VSFC - virtual shop floor control: Approach to the problem of programming and control of production through intelligent agents and Breeding Environments

Efficient planning and monitoring of the operations carried out in the different resources of a productive system is a highly complex problem, particularly in the current dynamic and competitive environment. From the study of the different solutions proposed in the associated literature, the multi-agent paradigm seems to be the most promising technology, especially for its ability to address distributed problems. The paper presents a new approach based on this technology, in which agents show intelligent behavior thanks to the use of a rule-based expert system. Moreover, the interaction between agents occurs within the context of Breeding Environments, a concept associated with networked organizations. The union of both technologies and this concept allows us to tackle SFC problem from a new perspective.