Partner selection of virtual enterprise based on multi-agent and contract-net technology

Selecting appropriate partners is crucial for the organization and operation of virtual enterprise. A model for the partner selection of virtual enterprise based on enterprise's goal and task was presented by employing multi-agent and contract-net technology. To make use of this model, the leader of the alliance divided the enterprise's goals into sub-goals, and released the requirements of the enterprise, then negotiated with the members of the alliance about the cooperation issues, and chose the most appropriate member as partner by using multi-attribute utility theory. If all alliance members could not meet the requirements of the enterprise, the enterprise's goal and the constrained functions should be modified in order to choose the appropriate partner again. Lastly, to illustrate how to make use of this model, an example was given, which introduced how to choose the appropriate design partners of the heavy-duty hydraulic turbine.