The system is used in the live production of cylinder heads from blocks of raw metal. Each metal block has to go through many processes with different machine tools to cut, lathe, grind and polish to high specification. There is considerable flexibility in the choice of routes through the production line and the order in which jobs are done. To improve efficiency, this needs to be optimised like well-directed traffic on a road. When machine units fail, alternative paths can often be found - if only the software is intelligent enough to work it out.
Traditional approaches use monolithic pieces of software to control the whole process.
Using agents, DaimlerChrysler's system breaks the problem into autonomous units, each with an agent that has a narrowly defined role and is single-minded in achieving its goal. It does this by negotiating with other agents through message exchange, for example to find an available lathe to work on a component. It is a principle of devolved decision making. Dr Sundermeyer says the technology is still in its infancy. But this is only by his own high standards for measuring success in commercial terms.