Integration with Industry

Some research at Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering is carried out through the direct participation of industrial, research and service organisations, public or private. Check out some of these success stories:

Operational Research applied to the Logistics area of a school materials manufacturer 

This project, carried out from Feb 2018 to July 2019, addressed optimisation of logistics operations focusing on cargo consolidation integrated with the generation of packing schedule, using an outsourced fleet. The research aimed to reduce the total cost of distribution, defined according to selecting different types of vehicles from contracted collection carriers. Optimisation models and heuristics were developed that could provide efficient support to decision making. In simulations carried out with historical data from the company, the results proved useful for the situation in question, indicating reductions of more than 45% in operation costs. The proposed methods were made available to the company through prototype software, accompanied by a detailed description. The proposed solution was implemented in the company's management system through the company's own information technology team and has been in use since the beginning of 2019. The project was coordinated by Prof. Pedro Munari and the student Thiago José dos Santos Vieira from Graduate Program took part.  He is a CAPES fellow, who developed his Master's project on the project's theme, including visiting the company to collect data. His dissertation is available at https://repositorio.ufscar.br/handle/ufscar/12663 (external link) and contains the complete description of the models and methods developed. Thus, the project also contributed to training human resources and it should also be noted that, in addition to the contribution to improving the efficiency of decision-making in the company that financed the project, there is also a potential to contribute to companies with similar problems, given that the student's dissertation is publicly available. Oral presentations of the project's results were also made at national events.

Note: For confidentiality reasons, the name of the company cannot be disclosed.

Schedule optimisation and allocation of flights on demand in airlines

The project, carried out from March 2014 to September. 2020, addressed the problem of an airline that operates mainly in European countries and that sought to optimise the routing and scheduling of private flights contracted on demand. At the time of the survey, the company had a fleet of different types of aircraft, available at different airports, to meet customer flight requests. This allocation should minimise the repositioning of aircraft to the departure airport (if it was not already at the airport). The research aimed to develop mathematical models and solution methods that would determine the best allocation of aircraft to requisitions in order to minimise total operating costs. In addition to the models and methods, a prototype software was developed, which was assigned to the company that develops the airline's management system, with proper documentation, for analysis and integration of the solution with the company's system. The project was coordinated by Prof. Pedro Munari.  Three undergraduate students and three graduate students from Graduate Program participated, namely Aldair Alberto Alvares Diaz, Alfredo Daniel Moreno Arteaga and Rafael Ajudarte de Campos. The project also resulted in oral presentations at congresses, in addition to scientific articles published in conference proceedings and international journals, such as:

MUNARI, P.; ÁLVAREZ, A. Aircraft routing for on-demand air transportation with service upgrade and maintenance events: compact model and case study (external link). Journal of Air Transport Management, v. 75, p. 75-84, 2019. 

CAMPOS, R. A.; ALVAREZ, A.; MUNARI, P. Otimização robusta aplicada ao roteamento de aeronaves no transporte aéreo de passageiros sob demanda (external link). Pesquisa Operacional para o Desenvolvimento, v. 11(3), p. 139-150, 2019.

Note: For reasons of confidentiality, the name of the company cannot be disclosed.