Agents Processing Customer Orders

In this simplified example, customer orders flow into SmartOps24x7's operations management database, where they are picked up by a customer order agent, which converts these orders to planned shipment orders. The creation of these shipment orders, will cause the predicted inventory table to be updated, based on the stored BOMs for the parts to be manufactured.

The manufacturing order agent will see that products need to be made to fulfill the shipment order and will use this to create work orders to make the needed finished goods and, if needed, intermediate materials. This may cause predicted shortages in raw materials, which will cause the purchase order agent to generate purchase orders or requisitions.

Once adequate raw materials are in stock then the manufacturing order agent will release the work orders to production. Also, once the finished products have been made or received into stock, then the warehouse agent will create the pick and pack orders for the shipment and, when these are complete, will release the shipment for processing.

All these agents act autonomously, in real-time, based on the incoming flow of customer orders to dynamically issue the needed orders to suppliers, the warehouse, and one or more manufacturing plants. This is in stark contrast to the use of ERP systems, which typically plan and schedule make-to-stock production for the upcoming months.

This makes intelligent agents suitable for use in a quick-turnaround, make-to-order, "Amazon Effect" driven, manufacturing and distribution operation.