Supply Chain Lab

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/E_TSCM_SCL

Course Objective

The course has the following five main learning objectives:
- Apply and test network optimization and integer programming techniques
- Formulate optimization models using an algebraic modelling language
- Solve integer and network optimization problems using dedicated software
- Analyze real-life industry problems, formulate and defend managerial recommendations
- Assess the capabilities and limitations of optimization models to solve real-life decision-making problems arising in distribution logistics

Course Content

Transport and distribution management often consists of interrelated decisions involving network design, production planning and scheduling, product storage and warehousing, transport and distribution. This course introduces students to these specific decision problems, and also equips them with tools and methods to solve these problems. Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) is a powerful tool for improving transport and distribution decision processes. As MILP is being used more and more often in the industry, the course wants to offer students key insights and sufficient training to be able to contribute in development and implementation projects in their professional career. To this end, dedicated software packages are introduced for modeling and solving distribution problems via MILP. This course extends the scope of the Decision Making in Supply Chains course to more complex optimization problems arising in real-life transport and distribution planning. Solution approaches are illustrated by means of a selection of topics, e.g. transportation planning, facility location, network design, vehicle routing and scheduling, manpower planning, and rostering. The teaching and learning are largely based on "learning by doing" with a number of cases in different industrial applications. A mixture of hearing lectures, tutorials, assignments and case studies offers students the best possible support to master sufficient skills to tackle real-life cases in distribution logistics.

Teaching Methods

Lectures Practical tutorials

Method of Assessment

Based on an individual exam and a course group project.