Andres Weintraub
Operations Research Systems Supports Logistic Decisions
Dep. of Industrial Engineering
University of Chile
OPERATIONS RESEARCH SYSTEMS SUPPORTS LOGISTIC DECISIONS
Our group has a stated objective to develop innovative , high impact projects for Chilean firms and public institutions. Systems, based on Operations Research methodologies, that should change the way firms operate. This talk presents several of the projects we have developed in the area of logistics. I discuss the problems the firms had, the methodology we developed, and the impact due to the implementation. The cases are in the areas of forest timber transport, scheduling movement of empty containers for a large shipping company , transportation in the salmon production chain, and how fire trucks are scheduled to arrive faster to containfires. These systems have led to important savings and improvements in operations in each case.
About the speaker
Professor Andres Weintraub
Andres Weintraub holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Chile a Masters in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Chile. His main research areas are Operations Research, Operations Management in forestry and mining, logistics and transportation.
He has published over 70 papers in recognized journals, including Operations Research, Management Science, Forest Science, the European Journal of Operations Research. He has also edited several books and journal issues on topics related to use of Operations Research in natural resources. He has carried out multiple projects with industry and governmental organizations, including the US Forest Service and forest firms in Chile in models related to long range planning, short term harvesting and transportation, CODELCO, one of the largest copper firms in the world in models related to long range copper extraction, logistics and production planning for the salmon industries, CSAV, a top 10 worldwide shipping company, housed in Chile, to improve the management of their 500.000 container business, the Chilean Ministry of Education, on determining best locations of rural schools, and the Chilean Football Association in scheduling the football season since 2005. The work with Chilean forest firms won the Edelman Prize, the most prestigious award for applied Operations Research, awarded by INFORMS, the US Society for Operations Research and Management Sciences. The work with CSAV was an Edelman finalist in 2011 and the football scheduling was a finalist in 2016.
He has received many recognitions which include: The Chilean National Prize for Applied Science in 2000, the Harold Larnder Prize given by the Canadian OR Society, the INFORMS Presidential Prize, the Gold Medal from the Chilean Institute of Engineering, its highest recognition. He was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa, from the University of Agricultural Sciences of Sweden, and the University of Laval, Canada. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and the Chilean National Academies of Science and of Engineering and is INFORMS Fellow.
He was a founder and former President of ALIO, the Latin American Association of OR, and President of IFORS, the International Federation of Operations Research Societies, which includes over 50 country members, for the years 1998 to 2000.
He has led for the last 10 years the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems, which is currently funded yearly with 3 million dollars, and involves 60 researchers and a staff of 15 people. The Institute covers areas such as Operations Research, Data Science, Industrial Organization and Consumer Analytics. The Institute is strong in developing projects with industry and the government which are original and have impact. These projects have had high impact and led to a large number of publications.
