Agent-based multiple supplier tool management system

A multi-agent tool management system (MATMS) was developed in the framework of a negotiation-based multiple-supplier system for automatic tool management and procurement. The MATMS operation is illustrated for the real industrial case of a turbine blade producer (customer) requiring dressing jobs on worn out CBN grinding wheels from different tool manufacturers (suppliers) in a supply network. The MATMS was implemented by making use of agent development tools integrated in the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) Agent Management Reference Model and the fundamental aspect of agent communication was realised through the FIPA Agent Communication Language (ACL