Possibilities of information logistics utilization in practice.

Kiss, Imrich ; Sloboda, Aurel ; Wessely, Emil 等

1. INTRODUCTION

With the analysis of the working processes economy, resultant effect of the production according to the orders was determined to be favourable, in respect to the production in accordance with the predicted data. The reason might be that all the production processes can be planned, organized, managed and controlled according to the deterministic data; they can be effectuated with minimum orders, shipping, production, and handling and storage costs. Acomplex analysis of this issue applied to the conditions of the management of material flows in the logistic chain was executed in the concern of Philips, where, based on the results of the analytical work, a concept of the decoupling point (DP) of the logistic chain by the customer order originated.

2. TRANSFORMING POINT CONCEPT

It turns up, however, that in the DP no decoupling arises, but a fundamental change of the management of the material flows in the logistic chain concept appears. The management according to the prognoses, i.e. stochastic, transfers into the management according to the customer orders, i.e. deterministic. Therefore, the term decoupling point becomes substituted by the term transforming point (TP). Its basic function, i.e. the measure of the influence of the TP position in the decisive points of thecustomer orders penetration in the logistic chain on the main characteristics of production and logistic processes, can be illustrated with the data in the Table 1 and with the Graph in the Figure 1.

Consequently, TP specifies two decisive areas, one of them lies from the TP towards the customer (independent requirements) and the second in the opposite direction towards the supplier (dependent requirements). Risks of the decision-making result from the economic impacts of not satisfied customer orders and from the false decisionregarding the purchase of useless and dead stocks.

Since TP defines the penetration depth of the customer order, the identification of its place in the logistic chain plays a decisive role in the decision-making risk cut-down in the logistic processes management. It was stated that it is a place from which customers are served directly, i.e. the last place of stocks in the logistic chain.

Order evaluation according to the TP method conformsfollowing principles:

* Independent requirement is comprehended as a final consumption market demand, in the form of precisely specified requirements (orders) or in the form of the prognosis of the marketing market research.

* Dependent requirement is comprehended as production consumption and it concerns the purchase of all production processes inputs. This requirement is strictly set according to the production documentation.

* The proposition on the change of the independent requirement to the dependent requirement in the TP might be comprehended in a relative connection of tendencies of the elasticity growth and the production individualization by the production doses reduction (e.g. Japanese concept--dose = 1 piece), than by the possibility of the TP shifting towards and against the material flow, regarding the demands of the final consumption market requirements and regarding theinternal production dispositions, amount of the stockcosts and material flow, productivity and the character of the production (piece, series) and the distribution of final products.

* In general, the shift of the TP against the material flow direction results in:

** the total of continuous times of working processes along the stream of material flow into the TP shall be smaller than the delivery date of the final product,

** the dispersion of continuous times that can cause the unreliability in deliveries,

** complicated, insecure, specific activities are placed behind the TP,

** activities with a short continuous time and high added value are placed before the TP,

** stocks are the more expensive the closer they are to the customer, as they "carry" a long expense chain,

** unreliability of the stock forecasting causes a raised safety stocks,

** the wider a range of production the higher risk of dead stocks,

** the smaller number of customers the higher risk of dead stocks,

** the TP comes before the high-cost processes.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

3. THE ORDERS EVALUATION

The orders placed by the customers are being evaluated by the sequential order-sorting algorithm through the classifiers functioning as the filters of the selection and production of various databases (DB) of orders in accordance to technical-economic parameters of production availability in individual stages of production process. Stages are defined by the TP of the logistic chain.

Sorting begins with the input of orders to the database (DB 1) from which are being "out-filtrated" the so-called irrelevant orders not corresponding to the line structure of the supplier's production programme. Irrelevant orders may be consulted with customers or they may be completed or repaired after the arrangement with the customer so that they become, as relevant databases (DB 2), suitable to the conditions of classifiers in other stages of the sorting algorithm.

A classifier, with the conditions of specified parameters of product stored in the distribution shed, selects from the database (DB 2) two groups of orders. Orders of customers, specifications of which are identical to the specifications of classifier, i.e. they correspond to immediate supplying conditions from the distribution shed at the position TP 1. This is the final step of provided line of algorithm.

Second group of orders creates a database (DB 3), from which are selected orders to which cannot be reacted directly with the delivery command from the Stock of finished products, which is situated at the TP 2 position of the logistic chain.

Orders that cannot be dealt with the direct delivery from the Stock of finished products are cumulated into the database (DB 4) which is forwarded to the next sorting round. Steps of this round, as well as of the next rounds (for the remaining DB 5 and DB 6) are identical to the steps of previous rounds. Obviously, every round has particularities of sorting classifiers which correspond to current disposals of the production process stages (bounds to production disposals of the "ordered production", which can meet the orders from databases DB 4--installation and shipment, DB 5--production of components, including the installation and shipment of products, DB 6--semi-products purchase, production of components, installation and shipment of products). These stages are at the position TP 3 (Stock of the Production in process and purchased semi-products), TP 4 (Stock of input materials) and TP 5 (Stock of suppliers) from the Table 1.

4. CONCLUSION

The findings articulated in this contribution remit to the importance of the management of production and logistic processes in their mutual relativity and dependence. They can be helpful for the needs of mathematic models formation and for their computer securing. Thereby, the supply-customer chain can be increased towards the algorithmization and optimization of corresponding processes and this may be helpful in the process of bases for the complex decisive and managerial process defining.

5. REFERENCES

Bigos,P. & Kiss, I. & Ritok, J. & Kastelovic, E. (2005). Materidlovetoky (Material Flow and Logistic), TU, ISBN 80-8073-263-9, Kosice

Hoekstra, S. & Romme, J. (1992). Integral Logistic Structures, McGRAW-HILL Book Company Europe, ISBN 0-07-707552-8, London

Kiss, I. &Easova, M. & Senkyr, M. &Jamnicky, O. (2009). Informacnesystemy v logistike (Information Systems in Logistic), Multiprint, ISBN978-80-89282-38-8, Kosice

Lewison, W.A. &Rerick, R.A. (2002). A Synergic Approach to Minimizing Waste, ASQ Quality Press, ISBN 0-87389532-0, Milwauke, Wisconsin

Pernica, P. (1998). Logisticky management(Logistic Management), Radix, ISBN 80-86031-13-6, Prag

Tab. 1. Direct Effects of the TP on the Production and Logistic
Processes

Position Characteristic of the
of the TP Place of the TP Production Process

1 Distribution Shed Production and Stock
 Expedition
2 Stock of Finished Products Production for Stocks
3 Buffer Stocks Ordered Installation
4 Stock of Semi-articles Ordered Production
 and Semi-products
5 Stock of Material Input Material Purchase and Ordered
 Suppliers Production

Position Characteristic of the Logistic
of the TP Process Management

1 Push--Interrupted Material Flow Chain
2 Prevalent Push + Pull
3 Prevalent Pull + Push
4 Pull--Continual Material Flow Chain
5 Pull--Synchronous Material Flow Chain