The goal of this exercise is to provide a consulting driven solution to a supply chain network optimization problem. This challenge is set up as case study similar to situations we deal with at STORD. We end up conducting studies with a lot more constraints that are presented in this problem.
You are expected to do the following:
- Formulate the problem
- Identify the decision variables
- Formulate the objective function
- Formulate the constraints
- Build a python solver for the problem (using PuLP or Google OR-Tools)
- Validate and present your findings
A boutique brewery has two warehouses from which it distributes beer to five carefully chosen bars. At the start of every week, each bar sends an order to the brewery’s head office for so many crates of beer, which is then dispatched from the appropriate warehouse to the bar. The brewery would like to have an interactive computer program which they can run week by week to tell them which warehouse should supply which bar so as to minimize the costs of the whole operation. For example, suppose that at the start of a given week the brewery has 1000 cases at warehouse A, and 4000 cases at warehouse B, and that the bars require 500, 900, 1800, 200, and 700 cases respectively. Which warehouse should supply which bar?
- Implement your solution as a script in python (Ipython notebooks are preferred)
- Create a 5 min presentation with your choice of graphs and content that tell a succinct story of the problem definition
- Within the presentation list out your assumptions and all the formulations listed above
- Email the point of contact that sent you this exercise.
- Include your Ipython notebook with all relevant graphs
- Make sure to label all graphs and add comments where needed
- Be prepared to walk through your solution during the on-site interview.
Your submission will be evaluated along the following criteria by the Reviewer
- Completeness - Does your submission meet the Deliverables specified above?
- Business Acumen - How easy was it for a business stakeholder (with limited technical knowledge) to understand your solution?
- Storylining - Evaluate the flow of your solution
- Creativity - Evaluate your ability to come up with plausible theories regarding model results
- Technical Capability - How reliable are your formulations?
- Critical Thinking - Please be ready to speak to your thinking proccess for the solution here.
- The good news is that we will not subject you to a code exercise on a whiteboard when you are on-site!
- Please feel free to ask clarifying questions via email!
- Thank you for the time you are spending as a candidate with STORD!