Incorporating A Repair Vendor Into Repair Planning For A Supply Chain

1 . A computer-implemented system of repair planning in a supply chain, the system comprising one or more memory units and one or more processing units collectively configured to:

access an inventory plan representing the supply chain;

access a replenishment requirement, the replenishment requirement existing at a controlling location in the supply chain; and

generate a replenishment plan based on the replenishment requirement that meets the inventory plan for the supply chain, the replenishment plan comprising suggested repair orders generated according to one or more rules, wherein unserviceable parts in the supply chain are moved from locations in the supply chain to a repair vendor outside the supply chain and independent of control from the supply chain, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain to meet serviceable parts requirements at the locations in the supply chain according to the suggested repair orders, and wherein the suggested repair orders comprises a rule specifying logistics according to lane prioritization to move unserviceable parts and indicating start times to move the unserviceable parts from the supply chain for repair at the repair vendor at the latest possible time that allows the unserviceable parts to be moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain in time to meet the serviceable parts requirements at the locations in the supply chain.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further configured to:

access information indicating a demand requirement at a first location in the supply chain, the demand requirement resulting from inventory at the first location which is insufficient to fill one or more back orders, sales orders, and forecasted orders at the first location;

select one or more of the first locations and one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generate one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further configured to:

access information indicating a replenishment requirement at the first location in the supply chain, the replenishment requirement resulting from safety stock at the first location dropping below a predetermined threshold;

select one or more of the first locations and the one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generate one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the replenishment requirement at the first location.

4 . The system of claim 2 , further configured, when an aggregate quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location and the second locations available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location, to indicate a need to procure one or more serviceable parts from one or more vendors outside the supply chain to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

5 . The system of claim 2 , further configured to select one or more of the second locations only when a quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location.

6 . The system of claim 2 , further configured to select one or more second locations according to lane prioritization among reverse bill of distributions connecting the second locations to the repair vendor.

7 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a service parts planning system.

8 . A computer-implemented method of repair planning in a supply chain, the method comprising:

accessing by a computer, an inventory plan representing the supply chain;

accessing, by the computer, a replenishment requirement, the replenish requirement existing at a controlling location in the supply chain; and

generating, by the computer, a replenishment plan based on the replenishment requirement that meets the inventory plan for the supply chain, the replenishment plan comprising suggested repair orders generated according to one or more rules, wherein unserviceable parts in the supply chain are moved from locations in the supply chain to a repair vendor outside the supply chain and independent of control from the supply chain, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain to meet serviceable parts requirements at the locations in the supply chain according to the suggested repair orders, and wherein the suggested repair orders further comprises a rule specifying logistics according to lane prioritization to move unserviceable parts and indicating start times to move the unserviceable parts from the supply chain for repair at the repair vendor at the latest possible time that allows the unserviceable parts to be moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain in time to meet the serviceable parts requirements at the locations in the supply chain.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

accessing information indicating a demand requirement at a first location in the supply chain, the demand requirement resulting from inventory at the first location which is insufficient to fill one or more back orders, sales orders, and forecasted orders at the first location;

selecting one or more of the first locations and one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generating one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

accessing information indicating a replenishment requirement at the first location in the supply chain, the replenishment requirement resulting from safety stock at the first location dropping below a predetermined threshold;

selecting one or more of the first locations and the one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generating one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the replenishment requirement at the first location.

11 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising, when an aggregate quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location and the second locations available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location, indicating a need to procure one or more serviceable parts from one or more vendors outside the supply chain to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising selecting one or more of the second locations only when a quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location.

13 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising selecting one or more second locations according to lane prioritization among reverse bill of distributions connecting the second locations to the repair vendor.

14 . The method of claim 8 , executed by a service parts planning system.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with software for repair planning in a supply chain, the software when executed by one or more computers is configured to:

access an inventory plan representing the supply chain;

access a replenishment requirement, the replenishment requirement existing at a controlling location in the supply chain; and

generate a replenishment plan based on the replenishment requirement that meets the inventory plan for the supply chain, the replenishment plan comprising suggested repair orders generated according to one or more rules, wherein unserviceable parts in the supply chain are moved from the locations in the supply chain to a repair vendor outside the supply chain and independent of control from the supply chain, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain to meet serviceable parts requirement at the locations in the supply chain according to the suggested repair orders, and wherein the suggested repair orders comprises a rule specifying logistics according to lane prioritization to move unserviceable parts and indicating start times to move the unserviceable parts from the supply chain for repair at the repair vendor at the latest possible time that allows the unserviceable parts to be moved from the supply chain to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor back to the supply chain in time to meet the serviceable parts requirement at the locations in the supply chain.

16 . The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further configured to:

access information indicating a demand requirement at a first location in the supply chain, the demand requirement resulting from inventory at the first location which is insufficient to fill one or more back orders, sales orders, and forecasted orders at the first location;

select one or more of the first location and one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generate one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

17 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further configured to:

access information indicating a replenishment requirement at the first location in the supply chain, the replenishment requirement resulting from safety stock at the first location dropping below a predetermined threshold;

select one or more of the first location and the one or more second locations in the supply chain; and

generate one or more repair orders according to which one or more unserviceable parts are to be moved from the selected locations to the repair vendor, repaired at the repair vendor, and moved from the repair vendor to the first location to meet the replenishment requirement at the first location.

18 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further configured, when an aggregate quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location and the second locations available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location, to indicate a need to procure one or more serviceable parts from one or more vendors outside the supply chain to meet the demand requirement at the first location.

19 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further configured to select one or more of the second locations only when a quantity of unserviceable parts at the first location available to meet the demand requirement at the first location is insufficient to fully satisfy the demand requirement at the first location.

20 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further configured to select one or more second locations according to lane prioritization among reverse bill of distributions connecting the second locations to the repair vendor.