The use of multi-agent systems for improving a logistic platform in a GRAI environment

Abstract

The lack of growth in Europe is one of the reasons behind the dire economic situation facing many European countries today. This economic situation can also be seen as the cause of political turmoil in many countries and the consequences could be radical as in Greece with the success of a far left party. The social situation in Europe is equally worrying and enterprises have been severely impacted. They have to resist the crisis and prepare for the future, hoping to find effective solutions very quickly to enable them to reorganize and be more competitive during and after the crisis. The research of ICAM (School of Engineering) in industrial organization aims to satisfy the needs of enterprises, public and private organisms, establishments and departments. It is based on GRAI Methodology, one of the three main methodologies for enterprise modeling. GRAIMOD is a software tool being developed by ICAM for supporting GRAI Methodology. A general typology is proposed for enterprises and general public entities, then for facilitating the improvement during the design phase a reference model is proposed for each enterprise, public establishment or department domain. This paper presents the latest concepts of GRAIMOD. The combination of CBR reasoning with multi-agent systems is also presented. An example is given to illustrate how to use concepts for developing the tool and improving enterprise performance.