Agent.Enterprise in a Nutshell

The manufacturing logistics domain is continually evolving towards ever more complex supply chain structures which call for increasingly flexible production capabilities. A concept is proposed which leverages agent technology’s capabilities to provide flexibility in such a complex environment while at the same time it does not interfere with the manifold interdependencies and individual behaviors of actors in modern enterprise networks. The Agent.Enterprise concept is demonstrated in a prototype implementation which integrates various multiagent systems (MAS) into a multi-multiagent system (MMAS). It provides integrated yet distributed and flexible supply chain management, from inter-organizational coordination down to detailed shop-floor level production planning.