Contents
This seminar explores key business management issues relating to the planning and control of processes in the chemical industry. The focus is on providing quantitative decision support for companies through mathematical optimisation. Students develop quantitative planning models, either individually or in small groups, apply these models as part of a case study, document the results in a written report, and present and discuss them in a plenary session.
Learning objectives
Upon successful completion of the seminar, students will be able to obtain a degree:
- describe typical planning and control problems in the chemical industry across various stages of the value chain (e.g. procurement, production, distribution, etc.) in a structured manner and identify their key characteristics.
- formulate these problems as optimisation models (decision variables, objective function, constraints, etc.), implement them, solve them and apply them within the context of a case study.
- structure a scientific seminar paper coherently (problem, state of the art, methodology, results, discussion) and correctly incorporate systematically researched scientific literature.
- Present the approach and case study in a manner appropriate to the audience and discuss them constructively with other participants.
| Language | Frequency | ECTS | Examination |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | Winter and summer semesters | 6 | Case studies, group work, final presentation |
Requirements
Recommended
Knowledge of mathematical optimisation methods (e.g. mixed-integer programming), implementation (e.g. Python) and/or in-depth knowledge of spreadsheet software.
Usability
Advanced Module in Business Administration
Note
The kick-off event for the 2026 summer semester will take place on Thursday 23 April 2026 at 4.15 pm in H46.
Please register via SPUR by 19 April 2026.
