Sourcing of bills of materials
View Patent ↗A bill of materials (BOM) sourcing system includes one or more data storage locations that store BOM sourcing criteria. The system also includes a sourcing engine that receives a BOM that includes a plurality of part identifiers. The sourcing engine identifies one or more part identifiers included in the BOM and searches supplier data to obtain pricing information associated with the identified parts. Furthermore, the sourcing engine receives sourcing criteria and determines which supplier should be used to supply each identified part based on the pricing information and the sourcing criteria. In addition, the system includes a transaction execution module that receives from the sourcing engine a part identifier for each identified part and the identity of the supplier to be used to supply each identified part. The transaction execution module generates one or more transaction documents based on this information and communicates the one or more transaction documents to the associated suppliers.
1. A bill of materials (BOM) sourcing system, comprising:
one or more data storage locations operable to store BOM sourcing criteria;
a sourcing engine operable to:
receive a BOM including a plurality of part identifiers;
identify one or more part identifiers included in the BOM;
search supplier data associated with one or more suppliers of parts to obtain pricing information associated with the identified parts;
receive the sourcing criteria from the one or more data storage locations; and
determine which supplier should be used to supply each identified part based on the pricing information and the sourcing criteria; and
a transaction execution module operable to:
receive from the sourcing engine a part identifier for each identified part and the identity of the supplier to be used to supply each identified part;
generate one or more transaction documents each identifying one or more parts and including a request that a supplier provide the one or more parts; and
communicate the one or more transaction documents to the associated suppliers.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing engine is further operable to:
identify in the BOM a required quantity of each identified part;
search the supplier data for availability information associated with the identified parts; and
use the availability information and required quantity when determining which supplier should be used to supply each identified part.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the data storage locations are operable to store supplier data locally at the bill of materials sourcing system, the one or more storage locations coupled to a communication network and operable to receive updated supplier data using the network.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the supplier data is stored in one or more data storage locations external to the bill of materials sourcing system, the sourcing engine operable to access the supplier data using a communication network.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing criteria comprise information identifying approved suppliers of one or more parts, the suppliers used to supply each identified part being limited to the approved suppliers.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing criteria comprise contractual requirements with one or more suppliers that affect the sourcing of the BOM.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing criteria comprise a rule specifying that the BOM should be sourced at the lowest cost.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing criteria comprise a rule limiting the amount of parts obtained from a particular supplier.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sourcing criteria comprise a rule specifying that the total number of suppliers used to supply the identified parts should be minimized.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transaction documents further identify the pricing information obtained from the supplier data for each part.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transaction execution module is operable to communicate the one or more transaction documents using a communication technique selected from the group consisting of electronic mail, fax, web-based communications, and electronic data interchange (EDI).
12. A bill of materials (BOM) sourcing system, comprising:
means for receiving a BOM, the BOM including a plurality of part identifiers;
means for identifying one or more part identifiers included in the BOM;
means for searching supplier data associated with one or more suppliers of parts to obtain pricing information associated with the identified parts;
means for receiving sourcing criteria;
means for determining which supplier should be used to supply each identified part based on the pricing information and the sourcing criteria;
means for generating one or more transaction documents each identifying one or more parts and including a request that the determined supplier provide the one or more parts; and
means for communicating the one or more transaction documents to the associated suppliers.