A Three-Level Multiple-Agent Early Warning Mechanism for Preventing Loss of Customers in Fashion Supply Chains

The fashion industry is experiencing rapid changes in many areas, including the supply chain. Typical quick response (QR) systems have been broadly used in the fashion industry to enable agile supply chain management (SCM). However, the original functions of QR systems cannot completely address the challenge of issuing early warnings to prevent customer loss. This article merges the typical MIS system development procedure with that of an e-SCM multiple-agent decision support system to confront this problem. The system has three levels: data mining, ontology, and decision support. These levels are interlinked in handling different databases. Different agents execute different tasks at each level to achieve integration and communication in a supply chain with less human intervention. The proposed framework emphasizes transparent connections among businesses and assists in information sharing, thereby preventing customer loss.