Multi Agent Systems in Logistics: A Literature and State-of-the-art Review

Based on a literature survey, we aim to answer our main question: “How should we plan and execute logistics in supply chains that aim to meet today’s requirements, and how can we support such planning and execution using IT?†Today’s requirements in supply chains include inter-organizational collaboration and more responsive and tailored supply to meet specific demand. Enterprise systems fall short in meeting these requirements The focus of planning and execution systems should move towards an inter-enterprise and event-driven mode. Inter-organizational systems may support planning going from supporting information exchange and henceforth enable synchronized planning within the organizations towards the capability to do network planning based on available information throughout the network. We provide a framework for planning systems, constituting a rich landscape of possible configurations, where the centralized and fully decentralized approaches are two extremes. We define and discuss agent based systems and in particular multi agent systems (MAS). We emphasize the issue of the role of MAS coordination architectures, and then explain that transportation is, next to production, an important domain in which MAS can and actually are applied. However, implementation is not widespread and some implementation issues are explored. In this manner, we conclude that planning problems in transportation have characteristics that comply with the specific capabilities of agent systems. In particular, these systems are capable to deal with inter-organizational and event-driven planning settings, hence meeting today’s requirements in supply chain planning and execution.supply chain;MAS;multi agent systems

Evolution of a supply chain management game for the trading agent competition

TAC SCM is a supply chain management game for the Trading Agent Competition (TAC). The purpose of TAC is to spur high quality research into realistic trading agent problems. We discuss TAC and TAC SCM: game and competition design, scientific impact, and lessons learnt

From supply chains to demand networks. Agents in retailing: the electrical bazaar

A paradigm shift is taking place in logistics. The focus is changing from operational effectiveness to adaptation. Supply Chains will develop into networks that will adapt to consumer demand in almost real time. Time to market, capacity of adaptation and enrichment of customer experience seem to be the key elements of this new paradigm. In this environment emerging technologies like RFID (Radio Frequency ID), Intelligent Products and the Internet, are triggering a reconsideration of methods, procedures and goals. We present a Multiagent System framework specialized in retail that addresses these changes with the use of rational agents and takes advantages of the new market opportunities. Like in an old bazaar, agents able to learn, cooperate, take advantage of gossip and distinguish between collaborators and competitors, have the ability to adapt, learn and react to a changing environment better than any other structure. Keywords: Supply Chains, Distributed Artificial Intelligence, Multiagent System.Postprint (published version

A multi-agent knowledge model for SMEs mechatronic supply chains.

19International audienceThe main concern of this research work is to analyse and model supply chains (SCs) in a particular context which is that of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the field of mechatronic. The study is based on the analysis of the organisational features, the actors' behaviour, and performance considerations. The development of the model relies on an iterative framework that progressively integrates different aspects into the model. This framework is the ArchMDE process, which is based on MDE (Model Driven Engineering). A major feature of this work lies in its contribution to two different areas of research. The first contribution of the work is to propose a generic metamodel for SCs. Based on a literature review, an incremental framework is proposed for the modelling of SCs in terms of concepts, structure and relationships. The application of the framework to the studied context is described and its result is a domain-metamodel for SCs. The second contribution of this work lies in the formalisation of the dynamic behaviour of the concepts in the metamodel. This formalisation is based on the multi-agent approach. An agentification of the metamodel is thus drawn, thanks to the natural links between multiagent theory and SC reality. This step leads to an agentified-domain-metamodel which also includes the monitoring of the SC and synchronisation protocols. By adding relationships and dynamic behavior aspects, we obtain a metamodel of the domain that can be implemented, with its static and dynamic aspects. To validate this model, an industrial case study is detailed and has been instantiated and encoded in JAVA

MACS: Multi-agent COTR system for Defense Contracting

The field of intelligent multi-agent systems has expanded rapidly in the recent past. Multi-agent architectures and systems are being investigated and continue to develop. To date, little has been accomplished in applying multi-agent systems to the defense acquisition domain. This paper describes the design, development, and related considerations of a multi-agent system in the area of procurement and contracting for the defense acquisition community

Adaptive SLA management along value chains for service individualization

The object of our investigation is a software architecture for adaptive Service Level Agreement (SLA) management in value chains for service individualization. We address the problem that current SLA management is not capable to represent the full complexity of SLAs existing in real-world service industries. The problem is investigated from a functional-analytical supply chain perspective. The solution is developed from a software architecture modeling perspective according to the design science paradigm. The contribution of this paper is a software architecture that facilitates SLA negotiation and SLA-based resource management in complex agreement hierarchies. The architecture is validated in an application scenario from the airport logistics domain

New Valences for the Financial-Accounting System

A new approach to a company’s information systems is needed, if we take into consideration the globalization process of the economy, the intensified competition, the impose of new qualitative demands or the adjustment to new accounting standards. The former accountant is about to be replaced by the „professional employee with accounting information”, who knows very well how to use the domain technologies. The need for clear, correct and significant information has become a must for all the departments of a company and, definitely, this is especially the case for the financial-accounting department, i.e. when we have to come up with solutions for the profitability of the company.financial accounting system, intelligent technology, multiagent systems, mining technology