Dynamic multi-linked negotiations in multi-echelon production scheduling networks

10.1109/IAT.2006.56Proceedings - 2006 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Intelligent Agent Technology (IAT 2006 Main Conference Proceedings), IAT'06498-50

Identyfikacja powiązań między sytuacjami negocjacyjnymi

The objective of the paper is to discuss the issue of identifying links between negotiations within a company. Such an identification constitutes a substantial step of negotiation planning process. Firstly, the place and role of that identification within negotiations planning process were described. Secondly, the typology of links between negotiation situations is presented. Thirdly, the necessary activities stemming from those links were listed. Summing up the paper, the subsequent areas of research are pointed out

Integrated management of chemical processes in a competitive environment

El objetivo general de esta Tesis es mejorar el proceso de la toma de decisiones en la gestión de cadenas de suministro, tomando en cuenta principalmente dos diferencias: ser competitivo considerando las decisiones propias de la cadena de suministro, y ser competitivo dentro de un entorno global. La estructura de ésta tesis se divide en 4 partes principales: La Parte I consiste en una introducción general de los temas cubiertos en esta Tesis (Capítulo 1). Una revisión de la literatura, que nos permite identificar las problemáticas asociadas al proceso de toma de decisiones (Capítulo 2). El Capítulo 3 presenta una introducción de las técnicas y métodos de optimización utilizados para resolver los problemas propuestos en esta Tesis. La Parte II se enfoca en la integración de los niveles de decisión, buscando mejorar la toma de decisiones de la propia cadena de suministro. El Capítulo 4 presenta una formulación matemática que integra las decisiones de síntesis de procesos y las decisiones operacionales. Además, este capítulo presenta un modelo integrado para la toma de decisiones operacionales incluyendo las características del control de procesos. El Capítulo 5 muestra la integración de las decisiones del nivel táctico y el operacional, dicha propuesta está basada en el conocimiento adquirido capturando la información relacionada al nivel operacional. Una vez obtenida esta información se incluye en la toma de decisiones a nivel táctico. Finalmente en el capítulo 6 se desarrolla un modelo simplificado para integrar múltiples cadenas de suministro. El modelo propuesto incluye la información detallada de las entidades presentes en una cadena de suministro (suministradores, plantas de producción, distribuidores y mercados) introduciéndola en un modelo matemático para su coordinación. La Parte III propone la integración explicita de múltiples cadenas de suministro que tienen que enfrentar numerosas situaciones propias de un mercado global. Asimismo, esta parte presenta una nueva herramienta de optimización basada en el uso integrado de métodos de programación matemática y conceptos relacionados a la Teoría de Juegos. En el Capítulo 7 analiza múltiples cadenas de suministro que cooperan o compiten por la demanda global del mercado. El Capítulo 8 incluye una comparación entre el problema resuelto en el Capítulo anterior y un modelo estocástico, los resultados obtenidos nos permiten situar el comportamiento de los competidores como fuente exógena de la incertidumbre típicamente asociada la demanda del mercado. Además, los resultados de ambos Capítulos muestran una mejora sustancial en el coste total de las cadenas de suministro asociada al hecho de cooperar para atender de forma conjunta la demanda disponible. Es por esto, que el Capítulo 9 presenta una nueva herramienta de negociación, basada en la resolución del mismo problema (Capítulo 7) bajo un análisis multiobjetivo. Finalmente, la parte IV presenta las conclusiones finales y una descripción general del trabajo futuro.This Thesis aims to enhance the decision making process in the SCM, remarking the difference between optimizing the SC to be competitive by its own, and to be competitive in a global market in cooperative and competitive environments. The structure of this work has been divided in four main parts: Part I: consists in a general introduction of the main topics covered in this manuscript (Chapter I); a review of the State of the Art that allows us to identify new open issues in the PSE (Chapter 2). Finally, Chapter 3 introduces the main optimization techniques and methods used in this contribution. Part II focuses on the integration of decision making levels in order to improve the decision making of a single SC: Chapter 4 presents a novel formulation to integrate synthesis and scheduling decision making models, additionally, this chapter also shows an integrated operational and control decision making model for distributed generations systems (EGS). Chapter 5 shows the integration of tactical and operational decision making levels. In this chapter a knowledge based approach has been developed capturing the information related to the operational decision making level. Then, this information has been included in the tactical decision making model. In Chapter 6 a simplified approach for integrated SCs is developed, the detailed information of the typical production‐distribution SC echelons has been introduced in a coordinated SC model. Part III proposes the explicit integration of several SC’s decision making in order to face several real market situations. As well, a novel formulation is developed using an MILP model and Game Theory (GT) as a decision making tool. Chapter 7 includes the tactical and operational analysis of several SC’s cooperating or competing for the global market demand. Moreover, Chapter 8 includes a comparison, based on the previous results (MILP‐GT optimization tool) and a two stage stochastic optimization model. Results from both Chapters show how cooperating for the global demand represent an improvement of the overall total cost. Consequently, Chapter 9 presents a bargaining tool obtained by the Multiobjective (MO) resolution of the model presented in Chapter 7. Finally, final conclusions and further work have been provided in Part IV.Postprint (published version

Discrete Event Simulations

Considered by many authors as a technique for modelling stochastic, dynamic and discretely evolving systems, this technique has gained widespread acceptance among the practitioners who want to represent and improve complex systems. Since DES is a technique applied in incredibly different areas, this book reflects many different points of view about DES, thus, all authors describe how it is understood and applied within their context of work, providing an extensive understanding of what DES is. It can be said that the name of the book itself reflects the plurality that these points of view represent. The book embraces a number of topics covering theory, methods and applications to a wide range of sectors and problem areas that have been categorised into five groups. As well as the previously explained variety of points of view concerning DES, there is one additional thing to remark about this book: its richness when talking about actual data or actual data based analysis. When most academic areas are lacking application cases, roughly the half part of the chapters included in this book deal with actual problems or at least are based on actual data. Thus, the editor firmly believes that this book will be interesting for both beginners and practitioners in the area of DES

Dynamic mutual adjustment search for supply chain operations planning coordination

RÉSUMÉ Les chaînes d’approvisionnement sont des systèmes complexes comprenant plusieurs organisations indépendantes avec des objectifs différents dans un environnement incertain et dynamique. Une question clé dans la gestion de chaîne d’approvisionnement (Supply Chain Management) est la coordination des décisions de planification des opérations. Les systèmes de planification de chaîne d’approvisionnement introduits dans la littérature peuvent être classés en deux systèmes de planification principaux: les systèmes de planification centralisés et les systèmes de planification décentralisés. Les systèmes centralisés peuvent théoriquement optimiser les performances de la chaîne d’approvisionnement bien que leur mise en œuvre nécessite un haut degré d’échange d’informations entre les partenaires de la chaîne d’approvisionnement. Cela conduit à des difficultés lorsque des partenaires indépendants ne veulent pas partager l’information. Afin de répondre à ces difficultés, les systèmes décentralisés de planification des opérations sont conçus dans lesquels chaque membre est une entité économique distincte qui prend ses décisions opérationnelles de manière indépendante, mais avec un niveau minimal d’échange d’information. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions dans un premier temps les méthodes de coordination des processus de planification des opérations dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement proposées dans la littérature. Ensuite, nous proposons un cadre de classification de ces méthodes basée sur la technologie mise en œuvre, et identifions des opportunités de recherches. Dans un deuxième temps, nous proposons une approche de coordination décentralisée qui consiste en un ajustement mutuel des décisions de planification basé sur la programmation mathématique et l’échange d’incitatifs financiers. Ce mécanisme, contrairement à un système centralisé traditionnel, implique deux entreprises, qui interagissent l’une avec l’autre afin d’améliorer leur performance. Dans le cadre de cette approche, seul un petit sous ensemble des solutions de coordination sont considérées, et l’expérimentation montre que cette approche de coordination a un potentiel d’amélioration du profit global tout en préservant l’équité en termes de partage des bénéfices de l’amélioration. Enfin, afin de proposer une méthode de coordination capable d’être utilisable dans le contexte dynamique des chaînes d’approvisionnement, cette thèse propose dans un premier temps une stratégie performante de négociation du fournisseur adaptée à l’approche de coordination proposée, ainsi qu’une stratégie de partage des revenus appliquée à un contexte d’horizon roulant. L’analyse de la performance de cette méthode particulière montre également que l’approche proposée produit une stratégie gagnante-gagnante pour les deux partenaires de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et améliore les résultats de planification.----------ABSTRACT Supply chains are complex systems, which include several independent organizations with different objectives, in dynamic uncertain environment. A key issue in supply chain management (SCM) is the coordination of supply chain operations planning decisions. Supply chain planning systems introduced in the literature can be classified into two main planning systems: centralized and decentralized planning systems. Centralized systems can theoretically optimize supply chain performance although its implementation requires a high degree of information exchange among supply chain partners. This leads to difficulties when independent partners do not want to share information. In order to address these difficulties, decentralized systems are designed for supply chains where each member is a separate economic entity that makes its operational decisions independently, yet with some minimal level of information sharing. In this thesis, we first review supply chain operations planning coordination methods from centralized to decentralized approaches proposed in the literature. Next, we propose a classification scheme of these approaches based on the technology used by the authors. Finally, we identify research opportunities. Second, we propose a decentralized operations planning coordination mechanism referred to as mutual adjustment search (MAS), which is based on a negotiation-like mutual adjustment of planning decisions with financial incentives and rooted in mathematical programming. This mechanism, unlike traditional centralized system, involves two independent enterprises linked by material and non-strategic information flows, which interact with each other in order to coordinate their operations planning, and to improve their individual and collective performance. In this approach, only a few coordination solutions (pairs of coordinated operations plans) are considered and computational analysis shows that this coordination mechanism has the potential to improve global profit, while maintaining fairness in terms of revenue sharing. Finally, in order to develop an approach capable of supporting the dynamic coordination of operations planning in a rolling horizon context, this thesis first proposes a negotiation strategy for the supplier, as well as a revenue sharing protocol. Computational analysis shows that the proposed approach produces a win-win strategy for two partners of supply chain and improves the results of upstream planning

Proceedings of the third International Workshop of the IFIP WG5.7

Contents of the papers presented at the international workshop deal with the wide variety of new and computer-based techniques for production planning and control that has become available to the scientific and industrial world in the past few years: formal modeling techniques, artificial neural networks, autonomous agent theory, genetic algorithms, chaos theory, fuzzy logic, simulated annealing, tabu search, simulation and so on. The approach, while being scientifically rigorous, is focused on the applicability to industrial environment

Synchronizing the Retail Supply Chain

Dit proefschrift ontwerpt een retail supply chain, die beter en goedkoper is dan de gangbare. Dit wordt bereikt door de distributie te synchroniseren op de productie¬momenten. Goederen zouden direct uit productie al stroomafwaarts moeten bewegen, van fabrikant naar retailer, tegen lage kosten, in volle pallets en in volle auto’s en in hoeveel¬heden die groot genoeg zijn om de vraag tot het volgende productiemoment te dekken. Door de formules van de "Krantenverkoper" en die van de economische ordergrootte (EOQ) aan te passen aan een multi-echelon divergerend distributienetwerk, kan ook theoretisch worden bewezen dat het stroomafwaarts positioneren van voorraden inderdaad optimaal is en dat de voorraden daardoor zullen dalen. De huidige magazijnen van de leveranciers kunnen worden gereduceerd tot overslagpunten, waar goederen van de verschillende fabrieken van een leverancier worden samengebracht om rijden met vollere vrachtwagens mogelijk maken. Kleinere hoeveelheden kunnen leveranciers beter afleveren bij het dichtstbijzijnde distributiecentrum van een retailer, waarna de retailer zelf het deel met bestemming elders verder vervoert. Tenslotte kan de winkelbevoorrading worden aangepast aan de schapruimte, waardoor de werkwijze in de distributiecentra kan worden gerationaliseerd.Piet van der Vlist (1947) was born in Ouderkerk aan den IJssel. He received his high-school diploma from the Marnix Gymnasium in Rotterdam. Also in Rotterdam he graduated as Electronics Engineer at the University of Applied Sciences. He obtained a Master of Science in Electronics at the Delft University of Technology and one in Management Sciences at the University of Twente. He worked 15 years with the Dutch Ministry of Defense on the design and realization of the first generation digital communications systems. Then he joined Bakkenist Management Consultants and later Deloitte Consultancy, together for over 20 years. As consultant he was involved in numerous projects on Data exchange and Supply Chain redesign. Besides that, he was for 11 years (part-time) professor in ICT and Logistics at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Piet wrote and edited several books on data exchange and published numerous articles in business and scientific journals. A fairly good overview of his scientific career can be found in the "Liber Amicorum" that his friends wrote when he left Eindhoven University1. His current research interests lie in the design and management of retail supply chains, all the way from production down to the shelves. He found that the supply chain with the overall lowest costs requires synchronization of distribution to production and not the other way around as current practice seems to dictate. When he had to quit his jobs for health reasons, he finally found the opportunity to devote his time to research and extend the theory that supports Supply Chain Synchronization. He programmed built to purpose simulation models to get a better insight in the dynamics of synchronized supply chains. He joined both the Rotterdam Erasmus University to work with Professor Jo van Nunen and the Eindhoven University of Technology to work with Professor Ton de Kok. This PhD thesis is the result of that effort.This thesis is a design of a retail supply chain that is better and cheaper than the usual one. This is achieved by synchronizing distribution to production. Right from production goods should move downstream the supply chain at low cost in full pallets and in full truckloads, in quantities large enough to cover the needs till the next production run. By extending both the Newsvendor- and the EOQ-formulae to a multi-echelon divergent network, it can be proved that such forward positioning of inventory indeed is optimal and that overall supply chain inventories will drop. The suppliers’ warehouses become stockless cross docking points, where goods from the supplier’s various sourcing plants are brought together to consolidate them into full truckloads. Whenever suppliers deliver lower volumes, they better bring these goods to the nearest retailer’s facility; thereafter the retailer himself should move these goods onward to the proper destination within the retailer’s network. And finally shop replenishment should be rationalized based on shelf coverage, so as to enhance the retailer’s warehouse operations