A

The costs of transporting raw materials and finished products are nowadays one of the most important factors influencing the final price of the finished product. The basic model with which these problems can be modelled is called Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) which consists of building a set of routes with minimum costs for a fleet of vehicles that allows to serve/collect the demand of in certain points in a network. In real problems there are many characteristics that increase the complexity of the model. Among them we can mention: the existence of time slots in which to effect service, the possibility of serving the demand of a customer with several vehicles, heterogeneous fleet of vehicles, etc..

In this line, we are working on:

• The split delivery vehicle routing problem (SDVRP)
• Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW)
• Waste Collection Routing Problem
• Problems of Flow in Networks.

 B

The research in the machine scheduling activities tries to develop efficient algorithms for the planning of the production in the short to medium term, taking into account the finite capacity of the available machines and all other features of the manufacturing processes. In this line, our group has been working for years in the development of intelligent scheduling systems that can be integrated into the information system of enterprises.

Within the broad spectrum of optimisation problems in industrial processes we have been working on cutting and packing problems. In the first case, it is about designing cutting patterns which address the demands of pieces minimising cut material waste: wood panels, rolls of paper or cardboard, steel plates, etc. In the second case, it comes to designing the optimal placement of the pieces to be transported on pallets or containers, minimising the unused space.

 C

The objective of this line of research is to develop the theory, scientific algorithms, and commercial software that enable manufacturing and service companies to generate action plans based on an efficient use of equipment, materials and human resources.

 D

The Resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is the basic problem, with reference to which the rest of real and more complex scheduling problems are defined. Most optimisation techniques that are used in more complex models have their origin in techniques that have been successful in the RCPSP. Hence, we believe that advances in the RCPSP can easily have an impact on the entire area of project scheduling and that significant algorithmic advances are based on a better understanding of the problem. Therefore, one of our objectives is to deepen the theoretical study of the RCPSP.

The study of the RCPSP distinguishes various types of resource constrains. Our group has begun working with partially renewable resources, of which there are fixed amounts in certain subintervals of the planning interval. From a practical point of view, they allow modeling as project scheduling problems many other problems, such as the planning of working shifts and scheduling problems.