Optimization Solutions

Purchasing and Inventory Examples

This free workbook contains six example models from purchasing and inventory control.  Click the model names to display each worksheet model in your browser.

You can use the worksheet that most closely models your situation as a starting point.  Solving your real problem may require "scaling up" the model to include more variables and constraints -- but rest assured that you can solve your full-size problem with the power of our Excel Solver upgrades, even if it requires hundreds of thousands of variables!

To download and save the workbook, right-click Purchasing Examples and select Save Target As... from the context menu.  You can then actually solve these small example models in Microsoft Excel, using either the standard Excel Solver or the Premium Solver or Premium Solver Platform.

• Award1 and Award2 - Contract Awards - Award contracts to suppliers who have bid certain prices to supply products to facilities in several states - allow for bids specifying a minimum size for each state
• Invent1 and Invent2 - Inventory Stocking/Reordering:  Compare inventory stocking and reordering policies with the EOQ (Economic Order Quantity) model
• Media - Media Planning - Decide how much advertising to purchase in different media to minimize total cost while achieving a target level of reach or frequency
• Purchase - Purchasing / Transportation Model:  Determine how much to purchase from different suppliers at specified prices, to be shipped from their locations to various plants, to minimize total costs including purchase and shipping costs

On each example worksheet, read the description at the bottom, then select Solver on the Data tab in Excel 2007, or Tools Solver... from the menu in Excel 2003.  When you see the Solver Parameters dialog box, click the Solve button to find the optimal solution.

We're here to help -- contact us if you'd like more information or advice on your application.

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