiment allocates inventory to each sales channel according to a certain standard, such as a sales budget, when generating product movement data between each sales channel. This allows for balanced inventory allocation for each sales channel, and automatic allocation of inventory quantities to each sales channel. In other words, inventory can be allocated to each sales channel in a balanced manner.

In addition, since inventory can be automatically allocated based on certain criteria, the burden placed on operators due to inventory adjustments can be reduced.

Also, by allocating inventory to each sales channel based on a "standard ratio" rather than a "standard number," inventory allocation can be performed taking into account the current inventory situation. This makes it possible to prevent lost sales opportunities due to inventory shortages as much as possible.

[Modification]
In the description of the embodiment described above, the number of items that can be shipped is calculated by subtracting the number of orders from the actual inventory of each sales channel (see Figures 11 and 12), and is compared with the standard inventory number (see Figure 13) which is calculated by multiplying the number of items that can be shipped by the standard rate of each sales channel, and movement data is generated if the number of items that can be shipped is less than the standard inventory number (see Figure 14).

However, depending on the business type and the products handled, movement data may be generated using a calculation method based on the current inventory. In this case, the current inventory detection unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 detects the current inventory of each sales channel from the current inventory table.

The standard stock quantity calculation unit 26 calculates the standard stock quantity by multiplying the total current stock quantity of each sales channel by the standard ratio for each sales channel. The shortage calculation unit calculates the shortage of the current stock quantity against the standard stock quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the current stock quantity from the standard stock quantity. Then, the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of products from other sales channels to a sales channel where there is a shortage of the current stock quantity against the standard stock quantity. This makes it possible to obtain the same effect as described above.

[Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)]
This embodiment can contribute to improving business efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions by companies, thereby making it possible to contribute to goals 8 and 9 of the SDGs.

In addition, this embodiment can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and electronic systems, which can contribute to the achievement of SDGs goals 12, 13, and 15.

In addition, this embodiment can contribute to strengthening control and governance, making it possible to contribute to Goal 16 of the SDGs.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention may be embodied in various different embodiments other than those described above within the scope of the technical concept set forth in the claims.

For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method.

In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, registered data for each process, information including parameters such as search conditions, screen examples, and database configurations shown in this specification and drawings may be changed as desired unless otherwise specified.

In addition, with regard to the business support system, each component shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure.

For example, the processing functions of the inventory adjustment device 1, particularly the control unit 3 and each processing function performed by the control unit 3, may be realized in whole or in part by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware using wired logic. The program is recorded on a non-transient computer-readable recording medium that contains programmed instructions for causing the information processing device to execute the processing described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the inventory adjustment device 1 as necessary. That is, a computer program is recorded in a storage unit such as a ROM or HDD for working with the OS to give instructions to the CPU and perform various processes. This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM, and works with the CPU to configure the control unit 3.

In addition, the inventory adjustment program of the inventory adjustment device 1 may be stored in another server device connected to the inventory adjustment device 1 via any network, and all or part of it may be downloaded as needed.

The inventory adjustment program for executing the process described in this embodiment may be stored in a non-transient computer-readable recording medium, or may be configured as a program product. Here, the term "recording medium" includes any "portable physical medium" such as a memory card, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a Secure Digital (SD) card, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM (registered trademark)), a Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), a Magneto-Optical Disk (MO), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc.

A "program" is a data processing method written in any language or description method, and may be in any format, such as source code or binary code. Note that a "program" is not necessarily limited to a single configuration, but also includes a distributed configuration consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and a program that works in conjunction with a separate program, such as an OS, to achieve its function. Note that the specific configuration and reading procedure for reading a recording medium in the inventory adjustment device 1 shown in the embodiment, as well as the installation procedure after reading, can use well-known configurations and procedures.

The memory unit 2 is a storage means such as a memory device such as RAM or ROM, a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, or an optical disk, and stores various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and providing websites.

The inventory adjustment device 1 may be configured as an information processing device such as a known personal computer device or a workstation, or may be configured as an information processing device to which any peripheral device is connected. The information processing device may also be realized by implementing software (including programs or data, etc.) that realizes the processing described in this embodiment.

Furthermore, the specific form of distribution and integration of the devices is not limited to that shown in the figures, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various additions or function additions. In other words, the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments can be implemented selectively.

This invention is useful for inventory management of goods, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 inventory adjustment device 2 storage unit 3 control unit 4 communication interface unit 5 input/output interface unit 6 input device 7 output device 11 warehouse reference quantity master 21 reference quantity setting unit 22 creation time setting unit 23 creation instruction detection unit 24 reference ratio calculation unit 25 shippable quantity calculation unit 26 reference stock quantity calculation unit 27 shortage calculation unit 28 movement data generation unit 29 display control unit 30 current stock quantity detection unit

Claims (10)

a reference number setting unit that sets a reference number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for the product;
A standard ratio calculation unit that calculates a standard ratio for each sales channel, which is a ratio of the standard number for each sales channel to the total number of the standard numbers for each sales channel;
a shipping quantity calculation unit that calculates a shipping quantity for each sales channel by subtracting an order quantity, which is a warehousing request quantity of the product from the sales channel, from a current inventory quantity of the sales channel;
a standard inventory quantity calculation unit that calculates a standard inventory quantity by multiplying the total number of the shippable quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels;
a shortage calculation unit that calculates a shortage of the available shipment quantity with respect to the standard inventory quantity for each of the sales channels by subtracting the available shipment quantity from the standard inventory quantity;
a movement data generating unit that generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which a shortage of the shippable quantity with respect to the standard inventory quantity occurs;
An inventory adjustment device having the above structure. A current inventory quantity detection unit is provided to detect the current inventory quantity of each of the sales channels instead of the shippable quantity calculation unit,
The standard inventory quantity calculation unit calculates a standard inventory quantity by multiplying the total number of the current inventory quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels,
The shortage calculation unit calculates a shortage of the current stock quantity with respect to the standard stock quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the current stock quantity from the standard stock quantity;
The inventory adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which a shortage of the current inventory quantity compared to the reference inventory quantity occurs. The inventory adjustment device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the movement data generation unit generates the movement data for moving the product from a central warehouse, which is one of the sales channels and serves as a warehouse for the product, to another of the sales channels. The inventory adjustment device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the movement data generation unit generates the movement data for moving the goods from the sales channel in which there is no shortage of the shippable quantity relative to the standard inventory quantity to the sales channel in which there is a shortage of the shippable quantity relative to the standard inventory quantity. The inventory adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a number of the products corresponding to the shortage. a creation time period setting unit that sets a time period during which the movement data can be created;
A creation instruction detection unit that detects an instruction to create the movement data,
The inventory adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the movement data generation unit generates the movement data when the time at which the creation instruction detection unit detects an instruction to create the movement data is within the time zone set by the creation time zone setting unit. a reference number setting step in which a reference ratio calculation unit sets a reference number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for the product;
A standard ratio calculation step in which a standard ratio calculation unit calculates a standard ratio, which is a ratio of the standard number for each sales channel to the total number of the standard numbers for each sales channel, for each sales channel;
a shipping quantity calculation step in which a shipping quantity calculation unit calculates a shipping quantity for each sales channel by subtracting an order quantity, which is a warehousing request quantity of the product from the sales channel, from a current inventory quantity of the sales channel;
A standard stock quantity calculation step in which a standard stock quantity calculation unit calculates a standard stock quantity by multiplying the total number of the shippable quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels;
a shortage calculation step of calculating a shortage of the shippable quantity with respect to the standard stock quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the shippable quantity from the standard stock quantity by a shortage calculation unit;
a movement data generation step in which a movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which a shortage of the shippable number with respect to the standard inventory number occurs;
An inventory adjustment method having the following features: Instead of the shipping quantity calculation step, a current stock quantity detection unit detects the current stock quantity of each of the sales channels,
In the standard inventory quantity calculation step, the standard inventory quantity calculation unit calculates a standard inventory quantity by multiplying the total number of the current inventory quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels,
In the shortage calculation step, the shortage calculation unit calculates a shortage of the current stock quantity with respect to the standard stock quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the current stock quantity from the standard stock quantity;
The inventory adjustment method according to claim 7, wherein in the movement data generation step, the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which a shortage of the current inventory quantity against the reference inventory quantity occurs. Computer,
a reference number setting unit that sets a reference number indicating the number of products that can be stocked for each of a plurality of sales channels for the product;
A standard ratio calculation unit that calculates a standard ratio for each sales channel, which is a ratio of the standard number for each sales channel to the total number of the standard numbers for each sales channel;
a shipping quantity calculation unit that calculates a shipping quantity for each sales channel by subtracting an order quantity, which is a warehousing request quantity of the product from the sales channel, from a current inventory quantity of the sales channel;
a standard inventory quantity calculation unit that calculates a standard inventory quantity by multiplying the total number of the shippable quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels;
a shortage calculation unit that calculates a shortage of the available shipment quantity with respect to the standard inventory quantity for each of the sales channels by subtracting the available shipment quantity from the standard inventory quantity;
a transfer data generating unit that generates transfer data for transferring a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which a shortage of the shippable number with respect to the standard inventory number occurs;
An inventory adjustment program featuring: The computer,
Instead of the shipping quantity calculation unit, the shipping quantity calculation unit functions as a current stock quantity detection unit that detects the current stock quantity of each of the sales channels;
The standard inventory quantity calculation unit calculates a standard inventory quantity by multiplying the total number of the current inventory quantities of each of the sales channels by the standard ratio for each of the sales channels,
The shortage calculation unit calculates a shortage of the current stock quantity with respect to the standard stock quantity for each sales channel by subtracting the current stock quantity from the standard stock quantity;
The inventory adjustment program according to claim 9, wherein the movement data generation unit generates movement data for moving a predetermined number of the products from another sales channel to a sales channel in which the current inventory quantity is insufficient relative to the standard inventory quantity.

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