Ontology-based Supply Chain Cost Control Systems

With the integration of global economy and the emerging of supply chain operation model, enterprises are facing more ferocious competence every day while controlling the cost is still an important method for supply chains to improve their competence. So, how to set up a scientific and efficient cost control system to maximize supply chain profit is a highly complex issue, which requires immediate solution. And that is the point of this paper.First, we start form the analysis of a supply chain's cost drivers and thoroughly study the synthesized cost information. With this information, we propose a method to the question of how to lower down the operation cost of supply chains, which use the target costing as a principle for cost control of supply chains.Second, the author employs a vision different to other researchers, which is based on ontology, using multi Agent technology as a way to help implement supply chain cost control systems. By referring to much foreign and Chinese literature, the author also thoroughly clarifies the relative theory and constructing principles of ontology, and build a practical supply chain target cost ontology, then describes it with the most commonly used and computer readable ontology description language, XOL. In the end, according to this model, Agent technology based on ontology concepts is used as the technical support for the implementation of supply chain cost control system.At Last, after introducing the implementing process of ontology-based supply chain cost control system, the author designed an example of core enterprise cost control system in a supply chain, following the steps of ontology constructing, text description, and Agent designing based on ontology concepts, which proves the feasibility of this ontology-based supply chain cost control system implementation method. The modeling method, process and implementing technology have important value to instructing the development of similar systems.