AGENT-BASED WORKFLOW COORDINATION FOR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

To align customer demand with suppliers for reducing work in process and supply costs and increasing re sp onsiveness to customer requirements, a real time collaborative supply chain mana gement system is essential. A solution to the realization of supply chain manage ment capable of timely responding to customer requirements is proposed. Workflow automation is used to manage process interaction across enterprises; Agents can be automatically invoked by supply chain workflow process and are used to pro mote the flexibility and reconfigurability by providing the mechanism in support of distributed compution in an enterprises to meet the requirements of performa nce and business dynamics. An approach that supports agent based workflow proce ss in a supply chain is proposed. And the coordination mechanism between agents is also discussed.

DISRUPTION MANAGEMENT FOR SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION WITH EXPONENTIAL DEMAND FUNCTION

The coordination problem of a supply chain comprising one supplier and one retailer under market demand disruption is studied in this article. A novel exponential demand function is adopted, and the penalty cost is introduced explicitly to capture the deviation production cost caused by the market demand disruption. The optimal strategies are obtained for different disruption scale under the centralized mode. For the decentralized mode, it is proved that the supply chain can be fully coordinated by adjusting the price discount policy appropriately when disruption occurs. Furthermore, the authors point out that similar results can be established for more general demand functions that represent different market circumstances if certain assumptions are satisfied.

Methods of vendor managed inventory control in supply chain management

By inducing the typical inventory control problem - the bullwhip effect, this paper presents vendor managed inventory (VMI) control methods on the basis of traditional methods of inventory management methods, constructs a VMI mathematics model, and analyzes the influence of VMI on inventory cost and channel profit. Finally, a special case is studied to verify that VMI is an effective supply chain strategy that can not only increase channel profit of supplier and customer but also improve full channel coordination, thereby reducing the bullwhip effect.

Supply Chain Management System Model of Virtual Enterprises Based on Multi-Agent

Based on the analysis of a virtual enterprise and the development of supply chain management, their integration is proposed. Then, the difference between multi-agent system modeling method and the traditional modeling method is analyzed, and a method based on Java agent framework for multi-agent systems（ JAFMAS） is proposed. By using this method the virtual enterprise＇ s supply chain management system model is established.

Supply chain coordination mechanisms under asymmetric information with retailer cost disruptions

A two-level supply chain model involving one supplier and one retailer with linear demand is developed, and supply chain coordination mechanisms under asymmetric information （the retailer＇ s cost structure is asymmetric information） are proposed by employing game theory in two scenarios： coordination mechanisms under asymmetric information in a regular scenario （without disruption）; and coordination mechanisms under asymmetric information in an irregular scenario （ with retailer cost disruptions）. It is optimal for the supply chain to maintain the original production plan and to guarantee a steadily running system if variations of retailer costs are sufficiently low and do not exceed an upper bound. This shows that the original production plan has certain robustness under disruptions. Decisions must be re-made if a retailer＇ s cost change is greater and exceeds an upper bound. Impacts of retailer cost disruptions on the order quantity, the retail price, the wholesale price and each party＇ s as well as the system＇ s expected profits are investigated through numerical analyses.

An Improved Inventory Coordination Model in a Multi-stage Multi-customer Supply Chain

To solve the inventory coordination model in a multi-stage, multi-customer supply chain, this paper first analyzes the third model （integer powers of two multipliers at each firm） studied by Moutaz Khouja （2003）, and the authors take a numerical example to prove that the third model is irrational to miss feasible solution. Then this paper puts up a new improved model （integer multiplier at each firm）, and takes the example to prove it gives better results than the integer powers of two multipliers at each firm.

SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION MANAGEMENT WITH MULTIPLE COMPETING RETAILERS

As for the supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and multiple competing retailers, the disruption management decision is considered for the demand disruption that both the investment sensitivity coefficient and the investment-elasticity are changed simultaneously. Meanwhile, the corresponding solutions are given for different cases of the disruption, and the characteristics of the solutions are analyzed. The production plan is proved to he robustness under certain conditions, and the production plan of the coordination strategy is investigated for the disruption with appropriate contractual arrangement, i. e. , a subside rate schedule. Mutual restraints exist between the changed investment sensitivity coefficient and the investment-elasticity when the coordination mecha- nism is used. And the more the number of the retailers in the system, the more the subside provided by the suppler on the coordinaton strategy.

Supply Chain Coordination with Demand Disruptions under Convex Production Cost Function

This paper investigates the problem of how to handling demand disruptions ina one-supplier-one-retailer supply chain, where production cost is a convex function of productionquantity andprice-demand relationship is linear. Our results show that, ifdemand is disrupted, underthe new price-demand relationship, all-unit wholesale quantity discount policies combiningcapacitated linear pricingpolicies can also fully coordinate the supply chain.

A Model on Inventory and Supply Management under VMI Tactics

This paper puts emphasis on how to arrange the stock and supply to the customer rationally under the VMI tactics. Having considered the supplier＇s delivery expenses, memory expenses and loss in short supply in model, the minimum total cost goal model of supply chain has been put forward using method of storing theory to charge example test the method of solving and analyzing the conclusion to propose.

A Multi-Agent System Using JADE for Simulation of Supply Chains

This paper proposes a prototype system for modeling and simulation of supply chains using a widely accepted agent platform Java agent development platform (JADE). A simple but practical coordination mechanism agent-based dynamic information network for supply chains (ADINS) is employed for the illustration of the suggested system and a simulation experiment is performed using a supply chain model of a Korean LCD manufacturing company. The result shows that the suggested mechanism is successful in reducing bullwhip effects and increasing service rates.

Agent Architecture and Collaboration for Supply Chain Management

Recently multi-agent system(MAS)is regarded as a powerful paradigm to develop and simulate complex system. Because supply chain(SC)is a complex network,it is hard to improve supply chain management(SCM)efficiency and automate SC operating process.Researchers have applied MAS in SCM viewing enterprises in SC as different functional agents collaborating to achieve common goal.In this paper a MAS-based supply chain management framework(MSF)is developed on which agents can collaborate to conduct business activities of enterprises and customers.Six kinds of functional agents are designed,namely, management agent,order receiving agent,order decomposing agent,resource agent,manufacturing-controlling agent and trans- portation agent.Through the agents’ collaboration the MSF can support SC dynamic forming and operating process.For partner selection the method to transmit customers’ order into demand matrix,and transmit enterprise’s resource capacity into resource matrix is described in detail.The MSF users decide which algorithm to be applied in matching the two matrixes,and algorithms are stored in model base.Finally the generic agent architecture is put formard.

Revenue-sharing contract to coordinate independent participants within the supply chain

To improve the performance of the supply chain with one supplier and multiple retailers under deterministic price-sensitive customer demand, an optimal strategy is proposed based on knowledge discovery. First the decentralized system in which the supplier and the retailers are independent, profit-maximizing participants with the supplier acting as a Stackelberg game leader is studied. Numerical examples illustrate the importance of the coordination. The conventional quantity discount mechanism needs to be modified to coordinate the supply chain, so a revenue-sharing contract is proposed to coordinate such supply chain. Lastly, a special decision under certain demand rates is studied. The pricing and replenishment policies can be decided sequentially, which yields much less loss comparing with optimal decision when the demand rates are sufficiently large.

A Petri Net Pareto ISO 31000 Workflow Process Decision Making Approach for Supply Chain Risk Trigger Inventory Decisions in Government Organizations

The Petri Net Pareto method proposed in this study has the advantages of acting directly on computing results by assessment of workflow process information. Our study contributes to the literature because it has investigated an ISO 31000 workflow process approach to group decision making for reducing backorders in the supply chain, from an integrated perspective utilizing Pareto charts and Petri nets. The contribution to the literature is also enhanced by the L-Project illustrative example that presents an evaluation hierarchy of supply chain risk. The proposed method is appropriate for use in situations in which assessment information may be qualitative or precise quantitative information is either unavailable or too costly to compute.

Vendor managed inventory and bullwhip effect

This paper studies that the bullwhip effect of order releases and the amplifications of safety stock arise within the supply chain even when the demand model is ARIMA(0, 1, 1) and the forecast method used is a simple exponentially weighted moving average. It also examines a vendor managed inventory (VMI) program to determine how it can help alleviate such negative effects, and gives the theoretical proofs and numerical illustrations. The results show that the effects with VMI are better than the effect without VMI in demand forecasting and safety stock levels, etc.

Optimal pricing and production decisions in a supply chain with e-marketplace

The concept of the e-marketplace is introduced.Considering a supply chain with a single manufacturer who sells a single item in an e-marketplace,an analytical model for the use of the e-marketplace in a supply chain is provided.Assuming the market demand is stochastic and price-dependent,the conditions under which the manufacturer and the e-marketplace owner share the market in equilibrium is developed.The existence and uniqueness of the optimal selling price,quantity and transaction percentage are proved.An integrated supply chain is put forward,and then the efficiency of supply chain coordination is studied by comparing the integrated supply chain with the decentralized supply chain.To gain further insights on the theoretical models,extensive simulations are then carried out.

Collaborative supply chain planning under dynamic lot sizing costs with capacity decision

Studies show that supply chain cooperation improves supply chain performance. However, it remains a challenge to develop and implement the realistic supply chain cooperation scheme. We investigate a two-echelon supply chain planning problem with capacity acquisition decision under asymmetric cost and demand information. A simple negotiation-based coordination mechanism is developed to synchronize production/order strategies of a supplier and a buyer. The coordination scheme shows how the supplier and the buyer modify their production and order policy in order to find a joint economic lot sizing plan, which saves the overall supply chain cost. The allocation of the cooperation benefit is determined by negotiation. Due to the complexity of the multiple periods, multiple level supply chain lot sizing with capacity decision, a heuristic algorithm is developed to find coordination solutions. Finally, the results of the numerical study indicate the performance of supply chain coordination scheme.

Optimization purchase price and the profit policy undervendor managed inventory

The optimization policy of the purchase price and the profit under vendor managed inventory(VMI) is studied. For a salable product, supply chain mode of VMI is established, which is based on deterministic demand, having initial stock and having stock-out cost. With the further analysis of the mode, VMI is found to increase profits of the buyer in the short-term motivation. But VMI will reduce profits of the supplier under the matching condition. And in the short-term motivation, VMI will increase the purchase price to compensate the transfer cost of the supplier. As a result, the foundation of theory is provided to implement VMI in the supply chain, and have some definituded project significance.

PRODUCTION INVENTORY SYSTEM WITH RANDOM SUPPLY INTERRUPTIONS STATUE AND RANDOM LEAD TIMES

This article analyzes a continuous-review inventory system with random supply interruptions and random lead time which may be interrupted by a random number of supplier’s OFF periods. The inventory with constant demand rate is managed by a （r; q1, q2, · · · , qm） policy and supplies from an unreliable sole supplier. By renewal theory and matrix Geometric method, the long-run average cost function is obtained and some important properties of the function are proved. Furthermore, performance of the inventory is derived.

基于Multi-agent的库存管理优化

本文研究了供应商库存管理 ( vendor managementinventory,VMI)系统优化问题。利用 Multi- agent技术构建了 VMI数学模型 ,VMI模型由三个模块组成 ,各个模块的功能分别由一个 agent实现 ,借助于遗传算法实现了货物配送最优化。

Algebraic or Algorithmic: Searching for Optimal Solutions in Multi-Stage Supply Chain Models

In this paper we proposed an AMH Supply Chain model to obtain optimal solutions for Two-, Three- and Four-Stage for deterministic models. Besides deriving its algebraic solutions, a simple searching method is successfully applied in obtaining optimal total costs and its integer multipliers. Our model has shown promising results in comparison to Equal Cycle Time and other existing ones. The tests focused on obtaining optimal total annual costs and other related details of Two-, Three- and Four-Stage for deterministic models. The results are run under Visual Basic Programming platform using Intel? CoreTM2 Duo T6500 Processor.