Advitech is growing our capacity to help clients make better decisions, following the recent appointment of a new head of our applied mathematics team. The team, led by Dr Hamish Waterer, can now offer clients advanced analytical methods to inform improvements to processes.
Dr Waterer describes his area of expertise as operations research, often called the “science of better”. Through the analysis of varied data sets and subsequent mathematical modelling, Advitech can now help businesses with challenges such as managing inventory and demand; scheduling transportation; planning infrastructure design, expansion, maintenance and renewals; and improving production planning, scheduling, and distribution.
Dr Waterer first studied engineering in New Zealand, focusing on mathematics and computing. He went on to pursue his interest in mathematical optimisation, developing his knowledge of the area while writing a Masters thesis on the scheduling of hydro-electric turbines subject to uncertain demand.
Having completed a PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta on mathematical models for scheduling shutdowns in production planning, and then obtaining a post-doctoral position at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, Dr Waterer returned to NZ, to lecture at The University of Auckland.
After five years back in NZ, Dr Waterer was invited to become one of the founding members of the Centre for Optimal Planning and Operations at The University of Newcastle.
During his tenure as an academic he applied his knowledge a diverse range of industry partners. Projects included:
- Scheduling the shutdown of nuclear reactors for refuelling and maintenance.
- Evaluating the impact of maintenance on the throughput capacity of Australian coal chains.
- Mathematical models for wind farm design.
- Maintenance scheduling in critical infrastructure networks.
After just over 13 years at the University of Newcastle Dr Waterer joined us at Advitech.
With Dr Waterer growing our applied maths capability, Advitech is helping businesses streamline their processes and enhance their decision making by using quantitative methods to develop innovative, customised solutions.
With our help, you will be able to:
- Identify the data that matters most.
- Visualise your data so that it’s easier to interpret.
- Base your business decisions on strong evidence.
- Reduce manual intervention in processes by identifying opportunities for automated planning and data-driven decision making.
- Optimise your resources by reducing wasted effort and expense.
Whatever the application, whether it be in agriculture, defence, energy, entertainment, government, health, manufacturing, mining or transportation & logistics, a better understanding of the interaction and impact of all important factors will result in better performance and ultimately better business outcomes.
