VACAMOS-Value chain analysis management optimization and sustainability

The general goal is to advance and disseminate knowledge and software about
the increasingly complicated webs of economic interaction called value chains;
taking into account environmental sustainability and other external conditions.
Value chains play an increasing role not only within the advanced societies, but
also in international commerce and are thus of crucial importance for developing
countries, including those in Subsaharan Africa. The chances and dangers are
particularly striking in the growing, processing, transportation and marketing
of food stuff. Therefore, this proposal will consider agriculture and food security
as lead application.
The abbreviation VACAMOS stands for Value Chain Analysis, Manage-
ment, Optimization, and Sustainability. The concept of value chains should
be interpreted in a much broader sense than the classical notions of enterprise
resource planning (ERP). In particular, we also wish to address the effect of
uncertain boundary conditions like weather and global financial markets.
The rigorous analysis, design and operation of value chains, taking into ac-
count their external interactions, requires tools from various fields of mathe-
matics and computer science. They are categorized here into three fields: Mul-
tilevel Optimization, Risks and Uncertainty, Dynamics and Control. The prin-
cipal partners have expertise in these fields and will engage in interdisciplinary
exchange with each other, with younger researchers and practicioners in appli-
cation fields, ranging from food through transport to mining in various African
regions. Established techniques and new discoveries will be imparted to gradu-
ate students, practicioners and other stake holders, especially from SMBs. This
includes the provision of suitable software and data bases for the University of

Principal Investigators
Griewank, Andreas Prof. Dr. (Details) (Non-linear Optimization)

Duration of Project
Start date: 12/2012
End date: 01/2013

Last updated on 2020-22-03 at 23:07