Modeling of supply chain: a multi-agent approach

This paper describes the development of an agent-based software system for assisting in decision-making regarding supply chain management and the efficient and effective use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in the automobile industry. Such a system can be applied to different types of industries with some domain specific modifications. The core architecture is built around the concept of a software-based agent that is programmed internally to interact with other external agents in a predefined manner. We are developing a MIG-based supply chain management-modeling environment. This environment will allow domain experts to create models of the software agents to simulate, and control, the actual on-line negotiation processes. The modeling environment will allow modeling of agent behavior, as well as defining agent-to-agent interaction scenarios.