Agent-based web service for the design of a dynamic coordination mechanism in supply networks

Abstract

The theory of network coordination presents an effective approach to improve the business processes within supply networks. The automation of the negotiation process among buyers and suppliers has become an important policy in the transactional networks. This leads to assessing the roles of both quantifiable and non-quantifiable parameters in coordination mechanisms with the aim of achieving higher performance. Here, we develop an e-based supply chain multi-agent model for the design of mass-customized on-line services. The model addresses the bullwhip effect in multi-stage supply chain and also clarifies the evaluation of inventory policies in various supply and demand uncertainties. To illustrate the feasibility of the approach, we implement a prototype system and evaluate its performance by simulation using Colored Petri Nets (CPNs). The validation results reveal the model efficiency in providing a more realistic optimization process that takes the dynamic information flow in uncertainty environments into consideration.