抄録
Conventional host-based central-processing type logistics information systems collect all information about stocked products (sales results, inventory, out-of-stock items) on a single host computer, and based on this information perform ordering, shipping, receiving, and other processing. In a client/server architecture, the system is not simply downsized: in order to ensure more effective use of logistics information and closer coordination with manufacturing information systems, the logistics information system must be configured as a distributed system specific to a given factory and its various products. Such distributed systems each function acts independently, but at the same time the overall system of which they is part must operate in harmony to perform cost optimization, adjust allocation of resources among different factories and business locations, and present a single monolithic interface to retailers and sales agents. In this paper, we propose a logistics information system with a distributed architecture as well as agents whose role is to coordinate operation of the overall system, as one means of realizing this combination of component autonomy and overall system harmony. The methodology proposed here was applied to a proving system, and its effectiveness was verified.
