A best-matching protocol for order fulfillment in re-configurable supply networks

Order fulfillment is a process which encompasses all the activities from the inquiry of goods by the customer to the final delivery of goods to the customer. The most important activity of the order fulfillment process is the selection of the order fulfilling agent in the supply network. The selection of the agent involves multiple criteria based on quantitative and qualitative metrics and requires several self-interested agents and organizations to dynamically form and configure supply chain. This article describes a methodology for selection of an order fulfillment agent in a collaborative, geographically distributed network by developing a Best Matching Protocol (BMP). The BMP developed, enables better matching of fulfillment agents with customers in a given supply network, by determining which agent best satisfies the pre-defined quality and cost requirements of the customer. The protocol enables collaboration between the agents of the Supply Network (SN) and provides a scalable solution for the increasing size of the SN.