Robust optimization is a methodology that can be applied to problems that are affected by uncertainty in the problem's parameters. The classical robust counterpart (RC) of the problem requires the solution to be feasible for all uncertain parameter values in a so-called uncertainty set, and...

The growing demand for electronic devices has made the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs) a promising industry over the last decades. As the demand for printed circuit boards increases, the industry becomes more dependent on highly automated assembly processes using Surface Mounting...

A new model formulation is developed for reducing the workload in pre-batching at a manufacturer of flavours and fragrances, by optimally assigning ingredients to different storage types, taking into account past usage of ingredients and several restrictions about volumes and number of storage...

To satisfy the growing need for efficient supply chain orchestration, a Cross Chain Control Center (4-C) might be an effective concept. A 4-C is a center from which multiple supply chains are controlled simultaneously, thereby aiming to exploit synergetic potential. This article proposes...

This paper generalizes Porter's notion of the value chain for the analysis of service industries. The generalization entails that the flow and the physical transformation and assembly of goods that are characteristic of manufacturing are generalized into flows and transformation of data and...

Purpose - The construction industry is known for the application of traditional production and project management methods. This paper overall aims to demonstrate that the adoption of Supply Chain Management (SCM) concepts in construction industry can lead to significant improvements of planning...

This paper addresses a highly challenging scheduling problem in the field of printed circuit board (PCB) assembly systems using Surface Mounting Devices (SMD). After describing some challenging optimization sub-problems relating to the heads of multi-head surface mounting placement machines, we...

This paper studies the causes and consequences of in-season changes of the headcoach of association football teams. We exploit data from the highest level of Dutch professional football during 14 successive seasons. An in-season change of the head-coach depends on recent match results and the...

This paper investigates whether there are country-specific characteristics in goal-scoring in the final stage of important international football matches. We examine goal-scoring from 1960 onwards in full `A' international matches of six national teams: Belgium, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy...

We use extreme-value theory to estimate the ultimate world records for the 100m running, for both men and women. For this aim we collected the fastest personal best times set between January 1991 and June 2008. Estimators of the extreme-value index are based on a certain number of upper order...