Addressing the Operational Challenges in the Manufacture of Advanced Materials and Performance Products

The challenges of supplying advanced materials and performance products are very different from those associated with commodity chemicals.  Yet these challenges are well addressed by enterprise-wide optimization techniques. The aim of this talk is to describe the operational challenges in the manufacture of advanced materials and performance products and to show where and how process systems concepts can be used to address those challenges.  Several challenges and their solutions will be reviewed.  The first is the design of a formulated product through numerical optimization.  The goal here is to more quickly and more completely identify candidate products that meet new customer requirements.  We will then review the problem of crew scheduling in a job shop where the challenge of scheduling technicians on machines is key to maximizing throughput of the system.  This will be followed by discussion of a generic approach to discrete event simulation that accelerates model development.  The simulator, having a fixed model structure, relies on capturing the details of the simulated system in the data base supporting the model.  Finally the logistical problem of optimally loading a semi-trailer with various packages is examined.