Optimisation

In the area of production and logistics, we support your company in planning, whereby we understand planning as the preparation and decision-making of decisions. In order to make the best possible decision, the following steps are usually necessary:

Planning steps

Thanks to our distinctive business management understanding of a planning problem, we are able to support you in all phases of planning.

Analysis and description of the problem

The identification and description of the problem are absolutely necessary in order to be able to solve it at all. With our experience in the field of production planning, we analyse the problem with you. Due to the manifold restrictions in a company, the possibilities for action to solve a problem are limited. Therefore it is indispensable to determine these possibilities and/or the restrictions. In addition, it is necessary to define the objectives in order to be able to evaluate the quality of various feasible solutions.

Modelling the problem

A model is an image of reality that is used to attempt to solve the problem at hand. The challenge in modelling lies above all in determining the correct degree of abstraction. On the one hand, the aim is to represent reality as accurately as possible so that solutions for the model can actually be implemented in reality. On the other hand, a high degree of detail means that the complexity of the model increases and thus its solvability deteriorates. Therefore, a model should always be as detailed as necessary and as abstract as possible. We master this “art” of modelling and can actively assist you in this process.

Data acquisition

Frequently, the necessary data must be prepared or, in the worst case, determined first. With the help of IT-based methods, we can facilitate or automate these steps for you.

Solving the problem

With the help of various methods (Mathematical and Constraing Programming) of Operations Research we solve the underlying problem. In the field of mathematical optimization, we rely both on realizations with open source software and commercial standard software (e.g. from IBM ILOG, Gurobi and FICO). Depending on the specifics of the problem to be considered, an individual development of an exact or heuristic solution method may also be necessary. Take advantage of our knowledge of available technologies and their applicability to your problem.

Evaluation of the solutions

Once the best possible solutions have been identified, they must be interpreted and checked for feasibility. Here we support you with our wealth of experience. And if you would like the optimization solution to be poured into a daily business application, we are happy to support you with our software development expertise.

Customer benefit

With our optimization solutions you can achieve the following benefits:

• Decision support
• proven solution quality
• Process improvement / automation options
• cost reduction