A holonic systems approach to the formation of manufacturing networks

This paper attempts to model the formation of a manufacturing network based on the holonic manufacturing concept. An industrial case study involving a large network of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) has been carried out to investigate the processes underpinning the network formation and job allocation activities. An algorithm using agent-based (Contract Net Protocol) features has been developed to validate the holonic model with real-life industrial data. The simulation software was calibrated so that the model responds with a lead time value close to that obtained in the real life network by altering the network capacity. The results proved that the software and the model possess a good potential, as a benchmark, for the comparison of optimised and new experimental models of a manufacturing network based on holonic system.