The need for improving the operation and control of infrastructure systems has created a demand for optimization and control methods applicable in the area of complex networked systems operated by a multitude of actors in a setting of decentralized decision making. Because of the analogy between production systems and infrastructures, process systems engineering (PSE) approaches for optimizatio...

This chapter aims to unify concepts and to describe the multi-stage transport systems and their integratyion to supply chain management. Multi-stage distribution systems are common logistics management, and often they are assimilated to multi-stage transport strategies. However, transport is often considered as an external operation or a specific stage, even when it is a multi-stage system. Fir...

an artificial neural network (ann) approach was used to model the wheat production. from an extensive data collection involving 40 farms in canterbury, new zealand, the average wheat production was estimated at 9.9 t ha-1. the final ann model developed was capable of predicting wheat production under different conditions and farming systems using direct and indirect technical factors. after exa...

data envelopment analysis (dea) is a method for measuring the efficiency of peer decision making units (dmus) with multiple inputs and outputs. the traditional dea treats decision making units under evaluation as black boxes and calculates their efficiencies with first inputs and last outputs. this carries the notion of missing some intermediate measures in the process of changing the inputs to...

The multi-stage lot-sizing problem with production capacities (MLSP-PC) deals with a supply chain that consists of a manufacturer with stationary production capacity and intermediaries (distribution centers or wholesalers) and a retailer to face deterministic demand. An optimal supply chain plan for the MLSP-PC specifies when and how many units each organization of the supply chain has to produ...