@techreport {
	title = {Flow Control in Time-Varying, Random Supply Chains},
	author = {Matei, Ion., Baras, John S.},
	year = {2012},
	month = {05/2012},
	abstract = {Today{\textquoteright}s supply chains are more and more complex. They depend on a network of independent, yet~interconnected moving parts. They rely on critical infrastructures and experience a lot of time variability~and randomness. Designing strategies that deal with such constantly changing supply chains is necessary~in this increasingly globalized economy where supply chain disruptions have impacts that propagate not~only locally but also globally. In this paper we propose a randomized flow control algorithm for a time~varying, random supply chain network. We formulate a constrained stochastic optimization problem that~maximizes the profit function in terms of the long-run, time-average rates of the flows in the supply~chain. We show that our algorithm, which is based on queueing theory and stochastic analysis concepts,~can get arbitrarily close to the solution of the aforementioned optimization problem. In addition, we~describe how the flow control algorithm can be extended to a multiple firms supply chain setup and~present numerical simulations of our algorithm for different supply chain topologies.}
}
