Simulation of a multiagent system for retail inventory control: A case study

The supply chain of a manufacturing enterprise is a worldwide network of suppliers, factories, warehouses, distribution centers, and retailers through which raw materials are acquired, transformed, and delivered to customers. Supply chain functions must operate in a coordinated manner to optimize performance. But the dynamics of the enterprise and the market make this difficult: materials do not arrive on time, production facilities fail, and employees are ill, causing deviations from the plans. In some cases, these events may be dealt with locally. In other cases, the problem cannot be locally contained, and modifications across many functions are required. This paper describes the use of agent technology to improve performance within important aspects of supply chain management. A supply chain model will be designed and implemented in ZUES. Through simulation on different configurations of the model, the impact of information sharing and coordination on supply chain performance will be analyzed.