Cosimo Spera

This chapter presents a web-enabled, intelligent agent-based information system model to support on-demand and mass customized markets. The authors present a distributed, real-time, Java-based, mobile information system that interfaces with firms’ existing IT infrastructures, follows a build-to-order production strategy, and integrates order-entry with supply chain, manufacturing, and product delivery systems. The model provides end-to-end visibility across the entire operation and supply… Show more

This chapter presents a web-enabled, intelligent agent-based information system model to support on-demand and mass customized markets. The authors present a distributed, real-time, Java-based, mobile information system that interfaces with firms’ existing IT infrastructures, follows a build-to-order production strategy, and integrates order-entry with supply chain, manufacturing, and product delivery systems. The model provides end-to-end visibility across the entire operation and supply chain, allows for a collaborative and synchronized production system, and supports an event-based manufacturing environment. The system introduces four general purpose intelligent agents to support the entire on-demand and mass customization processes. The adoption of this approach by a semiconductor manufacturing firm resulted in reductions in product lead time (by half), buffer inventory (from five to two weeks), and manual transactions (by 80%). Application of this approach to a leading automotive manufacturer, using simulated data, resulted in a 51% total inventory reduction while increasing plant utilization by 30%. Adoption of this architecture by a pharmaceutical firm resulted in improving accuracy of trial completion estimates from 74% to 82% for clinical trials resulting in reduced trial cost overruns. These results verify that the successful adoption of this system can reduce inventory and logistics costs, improve delivery performance, increase manufacturing facilities utilization, and provide a higher overall profitability. Show less

In K(n, n) with edges colored either red or blue, we show that the problem of finding a solution matching, a perfect matching consisting of exactly r red edges, and (n − r) blue edges for specified 0 ≤ r ≤ n, is a nontrivial integer program. We present an alternative, logically simpler proof of a theorem in [3] which establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for the existance of a solution matching and a new O(n 2.5) algorithm. This shows that the problem of finding an assignment of… Show more

In K(n, n) with edges colored either red or blue, we show that the problem of finding a solution matching, a perfect matching consisting of exactly r red edges, and (n − r) blue edges for specified 0 ≤ r ≤ n, is a nontrivial integer program. We present an alternative, logically simpler proof of a theorem in [3] which establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for the existance of a solution matching and a new O(n 2.5) algorithm. This shows that the problem of finding an assignment of specified cost r in an assignment problem on the complete bipartite graph with a 0−1 cost matrix is efficiently solvable. Key words assignment problem, 0−1 cost matrix, extreme point with specified objective value. Show less

The success of a Decision Support System (DSS) can be mainly attributed to the language it uses. The language has to be:(1) powerful, so as to express a wide variety of problems; (2) flexible, so as to be managed and updated not only by the vendors but also by the end-users; and (3) user-friendly, so as to minimize the time necessary for learning how to model the problem and derive its solution if a well defined solution exists. Often the term “user-friendly” also means that the system provides… Show more

The success of a Decision Support System (DSS) can be mainly attributed to the language it uses. The language has to be:(1) powerful, so as to express a wide variety of problems; (2) flexible, so as to be managed and updated not only by the vendors but also by the end-users; and (3) user-friendly, so as to minimize the time necessary for learning how to model the problem and derive its solution if a well defined solution exists. Often the term “user-friendly” also means that the system provides graphical tools for the user, which constitute the Graphical User Interface (GUI). In this paper we introduce the reader to the implementation features of an Object Oriented language, called BLOOMS (Basic Language Object Oriented for Modeling Systems), designed by the authors. BLOOMS has to be viewed not only as a different implementation of Structured Modeling (SM) languages, but also as a possible extension of SM in the framework of Object Orientation. Show less