Multi-agent based virtual enterprise supply chain network for order management

A virtual enterprise (VE) is a network or loose coalition of a variety of value adding services in a supply chain, that unite for a specific period of time for a specific business objective, and disband when the goal is achieved. In this paper, a VE is modeled in which a multi-agent system consisting of four agents, namely interface agent, task agent, information agent, and security agent, together with a case-based reasoning decision support tool, are discussed. To illustrate the usability of the proposed VE architecture, a total order management system (TOMS) developed for a small and medium sized enterprise (SME) is explained