Abstract: One embodiment includes a computer-implemented system for incorporating a repair vendor into repair planning for a supply chain. The system accesses a logical representation of the supply chain, access an inventory plan for the supply chain, and generates a replenishment plan for meeting the inventory plan for the supply chain that includes suggested repair orders. Unserviceable parts in the supply chain are 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 to meet the requirements for serviceable parts at the locations in the supply chain according to the suggested repair orders.

Abstract: A method for continuous production planning includes identifying a forbidden transition associated with production of first and second end products. The forbidden transition indicates that a manufacturer should not produce the first and second end products consecutively. The method also includes identifying a bridge product associated with the forbidden transition. The bridge product represents a product that the manufacturer could produce between production of the first and second end products. The method further includes determining a quantity of the bridge product that could be produced by the manufacturer. In addition, the method includes scheduling production of the first and second end products and the bridge product. At least a portion of the quantity of the bridge product is scheduled for production between the production of the first and second end products.

Abstract: Determining an inventory target for a node of a supply chain includes calculating a demand stock for satisfying a demand over supply lead time at the node of the supply chain, and calculating a demand variability stock for satisfying a demand variability of the demand over supply lead time at the node. A demand bias of the demand at the node is established. An inventory target for the node is determined based on the demand stock and the demand variability stock in accordance with the demand bias.

Abstract: A system of rendering content according to availability data for at least one item includes a server to receive a content request from a user and, in response, to retrieve requested content. A rendering engine coupled to the server identifies at least one rule associated with the content and concerning the item. A rules engine coupled to the rendering engine generates at least one availability request corresponding to the rule and concerning the item. The rules engine receives the availability data for the item, retrieves additional content according to the availability data for the item, the additional content selected from among one or more stored content elements that concern the item, and communicates the additional content to the rendering engine for incorporation into the requested content. The rendering engine renders the requested content, including the additional content concerning the item.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for rationalizing configurations associated with one or more products. The system includes a database associated with one or more customers. The system further includes an order analysis system coupled with the database. The order analysis system is capable of rationalizing the differences between configurations of various combinations of options that are stored in the database.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for solving supply chain planning problems. The system includes a database that stores data representing a planning problem of a supply chain network and a computer that accesses the planning problem of the supply chain network stored in the database and models the planning problem as a network of nodes and edges. The computer further generates a hierarchical linear programming solution of the planning problem and applies advanced heuristics to the generated hierarchical linear programming solution. The computer still further formulates a mixed integer program to generate an optimized global hierarchical solution and stores the generated optimized global hierarchical solution in the database.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for providing levelness of a production schedule. The system includes a computer configured to access demand data of one or more items to be processed within a sequence of tasks, access the demand data of the one or more items, calculate one or more time intervals for each of the one or more items, and calculate a weighted average for each of the one or more items. The computer is further configured to calculate a time ratio according to the sequence of tasks by calculating the average of the calculated time intervals and the calculated weighted averages and calculating a minimum ratio of an adjusted time interval for each of the one or more items and the calculated weighted averages. The computer is still further configured to generate a production schedule based on a sequence of tasks having a predetermined calculated time ratio.

Abstract: A method for displaying values specified in a number of offers for a number of offer variables with respect to price includes receiving data for multiple offers that reflects values specified in the offers for multiple offer variables and generating a display of the received data. The display includes multiple offer variable windows that are each associated with an offer variable. Each offer variable window includes an offer price axis representing a range of offer prices and an offer variable axis substantially perpendicular to the offer price axis that represents a range of values for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window. Each offer variable window includes multiple bars. Each bar represents a value specified in offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window and is positioned with respect to the offer price axis according to an offer price specified in the offers.

Abstract: Generating an optimized pricing plan includes accessing a hierarchy comprising a sequence of levels, where each level includes an objective function and a set of constraints associated with the objective function. A mathematical programming model representing a pricing plan problem is determined for an item group comprising items. The following is repeated for each level of the sequence of levels: selecting a level comprising an objective function and a set of constraints associated with the objective function, determining an optimized boundary for the objective function, and adding a constraint generated from the optimized boundary to the set of constraints of a next level. An objective function of a last level of the sequence is optimized subject to the set of constraints associated with the objective function to yield an optimized result. An optimized pricing plan is generated in accordance with the optimized result.

Abstract: A system and method for distributing consumer demand upstream in a supply chain is disclosed. The system receives, at a current time, an indication of consumer demand for a product that a consumer, associated with a consumer order management system, may be willing to receive at a future date rather than the current date in exchange for an incentive. The system also determines a particular incentive based on an order lead time for the product and conveys the particular incentive to the consumer order management system to determine whether to receive the product at the particular future date rather than the current date in exchange for the particular incentive. The consumer order management system communicates an order for the product to an upstream supply chain entity, such that, the consumer receives the product at the particular future date rather than the current date in exchange for the particular incentive.

Abstract: Determining an inventory target for a node of a supply chain includes calculating a demand stock for satisfying a demand over supply lead time at the node of the supply chain, and calculating a demand variability stock for satisfying a demand variability of the demand over supply lead time at the node. A demand bias of the demand at the node is established. An inventory target for the node is determined based on the demand stock and the demand variability stock in accordance with the demand bias.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for allocating products to one or more sellers. The system includes a database operable to store data associated with one or more enterprises. The system further includes an order promising system coupled with the database and operable to model the flow of the products through the one or more enterprises and allocate resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for estimating demand of a supply chain including accessing a probability distribution of order lead time of the supply chain. The supply chain has nodes including a starting node and an ending node and a path from the starting node to the ending node. The probability distribution of order lead time describes ending node demand of the ending node versus order lead time. The path is divided into order lead time segments which are associated with the probability distribution of order lead time by associating each order lead time segment with an order lead time range of the probability distribution of order lead time. A demand percentage is estimated for each order lead time segment in accordance with the probability distribution of order lead time, such that each demand percentage describes a percentage of a total ending node demand of an order lead time segment.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for solving supply chain planning problems. The system includes a database that stores data representing a planning problem of a supply chain network and a computer configured to access the planning problem of the supply chain network stored in the database and model the planning problem as a network of nodes and edges. The computer is further configured to generate a hierarchical linear programming solution of the planning problem and apply advanced heuristics to the generated hierarchical linear programming solution. The computer is still further configured to formulate a mixed integer program to generate an optimized global hierarchical solution and store the generated optimized global hierarchical solution in the database.

Abstract: A software system for managing available to promise and making promises to fulfill customer requests is provided. The software system includes a supply chain model representing a chain of supply. The supply chain model includes site models that represent sites having capacity and that manage material flow. The supply chain model also includes seller models that represent sellers and that manage forecasting and purchasing. Commitments between sites is modeled by requests and promises, and the sellers can post requests on behalf of sites in anticipation of future requests from the sites.

Abstract: A method of establishing an interconnection between trading networks may include receiving at a home operator of a home trading network an access establishment request communicated from a home user. The access establishment request may include a request to establish access to a desired application. The desired application may be associated with a foreign trading network coupled to the home trading network via a computer network. The method may further include communicating the access establishment request from the home operator to a foreign operator of the foreign trading network; receiving at the home operator an approval of the access establishment request communicated from the foreign operator, if appropriate; establishing an application access allowing the home user to use the desired application; and communicating a transaction communication to the desired application. The transaction communication may relate to a business transaction.

Abstract: A system providing seller pre-qualification during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction includes a directory structure comprising multiple hierarchically organized product classes, each product class categorizing multiple products and defining one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class. The system also includes one or more pointers for each product class, each pointer identifying a seller database in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class. The system further includes a search interface configured to communicate a search query for product data only to one or more seller databases associated with sellers having seller attribute values matching the specified seller attribute criteria, these seller databases being identified by the one or more pointers associated with the selected product class.

Abstract: A method for displaying values specified in a number of offers for a number of offer variables with respect to price includes receiving data for multiple offers that reflects values specified in the offers for multiple offer variables and generating a display of the received data. The display includes multiple offer variable windows that are each associated with an offer variable. Each offer variable window includes an offer price axis representing a range of offer prices and an offer variable axis substantially perpendicular to the offer price axis that represents a range of values for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window. Each offer variable window includes multiple bars. Each bar represents a value specified in offer for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window and is positioned with respect to the offer price axis according to an offer price specified in the offers.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system of centrally managing core enterprise reference data of an enterprise that includes one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the system includes a storage medium having stored therein a process layer that implements one or more business configuration processes of one or more enterprise-level business workflows. The system further includes a storage medium having stored therein a service layer underlying the process layer that provides services that enable process tasks for the one or more business configuration processes and a storage medium having stored therein a data layer underlying the service layer and storing in a repository, core enterprise reference data that is received from one or more external data sources using a staging strategy that reduces data transfer time between the core enterprise reference data repository and the one or more external data sources.

Abstract: A system for rendering content according to availability data for at least one item includes a server to receive a content request from a user and, in response, to retrieve requested content. A rendering engine coupled to the server identifies at least one rule associated with the content and concerning the item. A rules engine coupled to the rendering engine generates at least one availability request corresponding to the rule and concerning the item. The rules engine receives the availability data for the item, retrieves additional content according to the availability data for the item, and communicates the additional content to the rendering engine for incorporation into the requested content. The rendering engine renders the requested content, including the additional content concerning the item. The server communicates the rendered content to the user to satisfy the content request.