A Multi-Agent System for Optimal Supply Chain Management

Abstract

Supply chain management recently has been developing into a dynamic environment that has to accept the changes in the formation of the supply chain. In other words, the supply chain is not static but varies dynamically according to the environmental changes. Therefore, under this dynamic supply chain environment, the priority is given not to the management of the existing supply chain but to the selection of new suppliers and outsourcing companies in order to organize an optimal supply chain. The objective of this research is to develop a multi-agent system that enables the effective formation and management of an optimal supply chain. The multi agent system for optimal supply chain management developed in this research is a multi agent system based on the scheduling algorithm, a cooperative scheduling methodology, which enables the formation of an optimal supply chain and its management. By means of active communications among internal agents, a multi-agent system for optimal supply chain management makes it possible to quickly respond to the production environment changes such as the machine failure or outage of outsourcing companies and the delivery delay of suppliers. This research has tried to suggest a new direction and new approach to the optimal supply chain management by means of a multi-agent system in dynamic supply chain environment