I-Corps: A Platform for Matching Manufacturing Service Companies with Design Enterprises

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使用智能多代理软件将原始设备设计者与具有必要能力来实现这些所需服务的制造商有效地匹配。一方面，该解决方案直接支持中小型制造商宣传未使用的机器产能，这些产能可以出租给需要小批量生产零部件的客户。该平台还可使它们能够将其业务发展努力集中于通过经纪人系统获得短期和长期合同。在解决方案的另一端，该平台通过向系统集成商提供供应商绩效和技术指标的近乎实时的状态，直接影响系统集成商。该解决方案架构还允许企业客户在接近实时的状态下更新其供应商数据库，而无需手动重复处理供应链信息。该解决方案旨在使供应商的寻找、审查和选择更加高效。最终，该系统旨在缩短从产品构思到生产到交付的时间。这个i-Corps项目是基于制造服务选择平台的功能和操作。来自工厂车间机器的实时流数据填充了网络空间中物理机器及其相应工厂模型的虚拟数字孪生表示。利用多智能体模拟软件算法，我们将给定产品的设计和制造特征与有能力满足这些要求的制造商相匹配。模拟结果为原始设备设计者提供了一种智能决策工具，以寻找最适合业务和技术要求的供应商。这种跨作业/代工厂的机器资产的数字连接提供了对供应链中机器能力和产能的前所未有的可见性，以便在供应商采购和选择过程中做出实时决策。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to efficiently match, using intelligent multi-agent software, original equipment designers to manufacturers who have the necessary capabilities to fulfill those needed services. On one side, the solution directly empowers small and medium scale manufacturers to advertise unused machine capacity that can be rented out to clients who require small lot production of components. The platform may also provide them the ability to focus their business development efforts to obtaining short term and long term contracts through the broker system. On the other end of the solution, the platform directly impacts system integrators by providing them with a near real-time state of suppliers' performance and technical metrics. The solution architecture also allows enterprise customers to update their supplier databases in near real-time states without manual recurrent processing of supply chain information. The solution intends to make supplier sourcing, vetting and selection to be more efficient. Ultimately, the system intends to cut the time between product conception to production and delivery.This I-Corps project is based on the functions and operations of a manufacturing service selection platform. Real-time streaming data from machines on a factory floor populates a virtual digital twin representation of the physical machine and its corresponding factory model in cyberspace. Utilizing a multi-agent simulation software algorithm, we match design and manufacturing features of a given product to manufacturers who have the capacity and capabilities to meet those requirements. The results of the simulation provide an intelligent decision making tool for original equipment designers to source suppliers who are best suited to meet both business and technical requirements. This digital connectivity of machine assets across job/contract shop factories provides unprecedented visibility into machine capabilities and capacities within the supply chain for real-time decision making in supplier sourcing and selection.