Hierarchical Multi-Project Planning and Supply Chain Management: an Integrated Framework

This work focuses on the need for new knowledge to allow hierarchical multi-project management to be conducted in the construction industry, which is characterised by high uncertainty, fragmentation, complex decisions, dynamic changes and long-distance communication. A dynamic integrated project management approach is required at strategic, tactical and operational levels in order to achieve adaptability. The work sees the multi-project planning and control problem in the context of supply chain management at main contractor companies. A portfolio manager must select and prioritise the projects, bid and negotiate with a wide range of clients, while project managers are dealing with subcontractors, suppliers, etc whose relationships and collaborations are critical to the optimisation of schedules in which time, cost and safety (etc) criteria must be achieved. Literature review and case studies were used to investigate existing approaches to hierarchical multi-project management, to identify the relationships and interactions between the parties concerned, and to investigate the possibilities for integration. A system framework was developed using a multi-agent-system architecture and utilising procedures adapted from literature to deal with short, medium and long-term planning. The framework is based on in-depth case study and integrates time-cost trade-off for project optimisation with multi-attribute utility theory to facilitate project scheduling, subcontractor selection and bid negotiation at the single project level. In addition, at the enterprise level, key performance indicator rule models are devised to align enterprise supply chain configuration (strategic decision) with bid selection and bid preparation/negotiation (tactical decision) and project supply chain selection (operational decision). Across the hierarchical framework the required quantitative and qualitative methods are integrated for project scheduling, risk assessment and subcontractor evaluation. Thus, experience sharing and knowledge management facilitate project planning across the scattered construction sites. The mathematical aspects were verified using real data from in-depth case study and a test case. The correctness, usefulness and applicability of the framework for users was assessed by creating a prototype Multi Agent System-Decision Support System (MAS-DSS) which was evaluated empirically with four case studies in national, international, large and small companies. The positive feedback from these cases indicates strong acceptance of the framework by experienced practitioners. It provides an original contribution to the literature on planning and supply chain management by integrating a practical solution for the dynamic and uncertain complex multi-project environment of the construction industry

Multi agent system for negotiation in supply chain management

Supply chain management (SCM) is an emerging field that has commanded attention and support from the industrial community. Supply chain (SC) is defined as the chain linking each entity of the manufacturing and supply process from raw materials through to the end user. In order to increase supply chain effectiveness, minimize total cost, and reduce the bullwhip effect, integration and coordination of different systems and processes in the supply chain are required using information technology and effective communication and negotiation mechanism. To solve this problem, Agent technology provides the distributed environment a great promise of effective communication. The agent technology facilitates the integration of the entire supply chain as a networked system of independent echelon. In this article, a multi agent system has been developed to simulate a multi echelon supply chain. Each entity is modeled as one agent and their coordination lead to control inventories and minimize the total cost of SC by sharing information and forecasting knowledge and using negotiation mechanism. The result showed a reasonable reduction in total cost and bullwhip effect

Multi Site Coordination using a Multi-Agent System

A new approach of coordination of decisions in a multi site system is proposed. It is based this approach on a multi-agent concept and on the principle of distributed network of enterprises. For this purpose, each enterprise is defined as autonomous and performs simultaneously at the local and global levels. The basic component of our approach is a so-called Virtual Enterprise Node (VEN), where the enterprise network is represented as a set of tiers (like in a product breakdown structure). Within the network, each partner constitutes a VEN, which is in contact with several customers and suppliers. Exchanges between the VENs ensure the autonomy of decision, and guarantiee the consistency of information and material flows. Only two complementary VEN agents are necessary: one for external interactions, the Negotiator Agent (NA) and one for the planning of internal decisions, the Planner Agent (PA). If supply problems occur in the network, two other agents are defined: the Tier Negotiator Agent (TNA) working at the tier level only and the Supply Chain Mediator Agent (SCMA) working at the level of the enterprise network. These two agents are only active when the perturbation occurs. Otherwise, the VENs process the flow of information alone. With this new approach, managing enterprise network becomes much more transparent and looks like managing a simple enterprise in the network. The use of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) allows physical distribution of the decisional system, and procures a heterarchical organization structure with a decentralized control that guaranties the autonomy of each entity and the flexibility of the network

An agent-based negotiation model to support partner selection in a virtual enterprise

Session - MP-Fd Supply Chain Management & Logistics 4: cie182hk-1Conference Theme: Soft Computing Techniques for Advanced Manufacturing and Service SystemsIn response to the global business competitive environment, it is common for several companies to participate in a virtual enterprise (VE) to cooperate and collaborate dynamically to complete a common business opportunity. This paper proposes an agent-based negotiation model to support the partner selection process in a VE. To begin with, the VE partner selection problem is abstracted as a buyer-seller relationship such that the VE initiator is the buyer and the VE partners are sellers or vice verse. In the multi-agent system (MAS) that supports the proposed negotiation model, autonomous agents are established to represent various parties and functions of the VE. For instance, a buyer agent represents the VE initiator and the potential partners are represented by seller agents. Thus, the VE partner evaluation and selection problem is the process of finding the partners that are able to provide the buyer with the right quality products and services at the right price and at the right time. Evaluation and selection of partners is a typical multiattribute decision making (MADM) problem involving various issues that can both be qualitative and quantitative.published_or_final_versionThe 40th International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering (CIE40), Awaji City, Japan, 25-28 July 2010. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, 2010, p. 1-

A reference architecture for the collaborative planning modelling process in multi-tier supply chain networks: a Zachman-based approach

A prominent and contemporary challenge for supply chain (SC) managers concerns the coordination of the efforts of the nodes of the SC in order to mitigate unpredictable market behaviour and satisfy variable customer demand. A productive response to this challenge is to share pertinent market-related information, on a timely basis, in order to effectively manage the decision-making associated with the SC production and transportation planning processes. This paper analyses the most well-known reference modelling languages and frameworks in the collaborative SC field and proposes a novel reference architecture, based upon the Zachman Framework (ZF), for supporting collaborative plan- ning (CP) in multi-level, SC networks. The architecture is applied to an automotive supply chain configuration, where, under a collaborative and decentralised approach, improvements in the service levels for each node were observed. The architecture was shown to provide the base discipline for the organisation of the processes required to manage the CP activity.The authors thanks the support from the project 'Operations Design and Management in Global Supply Chains (GLOBOP)' (Ref. DPI2012-38061-C02-01), funded by the Ministry of Science and Education of Spain, for the supply chain environment research contribution.Hernández Hormazábal, JE.; Lyons, AC.; Poler, R.; Mula, J.; Goncalves, R. (2014). A reference architecture for the collaborative planning modelling process in multi-tier supply chain networks: a Zachman-based approach. Production Planning and Control. 25(13-14):1118-1134. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2013.808842S111811342513-14Al-Mutawah, K., Lee, V., & Cheung, Y. (2008). A new multi-agent system framework for tacit knowledge management in manufacturing supply chains. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 20(5), 593-610. doi:10.1007/s10845-008-0142-0Baïna, S., Panetto, H., & Morel, G. (2009). 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