Case Study: ESAN achieves faster, lower-cost clay blending with IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio

Accelerating development with prescriptive analytics

ESAN, one of Turkey’s largest producers and exporters of ceramics-quality clay, needed a faster way to create clay-blending recipes as changing specifications, market conditions, and material variability made planning complex and time-consuming. Working with IBM and its IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio, ESAN sought a more efficient way to meet quality and cost targets for its ceramics raw materials.

IBM implemented a prescriptive analytics optimization model at ESAN’s Bozüyük plant, supported by Selco Consulting, that generates optimum blending recipes in 60 seconds or less and provides 50 to 150 alternative scenarios. The solution reduced the clay-blending cycle from days to seconds, cut raw material costs by 14%, and lowered energy costs by 10%, while also improving production planning and enabling new product possibilities.

ESAN

Sinan Türkmen

Industrial Engineer and Data Analytics Manager