A Dynamic Mobile Production Capacity and Inventory Control Problem

We analyze a problem of dynamic logistics planning given uncertain demands for a multi-location production-inventory system with transportable modular production capacity. In such systems, production modules provide capacity, and can be moved from one location to another to produce stock and satisfy demand. We formulate a dynamic programming model for a planning problem that considers … Read more

Geometric insights and proofs on optimal inventory control policies

We develop a unifying framework to prove the existence of optimal policies for a large class of inventory systems. The framework is based on the transformation of the inventory control problem into a game, each round of which corresponds to a single replenishment cycle. By using parametrized optimization methods we show that finding the equilibrium … Read more

A Distributionally Robust Analysis of the Program Evaluation and Review Technique

Traditionally, stochastic project planning problems are modeled using the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). PERT is an attractive technique that is commonly used in practice as it requires specification of only a few characteristics of the activities’ duration. Moreover, its computational burden is extremely low. Over the years, four main disadvantages of PERT have … Read more

Pattern-based models and a cooperative parallel metaheuristic for high school timetabling problems

High school timetabling problems consist in building periodic timetables for class-teacher meetings considering compulsory and non-compulsory requisites. This family of problems has been widely studied since the 1950s, mostly via mixed-integer programming and metaheuristic techniques. However, the efficient obtention of optimal or near-optimal solutions is still a challenge for many problems of practical size. In … Read more

A Scalable Algorithm for Sparse Portfolio Selection

The sparse portfolio selection problem is one of the most famous and frequently-studied problems in the optimization and financial economics literatures. In a universe of risky assets, the goal is to construct a portfolio with maximal expected return and minimum variance, subject to an upper bound on the number of positions, linear inequalities and minimum … Read more

Sparse Mean-Reverting Portfolios via Penalized Likelihood Optimization

An optimization approach is proposed to construct sparse portfolios with mean-reverting price behaviors. Our objectives are threefold: (i) design a multi-asset long-short portfolio that best fits an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process in terms of maximum likelihood, (ii) select portfolios with desirable characteristics of high mean reversion and low variance though penalization, and (iii) select a parsimonious portfolio … Read more

Robust Multi-product Newsvendor Model with Substitution under Cardinality-constrained Uncertainty Set

This work studies a Robust Multi-product Newsvendor Model with Substitution (R-MNMS), where the demand and the substitution rates are stochastic and are subject to cardinality-constrained uncertainty sets. The goal of this work is to determine the optimal order quantities of multiple products to maximize the worst-case total profit. To achieve this, we first show that … Read more

Data-Driven Maintenance and Operations Scheduling in Power Systems under Decision-Dependent Uncertainty

Generator maintenance scheduling plays a pivotal role in ensuring uncompromising operations of power systems. There exists a tight coupling between the condition of the generators and corresponding operational schedules, significantly affecting reliability of the system. In this study, we effectively model and solve an integrated condition-based maintenance and operations scheduling problem for a fleet of … Read more

Interval-based Dynamic Discretization Discovery for Solving the Continuous-Time Service Network Design Problem

We introduce an effective and efficient iterative algorithm for solving the Continuous-Time Service Network Design Problem. The algorithm achieves its efficiency by carefully and dynamically refining partially time-expanded network models so that only a small number of small integer programs, defined over these networks, need to be solved. An extensive computational study shows that the … Read more