TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter addresses the most important practical issues in designing agent-based manufacturing systems. After an introduction to the specific part of the information system in which software agents can find their most suitable applications in manufacturing, typical classes of manufacturing problems that can be faced by agent technology are considered and defined, mostly focusing on planning, scheduling, and control problem definitions. Thereafter, fundamental techniques to break down a generic planning, scheduling, or control problem into basic entities, which can be modeled as autonomous agents, are introduced. Finally, some details are reported about the first meeting with the PS-Bikes managers, who wish to be acquainted with the possibilities of supporting their manufacturing system with agent technology and the practical issues entailed in designing agents and MASs.
Manufacturing, defined as the action of making or fabricating from material or producing by labor [1], has been a characteristic human activity for thousands of years. Thus, manufacturing has obviously been performed without any software, in particular any software agent, support for many years. At the same time, a wealth of information is also manufactured in parallel to production activities, and this information is increasingly needed to allow agile manufacturing. In this respect, throughout this book, agents are regarded as systems that can enhance manufacturing, supporting the process in tackling the many problems characteristic of the current information society boom; in doing so, problems typical of manufacturing, namely, planning, scheduling, and control, are also addressed.
This assumption entails the concept that the agent-based...
