Essay on Conceptual Modeling, Analysis and Illustration of Agent-Based Simulations for Distributed Supply Chain Planning

Recent developments in supply chain planning have emerged from the field of agent technology and distributed decision making. Although several attempts have been made to exploit agent technology to design supply chain simulation tools, the integration of simulation with distributed supply chain planning tools is still a challenge. This paper aims at investigating this aspect of supply chain planning simulation through the use of theoretical contributions found in the field of simulation, systems theory, distributed decision making and agent-based software engineering. More specifically, this paper first proposes a conceptual framework for modeling "distributed agent-based Advanced Planning and Scheduling" (d-APS). Next, derived from this framework, it proposes some specific methods for understanding and modeling simulation problems at the initial phase of the modeling effort. This early phase is critical because it considerably influences the whole development process and the resulting simulation environment, but it is usually neglected in the concerned literature. Finally, a theoretical illustrative case is presented in the lumber supply chain.