Abstract: A method for providing a collaborative production scheduling system uses the internet and allows a supplier and its customers to interact with a data set that contains forecast information relating to products manufactured by the supplier and purchased by the customers. An initial forecast is provided by the supplier for each of a plurality of customers and those forecasts are made available for access by the customers. Each of the customers of the supplier is allowed to review and access the data contained in the forecast schedule at predetermined periods of time (e.g. monthly) and for preselected durations (e.g. fifteen days). During those times, all of the customers of the supplier can amend the predetermined forecast schedule based on their own estimates of their future demand for the suppliers products. The supplier then can accumulate the information obtained from its customers and schedule production at its own facilities in order to appropriately meet the anticipated demand of its customers.

Abstract: A donor processing and information management system disclosed herein allows donor processing centers to facilitate their operations and decrease the use of paperwork and forms by using electronic workstations to enter donor and donation information. Embodiments of the system also facilitate operations of the donor processing centers by automating the management of donors, thus reducing the number of staff necessary to run the center. Donors and donor center staff use workstations to enter biographical data, answer questions, and edit information entered into a database in order to reduce human error and increase efficiency. Thus, embodiments of the system may completely eliminate the use of burdensome forms and automate the entire blood donation process for donor processing centers, whether operating with in-line, real time hardware interfaces at a fixed location, or at mobile locations, where data is collected onsite and transmitted to one or more offsite databases.