A multi-agent architecture for reverse logistics in a green supply chain

N. Mishra, V. Kumar, F. T. S. Chan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Green supply chain issues have attracted a lot of attention in recent years with growing awareness of environmental concerns. This has drawn the considerable world-wide attention of academics and practitioners. Therefore, recycling has now become an integral component of the supply chain. Recycling of used products and the related logistics management pose a significant challenge to manufacturing industries. In order to resolve the complexity of the task, this study proposes a multi-agent architecture to handle recycling and reverse logistics issues, which have so far been neglected. It addresses the different aspects of recycling such as waste classification, recycling, logistics and reuse of products. Additionally, it also discusses how the agent communicates and acts autonomously to facilitate the efficient logistics of materials between different units. The proposed agent architecture can assist manufacturing industries in efficiently managing their green supply chain system and complex logistics issues.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2396-2406
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Journal of Production Research
Volume50
Issue number9
Early online date15 Sep 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2012

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