A hybrid approach to supply chain modeling and optimization

The paper presents the concept and an outline of the implementation of a hybrid approach to supply chain modeling and optimization. Two environments mathematical programming (MP) and logic programming (LP) were integrated. The strengths of integer programming (IP) and constraint logic programming (CLP), in which constraints are treated in a different way and different methods are implemented, were combined to use the strengths of both. The proposed approach is particularly important for the decision models with an objective function and many discrete decision variables added up in multiple constraints. In order to verify the proposed approach, the optimization models were presented and implemented in both traditional mathematical programming and the hybrid environment.