e-Commerce and supply chains: Modelling of dynamics through fuzzy enhanced high level petri net

Although information plays a major role in effective functioning of supply chain networks (SCNs), studies that deal specifically with the dynamics of supply chains are few. This problem is relatively new since fast communications and the means to employ it for effective management of supply chains did not exist till recently. In order to provide a vehicle for dynamic modelling and analysis of supply chain operations in vague and uncertain environments, we propose a fuzzy enhanced high level petri net (FEHLPN) model. The proposed model captures the capability of petri nets for graphical and analytical representation of dynamic SCNs with the management of uncertain information provided by fuzzy logic. The dynamics associated with two production planning and control policies are modelled, viz. make-to-stock and assemble-to-order in vague and ambiguous situations in electronic commerce environment. A fuzzy set and fuzzy truth-values are attached to an uncertain fuzzy token to model imprecision and uncertainty. The proposed FEHLPN incorporates essential aspects of rule-based systems, such as conservation of facts, refraction, and closed-world assumption.