NETCHAIN is a program for the optimization of the supply chain in continuous flexible process networks. For a given flexible process network, supply chain for sales, intermittent deliveries, production shortfalls, delivery delays, inventory profiles and job changeovers are taken into consideration. A bilevel decomposition algorithm is used according to Jin-Kwang Bok, Ignacio E. Grossmann, and Sunwon Park (2000), involving a Relaxed Problem and a Sub-Problem for the original supply chain problem.

This interface is written in language C and runs on Windows 98 or Windows-NT. The way this interface works is through different menus; it is flexible and easy to use. Given the data of the problem, NETCHAIN creates a new GAMS file containing the model equations and optimizes the problem using OSL as a solver.

NETCHAIN has been developed by Gabriela Garcia-Ayala under the supervision of Ignacio Grossmann .

References for NETCHAIN:

Jin-Kwang Bok, I. E. Grossmann and Sunwon Park, Supply Chain Optimization in Continuous Flexible Process Networks, Industial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2000, Vol. 39, No. 5, pp. 1279-1290.

Garcia-Ayala, Gabriela, Guidelines for NETCHAIN Interfase, Carnegie Mellon University, Engineering Design Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA 2000.