PHPSimplex

Optimizing resources with Linear Programming

Real cases of using Operations Research

Like every scientific advance, the beginnings of operations research applications were military targets. But seeing the benefits soon became practiced in other fields such as industry, transport, urban development, trade, finance, health, etc.. to optimize the available resources and benefits, primarily economic.

The following table shows some examples of actual use of Operations Research by different organizations and profits and / or savings achieved as a result.

Organization	Application	Year	Yearly savings
Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (Netherlands Rijkswaterstaat)	National Water management policy development, adding new facilities, operating and costs procedures	1985	$15 millions
Monsanto Corp.	Production's operations optimization to obey goals with a minimum cost	1985	$2 millions
Weyerhaeuser Co.	Cutting trees optimization to maximize wood products production	1986	$15 millions
Electrobras/CEPAL Brasil	Optimal allocation of hydraulic and thermic resources in the national energy generation system	1986	$43 millions
United Airlines	Shifts at book offices and airports scheduling to accomplish with the customer needs at minimal cost	1986	$6 millions
CITGO Petroleum Corp.	Optimization of refinement, offer, distribution and commercialization of products operations	1987	$70 millions
Santos, Ltd., Australia	Capital investment optimizing to produce natural gas along 25 years in Australia	1987	$3 millions
Electric Power Research Institute	Administration of oil and coal inventories for the electric service with the intention of balancing inventory costs and risks of remaining	1989	$59 millions
San Francisco Police Department	Optimization programming and assignment of Patrol's officers with a computed system	1989	$11 millions
Texaco Inc.	Optimizing the mixing of ingredients available in order to obtain fuels which met with the quality requirements and sales	1989	$30 millions
IBM	Integration of a national network of spare parts inventory to improve support service	1990	$20 millions + $250 millions in minor inventory
U.S. Military Airlift Command	Rapidity in the airplanes, crew, load and passengers coordination to drive the evacuation by air in the "Desert Storm" project in the Middle Orient	1992	Victory
American Airlines	Design of a pricing, overbooking and flight coordination structure system to enhance benefits	1992	$500 millions of additional revenue
Yellow Freight System, Inc.	Optimizing the design of the national transport network and the scheduling of shipping routes in the U.S.	1992	$17.3 millions
New Haven Health Dept.	Design of an effective program of needles change to combat the AIDS contagion	1993	33% less of contagions
AT&T	Development of a computer system to design call centers to guide customers	1993	$750 millions
Delta Airlines	Maximizing profits from the allocation of aircraft types in 2.500 national flights in the U.S.	1994	$100 millions
Digital Equipment Corp.	Restructuring of the whole supply chain among suppliers, plants, distribution centers, potential sites and market areas	1995	$800 millions
China	Selection and optimum programming of mass projects to obey with future energy needs of the country	1995	$425 millions
South African National Defence Force (SANDF)	Optimal restructuring of the size and form of the South African National Defence Force and his weapons system	1997	$1.100 millions
Procter & Gamble	Redesign of the North American production and distribution system to reduce costs and to improve the incoming rapidity to the market	1997	$200 millions
Taco Bell	Optimum employees programming to provide the service to desired clients with a minimum cost	1998	$13 millions
Hewlett-Packard	Redesign of security inventories' size and location at printer production line to obey the production goals	1998	$280 millions of additional revenue