Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RETURNED-MATERIAL CONTROL
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a system and method for managing suspected
product defect claims and/or inquiries relating to parts returned by a
distributor,
dealer, or customer to a manufacturer for consideration.
BACKGROUND ART
Facilitation and management of claims and inquiries facilitated with
materials submitted by a customer to a manufacturer. Detroit Diesel
Corporation,
the assignee of the present invention, continuously receives materials,
including
failed electronic components, mechanical components, and other materials
associated
with the customers' operation of products, such as diesel fuel, and other
alternate
fuel, powered engines. As used herein, "returned-materials" means the above-
discussed components, as well as other parts, sub-assemblies of parts, and/or
other
materials associated with the manufacturer's product. Thus, reference
hereinafter
to returned-materials shall be understood to include, in the case of diesel
engines, the
entire diesel engine, a sub-assembly of components of the diesel engine, a
single
component of the diesel engine, a piece of a single component of the engine,
or other
constituent materials associated with the engine such as oil, water, other
lubricants
and/or fluids utilized in operating the engine.
For example, a damaged or failed part may be returned by a customer
along with a warranty claim. The logistics associated with handling the
returned-
materials, analyzing the materials to determine the possible cause of the
failure,
tracing the original source of the material (i.e., the supplier to the
manufacturer), and
informing the customer of the status of the manufacturers analysis and/or the
disposition of the customers warranty claim, provides a logistical challenge.
Returned-materials arrive daily at the loading dock. Some of the materials are
returned by the customer, some of the materials are returned by the original
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equipment manufacturer's distributors, dealers, and/or customer sermce
representatives. The returned materials may or may not include paperwork which
cross references the returned materials to warranty claims simultaneously
being made
by the customer. In addition, the materials may be returned to the loading
dock or
to the specific attention of other technical engineers and/or customer
representatives
at the manufacturer. Thus, the task of inputting and managing the information
associated with returned materials, as well as monitoring the location of the
materials
is substantial.
Once received, any claims and/or inquiries associated with the
returned materials have typically then been forwarded to a technical engineer
responsible for reviewing the claim or inquiry and the returned material, and,
when
necessary, analyzing the material, and reporting the results of the review and
analysis
to the customer.
If a warranty claim is submitted in connection with returned material,
that warranty claim may be processed independently of the technical engineer's
review, or the disposition of the warranty claim may be dependent upon the
technical
engineer's report. Thus, in many instances, different departments within the
manufacturer simultaneously respond to a customer's returned material and
warranty
claim. There is therefore a need to coordinate and monitor the actions of all
departments who are involved with a particular returned-material and/or claim.
Each technical engineer, and/or warranty claim manager may have a
plurality of returned-material inquiries/claims in process at any given time.
These
claims may be prioritized in a multitude of ways. For example, some parts may
be
returned without information adequate for the manufacturer to process the
customers
claim or inquiry. In that case, there is a need to correspond with the
customer to
obtain further information, and further action may be held in abeyance until
the
information is supplied. Other factors, such as the type of material returned,
the
magnitude of the claim, or the nature of the failure may dictate what actions
are
required, and the nature and speed of the manufacturers response. In the case
of a
manufacturer such as Detroit Diesel, there are typically several technical
engineers
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each charged with responding to a subset of the many returned-material
inquiries,
and several claims managers similarly processing a subset of the associated
claims.
Thus, there is a need to provide instant communication between different
departments
as to the status and length of pendency of a particular returned-material
inquiry.
5 There is also a need to be able to obtain information regarding the status
of all
pending returned-material inquiries, as well as the age of these inquiries, in
order to
effectively manage the disposition of the inquiries, and the disposition of
the
associated warranty claims.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
10 An object of the present invention is to provide a returned-material
management system which facilitates efficient input of information associated
with
returned-material and any related customer inquiry or warranty claim.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a returned-parts
management system which facilitates the quick, coordinated receipt of case
data by
15 a technical engineer to aid the engineer in reviewing, analyzing, and
reporting the
results of his/her review and analysis, in connection with a returned-material
inquiry.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a returned-
material management system which provides returned-material project data, age,
and
project status, so that the individual productivity of technical engineers can
be
20 monitored.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a returned-
material management system which provides returned-material project data, age,
and
project status, of all pending claims so they can be monitored.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a returned-
25 material management system which provides returned-material project data,
age, and
project status, so that frequency of claims by part, and particularly, by part
number,
can be monitored.
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It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a returned-
material management system which provides returned-material project data, age,
and
project status, so that the disposition of warranty claims associated with
returned-
materials can be monitored.
In carrying out the above and other objects, the system of this
invention includes at least one computer suitably programmed to provide a
ledger
including an interface for facilitating input of selected data associated with
returned-
material, a technical report manager including an interface for providing the
technical
engineer with access to selected data associated with returned-material, and a
10 returned-material project manager including an interface for providing
management
personnel with access to returned-material project data, including individual
project
status information (such as the engineer's project cycle time), claim
disposition
information (such as financial data relating to claim amounts approved and
denied),
and part failure data (such as part failure frequency) .
15 In one embodiment, the ledger includes a correspondence generator
which provides the user with the capability of creating and sending
correspondence
(such as facsimiles, electronic mail, etc.) to the customer or distributor
submitting
the returned-materials, to advise the customer or distributor of the status of
the
returned-material, or to request further information prior to submitting the
returned-
20 material inquiry to a technical engineer for review.
In one embodiment of the system, the technical report manager also
includes a report assembler which aids the engineer in generating a standard
format
analysis report relating to the returned-material. The report assembler
preferably
facilitates the acquisition of part history information, engine history
information, case
25 based reasoning, rule based reasoning, or other historical or technical
information
(such as detailed part specifications), and associate claim cost information
(including
individual part claim and associated engine claim historical data) useful to
the
technical engineer in analyzing the material and/or the inquiry. In one
embodiment,
the report assembler also includes the capability of importing graphics, such
as
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drawings, and/or photographs from the field and/or internal analysis lab, for
inclusion in the report.
In one embodiment the returned-material project manager includes a
report generator which provides a listing of all opened returned-material
projects for
each technical engineer in the department, a listing of all closed returned-
material
projects for each technical engineer in the department. In one embodiment the
returned-material project manager also includes a listing of the incidences,
by part
number, of part failures determined from returned-material analyses for
selected time
periods.
10 These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the
best
mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the
accompanying
drawings .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the returned-materials management
method employed by the system of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a main screen which may be employed by the system of
the present invention;
Figure 4 is a return material ledger screen which may be employed by
the system of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a facsimile generator screen which may be employed by
the system of the present invention;
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Figure 6 is a shipper request generator screen which may be employed
by the system of the present invention;
Figure 7 is the returned-materials technical information screen which
may be employed by the system of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a report assembler screen which may be employed by the
system of the present invention;
Figure 9 is a report assembler dialog box which may be employed by
the system of the present invention; and
Figure 10 is another report assembler dialog box which may be
employed by the system of the present invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring now to Figure l, a block diagram illustrating the returned-
material control system, generally indicated at 20, is shown. The system
includes
at least one computer 22 suitably programmed to provide a ledger 24 including
an
15 interface (such as is shown in Figure 4) for facilitating input of selected
data
associated with returned-material, a technical report manager 26 including an
interface (such as is shown in Figure 7) for providing the technical engineer
with
access to selected data associated with the returned-material and a report
assembler
(as shown in Figures 8-10) which provides a template for assembling a
technical
20 report in a standard format, and a returned-material project manager 28
including an
interface (such as is shown in Figure 3) for providing management personnel
with
access to returned-material project data, including individual project status
information, clean disposition information, and part failure data. The system
20
preferably includes a plurality of work stations 30-34, such as other stand
alone
25 computers and/or terminals, which provide simultaneous access to the
returned-
materials management system by shipping, clerical, claims, technical, and
management personnel from physically diverse locations. It will be appreciated
that
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this system may be programmed on a suitably equipped personal computer which
is
networked or otherwise interconnected with other computer/terminals as shown.
In
one embodiment, the system is programmed in a Microsoft Access~ database in a
Microsoft Windows~ operating system. However, the system may be alternatively
5 employed using any commercially available database program as hereinafter
described.
Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the returned-parts management method
employed in the system of the present invention. In employing the system 20,
returned-material is collected and any data associated with the material,
including any
IO warranty claims or other claims for reimbursement, are recorded (at 200).
This
activity may be done by one or more personnel. For example, the material may
be
received and stored in a warehouse until such time as it is needed for further
review
and analysis by technical engineering personnel. Any paperwork
(correspondence,
forms, etc.) may be forwarded to a returned-material inquiry administrator for
initial
15 entry of the data. If additional information is required (at 202), the
administrator
transmits a facsimile, E-mail message, or other correspondence, preferably
using the
system as hereinafter described, and/or generates the appropriate shipping
papers to
return the material to its source (at 204).
If sufficient information is submitted with the returned-material, the
20 matter is submitted to technical engineering for review and, potentially,
analysis and
report (at 205). The technical engineer assigned to a particular matter,
conducts an
initial review (at 206). This initial review typically involves consideration
of the
claim type, what engine component is involved, whether the part is a re-
manufactured part, the identify of the part vendor, whether analysis of
associated
25 fluids (i.e., water, oil, and fuel) will be required to analyze the
possible cause of
damage to the part. Based on this review, the technical engineer determines
whether
further technical analysis and reporting is required (at 208), if not, the
matter is
closed and the returned-material is disposed of, stored, or returned to the
customer
as circumstances dictate (at 210). It will be appreciated that there are many
30 circumstances which dictate that the matter be closed at this point in the
process. For
example, the warranty claim associated with the returned-material may have
already
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been paid due to non-technical considerations. Another reason for closing the
matter
might be that the returned-material is fabricated by an outside supplier. In
any event,
this systematic threshold review efficiently disposes of many returned-
material
complaints before further costly analysis, and processing time is expended.
If analysis is required, the technical engineer utilizes the system (at
212) in a number of ways to review and analyze the material. The engineer
typically
reviews the status of any warranty claims to determine the magnitude of the
claims
reimbursement. Other relevant information such as the customer's engine
history,
including the engine built date may be reviewed and considered part assembly,
10 drawings, part number information, case based reasoning, and technical
service
literature, all may be reviewed in connection with a particular returned-
material to
aid in the determination of the nature and scope of the problem. In some
cases, it
may be determined that additional information is required (at 214). If so,
additional
information or analysis such as through meetings with other technical
personnel,
15 submission of the returned-material to the materials testing lab, or other
testing
laboratories, or further inquiry to the customer, distributor, or other parts
of the
company through facsimiles or E-mail, are required to complete the analysis.
Once all the information has been obtained, the analysis is completed
and a Technical Analysis Report is prepared (at 218). At this time, any
related
20 warranty claims, or other claims for reimbursement, are typically resolved,
and the
status is recorded in the system. In addition to the returned-material
analysis process
illustrated in Figure 2, the information relating to any particular matter, or
subset of
matters, both current and closed, may be reviewed through the project manager
reporting function. Thus, it will be appreciated that the method of the
present
25 invention, and the accompanying system which implements this method,
provides for
a comprehensive and organized way of recording, reviewing and reporting on
returned-material inquiries, as well as a means for reviewing individuals,
departments, and overall efficiency in handling these claims on an ongoing
basis.
Referring now to Figure 3, one embodiment of the system 20 of the
30 present invention employs a main window 50 in the illustrated format to
provide
access to the system by all users. The main window 50 preferably includes a
ledger
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access button 52 which, when activated, allows personnel responsible for
entering
initial returned-material data to access additional windows and dialog boxes
(as
hereinafter further described) to enter the data. A technical information
access
button 54 is provided to allow technical engineering personnel to review the
current
5 data for a returned-material project in process, or prepare or revise a
returned-
material report (using additional screens and dialog boxes as hereinafter
described).
Additional specific data access buttons 56-62 are also preferably provided.
When
activated, these buttons open windows which display selected information, such
as
a list of all opened returned-material matters, the report for a selected
returned-
10 material matter, a list of all closed returned-material matters, and
selected statistics
relating to opened and/or closed returned-material matters.
Additional access buttons 64-68 are also preferably included in the
main window 50 for providing point-and-click access to other predefined
statistical
reports such as the number of open returned-material matters (via button 64),
average
15 cycle time by technician (via button 66), the number of closed returned-
material
matters (via button 68), preferably including total claims processed, as well
as claim
cost approvals and denials, for a selected period sorted by group and/or
individual
engineer. Access buttons 70-76 are also preferably included to provide a
report, by
month, of the number of failed parts (as determined through analysis of
returned-
20 materials and/or parts) for a selected number of prior months (via button
70), a list
of the failed parts identified within the last 30 days (via button 72), the
final report,
a summary of all closed returned-material matter indicating the disposition of
the
material (via button 74), and a list of all failed parts (via button 76).
It will be appreciated that various levels of security may be applied to
25 the system to allow for access of selected information by selected sets
andlor subsets
of system users. For example, the information provided through access buttons
56-
62 might be restricted to only technical engineering personnel, while the
information
provided through access buttons 64-76 might be provided only to management
personnel.
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Additional access buttons 78-82 are 'also included in the main window
to allow for quick access to dialog boxes to quickly change specific fields
and/or
categories of data in the system.
Yet additional access buttons 84-94 are also preferably included, as
shown in the illustrated embodiment. These access buttons 84-94 provide point-
and-
click entry to external databases andlor programs which may be useful to, for
example, the technical engineer, in analyzing a particular returned-material
matter
and assembling his/her report. For example, activating button 84 opens a
window
to a case based reasoning program which may be interrogated by the engineer in
10 conducting, for example, failure analysis on the returned-material. In the
illustrated
embodiment, button 84 provides immediate access to Detroit Diesel's Power
Service
Literature, a collection of the company's technical service bulletins. Button
88
provides immediate access to a separate part number database, to provide the
user
with immediate information regarding a particular part, including the part
number
15 and supplier information for that part. Button 90 provides access to stored
drawings,
such as assembly drawings for selected parts and/or related subassemblies of
parts.
Buttons 92 and 94 each provide access to internal communication systems which
are
available for sending messages within the company, to a distributor to
network, or
to other selected groups.
20 Figure 4 illustrates the primary ledger data entry window 100
implemented in one embodiment of the present invention. This window may be
opened by a returned-materials coordinator, or other qualified personnel, by
activating the ledger button 52 on the main window. The primary ledger window
100 provides a template for entering information relating to a returned part.
In the
25 illustrated embodiment this information includes the distributor code, the
distributor
name, the distributor's branch location code, the engine serial number, the
engine
model failed part information, customer information, relevant dates (such as
the date
of delivery of the returned-material and the reported failure date), the age
of the
engine, and the value of the claim associated with the returned-material. This
30 window 100 also includes data entry/display sub-windows for a returned-
material
matter number (RM #), as well as other selected information associated with
entry
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of this returned-material and its associated claim. This window 100 also
preferably
includes a submit button 102 which, when activated from this window, confirms
that
the entered information is complete and is submitted to technical engineering
for
processing as a returned-material matter.
The primary ledger window also preferably includes a fax button 104
which opens a dialog box, such as dialog box 106 illustrated in Figure 5,
which
provides a template for preparing a facsimile, for example, to the customer or
distributor, requesting further information, advising the customer that the
material
is going to be returned, or otherwise providing a interim report to the
recipient on
10 the status of the returned-material. Additional standard paragraph entry
buttons 107,
109 which, when activated, import standard text into the facsimile. For
example, in
the illustrated embodiment, activation of macro button 107 would insert a
standard
paragraph indicating to the recipient that no application for adjustment
(e.g.,
warranty claim) was submitted with the returned-material, and, if such a claim
is
15 intended to be made, the claim is required before review and processing of
the
returned-material can begin. Similarly, button 109, when activated, inserts a
standard paragraph indicating that the name of the Detroit Diesel product
support
manager assigned to the customer (or distributor) is requested to be supplied
along
with the returned-material. It will be appreciated that other standard text
macro
20 buttons may be included on this dialog box 106 to facilitate for quick
insertion of
frequently used text into the facsimile.
If material is being shipped, a shipper button 108 may be activated to
open a shipper window, such as the shipper window 110 illustrated in Figure 6.
Again this window preferably is designed to provide a standard template for
entry
25 of selected information relating to the returned-material as well as access
to the
company's list of authorized shippers to provide the capability for seamlessly
preparing shipping papers should it be deemed necessary to ship the returned-
material back to the customer, to the distributor, or to some other location
for further
analysis or storage.
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Figure 7 illustrates the primary technical information window 120
employed in one embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated
embodiment, this window is accessed by activating the technical information
button
54 in the main window 50 (shown in Figure 3). This window provides data
5 entry/display sub-windows for selected data that is of particular interest
to the
technical engineer responsible for reviewing and analyzing the returned-
material.
This information typically includes distributor information, engine
information, part
number information, relevant dates, returned-material matter ID number, and
associated claim information. This window may also include a fax button 122 to
10 provide for quick access to the facsimile generator. The technical
information
window 120 also preferably includes "notes" field which allows for entry and
review
of the engineers notes relating to this matter. And, as previously described
(either
a both read and write access) may be limited to the notes field as well as to
any other
selected fields to provide the desired measure of security in the system.
Other
15 information, such as an ancillary analysis status box 126 may be provided
in this
window to indicate the status of selected, frequently required, ancillary
material
analyses which may be associated with this returned-material matter. The
primary
technical information window 120 (or other window accessible by the technical
engineer) may also include a submit button (not shown) which, when activated
by the
20 technical engineer, confirms that the technical report associated with this
returned-
material manager is submitted as complete, and the associated returned-
material
matter should be assigned a "closed" status.
The technical report manager 26 preferably includes a report
assembler which is accessed by the technical engineer through an interface
including
25 one or more windows and dialog boxes, such as those illustrated in Figures
8-10.
Figure 8 illustrates the main report assembler window 130 which may be
accessed
from a button (not shown) in the main window 50, button 128 in the technical
information window 120 (shown in Figure 7) or other window opening mechanisms
as desired. The main report assembler window provides certain basic selected
30 information relating to the returned-material matter, as well as a series
of access
buttons which, when activated, will open additional windows and/or dialog
boxes to
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provide for creation and/or review of different sections of the engineer's
report (also
hereinafter referred to as the "Analysis Report").
In one embodiment, the report access buttons 132-144 each
correspond to a section in the standard report, thereby providing the engineer
with
a template for preparing the report. If, for example, the engineer activates
button
132, a dialog box 150 (as shown in Figure 9) including a text box 152 for
entering
in the "REASON FOR MATERIAL ANALYSIS REPORT" section of the report is
provided. Similar additional dialog boxes (not shown) corresponding to each of
access buttons 134-144 are also preferably provided to facilitate for
organized entry
and review for each of the different sections of the standard Engineer's
Analysis
Report.
In one embodiment, digitized drawings or other digital images may
be imported into the report by opening a picture dialog box 160 of the type
illustrated
in Figure 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the picture dialog box 160 is
opened by
15 activating the "picture" button 142 on the report assembler window 130. The
picture
dialog box 160 preferably includes a pair of sub-dialog boxes 162, 164, each
providing for entry of image and text information relating to two separate
images to
be included on a single page in the report. Each sub-dialog box 162, 164
includes
a text entry box, 166 and 168 respectively, for entering a caption to be
associated
with the picture, and a viewing sub-window, 170 and 172 respectively, for
review
of the drawing or picture. A "more information window" 174, 176, for adding
additional comments relating to the images to be inserted, is also preferably
included
with each sub-dialog box 162, 164. In the illustrated embodiment, a single
image
can be inserted into the report by, for example, adding the caption, image,
and
25 comments to sub-window 162, and the image and associated text will occupy a
full
page. Alternatively, a pair of images can be added by inserting one image and
its
associated text in each of sub-dialog boxes 162 and 164 to incorporate two
images
on a single page of the report. It will be appreciated that this picture
dialog box 160
may be modified, and/or additional dialog boxes may be added, to facilitate
entry of
30 greater than two images per page if desired. An "add next image" access
button 178
may also be provided to open additional picture dialog boxes to append
additional
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pages of drawings, pictures and/or other graphical information to the Analysis
Report.
Referring again to Figure 1, the system includes a project manager 28
which provides access to selected project information relating to selected
open and
closed returned-material projects. In one embodiment, access to these reports
is
provided from the main window 50 as previously described. These reports
typically
include listings and/or graphical representations of selected information such
as the
number of open returned-material matters, the amount of potential claims
relating to
these matters, and the number and type of parts involved in open matters. The
same
information may also be listed or graphed for selected closed returned-
material
matters for a selected period, such as, for example, the previous month, the
previous
three months, or the year-to-date. Other productivity information is also
preferably
'recorded by the system and obtainable for review, either by listing or
graphically,
through the report manager 28. This information preferably includes cycle time
for
15 both open and closed returned-material matters, sorted by the responsible
technical
engineer, and/or sorted by part number, as well as the volume of RM matters,
open
and closed returned-material matters handled for selected periods by
individual
personnel, such as the technical engineers.
It will be appreciated that the system of the present invention may be
20 utilized to store and present virtually any desired data for use in
tracking the
returned-material, analyzing the returned-material, and/or managing this
tracking and
analysis function. It will be further appreciated that this comprehensive
system
insures a higher degree of organization, standardization of customer response,
standardization and control over disposition of warranty claims, and
standardization
25 and awareness of technical data associated with returned-material matters,
that is
vastly improved over the decentralized manual returned-material project
handling
previously employed.
While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described
in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will
recognize
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various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as
disclosed
by the following claims.
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