Formal model of agent-based supply chain framework in a virtual enterprise for reliability

Abstract

The virtual enterprises are models for distributed manufacturing where activities ranging from product design to actual production are carried out amongst geographically dispersed entities. Communication, collaboration and competition are some of the emerging issues in this form of production. To address these challenges in such distributed systems, we adopt the use of software agents, which are intelligent, collaborative, reactive and mobile entities. Although there is significant literature on implementation of virtual enterprises, there are fewer contributions that address flexibility and reliability of such systems. In this paper, we present formal model of agent-based supply chain management (SCM) in a virtual enterprise involved in product manufacturing. Our model is presented at different levels of abstraction and formalism. A decision tree is used to capture the logic of production planning based on the requirement specification. This is subsequently transformed to a declarative programming language for systempsilas instantiation. The pi-calculus notation is adopted for lower level modeling of the SCM. We propose a model which is useful for the development of flexible software systems and support of virtual enterprises and distributed production. Also, the proposed framework is formalized to enhance the reliability of system specifications.