The answer is: Whether it's planes, burgers or film, they analyze their data using the same tools. The question is: What do American Airlines, Kodak and McDonalds have in common?
Linear programming is a mathematical technique that can vanquish many decision-makers worst nightmares: How to find the best solution to a problem that may have thousands or even millions of possible answers. Long reserved to use by mathematicians on mainframe computers to solve complex problems, which took hours to solve, LP has become a tool for an increasing number of engineers with access to PCs who can solve problems in minutes.
A testimonial to the popularity of the technique are the many linear programming products available in this catalog. These programs range from simple and easy-to-use LP packages that let users use ordinary spreadsheets programs like Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel to describe their problems to advanced data analysis and visualization programs for complex applications.
Applications of LP are used in diverse areas including Data Analysis, Time Series Analysis, Electrical Engineering, Electronic & PCB Design, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, Forecasting, Simulation & Operations Research, Statistics and Visualization.
Most Engineering and R&D organizations use LP aggressively to optimize performance and use available resources to the maximum. For example, Kodak uses LP to fine tune its inventory levels and manufacturing capacity. Genencor International, Inc. (NY) uses LP to optimize the use of its fermentation tanks and feels that they have saved millions of dollars thanks to LP.
You won't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat saying, "I think I need linear programming!" says Mark Wiley of Lindo Systems, a developer of LP software, "but you may pull your hair out trying to reduce waste by 10%."
If you haven't considered LP - maybe you should. "Linear Programming is the next frontier for a lot of companies," says Anthony W. Perrone at Arthur Andersen & Co. "LP software products have come into the mainstream."
--Thanks to Mark Wiley of Lindo Systems and the Rochester Business Journal who contributed material for this article.
© 1996 Scitech International, Inc. All rights reserved
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