Granted Patent B2

US 7,853,466 · App. 11/530,039 · Granted Dec 14, 2010

Abstract

Claims (64)

1. A method of supply chain facility performance analysis, the method comprising:

maintaining, via a computer processor, supply chain facility configuration information for a plurality of supply chain facilities, the plurality of supply chain facilities classified by supply chain facility organization type;

identifying, via the computer processor, variables that are attributed to performance of the supply chain facilities, the variables for each of the plurality of supply chain facilities vary according to the supply chain facility organization type;

collecting, via the computer processor, data corresponding to one or more of the variables for selected supply chain facilities in the plurality of supply chain facilities;

performing, via the computer processor, performance analysis for the selected supply chain facilities using the data as input, the performance analysis including executing a data envelope analysis (DEA) based three-stage performance analysis model, executing a statistical analysis and executing a sensitivity analysis; and

outputting, via the computer processor, the results of the performance analysis to at least one of a display screen and a storage device, the results including a performance ranking of the selected supply chain facilities, the prescriptions for performance improvement, and results of the correlation analysis and the sensitivity analysis;

wherein executing the data envelope analysis (DEA) based three-stage performance analysis model comprises:

performing a first stage DEA analysis on only the data that is attributable to discretionary variables and deriving efficiency scores resulting from the first stage DEA analysis;

performing a second stage linear programming optimization and discovering any excesses and shortages that provide prescriptions for performance improvement based on the second stage linear programming optimization; and

regressing the data attributable to non-discretionary variables onto the efficiency scores and distinguishing inefficiencies attributable to the discretionary variables from inefficiencies attributable to the non-discretionary variables.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes historical data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein supply chain facility organization types include:

suppliers;

cross-docks;

manufacturing plants;

distribution centers; and

dealers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected supply chain facilities are characterized by the same supply chain facility organization type.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying variables includes validating the model to be used in the performance analysis.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the collecting data includes receiving the data from a centralized facility that collects the data for one or more of the variables for a plurality of supply chain facilities.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the variables are stored in the storage device and the identifying includes accessing the variables on the storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the variables are classified by the discretionary variables and the non-discretionary variables, the discretionary variables specifying data that is affected by operational decisions of a corresponding supply chain facility, and the non-discretionary variables specifying data that is not affected by operational decisions made by a corresponding supply chain facility.

9. A system for supporting supply chain facility performance analysis, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

an input module, a processing module, and an output module implemented by the computer processor, wherein:

the input module is in communication with a network for receiving supply chain facility configuration information for a plurality of supply chain facilities and data corresponding to one or more of the variables that are attributed to performance of for—the supply chain facilities the plurality of supply chain facilities classified by supply chain facility organization type and the variables for each of the plurality of supply chain facilities vary according to the supply chain facility organization type;

the processing module is in communication with the input module for performing performance analysis for selected supply chain facilities using the data as input to the performing, the performance analysis including executing a DEA based three-stage performance analysis model, executing a statistical analysis and executing a sensitivity analysis;

the output module is in communication with the processing module for outputting the results of the performance analysis, the results including a performance ranking of the selected supply chain facilities, the prescriptions for performance improvement, and results of the correlation analysis and the sensitivity analysis;

wherein executing the data envelope analysis (DEA) based three-stage performance analysis model comprises:

performing a first stage DEA analysis on only the data that is attributable to discretionary variables and deriving efficiency scores resulting from the first stage DEA analysis;

performing a second stage linear programming optimization and discovering any excesses and shortages that provide prescriptions for performance improvement based on the second stage linear programming optimization; and

regressing the data attributable to non-discretionary variables onto the efficiency scores and distinguishing inefficiencies attributable to the discretionary variables from inefficiencies attributable to the non-discretionary variables.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the data includes historical data.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein supply chain facility organization types include:

suppliers;

cross-docks;

manufacturing plants;

distribution centers; and

dealers.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of supply chain facilities are characterized by the same supply chain facility organization type.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein information and data in the network is encrypted.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein different types of information and data are encrypted with different encryption keys.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the collecting data includes receiving the data from a centralized facility that collects the data from one or more of the supply chain facilities.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the variables are classified by the discretionary variables and the non-discretionary variables, the discretionary variables specifying data that is affected by operational decisions of a corresponding supply chain facility, and the non-discretionary variables specifying data that is not affected by operational decisions made by a corresponding supply chain facility.

17. A computer program product for supporting supply chain facility performance analysis, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:

maintaining supply chain facility configuration information for a plurality of supply chain facilities, the plurality of supply chain facilities classified by supply chain facility organization type;

identifying variables that are attributed to performance of the supply chain facilities the variables for each of the plurality of supply chain facilities vary according to the supply chain facility organization type;

collecting data corresponding to one or more of the variables for selected supply chain facilities in the plurality of supply chain facilities;

performing performance analysis for the selected supply chain facilities using the data as input, the performance analysis including executing a data envelope analysis (DEA) based three-stage performance analysis model, executing a statistical analysis and executing a sensitivity analysis;

outputting the results of the performance analysis, the results including a performance ranking of the selected supply chain facilities, the prescriptions for performance improvement, and results of the correlation analysis, and the sensitivity analysis;

wherein executing the data envelope analysis (DEA) based three-stage performance analysis model comprises:

performing a first stage DEA analysis on only the data that is attributable to discretionary variables and deriving efficiency scores resulting from the first stage DEA analysis;

performing a second stage linear programming optimization and discovering any excesses and shortages that provide prescriptions for performance improvement based on the second stage linear programming optimization; and

regressing the data attributable to non-discretionary variables onto the efficiency scores and distinguishing inefficiencies attributable to the discretionary variables from inefficiencies attributable to the non-discretionary variables.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein supply chain facility organization types include:

suppliers;

cross-docks;

manufacturing plants;

distribution centers; and

dealers.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the selected supply chain facilities are characterized by the same supply chain facility organization type.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the identifying includes validating the model to be used in the performance analysis.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the variables are classified by the discretionary variables and the non-discretionary variables, the discretionary variables specifying data that is affected by operational decisions of a corresponding supply chain facility, and the non-discretionary variables specifying data that is not affected by operational decisions made by a corresponding supply chain facility.

Assignments (12)