| Article ID: | iaor19982041 |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Volume: | 75 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 325 |
| End Page Number: | 333 |
| Publication Date: | Dec 1997 |
| Journal: | Annals of Operations Research |
| Authors: | Fulkerson Bill, Staffend Gilbert |
This paper discusses analytical methods to enable the order fulfillment process of a customer-focused enterprise. We present three examples of agent-based systems that illustrate the benefits of decentralized control in discrete part manufacturing. The Swarm simulation platform is introduced as a novel means to investigate supply chain management strategies.