2010 Wagner Prize Presentations
History and Purpose of the Wagner Prize and Competition
Presented by: Allen Butler, President, Daniel H. Wagner and Associates, Inc., 2 Eaton Street, Suite 500, Hampton, VA 23669, United States of America, allen.butler@va.wagner.com
OnTheMark: Integrated Stochastic Resource Planning of Human Capital Supply Chains (IBM)
Presenting Author: Mark Squillante, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America, mss@us.ibm.com
Co-Authors: Heng Cao, CTO for Business Analytics & Optimization, IBM China Research Center, A2/F, DIAMOND, ZHONG GUANG CUN SOFTWARE, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China, hengcao@us.ibm.com; Jianying Hu, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America, jyhu@us.ibm.com; Chen Jiang, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY, United States of America; Tarun Kumar, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY, United States of America, ktarun@us.ibm.com; Ta-Hsin Li, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America; Yang Liu, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America
Yingdong Lu, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America, yingdong@us.ibm.com; Shilpa Mahatma, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America; Aleksandra Mojsilovic, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America; Mayank Sharma, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, mxsharma@us.ibm.com; Yichong Yu, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598, United States of America
Abstract: We present a suite of innovative operations research models and methods that supports the effective and efficient management and planning of human capital supply chains and that has been developed and implemented to optimize performance in the information technology services industry. This suite constitutes an end-to-end solution that is deployed as a critical part of the human capital management and planning process within IBM, driving growth, profitability and client satisfaction.
Universal Tool for Vaccine Scheduling: Applications for Children and Adults (Georgia Tech and CDC)
Presenting Author: Hannah K. Smalley, Georgia Institute of Technology, 765 Ferst Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of America, hkolberg3@gatech.edu
Co-Authors: Faramroze G. Engineer, University of Newcastle, Building V, Room 225, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia, fengineer@newcastle.edu.au; Pinar Keskinocak, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial and Systems Eng., Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of America, pinar@isye.gatech.edu; Larry K. Pickering, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Corporate Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of America, larry.pickering@cdc.hhs.gov
Abstract: Georgia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the CDC, developed decision support tools for creating optimized catch-up immunization schedules for four target groups: children through age 6, adolescents ages 7 through 18, and adults ages 19+ in the U.S., and children and adolescents through age 19 in Canada. Each decision support tool constructs the recommended immunization schedule for the user by means of a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm. The tools simplify and expedite the tedious process of manually constructing immunization schedules, and eliminate errors.
Kimberly-Clark Latin America Builds an Optimal Scheduling System
Presenting Author: Germán Riaño, LAO OR Manager, Kimberly Clark Latin American Operations, Carrera 11 A No. 94-45 Piso 5, Bogota, Colombia, German.Riano@kcc.com
Co-Authors: Danilo Abril, Strategic Operations Research Team, Kimberly-Clark, Latin America Operations, Cra 11 A # 94-45, Bogota, Colombia, danilo.abril@kcc.com; Jorge Arias, Strategic Operations Research Team, Kimberly-Clark, Latin America Operations, Av. Libertador 498 - Piso 24, Buenos Aires, Argentina, jorge.arias@kcc.com; Vittal Prabhu, Professor, Pennsylvania State University, Marcus Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing, 348 Leonhard Building, University Park PA 16802, United States of America, prabhu@engr.psu.edu; Esteban Rodríguez, Process Enhancement Team, Kimberly-Clark, Latin America Operations, Calle La Scott, La Asuncion de Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica, esteban.rodriguez@kcc.com; David Sánchez, Strategic Operations Research Team, Kimberly-Clark, Latin America Operations, Cra 11 A # 94-45, Bogota, Colombia, david.r.sanchez@kcc.com; Nazrul Shaikh, Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Miami, College of Engineering, 1251 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables FL 33146, United States of America, nazrul@gmail.com
Abstract: We present an optimization-based solution for lot-sizing and scheduling with sequence-dependent setups at Kimberly-Clark Latin America. The formulation weighs inventory, set-up and backorder costs leading to a large MIP. We developed heuristics to reduce its size, obtaining schedules in minutes for industrial scale problems. This solution has replaced manual plans in five countries, reducing finished product inventories up to 45%, increasing yield and uptime by 2% and service levels by 2.4%.
A Short-Range Scheduling Model for Blockbuster's Order Processing Operation
Presenting Author: Casey Chung, Blockbuster Distribution, McKinney TX 75069, United States of America, casey.chung@blockbuster.com
Co-Authors: Milind Dawande, Professor, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, SM30, School of Management, Richardson TX 75080, United States of America, milind@utdallas.edu; Chelliah Sriskandarajah, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, SM30, School of Management, Richardson TX 75080, United States of America, chelliah@utdallas.edu; Divakar Rajamani, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, SM30, School of Management, Richardson TX 75080, United States of America, divakar@utdallas.edu
Abstract: We describe the creation and implementation of a Mixed Integer Programming model to schedule Blockbuster's short-range order processing operations. This application, in daily use since January 2007, has resulted in cost savings of about $4.17 million over 2007-2009, in addition to significantly improved capacity utilization. Recognizing that Blockbuster's system of multiple processing departments which compete for subsequent shared resources is typical in industry, we also discuss the adaptability of our approach to other organizations.
Marketing Optimization in Retail Banking (GE)
Presenting Author: Ramasubramanian Sundararajan,GE Global Research, India, ramasubramanian.sundararajan@ge.com
Co-Authors: Karolina Bak, Bank BPH S.A, GE Capital Group, Poland; Debasis Bal, GE Global Research, India; Tarun Bhaskar, GE Global Research, India, tarun.bhaskar@ge.com; Sridhar Dasaratha, GE Global Research, India; Jayanth K Marasanapalle, GE Global Research, India; Abhinanda Sarkar, GE Global Research, India; Beata Zmudzka, Bank BPH S.A, GE Capital Group, Poland
Abstract: We address the problem of making optimal product offers to customers of a retail bank. This was done using techniques such as Markov chains, genetic algorithms, mathematical programming, and design of experiments. The challenges involved were large problem size, uncertainty around estimates of customer response to product offers, and practical issues in training and implementation. The solution has been implemented in a retail bank and has achieved an estimated financial impact of over $15M, along with many other intangible benefits including structured decision-making, ability to perform what-if analysis, and portability to other markets and portfolios.
Get on-demand access to Franz Edelman Award competition presentations through the