Decentralised decision making in non-hierarchical networks

Abstract

Autonomous, elementary units of production, co-operating in temporary networks, are considered as the organisational form of enterprises in the 21st century. A scientific approach is provided by networks based on customer-oriented, directly linked, smallest autonomous business units called Competence Cells. Simultaneously this concept points out perspectives for present-day small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to face ever-changing economic conditions. One objective is to make SMEs fit for global supply chain integration as well as collaborative management of complex manufacturing and logistics tasks in several production networks at the same time. For a decentralised decision making based on the non-hierarchical business model special business logics, algorithms and methods for supply chain integration and management need to be provided and implemented in services and applications. A first core logic is focused on the matching of partners for composition and operation of temporary production networks. Contrary to existing web portals the basic idea is to make the linking interactive and more flexible by using of different description constructs regarding to satisfy the customer, but also network goals. A second core logic addresses the cascading selection of the partners for a customer order driven supply chain. Firstly the "nodes" (manufacturing, assembly, testing) have to be chosen, secondly the "relations" (logistics). A third core logic deals with these "relations". The idea is to establish an automated determination of the logistic processes and candidates. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.