A Simulation-Based Study on the Optimal Pricing Strategy of Supply Chain System

Abstract

In this paper, the utility function model is applied to study the pricing strategy and order/production strategy of a two-echelon supply chain. Through local point-to-point communication between multi-agents and considering the random communication delay of the system, the utility function is maximized based on the consistency theory, and the optimal price and order quantity are determined. The proposed algorithm is distributed and collaborative, which avoids the centralized demand for all node information and the drawbacks of system paralysis caused by node failure. In addition, we carried out a numerical simulation to verify the theoretical results and demonstrate the effectiveness of the multi-agent consensus theory in the stable operation of supply and demand within a supply chain when there is a random communication delay and the sudden failure of a supply chain enterprise. It further explains how the coefficient of consumer sensitivity to price affects pricing and order/production strategies.