More applications
Our use cases show problems we have already solved. This list goes further: planning problems we know from many industries, where we expect our solver to make a difference. If yours is on it, or close to one, talk to us.
Across industries
Scheduling
Deciding what happens when and on which resource, wherever people or machines are shared.
Energy & gridsLogistics & supply chainChemicals & processManufacturingOil, gas & hydrogenFinanceHealthcareDefense
Inventory planning
Deciding how much stock to hold where, when demand is uncertain and capital or space is limited.
Routing
Deciding which vehicle or team visits which places and in what order.
Logistics & supply chainTelecommunicationsOil, gas & hydrogenFinanceDefenseTravel & retail
Maintenance planning
Deciding when equipment goes out of service for maintenance, so operations keep running in the meantime.
Facility & network design
Deciding where to put facilities and how to connect them, before anything is built.
Energy & gridsLogistics & supply chainTelecommunicationsOil, gas & hydrogenDefense
Capacity planning
Deciding how much capacity to provide and where, so that peaks are covered without paying for idle capacity.
Blending
Deciding which streams to mix in which proportions, so the result meets its quality limits at the lowest cost.
Tiered volume pricing
Deciding how much to buy or ship through which option, when the price per unit falls as the volume grows.
By industry
Energy & grids6
- Pump scheduling in water networks – Which pumps run in which hour, so every district keeps its water pressure while power is bought when it is cheapest.
- District heating dispatch – When to run the combined heat and power plants and the heat storage, so the network stays warm and the electricity sells at a good price.
- Hydropower unit commitment – How much water each turbine releases over the day, when the reservoir level itself changes how much power the water yields.
- Wind farm layout – Where each turbine stands and how the cables connect them, when every turbine takes wind away from the ones behind it.
- Grid topology switching – Which lines and breakers to open or close, so power flows stay within their limits, without building new lines.Worked example →
- Power line maintenance – When each line is taken out of service for maintenance, so the grid stays stable while the work gets done.
Logistics & supply chain6
- Inventory under uncertain demand – How many units of each item to stock when demand is uncertain and shelf space is too tight for everything.Worked example →
- Safety stock across the network – How much safety stock each stage of the network holds, planned together instead of one warehouse at a time.Worked example →
- Tactical network planning – Which plant supplies which warehouse over the coming months, planned in advance and fed back into the planning system.
- Vehicle routing – Which vehicle drives to which stops and in what order, when every customer has a time window.Worked example →
- Supply chain network design – Where to put plants and warehouses, when larger shipments cost less per unit.
- Berth allocation in ports – Which ship docks at which berth and when, while arrival times shift with weather and traffic.
Chemicals & process5
- Reactor network design – Which reactors to connect in which order, and how large each one is, so the plant yields more of the desired product.
- Carbon capture process design – Which solvent and which process layout capture the carbon dioxide with the least energy.
- Batch plant scheduling – Which product runs on which vessel and when, in a plant that makes many products on shared equipment.
- Refinery crude blending – Which crudes to mix in which proportions, so the blend meets every quality limit at the lowest cost.
- Distillation column design – How many trays a column has and where the feed enters, so the separation needs less heat.
Manufacturing5
- Paint shop sequencing – In what order car bodies go through the paint shop, so the line changes color less often.
- Engine calibration – Which settings the control unit uses at each operating point, found with the simulator instead of endless test-bench runs.
- Production release planning – How much work to release into the factory each period, when lead times grow as the factory fills up.
- Lot sizing with maintenance – How large each production lot is and when machines stop for maintenance, planned together instead of separately.
- Vehicle software architecture – Which software function runs on which control unit, so the vehicle needs fewer, cheaper control units.
Pharma3
- Continuous manufacturing – Which equipment and operating settings a continuous production line uses, so every tablet stays within specification.
- Crystallizer design – How the crystallizer is built and run, so the crystals come out at the size and purity the process needs.
- Bioreactor operation – When to feed the bioreactor and at what temperature to run it, so the fermentation yields more product.
Telecommunications6
- Putting cells to sleep – Which cells can go to sleep when traffic is low, decided cell by cell rather than all at once.
- Power control – How strongly each device and cell transmits, so they stop drowning each other out.
- Powering cable networks – How the amplifiers in a cable network are powered over the coax, since that decides the electricity bill.
- Edge server placement – Where to put compute close to the antennas, so responses come back fast enough for every service.
- Survivable network capacity – How much capacity each link gets, so the network still carries all traffic when a cable is cut.
- Cell site selection – Where to build new cell sites, so coverage reaches as many people as possible for the money spent.
Oil, gas & hydrogen6
- Well placement – Where to drill new wells in a reservoir, judged by the reservoir simulator rather than by rule of thumb.
- Compressor station scheduling – Which compressors run and at what speed, so the gas network keeps its pressure with the least fuel.
- Hydrogen blending in gas grids – How much hydrogen can enter the gas grid at which point, so every customer still receives gas of the required quality.
- Gas networks for new districts – Which pipe diameters a new local network gets and where it connects, so it delivers enough pressure at the lowest cost.
- Electrolyzer cell scheduling – How much load each cell of an electrolyzer carries, so it produces hydrogen while aging as slowly as possible.
- Seasonal hydrogen storage – When to fill and when to empty a salt cavern, with future prices and demand uncertain.
Mining3
- Flotation circuit layout – How many flotation cells to install and how to route the streams between them, so more of the metal is recovered.
- Grinding circuit design – Which crushers and mills to combine, so the ore is ground fine enough without wasting energy.
- Reagent dosing – How much reagent goes into each flotation stage, balancing the value of the recovered metal against the cost of chemicals.
Finance6
- Portfolios with few positions – Which few assets to hold and in what weights, when the portfolio may only contain a limited number of positions.
- Index tracking – Which subset of the index to buy, so a fund follows its index closely without holding every stock.
- Reinsurance program design – Which layers and retentions an insurer buys, so the protection fits the risk at a reasonable price.
- Collateral allocation – Which securities a bank posts as collateral to which counterparty, so the obligations are met at the lowest cost.
- Trade execution scheduling – How a large order is split over the day, so the trade itself moves the price as little as possible.
- Loan portfolio optimization – Which loans a bank keeps or grows, so the portfolio earns well while staying within its concentration limits.
Healthcare3
- Hospital staff rostering – Which doctor or nurse works which shift on which ward, so every ward is covered and rest-time rules are respected.
- Emergency department flow – How beds and staff in the emergency department are organized, so patients wait less at the busy hours.
- Radiotherapy beam planning – From which angles and with what intensity the beams are aimed, so the tumor gets its dose and healthy tissue is spared.
Defense6
- Microgrids for resilient energy – Which generators and batteries a site combines and how it runs them, so it keeps its power when the public grid fails.
- Fleet readiness and maintenance – Which vehicle goes into which maintenance slot with which spare parts, so as many as possible are ready at any time.
- Sensor network design – Where to place radars and sensors, so the area under watch is covered without gaps.
- Search and patrol planning – Where search and patrol teams are sent, so the chance of finding what matters is as high as possible.
- Medical evacuation chain – Where rescue units are stationed and which one answers which call, so the injured reach care quickly.
- Deployment and resupply – Which transport moves which troops and supplies on which route, when roads and timing are uncertain.
Research4
- Reactor fuel loading – Which fuel assembly goes into which position of the reactor core, so the core runs longer within its safety limits.
- Plasma control in fusion – How the magnetic coils are set, so the plasma in a fusion experiment keeps its shape and stays stable.
- Materials simulation – Which atomic arrangement a simulation should calculate next, so the search for a stable material finishes with fewer expensive runs.
- Molecule design – Which building blocks to combine into a molecule, so it gets the properties a new material or drug needs.
Travel & retail6
- Assortment planning – Which products to list, when a new product takes sales away from the ones already on the shelf.
- Shelf space allocation – How much shelf space each product gets, when space is scarce and products compete for the same customers.
- Store range by passenger mix – Which range each store carries, depending on which travelers pass by at that location.
- Promotions and markdowns – Which promotion runs when, and when to mark down slow sellers, so the season ends with less leftover stock.
- Price optimization – Which price each product gets, chosen from the permitted price points, so the range earns more as a whole.
- Replenishment and stock – How much of each item to reorder for each store, so shelves stay full without tying up too much capital.Worked example →
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