Scalable Enterprise Sytems: Theory and Methodologies to Support the Operation of Flexible Production Networks

这笔赠款为发展基础理论和方法提供资金，以支持在短交货期和可变需求下生产商品的分散企业网络的综合运营。根据这项拨款进行的研究旨在指定一个完整的决策支持和信息架构，以实现公司之间的自动谈判，并提高这些灵活生产网络(FP N)的整体性能。为了支持这一目标，调查人员确定了四个影响较大的研究领域：1)不完全信息下的FPN运营的模拟、建模和分析；2)存在于多个FPN中的企业的能力和成本模型；3)将企业现有的信息系统与信息中心基础设施联系起来的信息“包装器”的生成；4)表示复杂FPN运营的信息模型。这四个领域中的每一个都是实现可行的计算基础设施的关键，该基础设施代表了FPN内的各种生产技术，同时解决了可伸缩性、快速部署和分散运营的问题。这项研究的成功完成将促进对FPN内现有公司的运营支持方面的进展，以及关于在多公司环境中部署信息和决策支持系统的理论上的更广泛进展。目前扩展企业资源规划系统中的工业举措是朝着部署和简化电子交易迈出的积极一步；然而，它们缺乏对涉及公司网络的生产进行分析和决策支持的框架。这笔赠款下的研究提供了这样一个框架，重点是低开销、动态部署计算性、灵活和可扩展的决策支持，以分散的、多公司的运营。这些领域的研究还将拓宽决策支持和计算机科学的现有理论，在这些领域，当前的模型倾向于对有限或高度特定的系统进行准确的分析和表示。从广义上讲，这项工作将把当前的能力重新集中到支持更复杂、更灵活的系统上。

0075407HammerThis grant provides funding for developing fundamental theory and methodologies to support integrated operation of decentralized networks of firms producing goods under short lead times and variable demand. Research under this grant is directed towards specifying a complete decision support and information architecture that enables automated negotiation among firms and improves overall performance of these Flexible Production Networks (FPNs). In support of this objective, the investigators have identified four high-impact research areas:1) Simulation, modeling, and analysis of FPN operation under imperfect information; 2) Capacity and cost models for firms that exist in multiple FPNs; 3) Generation of information 'wrappers' that tie firms' existing information systems to an information hub infrastructure; 4) Information models for representing complex FPN operations. Each of these four areas is critical to achieving a feasible computational infrastructure that represents the diverse production technologies within the FPN, while addressing issues of scalability, rapid deployment, and decentralized operation.Successful conclusion of this research will generate advances in operational support for firms existing within FPNs, as well as broader advances in theory concerning the deployment of information and decision support systems in a multi-firm environment. Current industrial initiatives in extended-enterprise resource planning systems are a positive step towards deployment and simplification of electronic transactions; however, they lack a framework for analysis and decision support for production involving a network of firms. Research under this grant provides such a framework, with a focus on low overhead, dynamic deployment of a computational, and flexible and scalable decision support for decentralized, multi-firm operations. Research in these areas will also broaden existing theory in decision support and computer science, where current models tend towards exact analysis and representation of limited or highly specific systems. In a broad sense, this work will re-focus current capabilities towards supporting more complex, flexible systems.