ÆMS agents: enabling dynamic distributed supply chain management

Some dynamic supply chain problems are instances of a class of distributed optimization problems that TÆMS and other intelligent agents were made to address. In this paper we define a discrete distributed dynamic supply chain management problem and specify how TÆMS agents, equipped with new coordination mechanisms, automate and manage the supply chain. The agents increase the level of flexibility in the chain and enable members of the supply chain to be more responsive through producer /consumer negotiation and reasoning about manufacturing availability, raw material requirements, and shipping time requirements. Planning/scheduling and coordination research enables the agents to perform this level of automation on-line, responding to change as it happens in the environment, rather than relying on precomputed solutions or reasoning via abstract flow characterizations.  2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.