Revitalising and Validating the Novel Approach of xAOSF Framework Under Industry 4.0 in Comparison with Linear SC.

Recent literature claims that Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs), as compared to larger setups, may not be able to experience all the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). In order to bridge this gap, the Agent Oriented Smart Factory (AOSF) framework provides a comprehensive supply chain architecture. AOSF framework does not only provide high-level enterprise integration guidelines but also recommends a thorough implementation in the area of warehousing by providing Agent Oriented Storage and Retrieval (AOSR) WMS system. This paper focuses on scenario-based comparison of the extended AOSF framework with a Linear SC model, to explain substantially improved performance efficiency especially in SME-oriented warehousing. These scenario-based experiments indicate that AOSR can yield 60–148% improvement in certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), i.e. number of products stored in racks, receiving area (RA) and expedition areas (EA), in comparison with standard WMS strategies.