Ｄｅｓｉｇｎｉｎｇ Ｌｏｇｉｓｔｉｃ Ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ Ｐｌａｔｆｏｒｍ ｔｏ Ｆｏｓｔｅｒｉｎｇ Ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔ Ｔｒｅｎｄ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ Ａｕｔｏｍｏｂｉｌｅ Ｍａｎｕｆａｃｔｕ

Abstract:The logistics resource in China’s automobile group can’t be optimized and allocated because of the “information island” problem in the group’s logistics information platform in the whole group. In addition， it is the development trend of China’s automobile group LIN to build a logistics e-market in the range of the group.

Key words: information platform; logistics information system; e-Marketplace

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-0194.2009.15.006

CLC number: F270.7；TP393Article character:AArticle ID:1673-0194（2009）15-0019-04

1 Introduction

Information system is the neural in the logistics system.An enterprise manages its logistics information to control， harmonize and optimize its logistics system. In China， the automobile group’s logistics information network consists of four parts: ① the factories’ logistics information systems; ② the logistics enterprise information systems; ③ functional department’s information systems; ④ and other auxiliary departments’ information systems. Because each of units isindependent， and takes care of the information system’s management themselves， there is absent of information share and exchange in the whole group’s logistics information system. Therefore， there is an “information island” problem inthe group’s logistics information platform. The efficiency of

the group’s logistics information system is decreased significantly by the existence of these problems. It is worth to research that how to confirm the information resources in the group’s logistics information network， and optimize the group’s logistics resource.

2 The problems in the China’s Automobile Groups’ Logistics Network

Because the logistics information can not be shared and utilized by the units of the group， there is resource waste in the group’s logistics network and the logistics network can’t function efficiently. There are four problems in the group’s logistics network.

2.1 The logistics resources not being utilized efficiently

The group’s logistics resources integration in the subordinate factories and logistics companies include traffic facilities and storage facilities. Because the units in the group logistics network don’t share the logistics information， the logistics resources in factories and logistics companies don’t be utilized completely. These problems waste a lot of manpower and material resources， and increase the operation cost of the group’s logistics network. For example， China’s automobile factories lease the local storage houses as their distribute center (DC) in those far-away sales territories. The payment patterns of leasehold have two ways: ① paying the hire according to the amount of full cars; ② paying the hire according to the lease time， for example one year. The company which output is lesser adopts the first pattern， and the biggish adopts the second. The group always has more than one full car factory， and the different factories could have a same sale territory. When a factory’s sale volume in some territory changes， the DC can not match the output: the DC’s capacity is less or more the sale volume. If the sale volume information and the DC’s capacity information of different factories are shared， the different DC could be harmonized to avoid waste. But in fact， the different DC information doesn’t be shared， and the waste is high.

2.2Exterior logistics information not being shared

Along with the developing of logistics technology， the logistics course needs more and more exterior information， for example route information， finance information， policy information， and others. In China’s automobile group’s， the following factories and logistics companies out-purchase the information for its own need. Because of “Information Island”， the factories or the logistics companies don’t share the information each other， and the different units always purchase some same information from some information system outside the group’s. This is also a waste.

2.3The Group Level not obtaining the Information of Logistics Network dynamically

In China’s automobile groups， the group level， including the following functional departments， is charge of collecting and settling the operation data of the logistics network， for example the flux data， demand data， supply data， etc. The group can produce its effect by managing the data in two sides: ① Constituting the group’s logistics macroeconomics development strategy; ② Harmonizing and macroscopic planning the following factories’ logistics system， especially matching the different factories’ logistics demands and the different DC.

But， there is not an efficient information exchanging channel between the group layer and the subordinate factories， and the group layer can’t instruct or harmonize the whole logistics network efficiently because of its not obtaining the operation data of the logistics network in time.

3 The integration pattern of Information of Group’s Logistics Network

It is an effective means that the group’s logistics network information is efficiently spread and shared in the group’s， for optimizing the group’s logistics resource and the logistics network’s operation. However， in essence， it is a process to integrate the information resource of all units in the group logistics network to get rid of the information island that makes full use of the group’s logistics network information essentially， and the goal.

To different information system， the integration of heterogeneous data has two patterns: centralization and distribution. The centralization pattern is a technical means to merger， coordinate and save all kinds of information at a uniform configuration. The goal is that the new information data can be queried by different users. The distribution pattern is to form a virtual information platform which can offer a uniform access interface by integrating every relatively independent information systems. The group’s logistics network would issue the logistics demand/supply information， so we choose the distribution pattern to integrate the logistics information.

The group’s logistics information platform is a virtual and open logistics information data exchange platform， which is built by advanced information technology and communication technology. The users of the logistics information platform include: ① the logistics information systems of the following factories; ② the logistics information systems of the subordinate logistics companies; ③ the logistics information systems of the functional departments; ④ and correlation industry information systems outside the group.

The group’s logistics information platform is essentially the information center system based on the information system of each of logistics network member in the group. The most important role is that integrates the members’ information resource in the group logistics network. Through exchanging the data among the information systems， we can share the information resources. Each logistics information systems in the group send its logistics data to the information platform， and the data are standardized by the platform and are saved in the platform. Every unit in the group can query and download its need. The second， the platform connects with the information system outside the group， and every unit in the group can query outside information.

The second role of the logistics information platform is integrating the outer information resource. Through establishing the communication with the outer information system， the platform can allow the users to query the relevant information directly.

4 The Construction of the Information Platform

4.1 The Function of the Information Platform

The growth of group’s logistics network puts forward higher requirements for the logistics information platform. To solve the problem of the information isolated island in group’s information island needs to highly integrate the logistics information platform. The platform should integrate the motor company， the logistics service departments， functional departments and assessorial production departments and so on. It should realize the highest degree of sharing logistics information. The main function of the logistics information platform can be seen in picture1.

(1) Information Publishing and Query

The units in the group whose function come down to the group’s logistics network can connect with the platform through Internet/Intranet， and then publish the logistics supply and demand information， transportation information， and stock information. The units supported by the platform can also query and catch the logistics information through Internet/Intranet. The different platform’s users have different authority and obligation. At the same time， the platform also connects with correlative information systems outsides the group; and the platform’s users can query and catch some finance information， transportation information which is used to support the group logistics network function.

(2)Technical Support

The platform’s users， including the factories and the logistics units， can utilize the logistics optimization technology offered by the research institution to optimize its logistics system through the optimizing the engine in the platform. For example， the research institution constructs some logistics optimization models based on operational research， and the users utilize the models to optimize its distribution， stock through the platform.

(3) Privilege Management

Privilege management means enduing the different privileges to the different users. For example， factories， suppliers， distributors， stock units， or the group layer would have different privilege on information management， information query or information publishing.

(4)Log Management

The function of log management is to log the data of the function of the platform， and supports the platform maintenance.

(5)Security Management

Its function is to construct the firewall， and prevents virus and illegal users.

4.2 The Construction of the Platform

Public logistics information service platform is the center where the group’s logistics information resources are collected and interacted. It will realize the interconnection of information system of members in group’s logistics network， and the communication with exterior networking of other group’s logistics information system. At the same time， it should provide the safe， credibility， stable and appropriate environment of information communication with the members.

Theoretical， the backbone network of regional public logistics information platform should be built on the internet， and adopt the virtual private network technology based on IP to implement the connection of VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology.

The mainstream technology of the platform includes Middleware Technology and Servers Virtual Technology. The platform adopts multiple-layer architecture mode， and is made up four layers， including portal website layer， application layer， database layer， and data storage and backup layer (in Picture 2). The portal website layer is the uniform entrance of the platform， the users， including every unit in the group’s logistics network， can execute within its privilege. The application layer includes the logistics supply-and-demand information system， basic information system (news and announcement) and decision support information system. The database layer offers essential running environment for the platform’s database. The data storage and backup layer offers uniform data storage and backup.

4.3 Implement of the Platform

The platform adopts Internet/Intranet technology and Web Technology， and adopts Browser/Web Server structure mode， and adopts DB（Data Base）to be the data support.

5 The Expectation of the Logistics Information Network of China’s Automobile Group

With the development of information and communication technology， it is the development trend of group’s logistics information service that can provide Electronic Marketplaces of logistics information services with all of members， who take part in the group’s logistics network of supply chain. There are many good examples abroad about the electronic marketplace in the industry， for instance， Covisint for automobile industry， rade-Ranger for petroleum industry， Omnexus for chemical industry， e2 Open and Converge for high-tech enterprise and so on. Electronic marketplace expands the function of logistics information system in the group. It integrates the logistics information of supply and demand of many components in the group’s logistics system of supply chain into the unifying information system， which consist of manufacturers(motor company)， suppliers， distributors， logistics service providers(including providers of transportation service and providers of repository service)， functional departments， auxiliary departments(including water， power and logistic service department).Every motor company can select logistics system member from the electronic marketplace according to their own system’s need. So， through these methods we can perform the real-time and dynamic information system for each of motor companies， even for the group’s entire logistics network. At the same time， Electronic marketplace can provide some services， including finance， manpower， law， advertisement and education， etc. with the network members of supply chain. Furthermore， electronic marketplace can increase the synchronization and cooperation in the operating process of logistics network， but will not affect the nature of enterprise. Finally， the running process of logistics network and the logistics resource will be further optimized.

Reference

［1］ I Comyn-Wattiau， J Akoka. Logistics Information System Auditing Using Expert System Technology ［J］. Expert Systems with Applications， 1996， 11 (4): 463 - 473.

［2］ Luan Qinwei， Zhang Tao. Financial Management Information System in E-commerce Environment ［J］. Science of Science and Management of Science Technology， 2001(5):42-46 (in Chinese).

［3］ Zeng Qiong， Wang Lancheng. Research of Heterogeneous Information Integration Based on Grid ［J］.Journal of The China Society For Scientific and Technical Information， 2006(10):393-395 (in Chinese).

［4］ Lu Fei. Research and Implementation of Information System for Police［J］. Journal of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (Natural Science)， 2006(5):91-94 (in Chinese).

［5］ Yang Chang， Feng Yuqiang， Wang Ruogang. Supply Chain Management for Electronic Marketplace ［J］. Commercial Research， 2006(11):88-91 (in Chinese).