System for dynamic inventory control

Abstract

A production management system is configured to dynamically controlling inventory of a semiconductor product to prevent overstock and stockout. The production management system includes a production planning module including components containing data of demand forecast, and customer order. The production management system further includes a dynamic inventory control module including a dynamic inventory control simulation module and an inventory management system, wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module is configured to adjust a target inventory if a current inventory is beyond a threshold multiplied by the target inventory for M number of review cycles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A production management system for dynamically controlling inventory to prevent overstock and stockout, the production management system comprising:
 a production planning module including components containing data of demand forecast, and customer order; and   a dynamic inventory control module including a dynamic inventory control simulation module and an inventory management system, wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module is configured to adjust a target inventory if a current inventory is beyond a threshold multiplied by the target inventory for M number of review cycles, wherein M is an integer.   
     
     
         2 . The production management system of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module is configured to reduce the target inventory by a reduction ratio each future review cycle if the threshold is an upper threshold. 
     
     
         3 . The production management system of  claim 2 , wherein the reduction ratio is constant over time. 
     
     
         4 . The production management system of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module is configured to provide instructions to reduce a cycle time if the threshold is a lower threshold. 
     
     
         5 . The production management system of  claim 4 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation system is configured to provide instructions to reduce the cycle time by providing instructions to run hot lots. 
     
     
         6 . The production management system of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation system is configured to provide instructions to increase a wafer start parameter if the threshold is a lower threshold, wherein the wafer start parameter is a number of usable chips obtained per period. 
     
     
         7 . The production management system of  claim 1 , wherein M is greater if the threshold is an upper threshold than if the threshold is a lower threshold. 
     
     
         8 . A production management system for dynamically controlling inventory to prevent overstock and stockout, the production management system comprising:
 a production planning module, wherein the production planning module is configured to determine a demand curve for at least one product; and   a dynamic inventory control module connected to the product planning module, wherein the dynamic inventory control module includes:
 a dynamic inventory control simulation module configured to generate instructions for altering a production process based on the demand curve; and 
 an inventory management system configured to store real inventory data and real shipping data. 
   
     
     
         9 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the production planning module comprises a fab capacity component configured to store information related to a manufacturing capacity and types of products manufacturable by a fab. 
     
     
         10 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the production planning module comprises a product technology component configured to store information related to process flows, tools and materials usable for manufacturing products in a fab. 
     
     
         11 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the production planning module comprises a product priority component configured to store information related to a production priority of a product to be manufactured in a fab. 
     
     
         12 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module is configured to generate instructions to alter a production priority of a product to be manufacture in a fab. 
     
     
         13 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module comprises a target inventory simulator configured to simulate an inventory target based on an initial order parameter, a historical trend parameter, and a seasonal effect parameter. 
     
     
         14 . The production management system of  claim 8 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module comprises a future inventor simulator configured to simulate a future inventory parameter based on a real inventory parameter, a wafer start parameter, and a future shipment parameter. 
     
     
         15 . The production management system of  claim 14 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module further comprises a future shipment simulator configured to determine the future shipment parameter based on a historical trend parameter, a seasonal effect parameter, a target inventory parameter, a current inventory parameter, and a future inventory parameter. 
     
     
         16 . The production management system of  claim 14 , wherein the dynamic inventory control simulation module further comprises a wafer start simulator configured to determine the wafer start parameter based on a target inventory parameter, the real inventory parameter, the future inventory parameter, and the future shipment parameter. 
     
     
         17 . The production management system of  claim 14 , wherein the inventory management system is configured to store the real inventory parameter. 
     
     
         18 . A production management system for dynamically controlling inventory of a semiconductor product to prevent overstock and stockout, the production management system comprising:
 a production planning module comprising a first processor configured to establish an initial forecast of target inventory, wafer starts, inventory, shipment, cycle time, upper inventory threshold, and lower inventory threshold for a product including components containing data of demand forecast, and customer order; and   a dynamic inventory control module comprising a second processor configured to:
 review and compare real inventory and target inventory on a periodic basis; 
 reduce the forecast of target inventory, responsive to a determination that the real inventory exceeds the upper inventory threshold for a number of consecutive review periods, and 
 repeat the step of reviewing and comparing real inventory and target inventory data and the step of reducing the forecast of target inventory, responsive to a determination that an end of product life cycle has not been reached. 
   
     
     
         19 . The production management system of  claim 18 , wherein the second processor is further configured to reduce a forecast of the cycle time and increase a forecast of the wafer starts, responsive to a determination that the real inventory is below the lower inventory threshold for a second number of consecutive review periods. 
     
     
         20 . The production management system of  claim 18 , wherein the second processor is further configured to increase the forecast of target inventory following a second number of cycles after the forecast of target inventory is reduced.