Learning outcomes

This course provides a general introduction to operations and supply chain management. Operations Management studies the process by which inputs of materials, labor, capital and information are transformed into products and services which the consumers are willing to pay for. These processes can be managed well or poorly. Knowledge introduced in this course will help you understand the reasons for both. Business logistics is primarily concerned with the efficient integration of suppliers, factories, warehouses and stores so that merchandise is produced and distributed in the right quantities, to the right locations and at the right time, and so as to minimize total system cost subject to service requirements. This course will introduce you with the tools used in planning and coordinating a supply chain.

The main objective of this course is to introduce tools and techniques that are needed to understand operations and supply chain processes and to provide students with the ability to analyze and continuously improve these processes.

Goals

Critical and Integrative Thinking

Each student shall be able to identify key issues in a business setting, develop a perspective that is supported with relevant information and integrative thinking, to draw and assess conclusions. Assessment: case reports, final exam

Content

  • The first part will be devoted to production management. Managing production means managing the design, planning and control of the activities that make up the production processes of goods or services. The course provides an introduction to the basic concepts of production management by articulating them within a hierarchical decision-making framework. It thus deals successively with: - operational scope issues (scheduling in specialized workshops and stock management), - tactical scope (medium-term production planning by MRP or just-in-time techniques) - and finally, strategic and/or long-term scope (design of a new product, design of a production center).
  • In the second part of the course, we will see how to optimize logistics for the company. This concerns, on the one hand, the company's external flows: optimal transport of components to the company and products to customers. On the other hand, it concerns the company's internal flows: inventory management and production planning.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction to Production Management
  2. Scheduling in Specialized Workshops
  3. Reorder Point Inventory Management
  4. Calendar-Based Inventory Management
  5. Production Planning
  6. Dynamic Scheduling
  7. Just-in-Time Method
  8. Project Scheduling
  9. Project Programming
  10. Configuring a Production Center
  11. Capacity of a Production Center
  12. Location of a Production Center
  13. The Excel Solver
  14. Interpreting the Solution
  15. Defining Logistics for the Company
  16. Introduction to the GAMS Language
  17. Transportation
  18. The Maximum Flow Problem
  19. The Minimum Cost Flow Problem
  20. The Shortest Path
  21. Optimal Allocation Problems
  22. Calendar-Based Inventory Management in the Case of Total Demand
  23. Reorder Point Inventory Management in a Random Universe
  24. Load-Capacity Adjustment

Exercices

At the end of each chapter, exercise statements are provided. One or two exercises will be solved in class by students and a commented correction will be provided. Students are encouraged to complete the other exercises in the chapter on their own. A correction will be provided after the course on WebCampus.

Teaching methods

Before the break, the concepts and methods of solving the problems will be presented. After the break, the students will be offered practical exercises and an explanatory correction will be provided.


Assessment method

  • In the first session, the assessment consists of a written closed-book exercise solving exam, accounting for 75% of the grade. In addition, the assessment consists of a group assignment, accounting for 25% of the grade, that will test the following objective: formulate and solve a logistics problem using GAMS software.
  • In the second session, the assessment consists of a written exercise solving exam, accounting for 100% of the grade.
  • In both the first and second sessions, students will be provided with a form, tables, and a calculator. Any other documents are prohibited.


 

Sources, references and any support material

Syllabus du cours : Gestion des opérations et logistique d'entrepris, 286 pages, version du 21 Août 2025.


Bibliography:

[1] BAGLIN G., O. BRUEL, L. KERBACHE, J. NEHME et C. VAN DELFT, Management Industriel et Logistique, 6ème Edition, Economica, Paris, 2013.

[2] GIARD V., Gestion de la production et des flux, Economica, 3ème Edition, Paris, 2003. 

[3] J.O. MAC CLAIN, L.J. THOMAS et J.B. MAZZOLA, Operations Management, 3ème édition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1992.


Language of instruction

French
Training Study programme Block Credits Mandatory
Bachelor in Business Engineering Standard 0 5
Bachelor in Business Engineering Standard 3 5