Abstract: A supply chain management plan includes supply events for inventory and times at which the supplies will be received. The plan further includes demand events and when they occur. The demands may be prioritized. For each demand priority, an available to promise (ATP) amount of supply is determined in accordance with demand events of that priority. The ATP is determined for higher priority demand events before it is determined for lower priority demand events. Cancellations of a priority k order may be processed by determining, for each demand priority context i=k+1 to N, an amount of inventory to restore to available status at a particular supply event based upon a minimum ATPRG value between the particular supply event and the order committed date.

Abstract: An inventory supply management procedure involves representing inventory supply events in a data processing device memory with indications of times at which the supply events take place, and associating with each supply event at least an Available to Promise (ATP) and an ATP Restoration Guide (ATPRG) value.

Abstract: Generating a supply chain plan includes accessing data describing a supply chain network having buffers. Each buffer is operable to store items and is associated with a corresponding time variable. The supply chain network is constrained by a constraint. A linear programming problem is generated for the supply chain network. The linear programming problem is approximated by discretizing the time variables of the buffers to yield discretized time variables and by relaxing the constraint to yield a relaxed constraint. An optimized supply chain plan is calculated for the approximated linear programming problem. The optimized supply chain plan describes a quantity of items at each buffer for at least one time value of the corresponding time variable. The optimized supply chain plan is adjusted to satisfy the constraint.

Abstract: A method for demand planning includes determining a demand value representing a demand quantity of an end product that a manufacturer is to produce. Production of the demand quantity of the end product includes production of a quantity of an intermediate product using a raw material. The intermediate product is to be further processed to produce the end product. The method also includes determining an additional quantity value representing an additional quantity of the intermediate product that the manufacturer can produce in addition to the quantity of the intermediate product used to produce the end product. At least one of the demand value and the additional quantity value is based at least partially on an exchange balance associated with at least one of the raw material, the intermediate product, and the end product. The method further includes making the additional quantity value for the intermediate product available for use in generating additional demand for the intermediate product.

Abstract: A system and method for searching a problem space. In an exemplary application, the search constructs a plan associated with a business enterprise and the problem space is a model of the enterprise. The search is divided into subsearches. Each subsearch is performed by a subsearch process having its own goal data, termination data, problem data, problem selection process, move process, and script. The script of a subsearch determines whether the current state of the search shall be advanced by a move of that subsearch or by another subsearch.