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

Sustaining and enabling territorial resilience through making actions. The Make in Progress case study.

The recent evolution of production models within urban context shows a possible scenario characterized by new interactions between design-driven innovation, making, creativity and social innovation. The paper analyses this scenario combined with the idea of Territorial Capital as a model to study a specific territory (EU Leader Project; 1999)1 by looking at a case study : Make in Progress, which explores new models of interaction between creative industries, makers, DIY people, artisan and SMEs within urban area and industrial district. The goal of this paper is to analyze how the phenomenon of Open Creative Lab (Ibert, 2015)2 can contribute to the resilience of the territories and how unexpected localized creative communities could emerge. To answer this question the paper focuses on the relationship and the potential of social innovation and service design (Meroni-Sangiorgi,20113; Stickdorn-Schneider,20124) in the territorial enhancement processes, through the making. In this case, the making gets the role of enabler in development of the territorial capital (Arquilla-Bianchini-Maffei-Carelli,20145), becoming from a purpose, as it often happens in most of the process of creation of making places such as fablab and makerspaces (Walter,20146; Gershenfeld,20077), to a real opportunity to be used to make the most interesting characteristics of a territory emerge: people and their capabilities. In detail, the case study of MakeinProgress (MiP) will be analyzed as an applied case of this theory. MIP is born from a real opportunity from the territory: the architectural recovery of the space of a former Filanda, totally funded by local and supralocal authorities by a process of public financing, in the beginning started as incubator and later converted by the intervention of design. We analyzed the territory, defined possible scenario, verified the applicability of this scenario by isolating potential of the area, modified and adapted scenario to the real potential of territory coming to set up an experimental model of action (MiP as demo service). Thanks to this activities was demonstrate how a laboratory in the suburbs, a suburb that did not imagine a possible development in creativity, acts as empowering latent elements showing unexpected capabilities and resilience

Innovation Gaming: An Immersive Experience Environment Enabling Co-creation

A number of existing innovation paradigms and design approaches such as Open Innovation (Chesbrough, 2003), User Experience (Hassenzahl & Tractinsky, 2006) and User-Centred Design (Von Hippel, 2005), as well as User-Centred Open Innovation Ecosystems (Pallot, 2009a) are promoting distributed collaboration among organisations and user communities. However, project stakeholders are mainly trained for improving their individual skills through learning experience (i.e. practical exercises, role playing game) rather than getting a live user experience through immersive environments (e.g. Virtual Reality, Serious Games) that could unleash their creativity potential. This chapter introduces the findings of a study on serious gaming, which discusses various aspects of games and explores a number of issues related to the use of innovation games for enabling user co-creation in the context of collaborative innovation and experiential Living Labs

Decision support framework for supply chain planning with flexible demand

The most challenging issue of today’s production management is certainly to manage networked organisations under an uncertain demand so that to provide a good service to the customer at low cost. In this article, a model of the decision making parameters involved in this management process is suggested, on the base of case studies. A mixed integer linear planning model embedded in a framework simulating a rolling horizon planning process is described on the base of this analysis. The model takes into account the capabilities of reaction of the planned system and of its environment (suppliers, subcontractors and customers), as well as the corresponding costs. The suggested simulation framework may assist the decision maker for coping with an uncertain or flexible demand, using various planning strategies. Some possible applications of this simulation framework are given in order to illustrate how it can help to solve various types of practical planning problems

From Inception to Execution: Query Management for Complex Event Processing as a Service

International audienceComplex Event Processing (CEP) is a set of tools and techniques that can be used to obtain insights from high- volume, high-velocity continuous streams of events. CEP-based systems have been adopted in many situations that require prompt establishment of system diagnostics and execution of reaction plans, such as in monitoring of complex systems. This article describes the Query Analyzer and Manager (QAM) mod- ule, a first effort toward the development of a CEP as a Service (CEPaaS) system. This module is responsible for analyzing user-defined CEP queries and for managing their execution in distributed cloud-based environments. Using a language-agnostic internal query representation, QAM has a modular design that enables its adoption by virtually any CEP system

Proposing a virtual operations network to support a business policy for the medicinal and aromatic plants sector

This research found out a more robust conceptual basis behind three missing links concerning the requirement for a virtual operations network to support a business policy for the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP) sector. Industry was pictured from secondary data gathered from a 12 experts panel. The factors to configure a collaborative network, e.g. relationships and structure, enabled the operationalisation of a previously defined social platform. Requirements for information infrastructure, co-ordination and DSS were also expressed. Moreover, the role of enterprise knowledge to the formation of collaborative ventures helped the modelling of the social-momentum of the platform. Finally, it is argued (i) for the confirmation of a significant Operations Management contribution to defining a MAP policy and, (ii) for the outlining of a collaborative network representing an advance to the usually ambiguous prescriptions of virtual operations. An interview guide to run an empirical test could be generated as further work

A business process modelling approach to improve OEM and supplier collaboration

Nowadays, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) are facing fast changes in technological advancement. These changes encourage them to be more innovative and to offer their Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) quality products with ever shorter deadlines, which is not an easy task. This project (BENEFITS) aims to provide innovative solutions to keep the most exploitable SME’s skills within its local regions. This paper focuses on Business Process Modeling (BPM) and process interactions during the development phases of innovative products. Due to the specific needs and requirements in terms of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)-based solutions for SMEs and OEMs, this work explores the relationship between them and their suppliers, based on ICT technologies and focuses on SMEs adoption of PLM. Such relationship needs the Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN) for representing all tasks that must be done for the collaborative process planning. Two existing information models (NIST and PPRO) serve as an information model to investigate the way of implementing design processes in the context of PLM

Analysis of global manufacturing virtual networks in the aeronautical industry

The evolution of organizations that work in multinational environments has considerably altered their production strategies. One of the consequences has been the appearance of Global Manufacturing Virtual Networks (GMVNs), which include all kinds of enterprises and production centres and establish a new type of horizontal collaboration and relations between independent companies and even competitors who establish occasional collaborations on projects they could not take on individually. This paper analyses the causes behind the formation of such networks, their strategy, structure, dynamics and evolution, taking into account areas such as strategic intercompany alliances, synchronization of their value and supply chains, their information systems, the cultural aspects of the organizations in question and, finally, their convergence with another of the more relevant future trends in production: mass customization. The proposed model shall be applied to the aeronautical industry which is one of the industries which has developed the GMVN concept. The case study of the engine manufacturer Rolls Royce will provide a better understanding of the evolution of its strategic positioning, as well as the dynamic and fluent nature of its virtual relations. This will demonstrate its effectiveness by clarifying and putting these organizations in perspective and analyzing their evolution over the next few year

Formalisation and use of competencies for industrial performance optimisation : a survey.

For many years, industrial performance has been implicitly considered as deriving from the optimisation of technological and material resources (machines, inventories,...), made possible by centralized organisations. The topical requirements for reactive and flexible industrial systems have progressively reintroduced the human workforce as the main source of industrial performance. Making this paradigm operational requires the identification and careful formalisation of the link between human resource and industrial performance, through concepts like skills, competencies or know-how. This paper provides a general survey of the formalisation and integration of competence-oriented concepts within enterprise information systems and decision systems, aiming at providing new methods and tools for performance management