In order to bridge the gap between industry and research, the association "Initiative Wissenschaft und Automobilindustrie (IWA) e.V.", based in Jena, annually awards the prize for application-oriented scientific achievements in the field of "Planning and Optimization in the Automotive Industry and Other High-Tech Industries".

This year, our alumnus Steffen Hage received the IWA Thesis Award 2019 for his excellent master thesis “The Assembly Line Feeding Problem – Cost Optimal Selection of Material Provision Policies” at the 7th IWA Symposium “Theory meets Practice” in Jena (24th May 2019). High individualization and increasing numbers of car models being produced on one assembly line lead to line side space scarcity and increased planning complexity. In order to cope with the complexity, automotive OEMs respond with a multitude of line feeding policies and time-consuming iterative planning approaches. Due to shortened product cycles, planning approaches need to be rethought in order to respond fast enough to changes.

Under the supervision of Dr. Pirmin Fontaine and in cooperation with Porsche Consulting, Mr. Hage developed a Mixed Integer Linear Program which selects the cost optimal line feeding policy per component under line side and supermarket space restrictions. He demonstrated that significant personnel cost savings can be achieved when the line feeding policy is chosen under joint consideration of logistics and assembly efforts. In addition, the developed model supports logistics and assembly planning and significantly reduces planning effort. Congratulations!

As Consultant at Porsche Consulting, Mr. Hage continues to work on hands-on optimization of production and logistics.