A genetic algorithm for conflict resolution in concurrent production development

The current design of a product involves the cooperation of many functions such as manufacturing, logistics, marketing and sales. It can be represented as a multiagent system with each agent representing a kind of expertise. Each agent has its own evaluation criteria and egoistic goals. The design process can be viewed as an optimization process of multiple participants and multiple criteria. We use GA as a heuristic technique to search in a large feasible solution space, and a tool to synthesize different counter-proposals from different agents. These counter-proposals are used in GA operations to speed up the evolutionary process. We also provide an experiment, in which the process of designing a gear pump is simulated. The system structure and agent structure are based on our former work (Hu Yongtong et al., 1995).