WO2002065356A1

WO2002065356A1 - A method of handling project material

Info

Publication number: WO2002065356A1
Application number: PCT/DK2001/000618
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arne Jakobsen; Per Emil Larsen
Original assignee: Onepoint Software Aps
Priority date: 2001-02-09
Filing date: 2001-09-27
Publication date: 2002-08-22

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of handling project material which is executed on at least one computer which contains means for communication with at least one other computer, wherein the material handling system contains at least one drawing bom which refers to a purchase bom. The object is to create a material handling system which combines a design computer with an administrative computer. At least one electronic drawing bom may communicate with at least one overall electronic project top bom, wherein the project top bom may communicate with at least one project bom which communicates with at least one overall electronic project material bom, wherein a change in one of the boms automatically causes a change in at least one of the other boms. A considerable simplification of administrative routines may be achieved hereby in connection with the transfer of constructional data from a design computer to an administrative computer system, because necessary data are transferred automatically between different computers. The number of errors may be reduced hereby relative to the situation where data transfer takes place by manual entering, which is frequently the case.

Description

A method of handling project material

The invention relates to a method of handling project material which is executed on at least one computer which contains means for communication with at least one other computer, wherein the material handling system contains at least one drawing bom (bill of material) which refers to a purchase bom.

US 5,490,232 concerns a CAD system wherein an overall design program, during execution, selects programs which describe individual components, whereby a designer quickly obtains a great degree of freedom for the design proper.

A design tool is involved which does not directly describe handling of materials.

US Re. 36,602 concerns a design system which enables com- bination of construction from a CAD system with material data and constructional requirements, so that a CAD design may be finished on the CAD system and subsequently be transferred to a production apparatus which can automatically make a prototype.

This invention is primarily directed to the generation of prototypes and production documentation, and does not concern handling of materials .

The object of the invention is to provide a material handling system which combines a design computer with an administrative computer. This may be achieved if at least one electronic drawing bom communicates with at least one overall electronic project top bom, said project top bom communicating with at least one electronic project bom which communicates with at least one overall electronic project material bom, wherein a change in one of the boms automatically causes a change in at least one of the other boms .

As a result, a considerable simplification of administra- tive routines may be achieved in connection with the transfer of constructional data from a design computer to an administrative computer system, because the necessary data are transferred automatically between various computers. Hereby, the number of errors may be reduced rela- tive to the situation where data transfer takes place by manual entering, which is frequently the case.

The invention allows the project material bom to be used for query and/or purchase of materials, where data from the project material bom are transferred to subsuppliers by electronic communications means . It is ensured hereby that existing data are converted into a standard format, which may be transmitted subsequently in the form of a query to one or more suppliers, it being possible for the query to be transferred to the supplier in the form of an e-mail. The supplier may fill in open boxes in the query before the query is returned to the customer. A purchase department may subsequently select between queries before a query is converted into an actual purchase order. The rapid execution of queries may result in considerable savings of time, because the control of the availability of purchased components or parts takes place at a very early time, so that switching to an alternative component or part may take place as early as possible, and so that switching to an alternative component or part takes place with the least possible inconvenience.

The project material bom may be created in connection with the start of a new project and later form the basis for drawing boms. This allows an overall decision on selection of materials or selection of standards to be defined before the design of the product concerned is started. When drawing boms are subsequently defined, boxes in the drawing boms will be filled-in automatically with selected data from the project material bom.

As an alternative, drawing boms may be created in connection with a new project, where selected boxes in the drawing boms are automatically filled-in with data found via a network in a database. Subsequently, the drawing boms may lead to the creation of other project boms.

The data of the project bom may be compared with selected parameters, where uniform data may be combined in common data segments in the project material bom in which quantities may be added. It may be ensured hereby that the individual part or component only occurs once. In case of great construction tasks, a considerable simplification is achieved since administrative staff quickly gets a total overview of an expected consumption of materials.

The project material bom may be monitored by a first error detection routine which can monitor data for parts purchased and in stock relative to actual needs. This may provide automatic certainty that the actual need for parts corresponds to the amount of parts in stock or to the amount of parts ordered from subsuppliers . The project material bom may also be monitored by a second error detection routine which monitors the filling-in of selected part specification data. It is ensured hereby that the selection of all required part specification data is made at an early time .

The data of the project material bom may be used for a query via a network to a database, following which relevant data are selected from the database and selected data are returned via the network. Hereby, a search for parts or components on an open or a closed network may be achieved, where subsuppliers offer products which may be searched for according to a large number of parameters .

Based on drawing boms or the project material bom, a part specification may be searched for, which is subsequently filled-in, by searching via a network to an external database, where the search result is copied to an internal database and is incorporated in the part specification. It may be ensured hereby that a part specification is automatically updated with data directly from subsuppliers or other companies .

The invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a common database,

Fig. 2 shows a possible example of an embodiment of a box-based specification of material,

Fig. 3 shows a plurality of electronic material boms,

Fig. 4 shows an early drawing bom, Fig. 5 shows a corresponding late drawing bom,

Fig. 6 shows summation of data, and

Fig. 7 shows control of under-coverage or over-coverage of materials.

According to the invention shown in fig. 1, the ERP com- puter systems 10, 11 are connected to the CAD computer systems 12, 13 via a database 14 to which both computer systems 10, 12 have access. The link via a common database 14 is shown in fig. 1. The common database 14 may contain an overview 15 of the materials which are used in the order-producing company.

The specification of material in the database is box- based, which means that the individual materials are described unambiguously, thereby minimizing the risk of wrong purchases and supplies.

The common database 14 may be coupled to an Internet server 16. A market place 18 may be established via the Internet server 16 which may serve as a virtual meeting point for the order-producing company and suppliers, which opens up the possibility of receiving automatized queries and offers as well as orders for parts which are to be used in the manufacturing process in the order-producing company. Through the use of data from the common database 14 through an Internet market place 18 the order-producing company will obtain great assurance that it is the correct parts that are purchased, and that the purchases take place on the most optimum terms . Fig. 2 shows an example of a preferred embodiment of a box-based specification of material. The material in the example shown in fig. 2 is of the type "pipe". An unambiguous specification of the material in connection with a purchase must comprise the following:

Nominal diameter Diameter Thickness Length

Norm of material Norm of dimension

As will appear from fig. 2, it is precisely these parame- ters which are stated in the box specifications for the specific material of the type "pipe" in the database.

According to the invention, the box values are determined in advance, wherever possible. In the example shown in fig. 2, all the stated values have been selected from the possible data already entered.

Selection of data in the boxes in the individual specifications of material from pre-entered values reduces the risk of the errors that can easily occur if data are to be entered manually, of which fig. 2 is also an example.

When, according to the present invention, the specification of material in the common database has a box-based structure, as described in connection with fig. 2, the reliability of data is very great.

Hereby, the great reliability of data in the common database, which describe the materials used in the company, are also utilized for increasing the reliability of data in the drawing boms which are associated with the constructional drawings from the CAD systems .

This is done in a simple manner in that the specification of material in the drawing boms can only be filled-in with data from the common database in which the data reliability is great, as described before.

By allowing the specification of material in the common database to form the basis for the activities of both the purchase department and the construction department, a very great reliability of the internal material handling in the order-producing company is achieved.

Fig. 3 shows a plurality of electronic material boms where data segments are automatically transferred between various boms. The project material bom (101) is an overall bom which may contain data of material for several projects at the same time. The project material bom (101) is divided into a plurality of data segments in the form of a scheme which may advantageously be made as an electronic spreadsheet . The scheme may contain columns consisting of project numbers, part numbers, certificate numbers, file numbers, etc., where rows may contain associated data transversely to the columns. The project material bom (101) may communicate with the project bom (102) , which is likewise a scheme which is structured electronically, where the structure may be in the form of a spreadsheet. Here, too, there is a number of columns with various data. The project bom (102) communicates with the project top bom (103) . As stated before, the project top bom (103) may also be structured as an electronic spreadsheet consisting of a plurality of columns. The project top bom (103) communicates with the drawing boms (104) , where a large number of drawing boms communicate with the project top bom (103) . The project boms (104) may likewise be structured electronically in the form of spreadsheets .

By the hierarchical structure of the various boms (101, 102, 103, 104) a producing company obtains an overview at several different levels of an expected consumption of materials through one development project. Between the project bom (102) and the project material bom (101) a review of rows of the same importance takes place, wherein the rows are combined, while quantities of material or number of parts are added. This results in a re- duction in the number of rows in the project material bom (101) , and also provides an overview of the total consumption of material within the individual part. The boms (101-104) just contain data at a more overall level. Frequently, data at a more detailed level are needed, and this may be achieved as the boms (101-104) refer to e.g. a part catalogue (105) , and also the part catalogue (105) may be designed as an electronic spreadsheet. The part catalogue may communicate with a part specification table

(106) , which contains further information. A specarray (107) is formed on the basis of the part specification table (106) , said specarray (107) likewise being an electronic table which differs from the previous tables in that a number of data is arranged in the same row in a standardized manner. The use of a standardized updating of material data enables the contents of the specarray to be used for a material search on the Internet, where a search directly for the data segment of the specarray at an Internet server adapted for the purpose creates a di- rect link to a provider who can comply with the requirements of the data segment.

Fig. 4 concerns the creation of an early drawing bom which e.g. starts by a designer (220) making a drawing, where the drawing bom (210) communicates with the project top bom (212) . On the basis of the project top bom (212) , a material bom (214) is formed via the project bom (213) , said material bom being automatically processed into a query (216) . The query (216) may subsequently be processed to a purchase draft (218) . The arrow (215) , which starts from the material bom (214) and extends directly to the purchase draft (218) , indicates that the query (216) is unnecessary in some situations. The early draw- ing bom (210) , as described in fig 4, enables a very swift drafting of the various boms, and as data have to be entered in the defined boms, it is ensured with great certainty that all the data are correctly filled-in. Also, it is ensured that query and purchase draft may be drafted directly and be communicated to a possible supplier, who can then confirm at a very early moment whether a supply will be possible. A purchase department may then confirm and place the final order later on.

Fig. 5 shows an alternative for the start of a project, where the generation of a late drawing bom is described. Here a designer (220) is in the process of designing a major project. Independently of the drawing bom (210) , the designer may enter material data directly into the material bom (214) . This allows materials having a long time of delivery to be defined, even though the drawing bom (210) in which the material is to be finally incorporated is not finished till at a later time. Once the material has been defined in the material bom (214) it may readily be incorporated electronically in a query (216) . The query (216) may subsequently be processed to a purchase draft (218) . As soon as the material has been entered in the material bom (214) , it may be incorporated in a drawing bom (210) , where selected data segments are transferred from the material bom (214) and are stored in the drawing bom (210) . When the drawing bom (210) has been completed and transferred to the project top bom (212) and the project bom (213) , the selected data seg- ments will cause the drawing bom to be connected to the materials which the designer has selected from the material bom (214) . With the late drawing bom, purchases may be effected immediately, and the preparation of drawing boms may be postponed until the company has the necessary resources at its disposal, while ensuring re-use of data between the material bom (214) and other boms.

Fig. 6 shows a summation where all the designers (220- 224) use the same component. This component, e.g. pipes, will be combined in terms of quantities in the project top bom (212) and the project bom (213) and appear as a single box with summed-up values in the material bom (214) . This creates a picture of the current actual need for purchased parts - that is the historical costs of the entire project may be calculated by very simple means during the entire project course. At the same time, a common purchase is obtained as long as the same components are involved, so that a larger number or larger quantities may be concentrated on the same order.

Fig. 7 describes a possible embodiment of the invention where over-coverage/under-coverage of parts are checked automatically. The starting point is that the project material bom (214) contains parts purchased in the correct quantities, i.e. that these parts refer to a purchase order. The quantities defined by a designer (220) for the drawing bom (210) , the project top bom (212) , the project bom (213) may be compared with the quantities which have already been purchased via the project material bom (214) . Here, a comparison of figures within the same overall part number may be checked, and an alarm may be given in case of a mismatch between defined quantities and actual needs. It is possible to communicate from the material bom (214) via the line (217) to the designer (220) , warning that under-coverage or over-coverage is involved. It is ensured hereby that the material bom always contains up-to-date quantities, and too large as well as too small purchases are avoided in the project phases. The actual need will always be incorporated in the material bom and the subsequent purchase boms .

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A method of handling project material which is executed on at least one computer which contains means for communication with at least one other computer, wherein the material handling system contains at least one drawing bom (bill of material) which refers to a purchase bom, characterized in that at least one electronic drawing bom (104) communicates with at least one overall electronic project top bom (103) , said project top bom

(103) communicating with at least one project bom (102) which communicates with at least one overall electronic project material bom (101) , wherein a change in one of the boms (101, 102, 103, 104) causes an automatic change in at least one of the other boms (101, 102, 103, 104) .

2. A method of handling project material according to claim 1, characterized in that the project material bom (101) is used for query and/or purchase of materials, wherein data from the project material bom (101) are transferred to subsuppliers by electronic communications means .

3. A method of handling project material according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the project material bom (101) is used in connection with the start of a new project and later forms the basis for drawing boms (104) .

4. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that drawing boms

(104) are created in connection with a new project, wherein the creation of the drawing boms (104) leads to the creation of subsequent project boms (101, 102, 103) .

5. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the data of the project bom (102) are compared with selected parameters, wherein uniform data are combined in a common data seg- ment (110) in the project material bom (101) in which quantities are added.

6. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the project ma- terial bom (101) is monitored by a first error detection routine which monitors data for parts purchased and in stock relative to actual needs .

7. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the project material bom (101) is monitored by a second error detection routine which monitors the filling-in of selected part specification data.

8. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the data of the project material bom (101) are used for a query via a network to a database, following which relevant data are selected in the database and selected data are returned via the network.

9. A method of handling project material according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, based on drawing boms (104) or the project material bom (101) , a part specification (107) is searched for, which is subsequently filled-in, by searching via a network in an external database, wherein the search result (107) is copied to an internal database and is incorporated in the part specification.