The lecture conveys basic and advanced modeling techniques playing an important role in today’s problem solving occurring in supply networks. The focus is set on mathematical approaches to technical-economical problems, and the derivation of optimal solutions. Students are enabled to classify problems both conceptually and mathematically, and to identify central variables and parameters in a specific problem setting. Additionally, current developments in operations research and supply chain management are reflected and evaluated by students.

Supply Chain Management constitutes a general tool for logistics process planning in supply networks. To an increasing degree quantitative decision support is provided by methods and models from Operations Research. The lecture “OR in Supply Chain Management” conveys mathematical concepts and approaches for solving practical problems and presents an insight to current research topics. The lecture’s focus is set on modeling and solution methods for applications originating in different domains of a supply chain. The emphasis is put on mathematical methods like mixed integer programming, valid inequalities or column generation, and the derivation of optimal solution strategies.

In form and content, the lecture addresses all levels of Supply Chain Management: After a short introduction, the tactical and operational level will be discussed with regard to inventory models, scheduling as well as cutting and packing. The strategic level will be discussed in terms of layout planning. Another main focus of the lecture is the application of methods from online optimization. This optimization discipline has gained more and more importance in the optimization of supply chains over the several past years due to an increasing amount of dynamic data flows.

• Simchi-Levi, D.; Chen, X.; Bramel, J.: The Logic of Logistics: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 2nd edition, Springer, 2005
• Simchi-Levi, D.; Kaminsky, P.; Simchi-Levi, E.: Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Case Studies, McGraw-Hill, 2000
• Silver, E. A.; Pyke, D. F.; Peterson, R.: Inventory Management and Production Planning and Scheduling, 3rd edition, Wiley, 1998
• Blazewicz, J.: Handbook on Scheduling - From Theory to Applications, Springer, 2007
• Pinedo, M. L.: Scheduling - Theory, Algorithms, and Systems (3rd edition), Springer, 2008
• Dyckhoff, H.; Finke, U.: Cutting and Packing in Production and Distribution - A Typology and Bibliography, Physica-Verlag, 1992
• Borodin, A.; El-Yaniv, R.: Online Computation and Competitive Analysis, Cambridge University Press, 2005
• Francis, R. L.; McGinnis, L. F.; White, A.: Facility Layout and Location: An Analytical Approach, 2nd edition, Prentice-Hall, 1992