About This Course
Modern supply chains operate in an environment of increasing complexity, volatility, and competitive pressure. Organizations that rely on intuition alone to manage procurement, inventory, distribution, and supplier relationships consistently leave value on the table. Supply chain optimization modeling transforms these decisions from guesswork into science, enabling practitioners to quantify trade-offs, stress-test scenarios, and select strategies that deliver measurable bottom-line impact.
This five-day intensive programme offered by TrainingComplex provides supply chain professionals with a structured grounding in the core modeling techniques used by leading organizations worldwide. Participants explore linear programming, network flow models, inventory optimization, demand forecasting, and simulation — applying each technique to realistic supply chain challenges through guided workshops and case studies.
The course is designed to bridge the gap between operational experience and analytical rigor. Whether you manage a regional distribution network, oversee procurement for a manufacturing plant, or lead logistics for a humanitarian organization, the modeling skills developed here will sharpen your strategic thinking and enable you to communicate supply chain decisions with clarity and confidence to senior leadership.
Upon completion, participants will leave with a personal toolkit of models, templates, and frameworks they can apply immediately within their organizations, along with a clear understanding of how to interpret model outputs and translate them into actionable supply chain strategies.
Who Should Attend
- Supply chain managers and analysts seeking to strengthen their quantitative decision-making capabilities
- Procurement officers responsible for supplier selection, category management, and cost optimization
- Logistics and distribution managers involved in network design or route optimization
- Operations managers overseeing inventory planning, production scheduling, or warehouse management
- Demand planners and forecasting analysts working in manufacturing, retail, or humanitarian sectors
- Consultants and project managers advising clients on supply chain transformation initiatives
- Finance professionals involved in supply chain costing, budgeting, or capital investment analysis
Learning Objectives
- Understand the fundamental principles and vocabulary of supply chain optimization modeling
- Apply linear programming and network flow models to real-world supply chain problems
- Build and interpret demand forecasting models using quantitative and time-series techniques
- Design inventory optimization strategies that balance service levels with holding and ordering costs
- Use simulation modeling to evaluate supply chain scenarios and assess the impact of uncertainty
- Construct and analyze supply chain network design models to optimize facility location and flow allocation
- Apply transportation and vehicle routing optimization techniques to reduce logistics costs
- Integrate risk and resilience considerations into supply chain optimization frameworks
- Communicate model outputs and recommendations effectively to non-technical stakeholders
- Develop an organizational roadmap for embedding optimization modeling into ongoing supply chain management practice
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Supply Chain Optimization
- The business case for optimization: cost, service, and resilience trade-offs
- Key components of a supply chain system: nodes, flows, and decision variables
- Overview of optimization modeling approaches: prescriptive, predictive, and descriptive
- Data requirements for supply chain models: types, sources, and quality considerations
- Common modeling pitfalls: over-simplification, poor data, and misaligned objectives
- Introduction to the optimization modeling cycle: formulate, solve, validate, implement
Module 2: Linear Programming for Supply Chain Decisions
- Fundamentals of linear programming: objective functions, decision variables, and constraints
- Formulating LP models for procurement allocation and supplier mix optimization
- Using Excel Solver to set up and run linear programs
- Interpreting sensitivity analysis: shadow prices, allowable ranges, and binding constraints
- Multi-period LP models for production and inventory planning
- Case study: optimizing raw material procurement across multiple suppliers under budget constraints
Module 3: Network Flow Optimization
- Introduction to network flow models: nodes, arcs, and flow balance equations
- Transportation problems: formulation, solution methods, and interpretation
- Transshipment models: incorporating intermediate warehouses and cross-docking points
- Assignment problems: matching suppliers, factories, and distribution centres optimally
- Minimum cost flow and maximum flow formulations for logistics networks
- Workshop: solving a multi-echelon distribution network flow problem using Excel Solver
Module 4: Supply Chain Network Design
- Strategic network design decisions: facility location, number of echelons, and capacity allocation
- Gravity models and centre-of-gravity analysis for warehouse location
- Mixed-integer programming (MIP) for facility location and network configuration
- Evaluating total landed cost versus service radius trade-offs in network models
- Incorporating lead times, transit costs, and duty structures into network design
- Case study: redesigning a regional distribution network to reduce total delivered cost by 15%
Module 5: Demand Forecasting and Planning Models
- Qualitative versus quantitative forecasting methods: when to use each
- Time-series forecasting: moving averages, exponential smoothing, and trend-adjusted models
- Regression-based demand modeling: incorporating price, seasonality, and promotional variables
- Measuring forecast accuracy: MAE, MAPE, RMSE, and bias — and what they reveal about model fit
- Collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR): integrating partner data
- Workshop: building a seasonal demand forecast model in Excel and evaluating its accuracy
Module 6: Inventory Optimization Modeling
- Inventory costs revisited: holding, ordering, shortage, and obsolescence in a modeling context
- Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) and Economic Production Quantity (EPQ) models and their assumptions
- Reorder point and safety stock models under demand and lead-time uncertainty
- Multi-item, multi-echelon inventory optimization: balancing service and investment
- ABC-XYZ classification as a segmentation input to differentiated inventory policies
- Workshop: building an inventory optimization model that sets safety stock and reorder points across a product portfolio
Module 7: Transportation and Vehicle Routing Optimization
- Transportation cost structures: full truckload, LTL, intermodal, and last-mile trade-offs
- The Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) and its relevance to route optimization
- Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP): formulation and heuristic solution methods
- Capacitated VRP with time windows: adding delivery constraints to the routing model
- Load planning and freight consolidation modeling to maximize vehicle utilization
- Case study: optimizing last-mile delivery routes for an FMCG distributor operating in a dense urban corridor
Module 8: Simulation Modeling for Supply Chain Risk
- Why deterministic models fall short: the role of variability and uncertainty in supply chains
- Monte Carlo simulation fundamentals: random variables, distributions, and iteration logic
- Building a Monte Carlo simulation in Excel to model demand and lead-time uncertainty
- Evaluating supply chain resilience: probability distributions of stockouts, costs, and service levels
- Disruption scenario modeling: simulating supplier failure, port delays, and demand spikes
- Interpreting simulation outputs: confidence intervals, percentile analysis, and risk-informed decision thresholds
Module 9: Sustainability and Risk Integration in Optimization Models
- Embedding carbon footprint and emissions constraints into supply chain optimization models
- Multi-objective optimization: balancing cost, service, carbon, and social impact simultaneously
- Supplier risk scoring models and their integration into procurement optimization
- Circular economy considerations: modeling reverse logistics and product return flows
- Regulatory compliance modeling: incorporating import restrictions, tariffs, and ESG requirements
- Case study: optimizing a procurement strategy that simultaneously reduces cost and Scope 3 emissions
Module 10: Communicating Models and Building an Optimization Roadmap
- Translating complex model outputs into executive-ready visualizations and briefing narratives
- Building a sensitivity and scenario summary dashboard for supply chain leadership
- Common stakeholder objections to model-driven decisions and how to address them
- Assessing organizational readiness for optimization: data maturity, tools, and capability gaps
- Designing a phased implementation roadmap for embedding optimization modeling in your organization
- Capstone challenge debrief: presenting optimization recommendations and agreeing on next steps
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in supply chain management, procurement, logistics, or a related operations role. A basic familiarity with spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel is required, as workshop exercises will use Excel-based models. Prior exposure to statistics or quantitative analysis is helpful but not mandatory, as foundational concepts will be introduced during the programme.
Training Methodology
- Guided spreadsheet modeling workshops where participants build and solve optimization models step by step using pre-loaded Excel templates and solver tools
- Case study analysis drawn from manufacturing, retail, humanitarian logistics, and public sector supply chains across Africa and the Middle East
- Scenario simulation exercises in which small teams stress-test supply chain models against demand shocks, supplier disruptions, and cost fluctuations
- Interpretive discussions where participants present model outputs and defend strategic recommendations in front of peers, simulating boardroom briefings
- Network design mapping exercises using visual tools to evaluate facility location, flow allocation, and distribution trade-offs
- Peer review sessions in which participants critique each other's models for assumptions, data quality, and sensitivity to key variables
- A capstone optimization challenge on Day 5 where each participant applies multiple techniques learned during the week to a comprehensive supply chain problem drawn from their own sector
Organisational Benefits
- Significant reduction in supply chain costs through data-driven optimization of inventory, transportation, and network design
- Improved service levels and on-time delivery performance driven by better demand forecasting and replenishment planning
- Enhanced organizational capacity to evaluate complex supply chain trade-offs before committing capital resources
- Stronger supplier and logistics partner negotiations supported by quantitative cost and performance modeling
- Greater supply chain resilience through scenario analysis and risk-informed decision-making
- Faster identification of inefficiencies and bottlenecks using structured analytical frameworks
- Elevated credibility of supply chain function in strategic planning conversations with executive leadership
- A pipeline of analytically skilled supply chain professionals capable of driving continuous improvement
Where Is Supply Chain Optimization Modeling Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Abuja, Nairobi, Kigali, Kampala, Mombasa, Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Riyadh, Naivasha, Lagos, Accra, Cape Town, Pretoria, Nakuru, Kisumu, Zanzibar, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Arusha, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Kampala, Uganda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,500 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
+237 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a mathematics or engineering background to attend this course?
No formal mathematics background is required. The course introduces all necessary quantitative concepts from the ground up, and the focus is on practical application using Excel-based tools rather than advanced mathematical derivation. Participants with a solid operational background in supply chain typically find the material very accessible.
What software will be used during the workshops?
All modeling exercises are conducted in Microsoft Excel, using the built-in Solver add-in and standard Excel functions. Participants should bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel 2016 or later installed. No specialist software licences are needed, ensuring that models built during the training can be replicated immediately back in the workplace.
Will I receive a certificate upon completing the course?
Yes. Participants who attend the full five days and complete the capstone challenge will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Supply Chain Optimization Modeling, which can be shared on professional profiles and used as evidence of continuing professional development.
Is this course relevant to humanitarian and public sector supply chains, or is it focused on commercial organizations?
The course is designed to be sector-neutral. Case studies and examples are drawn from manufacturing, retail, FMCG, humanitarian logistics, and public procurement, ensuring that participants from NGOs, government agencies, and commercial firms alike will find directly applicable content.
Can my organization arrange an in-house delivery of this course for a team?
Absolutely. TrainingComplex offers customized in-house delivery of this programme for corporate and institutional teams, with case studies and data sets tailored to your specific industry and supply chain context. Contact our corporate training team to discuss scheduling, group pricing, and bespoke content adjustments.
