Metal products product mix optimization by linear programming : Graduate paper

Diplomskim radom iz kolegija Operacijski menadžment dan je model optimalne mješavine metalskih proizvoda poduzeća iz područja metalske industrije. Model je rezultat primjene metode linearnog programiranja. Metoda se u sklopu operacijskih istraživanja koristi u svrhu optimizacije profita, troškova i drugih varijabli u poslovanju, a u ovom kontekstu cilj je odrediti maksimalnu vrijednost funkcije cilja, tj. maksimalan profit poduzeća. Pri tome utrošak resursa treba biti minimalan, a količine proizvoda optimalne. Prethodna istraživanja ukazuju na uzlazni trend korištenja čelika kao materijala, stoga se potražnja iz godine u godinu povećava. S obzirom na specifičnosti čelika kao materijala, dan je teorijski pregled povezanosti životnog ciklusa čelika i određenog optimizacijskog modela koji se rabi u pojedinoj fazi. Glavni cilj rada je pronaći optimalnu količinu proizvoda kojom se ostvaruje maksimalni profit pri minimalnom utrošku resursa. Dodatan cilj rada je ustanoviti zastupljenost čimbenika koji dovode do uspješne implementacije upravljanja promjenama u poduzećima u metalnoj industriji Republike Hrvatske.The master’s thesis written for the Operations Management Course gives a model of the optimal mix of metal products of a company in the field of metal industry. The model is the result of applying the linear programming method. In the context of operational research, this method is used to optimize profits, costs, and other variables in the business, and in this context, the goal is to determine the maximum value of the objective function, i. e., the maximum profit of the enterprise. In doing so, the consumption of resources should be minimal and the quantities of products optimal. Previous research indicates an upward trend in the use of steel as a material, which is why the demand is increasing every year. Considering the specifics of steel as a material, a theoretical overview of the relationship between the life cycle of steel and the particular optimization model used at each stage is given. The main goal of the paper is to determine the optimal amount of product that achieves maximum profit, along minimum resource consumption. An additional goal of the paper is to establish the representation of factors that lead to the successful implementation of change management in companies in the metal industry of the Republic of Croatia