Management Data Specification for Supply Chain Integration

Abstract

This document specifies a framework of communication data in a supply chain system, which is viewed as a virtual enterprise. The framework is developed to support the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Modeling and Simulation Environments for Design, Planning and Operation of Globally Distributed Enterprises (MISSION) project. A requirement analysis is presented to identify the information necessary to represent the communication for the production management of a supply chain. The requirement analysis has been based on the practical business operations in a U.S. manufacturing company. A specification that describes all information requirements using the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is presented. The specification will be used to synchronize the business operations within a supply chain simulation system. The specification can also be the basis for developing applications to support the supply chain integration. Such applications can be developed using the Electronic Commerce, a database management system, or a knowledge base system.