ASSIGNMENT
& SELECTION

ASSIGNMENT
& SELECTION

ASSIGNMENT
& SELECTION

Optimal’s optimization-based assignment and selection solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems!
Optimal’s optimization-based assignment and selection solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems!
Optimal’s optimization-based assignment and selection solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems!
OVERVIEW
Optimal’s Assignment & Selection Solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems. This evolving category of Optimal applications addresses many decision points, in business and government enabling savings, typically 5-10%, often much more. In consumer applications the objective is often increased fulfillment.
- Portfolio – select the maximum profit set of choices from many options based on user-definable criteria.
- Project Selection – select the most profitable set of projects from multiple options based on project value and resource constraints.
- Stock Cutting – select the highest yield cutting pattern.
- Coverage – select the allocation of resources to achieve the highest area coverage of service.
- Packing – select the minimum cost packing of vehicles or containers to achieve shipping goals considering rules and constraints.
- Pickup/Delivery – select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.
- Settlement – select the optimized distribution of assets between parties that recognizes the parties relative valuations of the assets and other criteria.
- Grocery Shopping – select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences.
- Seats – select the highest fulfillment seat assignment for individuals at multiple tables considering many criteria and preferences.
Hosting
Optimal Solutions are cloud based thus facilitating rapid deployment and support, eliminating most IT support costs, and enabling regular, non-disruptive updates.
The Optimal interface includes powerful data import/export features to accelerate database construction. The Optimal API provides automated data exchange and optimization for tight connectivity with ERP systems.
OVERVIEW
Optimal’s Assignment & Selection Solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems. This evolving category of Optimal applications addresses many decision points, in business and government enabling savings, typically 5-10%, often much more. In consumer applications the objective is often increased fulfillment.
- Portfolio – select the maximum profit set of choices from many options based on user-definable criteria.
- Project Selection – select the most profitable set of projects from multiple options based on project value and resource constraints.
- Stock Cutting – select the highest yield cutting pattern.
- Coverage – select the allocation of resources to achieve the highest area coverage of service.
- Packing – select the minimum cost packing of vehicles or containers to achieve shipping goals considering rules and constraints.
- Pickup/Delivery – select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.
- Settlement – select the optimized distribution of assets between parties that recognizes the parties relative valuations of the assets and other criteria.
- Grocery Shopping – select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences.
- Seats – select the highest fulfillment seat assignment for individuals at multiple tables considering many criteria and preferences.
Hosting
Optimal Solutions are cloud based thus facilitating rapid deployment and support, eliminating most IT support costs, and enabling regular, non-disruptive updates.
The Optimal interface includes powerful data import/export features to accelerate database construction. The Optimal API provides automated data exchange and optimization for tight connectivity with ERP systems.
OVERVIEW
Optimal’s Assignment & Selection Solutions provide decision optimization for specialty problems. This evolving category of Optimal applications addresses many decision points, in business and government enabling savings, typically 5-10%, often much more. In consumer applications the objective is often increased fulfillment.
- Portfolio – select the maximum profit set of choices from many options based on user-definable criteria.
- Project Selection – select the most profitable set of projects from multiple options based on project value and resource constraints.
- Stock Cutting – select the highest yield cutting pattern.
- Coverage – select the allocation of resources to achieve the highest area coverage of service.
- Packing – select the minimum cost packing of vehicles or containers to achieve shipping goals considering rules and constraints.
- Pickup/Delivery – select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.
- Settlement – select the optimized distribution of assets between parties that recognizes the parties relative valuations of the assets and other criteria.
- Grocery Shopping – select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences.
- Seats – select the highest fulfillment seat assignment for individuals at multiple tables considering many criteria and preferences.
Hosting
Optimal Solutions are cloud based thus facilitating rapid deployment and support, eliminating most IT support costs, and enabling regular, non-disruptive updates.
The Optimal interface includes powerful data import/export features to accelerate database construction. The Optimal API provides automated data exchange and optimization for tight connectivity with ERP systems.
APPLICATIONS
Application Information

With securities, Optimal Portfolio selects the highest profit set of securities that maximizes return considering user-defined investment criteria, such as acceptable risk, minimum and maximum levels of investment in various categories, and other criteria. Optimal Portfolio also identifies when to buy and sell stocks through a series of forthcoming periods based on forecast valuations.

Optimal Project Selection determines the selection of capital investment projects with various returns considering utilization of capital, human, and equipment resources to achieve the maximum financial return for the enterprise.

OPTIMAL STOCK CUTTING applications enable users to determine how to deploy resources to meet specified requirements at the lowest cost.
An implementation of Optimal Stock Cutting is selection of the minimum cost set of cutting templates for steel bars to yield various lengths of finished steel product bar requirements considering trim loss.

An implementation of Optimal Coverage is locating cell phone tower locations that achieve the coverage requirements at the lowest cost. Another application is real estate parcel division.

An implementation of the OPTIMAL PACKING application is the allocation of delivery items to one or more various sized trucks to minimize the number of trips required for the deliveries.
Optimal Packing can be applied in many industries where container or vehicle load decisions are made.
Optimal Packing is also used to allocate merchandising space for goods sold in retail stores based on the highest sales and/or gross margins.
Optimal Pickup/Delivery enables users to select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.

Optimal Settlement is a blind negotiating application, that is, in a two-party negotiation the “bids” of one party are not visible to the other party. Each party submits a minimum value the for necessary to “settle”; if the parties are not within a feasible region, then Optimal Settlement terminates. If the parties are in a feasible region, then each party submits a value placed on each asset in the division. Optimal Settlement determines the distribution of the assets that maximizes the value received to both parties.

Optimal Grocery Shopping enables users to select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering the meal plan or discretely the budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences established by the user.

Optimal Seats can be used for event seating assignments and considering categories of persons and table preferences as well as individual likes and dislikes for other attendees.
Optimal Seats can be used for routine meetings where desired is to move persons from time to time to other tables in order that, for example, in an organization with weekly meetings that in one year’s time with ten tables of ten each, each member will sit at all tables at least once during the year while primarily sitting at the individual’s preferred table.
APPLICATIONS
Application Information

With securities, Optimal Portfolio selects the highest profit set of securities that maximizes return considering user-defined investment criteria, such as acceptable risk, minimum and maximum levels of investment in various categories, and other criteria. Optimal Portfolio also identifies when to buy and sell stocks through a series of forthcoming periods based on forecast valuations.

Optimal Project Selection determines the selection of capital investment projects with various returns considering utilization of capital, human, and equipment resources to achieve the maximum financial return for the enterprise.

OPTIMAL STOCK CUTTING applications enable users to determine how to deploy resources to meet specified requirements at the lowest cost.
An implementation of Optimal Stock Cutting is selection of the minimum cost set of cutting templates for steel bars to yield various lengths of finished steel product bar requirements considering trim loss.

An implementation of Optimal Coverage is locating cell phone tower locations that achieve the coverage requirements at the lowest cost. Another application is real estate parcel division.

An implementation of the OPTIMAL PACKING application is the allocation of delivery items to one or more various sized trucks to minimize the number of trips required for the deliveries.
Optimal Packing can be applied in many industries where container or vehicle load decisions are made.
Optimal Packing is also used to allocate merchandising space for goods sold in retail stores based on the highest sales and/or gross margins.
Optimal Pickup/Delivery enables users to select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.

Optimal Settlement is a blind negotiating application, that is, in a two-party negotiation the “bids” of one party are not visible to the other party. Each party submits a minimum value the for necessary to “settle”; if the parties are not within a feasible region, then Optimal Settlement terminates. If the parties are in a feasible region, then each party submits a value placed on each asset in the division. Optimal Settlement determines the distribution of the assets that maximizes the value received to both parties.

Optimal Grocery Shopping enables users to select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering the meal plan or discretely the budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences established by the user.

Optimal Seats can be used for event seating assignments and considering categories of persons and table preferences as well as individual likes and dislikes for other attendees.
Optimal Seats can be used for routine meetings where desired is to move persons from time to time to other tables in order that, for example, in an organization with weekly meetings that in one year’s time with ten tables of ten each, each member will sit at all tables at least once during the year while primarily sitting at the individual’s preferred table.
APPLICATIONS
Application Information

Optimal Portfolio enables users to select the maximum profit set of choices from many options based on user-definable criteria.
With securities, Optimal Portfolio selects the highest profit set of securities that maximizes return considering user-defined investment criteria, such as acceptable risk, minimum and maximum levels of investment in various categories, and other criteria. Optimal Portfolio also identifies when to buy and sell stocks through a series of forthcoming periods based on forecast valuations.

Optimal Project Selection enables users to select the most profitable set of projects from multiple options based on project value and resource constraints.
Optimal Project Selection determines the selection of capital investment projects with various returns considering utilization of capital, human, and equipment resources to achieve the maximum financial return for the enterprise.

Optimal Stock Cutting select the highest yield cutting pattern.
OPTIMAL STOCK CUTTING applications enable users to determine how to deploy resources to meet specified requirements at the lowest cost.
An implementation of Optimal Stock Cutting is selection of the minimum cost set of cutting templates for steel bars to yield various lengths of finished steel product bar requirements considering trim loss.

Optimal Coverage optimizes the allocation of resources to achieve the highest area coverage of service.
An implementation of Optimal Coverage is locating cell phone tower locations that achieve the coverage requirements at the lowest cost. Another application is real estate parcel division.

Optimal Packing determines the minimum cost packing of vehicles or containers to achieve shipping goals considering rules and constraints.
An implementation of the OPTIMAL PACKING application is the allocation of delivery items to one or more various sized trucks to minimize the number of trips required for the deliveries.
Optimal Packing can be applied in many industries where container or vehicle load decisions are made.
Optimal Packing is also used to allocate merchandising space for goods sold in retail stores based on the highest sales and/or gross margins.

Optimal Pickup/Delivery enables users to select the minimum cost, time, or distance routes for small fleets considering pickup and delivery windows, vehicle capacities and other constraints, driver constraints, etc.

Optimal Settlement enables users to optimize the distribution of assets between parties that recognizes the parties relative valuations of the assets and other criteria.
Optimal Settlement is a blind negotiating application, that is, in a two-party negotiation the “bids” of one party are not visible to the other party. Each party submits a minimum value the for necessary to “settle”; if the parties are not within a feasible region, then Optimal Settlement terminates. If the parties are in a feasible region, then each party submits a value placed on each asset in the division. Optimal Settlement determines the distribution of the assets that maximizes the value received to both parties.

Optimal Meal Planning enables users to determine meal plans for one or more persons in each meal for up to a week in advance based on the dishes to be served, nutrition and diet rules, and personal dish preferences.
Optimal Grocery Shopping enables users to select the optimized grocery shopping list of items or dishes considering the meal plan or discretely the budget, nutrition and diet rules, discounts, and preferences established by the user.

Optimal Seats enables users to select the highest fulfillment seat assignment for individuals at multiple tables considering many criteria and preferences.
Optimal Seats can be used for event seating assignments and considering categories of persons and table preferences as well as individual likes and dislikes for other attendees.
Optimal Seats can be used for routine meetings where desired is to move persons from time to time to other tables in order that, for example, in an organization with weekly meetings that in one year’s time with ten tables of ten each, each member will sit at all tables at least once during the year while primarily sitting at the individual’s preferred table.
INDUSTRIES
- Food
- Meat
- Dairy
- Bakery
- Beverage
- Produce, Juices
- Nutraceuticals
- Food Product Development
- Agriculture
- Animal Nutrition
- Pharmaceuticals
- Cosmetics
- Mining, Including ore blending
- Alloys
Please use the Contact Us form to request detailed information by industry and problem type.
INDUSTRIES
- Food
- Meat
- Dairy
- Bakery
- Beverage
- Produce, Juices
- Nutraceuticals
- Food Product Development
- Agriculture
- Animal Nutrition
- Pharmaceuticals
- Cosmetics
- Mining, Including ore blending
- Alloys
Please use the Contact Us form to request detailed information by industry and problem type.
INDUSTRIES
- Food
- Meat
- Dairy
- Bakery
- Beverage
- Produce, Juices
- Nutraceuticals
- Food Product Development
- Agriculture
- Animal Nutrition
- Pharmaceuticals
- Cosmetics
- Mining, Including ore blending
- Alloys
Please use the Contact Us form to request detailed information by industry and problem type.
CONFIGURATIONS
Simple configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Simple Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to small problems in various industries with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with very limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users learning about optimization to learn about the benefits of optimization in an educational size problem. Real world problems are larger and more complex.
Compare Configurations below
Basic configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Basic Configuration, enables users in certain industries to generate optimized solutions to small problems with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs for products with relatively static Item costs and attribute values as well as simple product specifications. Real world problems are larger and more complex.
Compare Configurations below
Standard configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Standard Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to problems with more variables and constraints than the Basic Configuration. The Standard Configuration provides users with the Single Product model as well as Sequential Single Product and Multi-Product models.
Compare Configurations below
Corporate configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Corporate Configuration, is intended for medium and large single site operations. The Corporate Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs through all phases of the materials planning, sequencing, and assembly process. The Corporate Configuration provides users with the Procurement Planning, Production Planning and Lot Allocation models, as well as those models in the Standard Configuration. The Optimal API is included with the Corporate Configuration.
Compare Configurations below
Enterprise configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Enterprise Configuration, is intended for medium and large multi site operations. Besides the features of the Corporate, the Enterprise Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes, BOMs, procurement and inventory management plans considering multiple manufacturing and storage sites. The Enterprise Configuration provides users with the Multi-site models.
Compare Configurations below
SIMPLE
$50 / month
1 Seat Per Site Per Year
90 day trial; then $50 / month
BASIC
$250 / month
3 Seats Per Site Per Year
STANDARD
$750 / month
5 Seats Per Site Per Year
(12 month annual commitment paid in advance)
Model Sites:
Single Site
Single Site
Single Site
Single Site + Support Sites
Multiple Sites + Support Sites
Model Time Periods:
Single Period
Single Period
Single Period
Multiple Periods
Multiple Periods
Models & Associated Tables:
Single Product
Simple + * Sequential Single Product
Basic +
* Multi Product
Standard +
* Production Planning
* Procurement Planning
* Lot Allocation
Corporate +
* Multi Site
* Procurement
Matrix Size:
20x20
100x100
Large
Large
Large
API Included:
-
-
-
✔
✔
Monthly Max Solves:
100
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Hosting:
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Support:
Simple + Email
Simple + Email
Basic + Chat
Standard + Phone
Corporate + Webinars
CONFIGURATIONS
Simple configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Simple Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to small problems in various industries with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with very limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users learning about optimization to learn about the benefits of optimization in an educational size problem.
Compare Configurations below
Basic configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Basic Configuration, enables users in certain industries to generate optimized solutions to small problems with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs for products with relatively static Item costs and attribute values as well as simple product specifications.
Compare Configurations below
Standard configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Standard Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to problems with more variables and constraints than the Basic Configuration. The Standard Configuration provides users with the Single Product model as well as Sequential Single Product and Multi-Product models.
Compare Configurations below
Corporate configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Corporate Configuration, is intended for medium and large single site operations. The Corporate Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs through all phases of the materials planning, sequencing, and assembly process. The Corporate Configuration provides users with the Procurement Planning, Production Planning and Lot Allocation models, as well as those models in the Standard Configuration. The Optimal API is included with the Corporate Configuration.
Compare Configurations below
Enterprise configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Enterprise Configuration, is intended for medium and large multi site operations. Besides the features of the Corporate, the Enterprise Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes, BOMs, procurement and inventory management plans considering multiple manufacturing and storage sites. The Enterprise Configuration provides users with the Multi-site models.
Compare Configurations below
SIMPLE
$50 / month
1 Seat Per Site Per Year
90 day trial; then $50 / month
BASIC
$250 / month
3 Seats Per Site Per Year
STANDARD
$750 / month
5 Seats Per Site Per Year
(12 month annual commitment paid in advance)
Model Sites:
Single Site
Single Site
Single Site
Single Site + Support Sites
Single Site + Support Sites
Model Time Periods:
Single Period
Single Period
Single Period
Multiple Periods
Multiple Periods
Models & Associated Tables:
Single Product
Simple +
* Sequential Single Product
Basic +
* Multi Product
Standard +
* Production Planning
* Procurement Planning
* Lot Allocation
Corporate +
* Multi Site
* Procurement
Matrix Size:
20x20
100x100
Large
Large
Large
API Included:
-
-
-
✔
✔
Monthly Max Solves:
100
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Hosting:
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Support:
Simple + Email
Simple + Email
Basic + Chat
Standard + Phone
Corporate + Webinars
CONFIGURATIONS
Simple configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Simple Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to small problems in various industries with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with very limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users learning about optimization to learn about the benefits of optimization in an educational size problem.
Real world problems are larger and more complex.
Compare Configurations below
Basic configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Basic Configuration, enables users in certain industries to generate optimized solutions to small problems with a few variables and constraints using a Single Product model with limited options. The Simple Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs for products with relatively static Item costs and attribute values as well as simple product specifications.
Compare Configurations below
Standard configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Standard Configuration, enables users to generate optimized solutions to problems with more variables and constraints than the Basic Configuration. The Standard Configuration provides users with the Single Product model as well as Sequential Single Product and Multi-Product models.
Compare Configurations below
Corporate configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Corporate Configuration, is intended for medium and large single site operations. The Corporate Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes and BOMs through all phases of the materials planning, sequencing, and assembly process. The Corporate Configuration provides users with the Procurement Planning, Production Planning and Lot Allocation models, as well as those models in the Standard Configuration. The Optimal API is included with the Corporate Configuration.
Compare Configurations below
Enterprise configuration:
The Optimal Inventory Management & Procurement Solution, Enterprise Configuration, is intended for medium and large multi site operations. Besides the features of the Corporate, the Enterprise Configuration enables users to generate optimized recipes, BOMs, procurement and inventory management plans considering multiple manufacturing and storage sites. The Enterprise Configuration provides users with the Multi-site models.
Compare Configurations below
SIMPLE
$50 / month
1 Seat Per Site Per Year
90 day trial; then $50 / month
Model Sites: | Single Site |
Model Time Periods: | Single Period |
Models & Associated Tables: | Single Product |
Matrix Size: | 20×20 |
API Included: | No |
Monthly Max Solves: | 100 |
Hosting: | Included |
Support: | Simple + Email |
BASIC
$250 / month
3 Seats Per Site Per Year
Model Sites: | Single Site |
Model Time Periods: | Single Period |
Models & Associated Tables: | Simple + Sequential Single Product |
Matrix Size: | 100×100 |
API Included: | No |
Monthly Max Solves: | Unlimited |
Hosting: | Included |
Support: | Simple + Email |
STANDARD
$750 / month
5 Seats Per Site Per Year
(12 month annual commitment paid in advance)
Model Sites: | Single Site |
Model Time Periods: | Single Period |
Models & Associated Tables: | Basic + Multi Product |
Matrix Size: | Large |
API Included: | No |
Monthly Max Solves: | Unlimited |
Hosting: | Included |
Support: | Basic + Chat |
CORPORATE
8 Seats Per Site Per Year
Model Sites: | Single Site + Support Sites |
Model Time Periods: | Multiple Periods |
Models & Associated Tables: | Standard + * Production Planning * Procurement Planning * Lot Allocation |
Matrix Size: | Large |
API Included: | Yes |
Monthly Max Solves: | Unlimited |
Hosting: | Included |
Support: | Standard + Phone |
ENTERPRISE
10 Seats Per Site Per Year
Model Sites: | Multiple Sites + Support Sites |
Model Time Periods: | Multiple Periods |
Models & Associated Tables: | Corporate + * Multi Site *Procurement |
Matrix Size: | Large |
API Included: | Yes |
Monthly Max Solves: | Unlimited |
Hosting: | Included |
Support: | Corporate + Webinars |