METHOD FOR PREDICTING ASSET AVAILABILITY

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method for predicting asset availability in a supply chain, whereby assets are typically reusable assets such as packaging or bins which are expensive components yet hard to track. The present invention provides a mechanism for passively sensing when an asset enters or leaves a particular location in the supply chain and updates a database accordingly. This location and timing information is thereafter used in the present invention to model future movement of the assets for use in predicting whether a sufficient amount of the assets will be present at any particular location in the supply chain at any particular point in the future. An alert is generated if the modeling determines an insufficient amount is modeled to be present at the particular location. This allows a decision maker to make adjustments to ensure a sufficient amount of assets will be present at the particular location.

主权项

1. A method for predicting asset availability, the method comprising the steps of:
sensing when an asset in a plurality of assets arrives at one of a plurality of locations; updating a database with an incoming time associated with the asset and the location; sensing when the asset leaves the location; and updating the database with an outgoing time associated with the asset and location.