Abstract
The advent of Blockchain Technology (BCT), along with the use of smart contracts, has triggered a transformative phase for Supply Chain Networks (SCNs). In this work, we propose a distributed, smart contract-based Supply Chain Management (SCM) framework meticulously designed to monitor and control discrete operational phases in supply chains. Further, a software agent-based approach has been adopted for tracking supply chain operations, from the initiation of a purchase order to its final delivery. This research strives to establish a comprehensive framework for applying a Multi-Agent System (MAS) infused with BCT. A number of agents with specified roles have been deployed with a well-defined interaction architecture to drive the supply chain operations. The agents engage in effective coordination and monitoring of SCN activities. The overarching goal is to boost SCN performance in reliability, scalability, transparency, traceability, and resilience, mitigating deficiencies and enhancing overall efficiency.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Not Applicable.
Code Availability
Not Applicable.
References
Muzammal M, Qu Q, Nasrulin B, Skovsgaard A (2018) A blockchain database application platform. arXiv preprint arXiv:1808.05199
Buterin V (2014) A next-generation smart contract and decentralized application platform. White Paper 3(37):2–1
Sreehari P, Nandakishore M, Krishna G, Jacob J, Shibu VS (2017) Smart will convert the legal testament into a smart contract. In 2017 International Conference on Networks & Advances in Computational Technologies (NetACT) (pp. 203–207). IEEE
Babaei A, Khedmati M, Akbari Jokar MR, Tirkolaee EB (2023) Designing an integrated blockchain-enabled supply chain network under uncertainty. Sci Rep 13(1):3928
Ghadimi P, Wang C, Lim MK, Heavey C (2019) Intelligent, sustainable supplier selection using multi-agent technology: Theory and application for Industry 4.0 supply chains. Comput Ind Eng 127:588–600
Wang YL, Ye SW, Yan GQ (2010) Multi-agent system developed for the logistics supply chain coordination and risk management. In 2010 International Conference on E-Business and E-Government (pp. 3243–3246). IEEE
Dachry W, Aghezzaf B, Bensassi B (2013) Collaborative Information System for Managing the Supply Chain: Architecture Based on a Multi-Agent System. Int J Res Ind Eng 2(2):1–16
Ameri F, McArthur C (2013) A multi-agent system for autonomous supply chain configuration. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 66:1097–1112
Fu J, Fu Y (2015) An adaptive multi-agent system for cost collaborative management in supply chains. Eng Appl Artif Intell 44:91–100
Russell SJ, Norvig P (2010) Artificial intelligence is a modern approach. London
Calvaresi D, Marinoni M, Sturm A, Schumacher M, Buttazzo G (2017) The challenge of real-time multi-agent systems for enabling IoT and CPS. In Proceedings of the international conference on web intelligence (pp. 356–364)
Udokwu C, Brandtner P, Norta A, Kormiltsyn A, Matulevičius R (2021) Implementation and evaluation of the DAOM framework and support tool for designing blockchain decentralized applications. Int J Inf Technol 13:2245–2263
Quamara S, Singh AK (2022) SChain: towards the quest for redesigning supply-chain by augmenting Blockchain for end-to-end management. Int J Inf Technol\ 14(5):2343–2354
Lad K, Dewan MA, Lin F (2020) Trust management for multi-agent systems using smart contracts. IEEE Intl Conf on Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Com- puting, Intl Conf on Pervasive Intelligence and Computing, Intl Conf on Cloud and Big Data Computing, Intl Conf on Cyber Science and Technology Congress (DASC/PiCom/CBDCom/CyberSciTech). 414–419
Samuel O, Javaid N, Khalid A, Imrarn M, Nasser N (2020) A trust management system for multi-agent system in smart grids using blockchain technology. In GLOBECOM 2020-2020 IEEE Global Communications Conference (pp. 1–6). IEEE
Thakuriya P, Kaur S, Mishra V (2023) Assessment of Blockchain Technology as Remedy to Counterfeit Drugs Problem in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and Implementation Approach. In Operations Research Forum (Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 1–16). Springer International Publishing
Calvaresi D, Calbimonte JP, Dubovitskaya A, Mattioli V, Piguet JG, Schumacher M (2019) The good, the bad, and the ethical implications of bridging blockchain and multi-agent systems. Information 10(12):363
Swain S, Patra MR (2022) A distributed agent-oriented framework for blockchain-enabled supply chain management. In 2022 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Distributed Systems Security (ICBDS) (pp. 1–7). IEEE
Swain S, Patra MR (2022) A distributed software agent-oriented traceability milieu for blockchain-enabled supply chain. In 2022 5th International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Networks (CINE) (pp. 1–6). IEEE
Singh A, Gutub A, Nayyar A, Khan MK (2023) Redefining food safety traceability system through blockchain: findings, challenges and open issues. Multimed Tools Appl 82(14):21243–21277
Bandhu KC, Litoriya R, Lowanshi P, Jindal M, Chouhan L, Jain S (2023) Making drug supply chain secure traceable and efficient: a Blockchain and smart contract based implementation. Multimed Tools Appl 82(15):23541–23568
Nanda SK, Panda SK, Dash M (2023) Medical supply chain integrated with blockchain and IoT to track the logistics of medical products. Multimedia Tools Appl 1–23
Salah K, Nizamuddin N, Jayaraman R, Omar M (2019) Blockchain-based soybean traceability in agricultural supply chain. Ieee Access 7:73295–73305
Kamath R (2018) Food traceability on blockchain: Walmart’s pork and mango pilots with IBM. J Brit Blockchain Assoc 1(1)
Biswas K, Muthukkumarasamy V, Tan WL (2017) Blockchain based wine supply chain traceability system. In Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2017 (pp. 56–62). The Science and Information Organization
Rahmani MKI, Shuaib M, Alam S, Siddiqui ST, Ahmad S, Bhatia S, Mashat A (2022) Blockchain-based trust management framework for cloud computing-based internet of medical things (IoMT): a systematic review. Comput Intell Neurosci
Hou F, Jansen S (2023) A systematic literature review on trust in the software ecosystem. Empir Softw Eng 28(1):8
Wei L, Yang Y, Wu J, Long C, Li B (2022) Trust management for Internet of Things: A comprehensive study. IEEE Internet Things J 9(10):7664–7679
Malik S, Dedeoglu V, Kanhere SS, Jurdak R (2019) Trustchain: Trust management in blockchain and IoT supported supply chains. In 2019 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain (Blockchain) (pp. 184–193). IEEE
Parik H, Tomasiello S (2022) Performance assessment of the main metaheuristics for sustainable supply chains. Evol Intell 1–8
Jabbar S, Lloyd H, Hammoudeh M et al (2021) Blockchain-enabled supply chain: analysis, challenges, and future directions. Multimed Syst 27:787–806
Shi J, Chen J, Xu L, Di Z, Qu Q (2023) Improving the resilience of maritime supply chains: The integration of ports and inland transporters in duopoly markets. Front Eng Manag 10(1):51–66
Chowdhury S, Rodriguez-Espindola O, Dey P, Budhwar P (2023) Blockchain technology adoption for managing risks in operations and supply chain management: evidence from the UK. Ann Oper Res 327(1):539–574
Vecchi A, Vallisi V (2016) Supply chain resilience. In Handbook of Research on Global Supply Chain Management (pp. 147–160). IGI global
Cohen MA, Kouvelis P (2021) Revisit of AAA excellence of global value chains: Robustness, resilience, and realignment. Prod Oper Manag 30(3):633–643
Bier T, Lange A, Glock CH (2020) Methods for mitigating disruptions in complex supply chain structures: a systematic literature review. Int J Prod Res 58(6):1835–1856
Funding
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Both authors contributed equally to the study's development and design. Both authors have reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript submitted.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Advances and Applications in Supply Chain Management
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Swain, S., Patra, M.R. A Distributed Software Agent-centric Framework for Supply Chain Networks Empowered by Blockchain: Insights into Smart Contracts. Oper. Res. Forum 5, 40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-024-00318-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-024-00318-8