Bottom-Up Approach based on Internet of things for Order Fulfillment in a Collaborative Warehousing Environment

Industrial deployment of the Internet Of Things (IOT) provides development of an ideal platform for decentralized management of warehouses. In this paper, we propose an IOT infrastructure for collaborative warehouse order fulfillment based on RFID, ambient intelligence and multi-agent system. It consists of a physical devices layer, a middleware ambient platform, a multi-agent system and an enterprise resource planning. It integrates a bottom-up approach with decision support mechanisms such as self-organization and negotiation protocols between agents based on "com-peration=competition+cooperation" concept. This approach was selected to improve reaction capabilities of decentralized management of warehouses in a dynamic environment. A collaborative warehouse example was conducted to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed infrastructure.

[1]  Eddy Bajic A Service-Based Methodology for RFID-Smart Objects Interactions in Supply Chain , 2009 .

[2]  M. D. Brito,et al.  Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: Organisation and performance , 2008 .

[3]  Pierre Massotte,et al.  Comparison of negotiation protocols in dynamic agent-based manufacturing systems , 2006 .

[4]  Abdul Sattar,et al.  Multiagent Based Scheduling of Elective Surgery , 2010, PRIMA.

[5]  Henry C. W. Lau,et al.  A RFID case-based logistics resource management system for managing order-picking operations in warehouses , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[6]  Damien Trentesaux,et al.  Role-based manufacturing control in a holonic multi-agent system , 2011 .

[7]  W. B. Lee,et al.  A dynamic logistics process knowledge-based system - An RFID multi-agent approach , 2007, Knowl. Based Syst..

[8]  Romeo Danielis,et al.  The potential demand for a urban freight consolidation centre , 2008 .

[9]  N. K.C. Krothapalli,et al.  Design of negotiation protocols for multi-agent manufacturing systems , 1999 .

[10]  Sunderesh S. Heragu,et al.  Intelligent agent modeling of an industrial warehousing problem , 2002 .

[11]  Raffaello D'Andrea,et al.  Coordinating Hundreds of Cooperative, Autonomous Vehicles in Warehouses , 2007, AI Mag..

[12]  Damien Trentesaux,et al.  Distributed control of production systems , 2009, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell..

[13]  Reid G. Smith,et al.  The Contract Net Protocol: High-Level Communication and Control in a Distributed Problem Solver , 1980, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[14]  Petri T. Helo,et al.  Logistics information systems: An analysis of software solutions for supply chain co-ordination , 2005, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[15]  Huib Aldewereld,et al.  Modeling warehouse logistics using agent organizations , 2009, CARE 2009.

[16]  Paul Valckenaers,et al.  Holonic and Multi-Agent Systems for Manufacturing , 2003, Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

[17]  Kees Jan Roodbergen,et al.  Design and control of warehouse order picking: A literature review , 2006, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[18]  Eric W. T. Ngai,et al.  Design and development of a context-aware decision support system for real-time accident handling in logistics , 2012, Decis. Support Syst..

[19]  Jihad Reaidy Etude et mise en œuvre d'une architecture d'agents en réseau dans les systèmes dynamiques situés : pilotage des systèmes de production complexes , 2003 .

[20]  Ning Nan,et al.  Capturing Bottom-Up Information Technology Use Processes: A Complex Adaptive Systems Model , 2011, MIS Q..

[21]  Waleed H. Abdulla,et al.  Ambient intelligence platform using multi-agent system and mobile ubiquitous hardware , 2009, Pervasive Mob. Comput..

[22]  Javier Bajo,et al.  An Ambient Intelligence Based Multi-Agent Architecture , 2008 .

[23]  Shu-Jen Wang,et al.  The simulated impact of RFID-enabled supply chain on pull-based inventory replenishment in TFT-LCD industry , 2008 .

[24]  Vasileios Zeimpekis Goods distribution management in city logistics environment: A systemic approach , 2011 .

[25]  Andrei Olaru,et al.  Agent-Based, Context-Aware Information Sharing for Ambient Intelligence , 2011, Int. J. Artif. Intell. Tools.

[26]  A. Gunasekaran,et al.  Sustainable supply management: An empirical study , 2012, ECIS 2012.

[27]  Martyn Fletcher,et al.  The Cambridge Packing Cell -- A Holonic Enterprise Demonstrator , 2003, CEEMAS.

[28]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  Information systems in supply chain integration and management , 2004, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[29]  A.Trentini Atrentini,et al.  A MANAGEMENT MODEL TO PLAN AND TOCONTROL THE COEXISTENCE OF PASSENGERS ANDGOODS FLOW IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT , 2010 .

[30]  Lida Xu,et al.  The internet of things: a survey , 2014, Information Systems Frontiers.

[31]  Paulo Leitão,et al.  Recent Developments and Future Trends of Industrial Agents , 2011, HoloMAS.

[32]  Artem Katasonov,et al.  Smart Semantic Middleware for the Internet of Things , 2008, ICINCO-ICSO.

[33]  M. Wasner,et al.  Warehouse sequencing in the steel supply chain as a generalized job shop model , 2006 .

[34]  Jie Yang Design and Implementation of Intelligent Logistics Warehouse Management System Based on Internet of Things , 2012 .

[35]  Arndt Lüder,et al.  Distributed intelligence for plant automation based on multi-agent systems: the PABADIS approach , 2004 .

[36]  Binshan Lin,et al.  Accessing information sharing and information quality in supply chain management , 2006, Decis. Support Syst..

[37]  Artem Katasonov,et al.  Challenges of Middleware for the Internet of Things , 2009 .

[38]  Albert Treytl,et al.  Applicability of RFID and Agent-Based Control for Product Identification in Distributed Production , 2006, 2006 IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation.

[39]  Wen Ding,et al.  Study of Smart Warehouse Management System Based on the IOT , 2013 .

[40]  Jan Holmström,et al.  Intelligent Products: A survey , 2009, Comput. Ind..

[41]  Minjie Zhang,et al.  Self-organization in an agent network: A mechanism and a potential application , 2012, Decis. Support Syst..

[42]  Alexander Zeier,et al.  Assessing the Effects of Enhanced Supply Chain Visibility Through RFID , 2008, AMCIS.

[43]  Carmen Bălan Carbon-Footprint Policy Of The Top Ten Global Retailers: Contribution To Sustainable Development , 2010 .

[44]  Dirk Bade,et al.  Towards an Extensible Agent-based Middleware for Sensor Networks and RFID Systems , 2009 .

[45]  Eric W. T. Ngai,et al.  The adoption of RFID in fashion retailing: a business value-added framework , 2008, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[46]  Umut Rifat Tuzkaya,et al.  A holonic approach based integration methodology for transportation and warehousing functions of the supply network , 2009, Comput. Ind. Eng..

[47]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Automated Negotiation and Decision Making in Multiagent Environments , 2001, EASSS.

[48]  Pius J. Egbelu,et al.  Scheduling of inbound and outbound trucks in cross docking systems with temporary storage , 2008, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[49]  So Young Sohn,et al.  Cost of ownership model for the RFID logistics system applicable to u-city , 2007, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[50]  Karen Ka-Leung Moon,et al.  RFID research: An academic literature review (1995–2005) and future research directions , 2008 .

[51]  M. Ali Ülkü,et al.  Dare to care: Shipment consolidation reduces not only costs, but also environmental damage , 2012 .

[52]  Teodor Gabriel Crainic,et al.  Impact of generalized travel costs on satellite location in the Two-Echelon Vehicle Routing Problem , 2012 .

[53]  Teodor Gabriel Crainic,et al.  Models for Evaluating and Planning City Logistics Systems , 2009, Transp. Sci..

[54]  Peter Friess,et al.  Internet of Things Strategic Research Roadmap , 2011 .

[55]  K. Lai,et al.  Responsive supply chain : A competitive strategy in a networked economy , 2008 .

[56]  G. Riva 2 The Psychology of Ambient Intelligence : Activity , Situation and Presence , 2004 .

[57]  Markus Biehl,et al.  International supply chain agility ‐ Tradeoffs between flexibility and uncertainty , 2001 .

[58]  Eiichi Taniguchi,et al.  Modeling City Logistics , 2002 .

[59]  Stéphane Dauzère-Pérès,et al.  A literature review on the impact of RFID technologies on supply chain management , 2010 .

[60]  Michael Friedewald,et al.  Ubiquitous computing: An overview of technology impacts , 2011, Telematics Informatics.

[61]  Hau L. Lee The triple-A supply chain. , 2004, Harvard business review.

[62]  M. Lim,et al.  RFID in the warehouse: A literature analysis (1995–2010) of its applications, benefits, challenges and future trends , 2013 .

[63]  K. Yang,et al.  A strategy for third-party logistics systems: A case analysis using the blue ocean strategy , 2008 .

[64]  Kai Su,et al.  Management Platform Architecture of Modern Tobacco Logistics Based on Internet of Things Technologies , 2013 .

[65]  Hai Lin,et al.  Guaranteed global performance through local coordinations , 2011, Autom..

[66]  K. Butner The smarter supply chain of the future , 2010 .

[67]  M. Frohlich,et al.  Arcs of integration: an international study of supply chain strategies , 2001 .

[68]  Cai-feng Li Agile Supply Chain: competing in volatile markets , 2009 .

[69]  Giuseppe Bruno,et al.  Applications of agent-based models for optimization problems: A literature review , 2012, Expert Syst. Appl..