We plan shifts, routes and production so that rules are kept, deadlines are met and costs go down. Even when everything changes in the morning.
The plan that works
SawTurningMillingAssembly Order AOrder BOrder COrder DOrder E Due EWho we work for
Use cases
Every operation has a moment when the plan must be right. For winter road service it is 06:00, for home care 06:30. Every dot on the clock is a use case you can play in your browser.
06:00Snow starts at 03:30. Three spreader trucks plough and salt 61 km of real roads around Windhagen, the main roads by 06:00.
06:30A home care service with 42 clients and 14 carers. One week of tours with morning and evening peaks, split shifts, six pool cars and few different carers per client.
06:45Overnight trucks, 12 doors, a sorter for 6,000 parcels per hour and 78 van bays. The morning delivery wave has to leave on time.
09:20CNC mills, lathes, welding and assembly; component orders feed assembly, AGVs move the material, workers in shifts.
What we plan
Planning optimization searches a very large number of possible plans for the one that keeps all your rules and best meets your goals. Shift, route or order: we turn your rules into a model that computes better plans and can explain every decision.
Shifts in 15-minute steps, within the rules and planned for demand peaks.
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Technicians, care and delivery on real roads, replanned when things change.
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Sequences, set-up times, maintenance and machines, even by power price.
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Pick routes, storage slots, docks, sidings and beds.
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Charge fleets, cap peak loads, use storage well.
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Trades, deliveries and weather over weeks and months.
Learn moreApproach
We clarify whether optimization pays off, prove it in a pilot, roll it out and support the first real planning rounds. After each stage you decide again, including against an investment.
Stage 1Clarify
DecisionIs it worth it?
Stage 2Build
DecisionDoes the pilot deliver what it promised?
Stage 3Run
CycleWhen operations change, we adapt the rules and the plan.
Who it is for
If you plan
From a small team to a mid-sized company: planning lives in spreadsheets and in the heads of a few people. We turn it into a tool that anyone on the team can use and that keeps planning during the holidays.
First callLarge problems, many systems, clear governance. We deliver models that fit your architecture, connect to SAP, MES or WMS, and grow with you.
Discuss a projectIf you build software
Your product should be able to plan. We build the optimization into your software, under your brand, and hand it over so that your team can develop it further.
PartnershipAlready using Timefold or OptaPlanner? We review your model, speed up score calculation, support the migration and train your team.
Request a reviewWhat customers say
I worked with Simon on a Timefold scheduler project for the manufacturing industry. He supported us with his deep domain expertise which is accompanied by a well-structured work approach. Proactive, responsive, and always willing to dive into the intricate details of real-world applications. I would highly recommend his services!
Driving Digital Transformation in Operations & Supply Chain, Allnex
January 14, 2025 · Germany
I had the pleasure of working with Simon on a complex project focused on production planning and optimization using OptaPlanner/Timefold in the context of chemical production. From the initial concept through to architecture and development, Simon demonstrated exceptional expertise and dedication.
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What truly sets Simon apart is his pragmatic approach to problem-solving and his quick and deep understanding of business processes and context. He is highly flexible and always available to address any challenges that arose, making him an invaluable asset to our team.
I highly recommend Simon for any project requiring a blend of technical proficiency in the planning and optimization domain, business understanding, and excellent interpersonal skills.
I had the pleasure of working with Simon on a Timefold project. He quickly grasped the complexity of our planning problem. We appreciated his coaching approach, sharing his expertise with our team. He helped us get our Timefold model on track quickly.
Freelance React Developer
August 14, 2024 · Czechia
We asked Simon for help with our first job scheduling project. He quickly understood our needs and provided us with insights so we could successfully continue. We appreciate his attitude and skill.
The Optazen team is very professional and meticulous. They are very knowledgeable about Timefold technology and have demonstrated the ability to empathize with the client's business to find non-obvious solutions.
Simon helped rewriting our software module for solving a vehicle routing problem with pickups and deliveries as well as time windows.
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During the rewrite, Simon provided great value to us in numerous ways. His detailed understanding of both the vehicle routing domain and Optaplanner helped us create a performant and flexible model.
Retrospectively, we are very happy to have worked with Simon and would absolutely recommend his services.
Simon got the "perfect mix" you expect from a consultant: agility, concreteness with strong adaptive capabilities in enterprise context.
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I had a very good experience from his collaboration during realization of MVP related to optimization task: I greatly appreciated his incredible technical skills and his ability to translate it in business value. His work is always top-notch, and he is always welcoming to feedback and making improvements.
I have no hesitation in recommending Simon to other potential consultants and partners!
Technology
You do not need to know Timefold to get a plan that works. If you already use Timefold or OptaPlanner: OptaZEN is an official Timefold partner and supports all three editions.
You build it yourself
For your own planning problem and a team that builds and runs its application itself.
Large problems in production
Multiple CPU cores, faster score calculation and support with an SLA for production use.
Ready as a service
Standard problems through an API: field service routing, shift and employee scheduling, pick-up and delivery routing.
Questions
Planning optimization computes, out of a very large number of possible plans, the best one that keeps all the rules: who works which shift, which vehicle drives which route, which order runs when on which machine. It is based on a mathematical model of your rules and goals. The plan can be explained and recalculated when something changes.
We clarify that first, before you invest in software. Sometimes a change in the process helps more than an optimization model. Then we say so.
Yes. A chosen technology is not yet a correct planning model. We review rules and model, speed up the calculation and support the rollout.
Yes. Optimized plans keep your rules automatically and can be adjusted during the day. In the first call we assess feasibility and impact for your case.
We connect the optimization to your existing systems, for example SAP, MES or WMS. The plan goes back to where your team already works.
We use mathematical optimization, not a language model. It does not learn from your data, and every decision can be explained by rules. The solution can run entirely within your IT.
Yes. Timefold is the continuation of OptaPlanner. We know both from projects and also support the migration from OptaPlanner to Timefold.
Yes. The Timefold SaaS models offer route planning, field service scheduling and shift scheduling as a service, connected to your systems.
Contact
We assess feasibility and expected impact in a free first call.
