An Integrated Decision Support System in a Chinese Chemical Plant

In July 1986, the institute of systems engineering at Dalian University of Technology and the Dalian Dyestuff Plant developed and implemented an integrated decision support system (DSS) at the Dalian Dyestuff Plant, one of the largest chemical dye plants in China. The DSS combines a linear-programming-based optimization model with a rule-based artificial-intelligence model. The system contains subsystems for production planning, accounting and finances, inventory, and information services. Operational results indicate that the system increased the annual profits by at least 4 million RMB in 1987 (about one million US dollars; the plant's total profits were about 40 million RMB per year at that time).