TPM master students win 2nd place in SIMIO competition

EPA master students Tess Kim and Rico Herzog successfully competed in the SIMIO competition last May. Out of more than 330 teams across the globe, the two master students were awarded the second place from a jury made up academic and professional SIMIO users. By winning the 2nd place, Team Cyan, named after TU Delft's distinct color, was awarded an exclusive SIMIO award, honorable mentions within the SIMIO community and a cash price of $1000.

Logistics in a warehouse
In this SIMIO competition, the task given to the students involved modelling the logistical processes of a warehouse distribution centre. They were given data from an imaginary warehouse. The aim was to simulate a more efficient batching process of orders to ship them in time to different sales channels. "We really needed to wrap our heads around the problem statement",  says Tess Kim, "but eventually we were able to overcome all modelling obstacles.” For the submission, it was however not only the model that counted: The team also needed to explain and display their findings in an appealing manner by submitting an executive summary and a detailed, 10-minute project presentation video. The Covid-19 pandemic further complicated teamwork: "We had to suddenly change our workflow, but nonetheless were able to convince the jury", states Rico Herzog. The group submissions were judged upon 10 criteria, including modelling approach and documentation, quality of the presentation, recommendations, verification and validation. Both students would like to thank prof. Alexander Verbraeck for his role as a supervisor for the team.

About SIMIO
The SIMIO competition takes place twice a year. With more than 300 student teams from all around the globe, it is one of the biggest international simulation competitions. Within the EPA master’s programme, SIMIO software is amongst others used for modelling relief goods operations in Bangladesh.
More information, including the project presentation video of Team Cyan, can be found on the official SIMIO homepage.