IM Challenge 2025

Martin Scheffler

Aron Lange

D-WW-WIWI-1013
MA-WW-BWL-1013

• Diploma / Master
• Major Operations and Logistics Management (primary) or Operations Research (X)

• Protocol with description of the developed algorithm (15 pages)

• Presentation of results (15 min)

• Kick-Off: tbd. (20. cw)
• Editing period until end of Semesters
• Enrollment in OPAL from 24.03.2025 / 09:30

In contrast to many small scale academic examples, real-world planning problems from production management or logistics can often only be solved with considerable computational effort. For this reason, it has long been common practice in research to solve problems with higher complexity by supporting standard software (e.g. solvers) or to program corresponding solution algorithms.

By facing the IM Challenge, advanced students of master or diploma courses be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with a defined business problem and then to implement it independently and in a problem-oriented manner. The competition between the participants ("Who achieves the best solution?") provides additional motivation.

IM Challenge 2025




 

In the IM Challenge 2025, a problem from Zalando is to be solved. Several optimisation tasks need to be solved so that thousands of orders can be made ready for dispatch within a few hours. Which orders should be processed in the next hour? Where do I pick the items from the warehouse if they are available at several locations? How do I group orders together so that I don't have to go twice, even though the items are right next to each other? In which order do I take items from the warehouse to minimise the route? The answers to these questions can be found in the IM Challenge 2025!

Further information:  Zalando