Jan Goossenaerts

A flexible, agent-based ICT architecture for virtual enterprises

Virtual enterprises (VEs), in our view, are conglomerates of regular enterprises that collaborate on an ad hoc basis to carry out an inter-organisational business process. The virtual enterprise has a dynamic structure that depends on the particular process that needs to be carried out. Enterprises can join or leave the virtual enterprise at short notice, depending on the capacity and the opportunity. In recent papers, we studied the use of a mobile agent framework to support the co-ordination of the primary process in a virtual enterprise. We argued that the installation of standard software modules, called service bridges or docks, at the participant enterprises provides a suitable infrastructure for the use of mobile agents for this purpose.The deployment of mobile software agents using such modules has been studied in applications such as networked electronic trading and mediation of negotiations. The emphasis in these applications lies on demonstrating the potential of mobile agents for the support of complex decision problems. In this paper, we study the flexibility requirements an agile enterprise such as the VE imposes on its ICT support. We argue that a mobile agent-based ICT architecture will provide the required flexibility. We will discuss a number of change cases to illustrate flexibility. We examine the impact of these change cases on the requirements on the agent-agent and on the agent-system interaction.

Information Infrastructure Systems for Manufacturing II

Japanese automobile manufacturers have maintained global competitiveness in the past by providing high quality, low cost vehicles. Recently, however, the strength of the yen and a recovering U.S. automobile industry has put the Japanese automobile export market in a precarious position. Similarly, it is becoming apparent that, as information technology dramatically changes and advances, Japan lags behind in the field of key software and middle-ware technologies. In this environment, re-engineering of business processes in the automobile industry is becoming more important as a method to recover and maintain competitiveness in both the information and automobile industries as Japan moves towards the 21st century. Consequently, the V-CALS consortium was established in May of this year by five major Japanese car manufactures, parts and die suppliers and other related companies. This enterprising project encompasses conformance testing to achieve virtual vehicle development while striving to merge competition with cooperation. This paper explains the aims of this consortium and gives an outline of the V -CALS project, focusing on the requirements for next-generation PDM, and trial use of STEP, EDI and SGML.

Stability of multi-agent systems

This work attempts to shed light on the fundamental concepts behind the stability of multi-agent systems. We view the system as a discrete time Markov chain with a potentially unknown transitional probability distribution. The system will be considered to be stable when its state has converged to an equilibrium distribution. Faced with the non-trivial task of establishing the convergence to such a distribution, we propose a hypothesis testing approach according to which we test whether the convergence of a particular system metric has occurred. We describe some artificial multi-agent ecosystems that were developed and we present results based on these systems which confirm that this approach qualitatively agrees with our intuition.

Mediating negotiations in a virtual enterprise via mobile agents

In this paper, we propose a systematisation of the monitoring and control aspects in a virtual enterprise (VE). As an instrument, we use the mobile agent paradigm, defining the concept of a mobile agent Web (MA-Web). One of the roles of the agents in this environment is to mediate negotiations between the parties of the VE. We make some assumptions about the new behaviour and code of conduct in the MA-Web, such as the willingness to share data and knowledge.

Knowledge and Skill Chains in Engineering and Manufacturing

Enhancing Knowledge and Skill Chains in Manufacturing and Engineering.- Enhancing Knowledge and Skill Chains in Manufacturing and Engineering.- Generic Infrastructure Requirements and Components.- Engineering Information Infrastructure for Product Lifecycle Managment.- Architecting an Ubiquitous & Model Driven Information Infrastructure.- Service Modeling for Service Engineering.- The Extended Products Paradigm, An Introduction.- Process Plant Information Integration in Three Dimensions.- Using Contexts in Managing Product Knowledge.- Object-Oriented Design Pattern Approach to Seamless Modeling, Simulation and Implementation of Distributed Control Systems.- An Interoperability Framework and Capability Profiling for Manufacturing Software.- IT-Supported Modeling, Analysis and Design of Supply Chains.- Multi-Strata Modeling in MCM and CLM for Collaborative Engineering.- Ontological Stratification in an Ecology of Infohabitants.- Logics of Becoming in Scheduling.- Communication in the Digital City and Artifact Lives.- Validating MEDIQUAL Constructs.- External Collaboration.- Distributed Engineering Environment for Inter-Enterprise Collaboration.- Agent Based Manufacturing Capability Assessment in the Extended Enterprise Using Step AP224 and XML.- Inter-Enterprise Planning of Manufacturing Systems Applying Simulation with IPR Protection.- A Study on Support System for Distributed Simulation System of Manufacturing Systems Using HLA.- Method and Tool for Design Process Navigation and Automatic Generation of Simulation Models for Manufacturing Systems.- Knowledge Management in BID Preparation for Global Engineering and Manufacturing Projects.- Supply Chain Engineering and the Use of a Supporting Knowledge Management Application.- A Planning Framework for the Deployment of Innovative Information and Communication Technologies in Procurement.- Supreme: Supply Chain Integration by Reconfigurable Modules.- Tools and Methods for Risk Management in Multi-Site Engineering Projects.- Development of an After-Sales Support Inter-Enterprise Collaboration System Using Information Technologies.- Collaborative Service in Global Manufacturing - a New Paradigm.- Remote Maintenance Support in Virtual Service Enterprises.- Factory Floor Infrastructure.- Intelligent Process Planning and Control Framework for the Internet.- Implementation of a Data Gathering System with Scalable Intelligent Control Architecture.- Creation of Feature Sets for Developing Integrated Process Planning System.- Proposal of Modification Strategy of NC Program in the Virtual Manufacturing Environment.- Dynamic Co-Operative Scheduling Based on HLA.- A Study on Data Handling Mechanism of a Distributed Virtual Factory.- A Study on Real-Time Scheduling Methods in Holonic Manufacturing Systems.- Sensitivity Analysis of Critical Path and Its Visualization in Job Shop Scheduling.- Enterprise Integration of Management and Automation in a Refinery.- Man-System Collaboration.- CAI System with Multi-Media Text Through Web Browser for NC Lathe Programming.- Web Based Operation Instruction System Using Wearable Computer.- Model-Based Description of Human Body Motions for Ergonomics Evaluation.- Model-Based Motion Analysis of Factory Workers Using Multi-Perspective Video Cameras.- Human Factor and its Identification in Manufacturing Prediction.

On the design of a mobile agent Web for supporting virtual enterprises

In this paper we discuss the design of a mobile agent based infrastructure for monitoring and controlling activities in a Virtual Enterprise (VE). We define the concepts of the Virtual Enterprise and the Mobile Agent Web (MA-web).

Improving manufacturing co-operation in a virtual enterprise by tracker mobile agents

Agents are a new paradigm in software development. However, this paradigm offers new methodologies only in certain areas. Our view is that IT integration of a virtual enterprise is one of the most promising fields for agent-based software. In this paper, we present an approach based on tracker mobile agents, which is intended to support the decision-making process for changes during product manufacturing in a virtual enterprise. We argue that a possible approach is to use rule-based heuristic reasoning, augmented with human interaction.

Flexible Infrastructure for Virtual Enterprises

In recent papers we studied the use of a mobile agent framework to support the primary process in a Virtual Enterprise. We argued that the installation of standard software modules, called service bridges or docks, at the participant enterprises provides a suitable infrastructure for the use of mobile agents. The deployment of mobile software agents using such modules has been studied in applications such as networked electronic trading and mediation of negotiations. The emphasis in these applications lies on demonstrating the potential of mobile agents for the support of complex decision problems. As such they focus on the agent — agent interaction. In this paper we study the agent — system interaction. We will discuss a number of change cases and examine their impact on the requirements on the agent — agent and on the agent — system interaction arising from the need for flexibility.

Adapting populations of agents

We control a population of interacting software agents. The agents have a strategy, and receive a payoff for executing that strategy. Unsuccessful agents become extinct. We investigate the repercussions of maintaining a diversity of agents. There is often no economic rationale for this. If maintaining diversity is to be successful, i.e. without lowering too much the payoff for the non-endangered strategies, it has to go on forever, because the non-endangered strategies still get a good payoff, so that they continue to thrive, and continue to endanger the endangered strategies. This is not sustainable if the number of endangered ones is of the same order as the number of non-endangered ones. We also discuss niches, islands. Finally, we combine learning as adaptation of individual agents with learning via selection in a population.

A simulation method for evaluating product family supply chain

In a supply chain, a slight change of management strategy in one company largely affects the effectiveness of the chain as a whole. In particular, when companies generate product families, the relationships between companies are very complex, so it is difficult to analyse them mathematically. We propose a modelling and simulation method to analyse a product-family supply chain for business process reengineering. By modelling the workflow and transport independently, the structure of the supply chain is expressed. From the simulation results, the various criteria (e.g. stock level, response time, etc.) can be calculated.