SOURCING AGENT BASED PRODUCTION LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM INCLUDING ORDER ENTRY, TRACKING, AND FULLFILMENT

摘要

Container based oversight and management of orders for multi-component, fabricated articles. This is done by entering an order for multi-component, fabricated articles into a database and virtually associating the ordered multi-component, fabricated articles to a virtual transit container. The virtual transit container corresponds to a real transit container. The orders for the multi-component fabricated articles are either broken up into orders for components and subsequent fabrication, or the entire set of orders is transmitted to a sourcing agent. The sourcing agent virtually associates individual ones of the ordered multi-component, fabricated articles to their constituent components, and the sourcing agent orders the constituent components from one or more individual vendors. One or more fabricators receive the ordered constituent components and fabricate the constituent components into the ordered multi-component articles, packing the fabricated multi-components articles into the associated real transit containers. The real transit containers are then shipped along the distribution chain.