Expert Provisioner: a range management aid

Expert Provisioner is a knowledge-based provisioning system developed by Ro yal Air Force (RAF) logistics research and AIAI at the University of Edinbu rgh for use by the RAF logistics command to support the procurement of cons umable parts. The starting point for Expert Provisioner is an electronic pu rchase order form and its end point is a recommendation of whether to buy t he item or not, its cost and due delivery date. Purchase recommendations ar e based on many factors including forecast demand, unit costs, shelf life a nd existing stock levels. Identified benefits of the system include improve d speed and accuracy of the data checking and order quantity calculation pr ocesses; automatic recording of provisioning history data for use in financ ial management/analysis; and finally, the ability to allow trainees to work on real life problems and compare their results with the experts. Crown Co pyright (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.