A Collaborative Production Planning Model for Multi-agent Based Supply Chain

A supply chain (SC) is a world-wide complex network of suppliers, factories, warehouses, distribution centers and retailers. Due to the features of its production planning: distribution, autonomy, synchronism and openness, the traditional methods of production planning are unable to meet the demands of supply chain production planning (SCPP). Under collaborative environment, in order to eliminate conflicts generated among different enterprises planning, SCPP needs to integrate and use all the resources in the supply chain from the whole layout view. Based on the analysis of multi-agent technology and the characteristics of SCPP, an multi-agent based model of supply chain network is proposed, in which the functional and physical entities of the system are encapsulated by various kinds of agents. Then the multi-agent based production planning model is established and discussed. As a whole, the model can be divided into three layers: the overall production panning, sub-production planning in enterprise and detailed production planning of tasks. It breaks through the limitations of traditional methods, excellently reflects the information-sharing and resource-sharing principles of supply chain and can effectively support the collaborative production planning in supply chain.