A ring-based interaction protocol for job allocation in manufacturing networks

This paper uses the holonic concept to develop a new model of job allocation in manufacturing networks. First, the conventional job allocation protocol of a manufacturing network was observed from an industrial case study and was modelled. Conventional practice uses a centralized approach to job allocation where a central company manages the job allocation process and the manufacturers of the network are, at that instant, passively receiving sub-orders. The research tries to introduce a ring-based interaction protocol, as an alternative model, which uses a distributed system paradigm. The interaction protocol consists of communication, along a virtual ring of manufacturers, which is uni-directional coupled with a peer-to-peer feedback mechanism and a supervisory body for conflict resolution between two manufacturers competing for the same sub-order. In this protocol, the candidates are virtually arranged into a ring according to rules and criteria. The candidates exhibit a `greedy´ behaviour whereby if they provide a feasible solution, the candidates take the maximum of the sub-order and the rest of the order list is circulated along the ring. If a candidate provides a sub-optimal solution, the next candidate can bid a better solution and inform the previous candidate that it has been outbidded. This is where the two candidates can compete to win the sub-order. The results herald the proposed ring-based model of job allocation as a powerful tool for improving lead time, cost and other pre-defined goals of a manufacturing network.