The Generic Materials and Operations Planning (GMOP) Problem Solved Iteratively: A Case Study in Multi-site Context

This paper addresses the Generic Materials and Operations Planning (GMOP) problem, a multi-site operations planning problem based on the “stroke” concept. The problem considers a multinational company subject to positive and negative backlogs imposed by using returnable racks that have to be filled by end products and transported to customers, alternative operations (purchase, transformation and transport), different BOM structures given the different operation types (injection operations, assembly operations) performed in the various factories of the supply chain, and capacitated production resources. This paper describes and defines the “stroke” construct that mathematically models the relationships between operations and materials. The mathematical modelling approach is provided, as is a brief description of an operations planning tool that has been implemented. Furthermore, some results obtained in a first-tier level supplier of the automotive industry have been introduced.