JP2003252440A - Distribution assistance system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an assigning management at a client level, to dispense with necessity for actually storing articles at a business office or a local office, to inhibit a conveying cost without carrying out a shipping work such as picking by the client, to certainly carry out a management of a stock and shipping and to result in no lack/excess of articles. <P>SOLUTION: The distribution assistance system comprises a distribution center for carrying out storage/shipping of articles; a management center for managing an information of articles stored in the distribution center; a first communication system provided between the management center and an article provider; a second communication system between the management center and the client of the article; a third communication system provided between the management center and the distribution center; and a conveying system for conveying the article stored in the distribution center to a predetermined place. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a physical distribution support system,
In particular, the present invention relates to a physical distribution system used when a large number of orderers ship a predetermined quantity of a predetermined quantity of goods to a predetermined place at a limited number of goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many companies and the like have formed a distribution system with a scale of about a wholesaler as a delivery destination in mind. Therefore, for example, a limited number of sales items such as brochures, catalogs, display items, novelty items and limited items such as limited sale items cannot be handled by a retail store when a large number of salesmen ship them to the retail store. In most cases, a product delivered to a branch / sales / branch-level department is further shipped to a retail store.

Therefore, the goods to be shipped are temporarily stored at a branch office, a sales office, a branch office, etc., and shipped from this to a retail store, which not only increases the transportation cost but also requires a storage space and requires each storage location. It requires a substantial manager who performs shipping operations such as picking and collecting ordered items, which is very expensive.

[0004] Usually, the orderer (for example, "provider to retail store""salesperson" and the like below) himself / herself is a branch / office / office.
Since it is necessary to carry out shipping operations at the branch office level, there are problems such as missing shipments and being unable to concentrate on sales activities.

Further, usually, limited goods are simply divided in advance by the number of orderers and distributed, so that it is basically difficult to manage inventory and shipment, and in addition, the number of shipments depends on each person. If they are different, shortages and surpluses are likely to occur,
Relay stock occurs when relaying goods to sales offices and branch offices.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is not only applicable to retail stores, that is, it is possible to manage distribution at the orderer level, but also to store goods at a sales office. There is no need to actually store it at a branch office or the like, the orderer does not have to carry out shipping work such as picking, the transportation cost is suppressed, and the inventory and shipping management are reliable, so there is no fear of shortages or surpluses. The challenge is to provide a logistics system.

[0007]

The present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, includes a distribution center for storing and shipping goods, and a management center for managing information on the goods stored in the distribution center. A first communication system provided between the management center and the goods provider, a second communication system provided between the management center and the orderer of the goods, the management center and the distribution center And a transportation system for transporting the articles stored in the distribution center to a predetermined location, and the management center uses the first communication system from the article provider. The inventory goods in the distribution center transmitted using a communication system are managed by using the inventory management information sorted by each predetermined category regarding the orderer, and the second article is managed. When there is an order from an orderer using the communication system, the order information is notified to the distribution center using the third communication system and shipped to a designated place by the transport system, and then shipped for each section. It is characterized in that the orderer is provided with the updated inventory management information in which the number of stocks sorted according to the situation is changed, and the updated inventory management information is provided.

[0008] In response to a command from the article provider, the articles are collectively stored in a distribution center without being stored in a branch office, a sales office, a branch office, and the inventory information is stored in a management center using the first communication system. The management center uses the inventory management information assigned to each predetermined order for each orderer for management.

When the orderer places an order at the management center using the second communication system, the management center informs the order information to the distribution center using the third communication system.
Out of the goods managed in inventory at the distribution center, the goods related to the order are picked up and carried to a predetermined carrying place by the carrying system.

The inventory information after being actually shipped at the distribution center is sent to the management center using the third communication system, and the number of stocks distributed for each section is changed according to the shipping status for each section. Create inventory management information. This allows the orderer to know the inventory information for the next order using the second communication system.

Further, if the first or second communication system uses the Internet or mobile communication, the system can be constructed more easily and the mobility is increased.

Further, when a predetermined article is directly received from the article manufacturer to the distribution center by an order from the article provider to the article manufacturer, it is possible to omit the trouble of carrying it in again.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

The drawings show the outline of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which a promotional item such as a pamphlet is used as an article. The distribution support system mainly stores and stores articles as shown in FIG. A distribution center 1 that performs shipping, a management center 2 that manages information on the products stored in the distribution center 1, and a management center 2 and a product provider 3 such as a public relations department of a company. 1 communication system 4, a second communication system 6 provided between the management center 2 and an orderer 5 for goods such as a sales person, and a second communication system 6 provided between the management center 2 and the distribution center 1. Third communication system 7 and distribution center 1
And a transport system 9 for transporting the articles stored in the store to a predetermined place 8 such as a store.

Further, in the figure, reference numeral 10 is an article manufacturer such as a printing place, reference numeral 11 is a transport system for transporting the article manufactured by the article manufacturer to the distribution center 1, and reference numeral 1
2 is an industrial waste processor for treating the disused items.

In the distribution support system configured as described above, first, the article provider (advertisement / advertising section) 3 develops an article that is a promotional item such as a pamphlet, and hands it over to an appropriate person such as a facsimile or the Internet. The means is used to place an order with the article manufacturer (printing office) 10 to outsource the production.

An article manufacturer (printing office) 1 who has been entrusted with manufacturing.
0 manufactures the ordered product in the ordered quantity, and uses the carrier system 11 such as a courier to carry and store the ordered quantity in the distribution center. In this way, when a predetermined article is directly received from the article manufacturer (printing office) 10 by the order from the article provider (promotional advertising department) 3 to the article manufacturer (printing office) 10, It is possible to save the trouble of carrying the articles from the article manufacturer (printing station) 10 to the article provider (advertising section) 3 in an overlapping manner.

On the other hand, the goods provider 3 uses the first communication system 4 to deal with the goods in the warehouse.
As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the inventory management information in which the stocked articles in each item are sorted into a predetermined category related to the orderer (for example, salespersons A to I of the branch office, sales office, and branch office), for example, every 100 sheets, is stored in the management center 2. And send it to and store it in the server of the management center and manage it.

When the orderer (salesman) 5 wants to ship an article to a predetermined place (sales shop) 8, the orderer (salesman) 5 first uses the second communication system 6 to manage the management center. Place an order for 2. At this time, as the second communication system 6, various communication means such as a wire telephone, a fax, and the Internet using personal computer communication can be used. Especially, when mobile communication such as a mobile phone is used, for example, Since the orderer (sales person) 5 can place an order at a predetermined place (sales shop) 8 to which an item is to be delivered, it is extremely convenient to place an order even during a business negotiation, and there is less shipping omission than when ordering later.

When ordering, the orderer (sales person)
5 is able to check the inventory of its own by searching the inventory management information stored in the server of the management center 2.

In the management center 2 which receives the order from the orderer (sales person) 5, the order information is sent to the third communication system 7
Is transmitted to the distribution center 1 by using the first communication system 4, and the management information after the order, that is, the management information shown in FIG. Receiving this, the goods provider (advertisement and public relations department) 3 provides the inventory management information to the branch, the sales office, the asserting office, and the sales persons A to I according to the shipping status of each category such as the usage status. The updated inventory management information in which the number of stocks distributed for each of the categories is changed is stored in the first communication system 4 such as the Internet.
Is sent to the management center 2 and is provided to the orderer as inventory management information via the second communication system. In addition, if it is considered that the inventory is insufficient due to usage records,
Depending on the status of the order or shipment, the product manufacturer (printing office) 10 is requested to reprint and sent to the management center 2 by using the first communication system as rewriting information of the management information to be used as inventory management information. By creating update management information by using it, it can be used as effective information thereafter.

On the other hand, at the distribution center 1 which has received the order information 7 from the management center 2, the items related to the order for which inventory management is being performed are picked up, and for example, a delivery system 9 such as a courier delivers the goods to a predetermined delivery location (sales shop). ) 8
Transport to. If necessary, orderer (sales person) 5
It may be directly transported to.

By transferring the shipping information sent from the transfer system 9 to the distribution center 1 to the management center 2 when the transfer is performed to a predetermined transfer point (sales shop) 8 by using the third communication system. The shipping information can be sent to the orderer (salesman) 5 using the second communication system, and the orderer (salesman) 5 can confirm the order / delivery status.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the goods related to the order are collectively stored in the distribution center 1 without actually carrying and storing the goods in a branch office, a sales office, a branch office, or the like. It is ordered by picking and is transported to a predetermined transportation site (sales shop) 8 by a transportation system 9 such as a courier, and the transportation cost for shipping does not increase, and no storage space is required at each location. No substantial administrator is required to perform shipping operations such as picking up and ordering ordered items for each time, and does not require a large cost.

[0025] Normally, the orderer (sales person) does not need to carry out the shipping work at the branch / sales office / branch office level, there is no omission of shipping, and he / she can concentrate on sales activities.
There is no relay inventory that occurs when relaying goods to a branch, sales office, or branch office.

Further, instead of simply managing the inventory of the limited items in advance by simply dividing them by the number of orderers and managing them, the management of shipping etc. is performed based on the changed inventory management information changed according to the delivery status. Therefore, there is no shortage or surplus, and relay stock does not occur when goods are relayed to branches, sales offices, and branch offices.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the promotional item such as a pamphlet is used as an article is shown. However, it can be used as another promotional item such as a catalog, a display item, a novelty item, or a limited item in a normal item. The above items can be handled in the same manner.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible not only to manage distribution to the level of a sales person but also to instantly check the status of stock and shipment at the present time, and to branch offices, sales offices, branch offices, etc. It is economically advantageous because it does not require a storage space, does not need to perform shipping operations such as picking and collecting ordered products for each storage location, and does not require a substantial administrator.

Further, since the orderer does not need to carry out the shipping work at the branch / sales office / branch office level, he / she can concentrate on the sales activities without reducing the burden and shipping errors due to mistakes. It is possible to manage inventory according to the situation such as inventory and shipping without dividing it by the number of orderers, and it is difficult for shortages and surpluses to occur, and it is necessary to actually relay goods to branches, sales offices and branch offices Moreover, logistics costs are low and there is no concern that transit inventory will occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inventory management information in which stocked items in a distribution center used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are sorted into predetermined categories related to orderers.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 distribution center, 2 management center, 3 goods provider, 4 first communication system, 5 orderer, 6 second communication system, 7 third communication system, 8 predetermined location, 9 transfer system, 11 transfer system

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A distribution center for storing and shipping goods, a management center for managing information on the goods stored in the distribution center, and a first center provided between the management center and the goods provider. A communication system; a second communication system provided between the management center and an orderer of goods; a third communication system provided between the management center and the distribution center; and the distribution center And a transport system for transporting the goods stored in the storage area to a predetermined location. The management center relates to the orderer for the stocked goods in the distribution center transmitted from the goods provider using the first communication system. The inventory management information distributed for each predetermined category is used for management, and the order information is forwarded when an order is placed by the orderer using the second communication system. The third communication system is used to notify the distribution center to ship the product to a designated location by the transport system, and then update the number of stocks distributed to each section according to the shipping status of each section. A physical distribution support system for providing inventory management information to an orderer via the second communication system. 2. The physical distribution support system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication systems is the Internet. 3. The physical distribution support system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication systems is mobile communication. 4. The distribution support system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a predetermined product is directly received from the product manufacturer at a distribution center according to an order from the product provider to the product manufacturer.