Presented by Prof. dr. Holger H. Hoos (Professor of Machine Learning at Leiden University)

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the use of automated algorithm design methods, such as automated algorithm configuration and portfolio-based algorithm selection, across many areas within operations research, artificial intelligence and beyond. These methods are based on cutting-edge machine learning and optimization techniques; they have also led to substantial advances in those areas.

In this tutorial, I will give an overview of these automated algorithm design methods and introduce Programming by Optimization (PbO), a principled approach for developing high-performance software based on them. I will explain how PbO can fundamentally change the nature of developing solvers for challenging computational problems and give examples for its successful application to a range of prominent problems from OR and AI – notably, mixed integer programming, the travelling salesman problem, AI planning, automated reasoning and machine learning.

8 January 2021 WEBINAR RECORDING

Presented by Alain Nguyen (Combinatorial Optimization Expert at RENAULT)

RENAULT rolled out its first OR application in supply chain in 1992, with the very first version of CPLEX. It was a central planning tool for car production.

Since then, we tackled inbound and outbound transportation, car sequencing, truck and container loading. More recently, we moved to the shop floor to deal with scheduling, line balancing, operator assignment.

Car sequencing, Capacitated VRP, line balancing: the problems we face do not exactly match the academic models. There are always extra tricky constraints and objectives.

Historically, we developed OR applications that were used on a regular basis. More recently, we rolled out tools to carry one shot quick win studies.

Important challenges remain for full OR adoption: data availability in information systems (especially shop floor constraints), non- standard processes in the plants, OR visibility inside the company, lack of facilitators between the central OR team and the field-level operators.

4 December 2020 WEBINAR RECORDING

Presented by Professor Andrea Lodi (Canada Excellence Research Chair in ˝Data Science for Real-time Decision Making˝, Ecole Polytechiquie de Montreal)

In this talk, we cover some of the recent and exciting advances in the use of Machine Learning techniques for Combinatorial Optimization by highlighting and characterizing the major directions in which such use has been conducted.

6 November 2020 WEBINAR RECORDING

Presented by Gavin Bell (CEO at Optimeering AS)

Markets are increasingly being used in industry and organizations to procure goods and services that are provided or consumed in defined time intervals or specific volumes.

An important example of this are products and services in electricity markets, such as power reserve capacity and energy. Markets for so-called primary, secondary and tertiary capacity reserve are currently being developed in the Nordic power markets and are proposed or under development for a number of other European power markets. Such markets are often characterized by multiple, complex products. Bids may be linked over time and across products. Procurement can be driven by multiple objectives such as price and security of supply, that may be difficult to define quantitatively and difficult to compare.

There are often multiple stakeholders involved with differing backgrounds, assumptions, agendas and goals. Existing legal frameworks and rules may also constrain the market and its clearing and pricing processes. Mathematically, the markets are often mixed-integer non-convex, which poses significant challenges in designing and implementing market clearing algorithms in practice.

In this presentation, I talk about our experience in developing and implementing clearing algorithms for these types of markets and for calculating clearing prices, with a focus on market clearing for power reserve services.

2 October 2020 WEBINAR RECORDING

Presented by Filippo Focacci (CO-founder and CEO, DecisionBrain),

Desiree Rigonat (OR consultant and Data Analyst, DecisionBrain)

Based on machine learning and mathematical optimization, DecisionBrain’s applications are used every day to optimize the workforce of market leaders in the Services industry such as ISS, JLL and Serco. This presentation shows how we optimize operations for the London Cycle Hire, one of the largest bikes sharing systems in the world.

DPO (Distribution Planning Optimization) is a Smart Planning System designed for Serco’s Control Room. Its goal is to help planners drive the scheme with the right inventory of bikes in the right place at the right time at the lowest cost. DPO forecasts, in real time, the number of bicycle pickups and returns at each station. It computes target inventory levels at each hour of the day and determines the most efficient routes for the vans to redistribute bicycles from stations in excess to stations in shortage.

The insights and alerts provided via a very intuitive user interface enable planners to focus on analysis and exception management rather than repetitive tasks.

The benefits of the system include:

– Increase of ridership and customer satisfaction

– Reduction of operation costs

– Reduction of penalty costs due to full and empty stations

4 September 2020 WEBINAR RECORDING

Presented by Martina Fischetti (Lead Engineer at Vattenfall)

Moments of crisis are also opportunities to look at the world with new eyes. This is how we discovered an analogy between the optimization challenge of locating turbines offshore (main expertise of the speaker) and the one of locating facilities to ensure social distancing and safety during COVID-pandemic. This allows us to use our expertise to help businesses and customers during this challenging period. In particular, we show that using mathematical optimization one can increase profit for businesses (fitting more tables in a restaurant or umbrellas on a beach) while also increasing safety for customers.

3 July 2020 WEBINAR RECORDING