Intelligent Enterprise Integration

Author(s):  
Hamada H. Ghenniwa ◽  
Michael N. Huhns

This chapter describes an architecture for the eMarketplace that integrates the interests of autonomous enterprises in a single open-market environment. The environment encompasses several systems and business issues, such as the many-to-many relationships between customers and suppliers, systems, and business-related services. The architecture for this integrated environment is business-centric and knowledge-oriented. In this architecture, the eMarketplace exists as a collection of economically motivated software agents. The architecture enables and supports common economic services, such as brokering, pricing, and negotiation, as well as cross-enterprise integration and cooperation in an electronic supply-chain. We demonstrate the eMarketplace with two prototype systems.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kozicka ◽  
Sebastian Kot ◽  
I Gede Riana

Managing a tourism supply chain is predominantly focused on managing a tourism-specific product that can be perceived as all kinds of goods and services utilized by tourists during their trips. The predominant goal of this article is to empirically identify the level of engagement of entities operating in the tourism-oriented branch of industry concerning the satisfaction of end-customers with the offered tourism-related services and products. Within the scope of this study, the statistical relevance of elements of active cooperation within a tourism-specific supply chain was analyzed. Empirical examinations covered the assessment of the cooperation within the framework of the tourism-oriented supply chain and its impact on consumer satisfaction. A research questionnaire was utilized to meet examination-specific goals. Theoretical considerations and the analysis of branches of industry in relation to the available statistical data showed that tourist-oriented supply chain covers various entities, the engagement of which may have a factual impact on the efficiency of managing the entire chain, as well as on the overall client satisfaction, improving tourism sustainability. The obtained results clearly showed that the examined entities considered the analyzed cooperation aspects to be very important with regard to the supply chain management. Said aspects included the total length of cooperation within the framework of a particular supply chain, which, according to the examined entities, directly translated into the quality of cooperation—to either significant or very significant extent, as well as making it much easier to solve certain problems that were strictly connected with the provision of tourism-oriented services. Yet another aspect of cooperation that was touched upon was the transfer of the so-called know-how between the entities engaged in a given supply chain. As proven by the examination, 70% of the surveyed entities claimed that it was of significant or very significant importance. The last analyzed aspect of cooperation were relations between the supply chain-specific partners and their impact on the satisfaction of end customers. According to over half of the sample (61.54%), decent relations between supply chain participants affected the satisfaction of end customers to a notable extent.


Author(s):  
ANEURIN M. EASWARAN ◽  
JEREMY PITT

Efficient allocation of services to form a supply chain to solve complex tasks is a crucial problem. Optimal service allocation based on a single criterion is NP-Complete. Furthermore, complex tasks in general have multiple criteria that may be conflicting and non-commensurable. This paper presents a two-stage brokering algorithm for optimal anytime service allocation based on multiple criteria. In the first stage, a hierarchical task network planner is used to identify the services required to solve a task. In the second stage, a genetic algorithm (GA) determines service providers based on multiple criteria to provide the services identified by the planner. We present our algorithm and results from various experiments conducted to analyze the effect of various parameters that influence the complexity of the problem. In general, the results show the GA finds optimal solutions much quicker than a standard search algorithm. The empirical results also indicate the performance of the algorithm is sub-linear or polynomial time for various parameters. The algorithm has the ability to deal with any number of criteria. By addressing this problem, we expand the range of problems being addressed to any that require simultaneous optimization of multiple criteria and/or planning.


10.14311/528 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ota ◽  
I. Jelínek

This article deals with the problem of the mutual influence between software systems used in enterprise environment and enterprise integration processes. The position of CAD data and CAx systems in the integrated environment of manufacturing enterprises is clarified. As a consequence, the key role of CAx systems used in those companies is emphasized. It is noted that the integration of CAD data is nowadays only on a secondary level, via primarily integrated PDM systems. This limitation is a reason why we are developing a unified communication model focused on product-oriented data. Our approach is based on Internet technologies, so we believe that is independent enough. The proposed system of communication is based on a simple request-replay dialogue. The structure of this model is open and extensible, but we assume supervision supported by an Internet portal.


Author(s):  
Prashant R. Nair

The usage of Information Technology (IT) in organizations across the supply chain has become a determinant of competitive advantage for many corporations. This chapter focuses on the usage of IT tools for Supply Chain Management (SCM). It also highlights the contribution of IT in helping restructure the entire distribution set-up to achieve higher service levels, lower inventory, and lower supply chain costs. An overview and tangible benefits of the existing IT tools, which are widely deployed, is provided with focus on existing configuration considerations, available applications, and deployments in India. The role of existing communication technologies in making IT an enabler of SCM, is highlighted by addressing a range of different point and enterprise solutions in a variety of supply chain settings. Critical IT demonstrations and implementations in SCM are discussed. Fundamental changes have occurred in today’s global economy. These changes alter the relationship that we have with our customers, our suppliers, our business partners, and our colleagues. Reflection on the evolving and emerging IT trends like software agents, RFID, web services, virtual supply chains, electronic commerce, and decision support systems, further highlights the importance of IT in the context of increasingly global competition. The rapid adoption of the Internet for communication with all stakeholders, seems to reflect the potential of the new-age communication media. It has also been observed that several progressive Indian companies are extensively using emerging tools like virtual supply chains, web services, RFID, and electronic commerce to shore up their supply chain operations. However, adoption of tools like software agents and decision support systems for supply chain integration by Indian companies, is limited.


Author(s):  
Silvio Gonnet ◽  
Marcela Vegetti ◽  
Horacio Leone ◽  
Gabriela Henning

This contribution points out the various challenges associated to Supply Chain Management (SCM). SCM involves coordinating and integrating material, information and money flows, both within and across several companies. The integration of these flows is perceived in quite distinct ways by different communities, raising some semantics-related problems. To assist organizations in achieving a unified view of the Supply Chain (SC), a new ontology, named SCOntology, is introduced in this chapter. SCOntology is a framework to formally describe a SC at various abstraction levels, by sharing a precise meaning of the information exchanged during communication among the many stakeholders involved in the SC. Moreover, SCOntology provides a foundation for the specification of information logistics processes and also sets the grounds for measuring and evaluating a SC by stating different metrics and performance-related concepts.


Author(s):  
Wesley S. Boyce

The evolving field of supply chain management is rooted in the premise that traditionally independent firms need to work together in order to achieve supply chain success. This article outlines supply chain collaboration, which is a critical strategy for the field of supply chain management. While firms have traditionally operated in a manner that only considers their own well-being, a transition is occurring where open market relationships are diminishing and cooperation, coordination, and collaboration are becoming much more common. There are several key dimensions of collaboration that serve as drivers to its success, and firms that engage in these activities should experience closer relationships with channel partners and ultimately achieve higher levels of success. While this issue has been thoroughly covered in the logistics and supply chain management literature, its limited implementation and lack of widespread success provides evidence that the topic should continue to be a focal point in future research.


Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 424
Author(s):  
Adam Stroud ◽  
Atila Ertas

Titanium has an excellent combination of properties that make it an attractive material for use in aerospace applications. The one area in which titanium is not aligned with customer needs is affordability. Components made from titanium are many times more expensive than those manufactured from other alloys. The supply chain of an extruded product is no exception. A breakthrough in extrusion cost reduction would enable wider adoption of titanium in many structural member applications. In an effort to accomplish any breakthrough in titanium component costs, the entire supply chain for manufacturing should be evaluated simultaneously. Due to the complex interaction of the many facets of the systems in a manufacturing supply chain, it is inferred that the supply chain in its entirety must be the focus of the design activity in order to be successful. Design improvements on a single facet of manufacture may have little to no effect on the manufacture of the component. If the improvement has a detrimental impact on another system in the supply chain, overall performance may be lowered. The use of a system of systems’ (SoS) design approach was used due to its capability to address complex multi-system integration problems associated with titanium metalworking and manufacture.


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