Home / Company
About OptaZEN: planning optimization with TimefoldThe Art of Planning Optimization.
We turn planning rules into models that compute, for companies in Germany and Europe, and support them from the first clarification into day-to-day operation. ZEN is the feeling when the plan works.
Principles
Three things we do not negotiate.
Your rules first
A good plan starts with the rules that really apply in your operation. Only then do we compute.
Reference values, not promises
We say how a plan was made and give results as reference values, not as promises.
Honest advice
Every stage ends with a recommendation. "Do not invest" is a good result too, when it is right.
Who is behind it
Simon Tiffert, founder and managing director.
Simon Tiffert founded OptaZEN in 2022 and accompanies the projects personally, from the first clarification into day-to-day operation. He comes from software development and has led international software projects as project lead, development lead and architect. He has worked on planning optimization since the days of Drools Planner, through OptaPlanner to Timefold.
- Profile on LinkedIn
- Talk "The Art of Café Scheduling"Java User Group Milan, December 2024 (PDF)
Experience
Grown with the technology. Built to last.
The experience behind OptaZEN goes back to the time when OptaPlanner was still called Drools Planner. We build solutions that last for years: understandable, documented and ready for your team to develop further. As an official Timefold partner we advise, develop and train for all three editions: Open Source, Enterprise Edition and SaaS models.
- until 2013Drools PlannerPlanning as part of the Drools rule engine. First optimization projects.
- from 2013OptaPlannerThe planner becomes a project of its own. Projects for routes, shifts and production.
- 2022OptaZEN GmbHThe experience gets a name of its own: consulting, development and training from Windhagen.
- from 2023TimefoldThe continuation of OptaPlanner. OptaZEN is an official partner.
- todayUse cases in the browserFrom winter road service to medical technology, each one as a plan you can play.
Approach
From the first call to value in operation.
-
Stage 1Clarify
- UnderstandGoals, terms, rules, data, bottlenecksEntry: Planning Snapshot, Assessment or Strategy
- AssessPotential, business case, feasibility, risks
DecisionIs it worth it?
-
Stage 2Build
- DesignPlanning model, rules, data, interfacesEntry: training or model review
- PilotReal scenarios, value proven before much is invested
- Roll outIntegration, training, go-live
DecisionDoes the pilot deliver what it promised?
-
Stage 3Run
- StabiliseAccompany the first real planning rounds, sharpen the rulesEntry: support after go-live
- ImproveWatch the KPIs, take in new requirements
CycleWhen operations change, we adapt the rules and the plan.
Services
Consulting, development, training.
Consulting
We analyse your planning challenges, design the solution architecture and support your team from concept to go-live.
Development
Complete planning applications with data integration, server logic, optimization core and user interface, delivered ready for production.
Training and coaching
Hands-on coaching so that your development team builds, tunes and extends Timefold solutions on its own.
Location
Windhagen, between Cologne and Frankfurt.
From here we work for customers in Germany and Europe, remotely and on site when it helps the project. Many of our use cases play on the real roads around Windhagen.
RegionWesterwald, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
LanguagesGerman and English
LegalLegal noticePrivacy
Contact