Coalition formation in manufacturing multi-agent systems

This contribution emphasises the need and potential role of forming teams of flexible and autonomous agents participating in the production planning process. The paper explores a knowledge-based method supporting the process of coalition formation, the tri-based acquaintance model (3bA). The 3bA maintains agents´ social knowledge about collaborative agents that limits substantially the space of possible manufacturing coalitions. These ideas are supported by an implementation of the production planning multi-agent system and describing its role in manufacturing.