{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]],"date-time":"2026-03-03T16:15:42Z","timestamp":1772554542502,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,15]],"date-time":"2021-06-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1623715200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Future Internet"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), with the help of cyber-physical systems (CPS), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), is transforming the way industrial setups are designed. Recent literature has provided insight about large firms gaining benefits from Industry 4.0, but many of these benefits do not translate to SMEs. The agent-oriented smart factory (AOSF) framework provides a solution to help bridge the gap between Industry 4.0 frameworks and SME-oriented setups by providing a general and high-level supply chain (SC) framework and an associated agent-oriented storage and retrieval (AOSR)-based warehouse management strategy. This paper presents the extended heuristics of the AOSR algorithm and details how it improves the performance efficiency in an SME-oriented warehouse. A detailed discussion on the thorough validation via scenario-based experimentation and test cases explain how AOSR yielded 60\u2013148% improved performance metrics in certain key areas of a warehouse.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/fi13060155","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,15]],"date-time":"2021-06-15T11:00:33Z","timestamp":1623754833000},"page":"155","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["AOSR 2.0: A Novel Approach and Thorough Validation of an Agent-Oriented Storage and Retrieval WMS Planner for SMEs, under Industry 4.0"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6122-2043","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fareed","family":"Ud Din","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Science and Technology, The Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, The University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2428-5667","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David","family":"Paul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Science and Technology, The Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, The University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia"}]},{"given":"Joe","family":"Ryan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Electrical Engineering and Computing, The College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2358-5630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Frans","family":"Henskens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Electrical Engineering and Computing, The College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}]},{"given":"Mark","family":"Wallis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Electrical Engineering and Computing, The College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"McKinsey, C. (2019, April 03). The Impact and Future of Manufacturing. Available online: https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/operations\/our-insights\/the-future-of-manufacturing."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Freeman, C., and Lou\u00e7\u00e3, F. (2001). As Time Goes by: From the Industrial Revolutions to the Information Revolution, Oxford University Press. [1st ed.].","DOI":"10.1093\/0199251053.001.0001"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2941","DOI":"10.1080\/00207543.2018.1444806","article-title":"Industry 4.0: State of the Art and Future Trends","volume":"56","author":"Xu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Prod. Res."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lu, W., Giannikas, V., McFarlane, D., and Hyde, J. (2014). The Role of Distributed Intelligence in Warehouse Management Systems, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-04735-5_5"},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"25","article-title":"Internet of things (IoT) Embedded Future Supply Chains for Industry 4.0: An Assessment from an ERP-based Fashion Apparel and Footwear Industry","volume":"6","author":"Majeed","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Supply Chain. Manag."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.1016\/j.comnet.2015.12.017","article-title":"Towards Smart Factory for Industry 4.0: A Self-Organized Multi-Agent System with Big Data based Feedback and Coordination","volume":"101","author":"Wang","year":"2016","journal-title":"Comput. Net."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"L\u00fctzenberger, M., K\u00fcster, T., Masuch, N., and F\u00e4hndrich, J. (2016, January 9\u201313). Multi-agent Systems in Practice: When Research Meets Reality. Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Autonomous Agents & Multiagent Systems, Singapore."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Jazdi, N. (2014, January 22\u201324). Cyber Physical Systems in the Context of Industry 4.0. Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Automation, Quality and Testing, Robotics, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.","DOI":"10.1109\/AQTR.2014.6857843"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"13","article-title":"Recommendations for Implementing the Strategic Initiative Industrie 4.0","volume":"1","author":"Henning","year":"2013","journal-title":"AcaTech Natl. Acad. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"42","article-title":"Internet of Things-enabled Sustainability, Big Data-driven Decision-Making Processes, and Digitized Mass Production in Industry 4.0-based Manufacturing Systems","volume":"9","author":"Riley","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Self Gov. Manag. Econ"},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"1512","article-title":"Industrial Revolution Industry 4.0: Are German Manufacturing SMEs the First Victims of this Revolution?","volume":"8","author":"Sommer","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Ind. Eng. Manag."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Andulkar, M., Le, D.T., and Berger, U. (2018, January 2\u20136). A multi-case study on Industry 4.0 for SMEs in Brandenburg Germany. Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Waikoloa Village, HI, USA.","DOI":"10.24251\/HICSS.2018.574"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techfore.2017.12.019","article-title":"Fortune favors the prepared: How SMEs approach business model innovations in Industry 4.0","volume":"132","author":"Buliga","year":"2018","journal-title":"Technol. Forecast. Soc. Chang."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"246","article-title":"Barriers of Supply Chain Management Practices in Manufacturing Companies in Republic of Yemen: Pre-War Perspective","volume":"6","author":"Salhieh","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Supply Chain. Manag."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"49","article-title":"Flow Shop Scheduling Algorithm to Optimize Warehouse Activities","volume":"7","author":"Centobelli","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Ind. Eng. Comput."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1016\/j.engappai.2015.05.009","article-title":"Ensemble Multi-Objective Biogeography-Based Optimization with Application to Automated Warehouse Scheduling","volume":"44","author":"Ma","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1085","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cor.2012.11.021","article-title":"The pickup and delivery problem with cross-docking","volume":"40","author":"Santos","year":"2013","journal-title":"Comput. Oper. Res."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"9","article-title":"Artificial Intelligence-based Decision-Making Algorithms, Automated Production Systems, and Big Data-driven Innovation in Sustainable Industry 4.0","volume":"15","author":"Duft","year":"2020","journal-title":"Econ. Manag. Financ. Mark."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.22381\/EMFM15420202","article-title":"Big Data-driven Decision-Making Processes, Industry 4.0 Wireless Networks, and Digitized Mass Production in Cyber-Physical System-based Smart Factories","volume":"15","author":"Hyers","year":"2020","journal-title":"Econ. Manag. Financ. Mark."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1080\/00207543.2019.1612964","article-title":"Logistics 4.0: A systematic review towards a new logistics system","volume":"58","author":"Winkelhaus","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Prod. Res."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compind.2017.04.002","article-title":"Industry 4.0 and the current status as well as future prospects on logistics","volume":"89","author":"Hofmann","year":"2017","journal-title":"Comput. Ind."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Business2Community (2018, July 17). Issues in Warehouse Management Systems. Available online: https:\/\/www.business2community.com\/product-management\/top-5-warehouse-management-problems-solve-02027463."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8277","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eswa.2008.10.011","article-title":"A RFID Case-based Logistics Resource Management System for Managing Order-Picking Operations in Warehouses","volume":"36","author":"Poon","year":"2009","journal-title":"Expert Syst. Appl."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"Richards, G. (2017). Warehouse Management: A Complete Guide to Improving Efficiency and Minimizing Costs in the Modern Warehouse, Kogan Page Publishers."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ud Din, F., Henskens, F., Paul, D., and Wallis, M. (2018). Agent-Oriented Smart Factory (AOSF): An MAS Based Framework for SMEs Under Industry 4.0. KES International Symposium on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems: Technologies and Applications, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-92031-3_5"},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"(2020). Ud Din, Fareed. Agent Oriented Smart Factory (AOSF): A MAS Based Framework for SMEs under Industry 4.0. [Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Newcastle]."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ud Din, F., Henskens, F., Paul, D., and Wallis, M. (2018, January 4\u20136). Formalisation of Problem and Domain Definition for Agent Oriented Smart Factory (AOSF). Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE Region Ten Symposium (Tensymp), IEEE, Sydney, NSW, Australia.","DOI":"10.1109\/TENCONSpring.2018.8691967"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ud Din, F., Paul, D., Ryan, J., Henskens, F., and Wallis, M. (2020). Revitalising and Validating the Novel Approach of xAOSF Framework Under Industry 4.0 in Comparison with Linear SC. Agents and Multi-Agent Systems: Technologies and Applications 2020, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-15-5764-4_1"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ud Din, F., Paul, D., Ryan, J., Henskens, F., and Wallis, M. (2021, June 04). Validating Time Efficiency of AOSR 2.0: A Novel WMS Planner Algorithm for SMEs, under Industry 4.0. Available online: http:\/\/www.jsoftware.us\/vol15\/415-MC3026.pdf.","DOI":"10.17706\/jsw.15.2.53-61"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ud Din, F., Paul, D., Ryan, J., Henskens, F., and Wallis, M. (2021, June 04). Conceptualised Visualisation of Extended Agent Oriented Smart Factory (xAOSF) Framework with Associated AOSR-WMS System. Available online: http:\/\/www.jsoftware.us\/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=228&id=3040.","DOI":"10.17706\/jsw.16.4.182-199"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Preuveneers, D., and Berbers, Y. (2009). Modeling Human Actors in an Intelligent Automated Warehouse. International Conference on Digital Human Modeling, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-02809-0_31"},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"Java Agent Development Framework (2017, August 18). JADE Open Source Project: Java Agent Development Environment Framework. Available online: http:\/\/jade.tilab.com\/."},{"key":"ref_33","unstructured":"Rodriguez Masdefiol, M.d.M., and St\u00e4vmo, F. (2019, November 18). Industry 4.0\u2013Only designed to fit the German automotive industry: A multiple case study on the feasibility of Industry 4.0 to Swedish SMEs. Available online: https:\/\/www.diva-portal.org\/smash\/get\/diva2:933316\/FULLTEXT01.pdf."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pech, M., Vrchota, J., and Bedn\u00e1\u0159, J. (2021). Predictive Maintenance and Intelligent Sensors in Smart Factory. Sensors, 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/s21041470"},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"1","article-title":"Real-Time Process Monitoring, Industry 4.0 Wireless Networks, and Cognitive Automation in Cyber-Physical System-based Manufacturing","volume":"9","author":"Popescu","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Self Gov. Manag. Econ."},{"key":"ref_36","unstructured":"Jones, M.M., Juneja, M.O., Gnanamurthy, K., Kandikuppa, K., Sheu, J.Y.W., William, E.R.V., Hadagali, G.R., Rawat, S.S., Berry, V., and Agrawal, D. (2016). Consigned Inventory Management System. (14,499,372), U.S. Patent."},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"EuroSped (2018, July 25). Dataset Information for Warehouse and Logistics. Available online: http:\/\/www.eurosped.bg\/en\/eurolog-warehouse-logistics-4pl\/."},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"Global, D.G.I. (2018, July 25). Warehouse Prducts Classes. Available online: http:\/\/www.dgiglobal.com\/classes."},{"key":"ref_39","first-page":"27","article-title":"A modern approach","volume":"25","author":"Russell","year":"1995","journal-title":"Artif. Intell. Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs"},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"FIPA ACL (2004, June 30). FIPA ACL Message Structure Specification. Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents. Available online: http:\/\/www.fipa.org\/specs\/fipa00061\/SC00061G."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1007\/s00170-013-5016-8","article-title":"Warehouse Management with Lean and RFID Application: A Case Study","volume":"69","author":"Chen","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, L. (2007). Supply Chain Management: Concepts, Techniques and Practices: Enhancing Value Through Collaboration, World Scientific Publishing Co Inc.","DOI":"10.1142\/6273"},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"Demo3D-Simulation-Tool (2019, May 31). Demo3D, A Product of SOLIDWORKS and Rockwell Automation Industry, USA, for Simulating Industrial Setups. Available online: https:\/\/www.demo3d.com\/home\/."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"Rockwell-Automation (2019, May 31). Rockwell Automation Industry, USA. Available online: https:\/\/www.rockwellautomation.com\/site-selection.html."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"Warehousing, G.O. (2018, July 25). GrayOrange Autonomous Warehousing. Available online: https:\/\/www.greyorange.com\/butler-goods-to-person-system."},{"key":"ref_46","unstructured":"Warehousing, U. (2018, July 25). Information of Warehouse Product Management. Available online: https:\/\/www.unleashedsoftware.com\/product\/inventory\/product-management."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.22381\/emfm16120211","article-title":"Big Data-driven Innovation, Deep Learning-assisted Smart Process Planning, and Product Decision-Making Information Systems in Sustainable Industry 4.0","volume":"16","author":"Grant","year":"2021","journal-title":"Econ. Manag. Financ. Mark."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.22381\/JSME8420201","article-title":"Cognitive Decision-Making Algorithms, Internet of Things Smart Devices, and Sustainable Organizational Performance in Industry 4.0-based Manufacturing Systems","volume":"8","author":"Coatney","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Self Gov. Manag. Econ."}],"container-title":["Future Internet"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-5903\/13\/6\/155\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T06:14:19Z","timestamp":1760163259000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-5903\/13\/6\/155"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,15]]},"references-count":48,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6]]}},"alternative-id":["fi13060155"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/fi13060155","relation":{},"ISSN":["1999-5903"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1999-5903","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,15]]}}}