Optimizer - Forcing one product to remain at one plant despite optimisation

DeveloperCYT

Hi,

I have a Model and have successfully optimised our data

3 Plants

100 locations

Costs from each plant to each location

Total Demand volume by location (we have product but don't use it currently*)

Constraints Volume cannot exceed plant Capacity and Location Demand must be met

This all works as expected

*What I want to be able to do is lock certain Product to a Plant, so it does not move to the optimum location.

How would i do that, as its puzzling me?

ankit_cheeni

How about creating a constraint that is dimensioned by a subset of 'All Plants - Required Plant' and a subset of the Production and set that to 0?

So if your variable is Production, do a Production <= 0 for these subsets (2 plants that you don't want). I'm sure you have another constraint that says Production >=0. This will set the plant product combinations 0 for 2 plants, restricting them to the 3rd plant.

There is a chance I might not be 100% accurate but if you share your constraints blueprint, it would be easier. Although I feel this should give you a good working principle.

Another alternative is create a multiplier at Product - Plant level that is set to 0 for the combinations you don't want and is 1 for the rest and then use it either in objective or some constraint. This might cause indirection though so try the first one first.