AIMMS

What is AIMMS

AIMMS is a software company that provides a platform for mathematical optimization and scenario modeling, mainly for supply chain management. Founded in 1989, the company has a long history of helping businesses solve complex planning puzzles. AIMMS offers two main products. The first is Optimization Tooling, a complete development environment for building and deploying custom optimization applications. The second is SC Navigator, a ready-to-use SaaS application designed for supply chain network design. The platform helps companies to make better decisions by analyzing complex data, balancing trade-offs like cost and service levels, and identifying potential risks and opportunities in their operations. It is trusted by many large global companies for their critical planning needs.

AIMMS Features

AIMMS provides a powerful set of features for supply chain professionals and data scientists.

• Optimization Tooling: A comprehensive toolset to build custom optimization models and applications from scratch. It allows for rapid prototyping and deployment without needing deep coding skills.
• SC Navigator: A pre-built application for supply chain network design. Users can visualize their current network, model changes, and find optimal designs.
• Scenario Modeling: Easily create and compare multiple scenarios to understand the impact of different decisions. This helps in analyzing trade-offs between costs, service levels, and carbon emissions.
• Data Visualization: Integrated visualization tools help to understand complex supply chain data and model results through maps, charts, and dashboards.
• Prescriptive Analytics: The platform goes beyond describing what happened and predicts what will happen. It recommends specific actions to achieve business goals.
• Cloud Deployment: As a SaaS solution, AIMMS is accessible from anywhere. It is scalable and managed by the company, reducing the IT burden on users.
• Data Integration: AIMMS can connect with various data sources and systems, such as ERPs and spreadsheets, to ensure models use the most current information.

AIMMS Pricing Plans

AIMMS pricing is not publicly listed on their website. This is common for enterprise-grade software that requires a custom solution. The pricing is typically based on several factors, including the specific products used (Optimization Tooling or SC Navigator), the number of users, the scale of the models, and the level of support required. Potential customers need to contact the AIMMS sales team to discuss their specific needs and receive a custom quote. They offer tailored packages for different business sizes and complexity levels, from mid-sized companies to large global enterprises.

AIMMS Free Plan

AIMMS does not offer a standard free plan for its main products. However, they provide opportunities for potential users to experience the software. You can request a live demo with a product expert who will walk you through the platform's capabilities and answer questions specific to your business challenges. For developers and academics, AIMMS sometimes offers community or academic licenses with certain limitations, which can be explored through their support and community channels.

How to use AIMMS

Getting started with AIMMS involves a few key steps to solve your supply chain challenges.

1. Define Your Problem: First, identify the business question you want to answer. This could be about finding the best location for a new warehouse, optimizing inventory levels, or reducing transportation costs.
2. Request a Demo: Contact AIMMS to schedule a demonstration. This helps you understand how the platform can address your specific problem.
3. Gather Data: Collect all relevant data for your model. This includes information on facilities, products, transportation lanes, costs, demand, and any business constraints.
4. Model Your Supply Chain: Use SC Navigator to map your existing network or use the Optimization Tooling to build a custom model that represents your unique business processes.
5. Run Scenarios: Create different scenarios to test hypotheses. For example, model the impact of closing a distribution center or changing a supplier.
6. Analyze Results: Use the platform's visualization tools to analyze the output of your models. Compare scenarios based on key performance indicators like total cost, service level, and CO2 emissions.
7. Share Insights: Generate reports and dashboards to share your findings with stakeholders and support your recommendations with solid data.

Pros and Cons of AIMMS

Pros:

• Powerful Optimization Engine: Capable of solving very large and complex supply chain problems.
• High Customization: The Optimization Tooling allows for building solutions that perfectly fit unique business needs.
• User-Friendly Interface: Despite its power, the platform is designed to be intuitive, especially for pre-built applications like SC Navigator.
• Strong Support: Customers often praise the knowledgeable and responsive support team.
• Scalable Platform: Being a SaaS solution, it can scale with the growth and complexity of a business.

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve: Building custom models with the Optimization Tooling can be complex and requires specialized knowledge.
• Opaque Pricing: The lack of public pricing makes it difficult for smaller companies to evaluate if it fits their budget.
• Niche Focus: The tool is highly specialized for optimization and may be too powerful or complex for businesses with simple supply chain needs.

AIMMS integrations

AIMMS is designed to work within a larger enterprise technology ecosystem. It can exchange data with any system, ensuring that your optimization models are always based on the latest information. Common integrations include:

• ERP Systems: Connects with systems like SAP and Oracle to pull master data and transactional data for planning.
• Data Warehouses: Integrates with data sources like SQL databases, Snowflake, and other cloud data platforms.
• Spreadsheets: Users can easily import data from and export results to Microsoft Excel for analysis and reporting.
• Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: Results from AIMMS can be fed into BI tools like Tableau or Power BI for creating advanced dashboards.

AIMMS Alternatives

There are several other tools available for supply chain optimization and design.

• Coupa (formerly LLamasoft): A leading competitor with a comprehensive suite of supply chain design and planning applications. It is known for its powerful modeling and simulation capabilities.
• AnyLogistix: A tool that combines both simulation and optimization methods. It is strong in modeling dynamic processes and uncertainty in the supply chain.
• Gurobi: An optimization solver that is more of a direct alternative to AIMMS's Optimization Tooling. It is a library for developers to build custom optimization applications and requires coding skills.
• SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP): A good alternative for companies already heavily invested in the SAP ecosystem. It offers strong integration with other SAP modules for a unified planning process.

AIMMS API

Yes, AIMMS provides a robust set of APIs that allow developers to integrate AIMMS optimization capabilities into other applications and automate workflows. The AIMMS PRO (Prometheus) platform offers REST APIs to manage jobs, access data, and run optimization models programmatically. This enables the creation of a seamless connection between AIMMS and other enterprise systems. Access to the API documentation and keys is typically provided to customers with an active license. You would usually find this information in the developer or support portal after becoming a customer.

Here is a generic Python example of how you might call an AIMMS API to run a job:

import requests
import json

api_url = "https://your-aimms-instance.com/api/v1/jobs"
api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

payload = {
    "model_name": "BreweryCapacityModel",
    "input_data": {
        "demand_forecast": 120000,
        "production_cost": 5.5
    }
}

response = requests.post(api_url, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(payload))

if response.status_code == 201:
    print("Job started successfully!")
    print(response.json())
else:
    print(f"Failed to start job: {response.status_code}")

AIMMS Affiliate program

AIMMS does not appear to have a traditional public affiliate program where individuals can earn commissions for referrals. Instead, they focus on a Partner Ecosystem. This program is designed for consulting firms, technology providers, and resellers who can help implement and extend the AIMMS platform for clients. Partners receive benefits like training, technical support, and co-marketing opportunities. If you or your company is interested in becoming a partner, you should contact their partnership or business development team directly through their official website to discuss the requirements and benefits of the program.