Advanced enterprise resource management systems for the batch industry. The TicTacToe algorithm

Since 1997 the authors have prototyped an enterprise resource management (ERM) system recommending essential improvements to the available software packages, which today claim automatic real time performance and an efficient transaction-oriented approach. The ERM system proposed is a decision-making tool for the manufacturing industry, which makes integrated financial/production trade-off planning and optimisation in the supply chain management. The application supports management cycles because during its use are available degrees of freedom to make the system work as a decision-making tool. The enterprises must be aware of its internal problems to be dynamically approachable instead of prematurely evolving to networked enterprises by links in the electronic commerce. ERM systems are capable of managing dynamically realistic and optimal delivery dates with price-time trade-off during the marketing activities. Cost objective functions integrated with system performance measures are developed, including a cost model to evaluate the due date policy economics in real time. The order management system proposed is based on the TicTacToe algorithm, which follows an exact non-combinatorial deterministic approach to time and optimise production sequences in multiproduct plants in very short time using asymmetric travelling salesman problem formulations for the scheduling task. The resulting tool is appropriate to fulfil the requirements of autonomous order entry systems in integrated real time systems. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.