The majority of reverse auctions for procurement use a single-attribute (price) format while providing constraints on nonprice attributes such as quality and lead time. Alternatively, a buyer could choose to conduct a multiattribute auction where bidders can specify both a price and levels of...

We consider the issue of call center scheduling in an environment where arrivals rates are highly variable, aggregate volumes are uncertain, and the call center is subject to a global service level constraint. This paper is motivated by work with a provider of outsourced technical support...

We address the problem of rationing common components among multiple products in a configure-to-order system with order configuration uncertainty. The objective of this problem is to maximize expected revenue by implementing a threshold rationing policy. Under this policy, a product is available...

We use exponential lead times to demonstrate that reducing mean lead time has a secondary reduction of the variance due to order crossover. The net effect is that of reducing the inventory cost, and if the reduction in inventory cost overrides the investment in lead time reduction, then the lead...

We present a heuristic for lot sizing in serial assembly systems with multiple contrained resources. This procedure, the Coefficient Modification Heuristic (CMH), exploits a special problem structure by solving repetitively a small linear programming restriction of the original problem. The key...

We introduce a heuristic method for finding good, feasible solutions for multiproduct lot sizing problems with general assembly structures, multiple constrained resources, and nonzero setup costs and setup times. We evaluate the performance of this heuristic by comparing its solutions to optimal...

We consider the reorder point, order quantity inventory model where the demand, D, and the lead time, L, are independently and identically distributed (iid) random variables. This model is analytically intractable because of order crossover. However, we show how to resolve the intractability by...

This paper addresses the problem of aligning demand and supply in configure-to-order systems. Using stochastic programming methods, this study demonstrates the value of accounting for the uncertainty associated with how orders are configured. We also demonstrate the value of component supply...

We develop an open information standard to assist supply chain modeling, analysis, and decision support. The Supply Chain Modeling Language (SCML) is a platform- and methodology-independent Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based markup language for storing supply chain structural and managerial...