Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of sourcing orders for groups of products. The method includes arranging a plurality of products into several distinct groups of products based on a variety of factors, such as product demand and product configuration. In some forms, the method includes calculating more of the relevant costs that are associated with shipping groups of products from a plurality of sources. The method may also include assigning orders to sources based on the capacity of the sources to fill orders for groups of products. The method may also be used to ensure that one or more sources ship a minimum number of products per time period (e.g., a month, a year). In some forms, the method includes determining a storage capacity range for a plurality of containers and assigning orders for groups of products onto the containers based on the storage capacity of the containers.

Abstract: The present invention relates a method of sourcing an order. The method adds flexibility to an order sourcing system by readily adjusting the amount of money that must be saved for an order to be reassigned from one source (e.g., a production or distribution center) to another source. The savings value that must be exceeded to reassign the order from one source to another may be set individually for each source and govern where orders can be reassigned. In addition, the savings values for each distribution center may reflect more of the relevant costs that are associated with the products which are used by each distribution center to fill orders. In some forms, the method includes determining all of the costs that are associated with shipping orders to a customer, including orders that require products to be shipped multiple times before reaching a customer.