Kalauz K., Sule Z., Bertok B., Friedler F., Fan L., 2012, Extending Process-Network Synthesis Algorithms with Time Bounds for Supply Network Design, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 29, 259-264.
It is highly desirable to develop a software for estimating the quality of supply networks and synthesizing potential alternative realizations to improve the quality of service or to satisfy service level agreements. In the present paper, methodology, algorithm, and software are proposed to improve supply networks where the quality is measured by cost and response time. The methodology is based on the combinatorial foundations of algorithmic process synthesis. Structure generation and evaluation of a supply scenario are the two major steps of the algorithm elaborated for synthesizing the optimal network structure. The algorithm, besides generating alternative structures, takes into account alternative orders of the activities as well. The structural alternatives are evaluated on the basis of the cost and duration of each individual operation. The cost and response time for a single operation are expressed as concave functions of its volume.
