The encyclopedia · R&D & Science · Operational decision · 2009–2012
Sabena Technics scheduled aircraft line maintenance with MILP and a picture
A mixed-integer model plus visualization let Sabena Technics generate cost-efficient maintenance schedules and debate them with managers.
Sabena Technics
the move
Aircraft line maintenance needs a costly workforce whose staffing and scheduling is hard to do well by hand at Sabena Technics.
KU Leuven and Vlerick built a mixed-integer linear programming model with a visualization layer that produced many cheaper, alternative schedules.
The visualization let managers evaluate scenarios and raise objections, which the team then incorporated into the model.
why it works
- MILP finds cheaper schedules than manual planning across many scenarios.
- Visualization makes the optimizer legible to non-analysts.
- Iterating with managers in meetings improved the model's real usefulness.
- It produced considerable savings and more efficient use of human resources.
what transfers
An optimization model works in operations when people can see and contest its output, so iterate on it in the room, not after rollout.
what came after
The model resulted in considerable savings and more efficient use of human resources, and the experience showed that an optimization tool's value depends on letting stakeholders challenge its output before it is deployed.
references
- Improving Workforce Scheduling of Aircraft Line Maintenance at Sabena Technics
- Improving Workforce Scheduling of Aircraft Line Maintenance at Sabena Technics
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