Affiliations: [a] Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department, University of Michigan – Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128-1491, USA. E-mail: charu@umich.edu, smir@umich.edu | [b] Manufacturing Systems and Engineering Department, University of St. Thomas, Mail #OSS101, 2115 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105-1079, USA. E-mail: skumar@stthomas.edu | [c] St. Petersburg Institute for Informatics and Automation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPIIRAS) SPIIRAS, 39, 14th Line, St. Petersburg, 199178, Russia. E-mail: smir@mail.iias.spb.su
Abstract: The interest in Supply Chain (SC) management decision-making problem is growing fast. The purpose of a SC is to transform incomplete information about the market and available resources into co-ordinated plans for production and replenishment of goods and services in the network formed by co-operating units. One of the goals of Internet-Based Management (e-management) is to facilitate transfer and sharing of knowledge in the context of structures, such as SC. Object-oriented Knowledge Management tools for SC configuration utilise reusable components and configure knowledge as needed, in order to interactively assist users (agents) in decision-making. This paper discusses a generic development methodology for object-oriented conceptual modelling and e-management of scalable supply chains. For illustration, applications from the textile industry have been utilised.
