Cosentino Optimizes Sales and Manufacturing Processes with Gurobi
Global surface manufacturer streamlines operations and prevents bottlenecks with help from Gurobi-powered optimization.
Article content
Article content
BEAVERTON, Ore. — Gurobi Optimization, LLC, the leader in decision intelligence technology, is helping Cosentino, a global leader in innovative mineral design surfaces, optimize several key processes for enhanced efficiency across sales and production.
Article content
With its products reaching over 100 countries, Cosentino's commercial teams must generate efficient two-week sales visit plans for more than 1,000 representatives—balancing time constraints, sales potential, and market conditions. Meanwhile, Cosentino's manufacturing teams aim to maximize efficiency by eliminating bottlenecks across multiple production lines.
Article content
By leveraging Gurobi's mathematical optimization solver, Cosentino can successfully optimize its sales routes, saving time and increasing commercial effectiveness, while also streamlining production processes to maintain seamless operations.
Article content
'With Gurobi, our Data Science team can be confident; they can disconnect at the end of the day, and they can focus on solving problems, not worrying about whether the technology is reliable or not,' said Antonio Carrasco Pérez, Data Analytics Director at Cosentino.
Article content
'From smarter sales planning to optimized manufacturing, we're proud to help innovative companies like Cosentino drive impact by leveraging the power of mathematical optimization,' said Duke Perrucci, CEO of Gurobi.
Article content
With Gurobi's decision intelligence technology, customers can make optimal business decisions in seconds. From workforce scheduling and portfolio optimization to supply chain design and everything in between, Gurobi identifies the optimal solution, out of trillions of possibilities.
Article content
As the leader in decision intelligence, Gurobi delivers easy-to-integrate, full-featured software and best-in-class support, with an industry-leading 98% customer satisfaction rating.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Contacts
Article content
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
32 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Warren Buffett Owns 9 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks. Here's the Best of the Bunch.
Key Points Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway portfolio includes only one ultra-high-yield stock. However, his "secret portfolio" is loaded with ultra-high-yielders. The best of the bunch has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years and has solid growth prospects. Warren Buffett is known as a value investor, not as an income investor. However, that doesn't mean the "Oracle of Omaha" doesn't own stocks that many income investors would find highly attractive. You might be surprised that Buffett even has positions in nine ultra-high-yield dividend stocks. By the way, the threshold used for a dividend yield to qualify as "ultra-high" is four times the yield of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF. Here are all of Buffett's ultra-high-yield dividend stocks, along with which one is the best of the bunch. Berkshire Hathaway's sole ultra-high-yielder Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway portfolio features only one ultra-high-yield dividend stock: Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC). The food and beverage company pays a forward dividend yield of 6%. Kraft Heinz's dividend yield isn't so high because the company has increased its dividend payout. Instead, it's the result of a steadily deteriorating share price over the last few years, combined with maintaining the dividend at the same level during the period. Berkshire does have stakes in a couple of other stocks with yields that aren't too far away from meeting the ultra-high threshold. Oil and gas giant Chevron offers a forward dividend yield of 4.61%. Satellite radio and podcast provider Sirius XM Holding 's yield is 4.45%. However, the stocks didn't quite make the cut for our list. Buffett's "secret portfolio" Where can Buffett's other seven ultra-high-yield dividend stocks be found? In his "secret portfolio." I'm referring to the stocks owned by New England Asset Management (NEAM). Berkshire Hathaway acquired General Re in 1998, which had acquired NEAM three years earlier. While NEAM reports its stock holdings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission separately from Berkshire, Buffett owns all of the stocks in its portfolio just as much as he does any stock listed in Berkshire's SEC filings. NEAM's two highest-yielding stocks are both business development companies (BDCs). Globus Capital BDC (NASDAQ: GBDC) pays an especially juicy forward dividend yield of 11.17%. It's followed by Ares Capital, the largest publicly traded BDC, with a yield of 8.57%. A couple of big pharma stocks in Buffett's secret portfolio pay great dividends. Pfizer 's (NYSE: PFE) forward dividend yield is 6.78%, while Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) offers a forward yield of 5.29%. There's one ultra-high-yield overlap between Berkshire's and NEAM's portfolios -- Kraft Heinz. NEAM also owns another food company with an exceptionally high dividend payout. Campbell's (NASDAQ: CPB), which is best known for its soups, pays a forward dividend yield of 4.99%. Two real estate investment trusts (REITs) are also in the mix. Realty Income 's (NYSE: O) forward dividend yield is 5.6%. Lamar Advertising 's (NASDAQ: LAMR) yield is 4.99%. Finally, Buffett owns a stake in telecommunications giant Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) via NEAM's portfolio. Verizon's forward dividend yield is a lofty 6.22%. The best of the bunch How can we determine which of these ultra-high-yield dividend stocks owned by Buffett is the best of the bunch? We should obviously consider the dividend yield. In addition, the ability of the company to continue paying (and preferably increasing) its dividend is important. Growth prospects and valuation should be included, too. Based on these criteria, I think three of the nine stocks stand out above the rest. Ares Capital's sky-high yield is a big plus. The BDC has either maintained or grown its dividend for 63 consecutive quarters (almost 16 years). It's the leader in the fast-growing private capital market. Ares Capital has also trounced the S&P 500 since its initial public offering in 2004. Verizon is a longtime favorite for income investors. Its juicy dividend appears to be safe with the company's growing free cash flow. Verizon has also increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years. The biggest knock against the telecom provider is that its revenue and earnings growth haven't been spectacular. However, Verizon could enjoy stronger growth going forward once its acquisition of Frontier Communications closes. The best stock overall of the group, in my opinion, is Realty Income. Its dividend yield is very attractive. Even better, the REIT pays its dividend monthly and has increased its dividend for an impressive 30 consecutive years. Realty Income has delivered a positive total operational return every year since its IPO in 1994. Its diversified real estate portfolio, with nearly 1,600 clients representing 91 industries, helps make the company's cash flow stable. The REIT also has strong growth prospects, particularly in Europe, where it faces minimal competition. The main drawback with this stock is its valuation. Realty Income's shares trade at 43 times forward earnings. However, I think the company's sterling track record justifies a premium price tag. Should you invest $1,000 in Realty Income right now? Before you buy stock in Realty Income, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Realty Income wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $976,677!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to180%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Keith Speights has positions in Ares Capital, Berkshire Hathaway, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chevron, Pfizer, Realty Income, and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chevron, Pfizer, and Realty Income. The Motley Fool recommends Campbell's, Kraft Heinz, and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Prediction: This Company Will Be the Robotics Leader, Not Tesla
Key Points While Tesla has talked a big game about its Optimus robot, Amazon just deployed its 1 millionth robot at its fulfillment centers. The company's robots are using AI to help make the company's warehouse operations much more efficient. Meanwhile, it's also using AI in areas like delivery and inventory management. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) gets most of the media attention when it comes to robotics, thanks to its humanoid robot prototype, Optimus, and Elon Musk's bold claims. In fact, last year Musk said that Optimus could eventually be worth more than everything else from Tesla combined. But while Tesla talks about the future of robotics, Amazon 's (NASDAQ: AMZN) robots are already delivering the goods -- both literally and figuratively. In fact, Amazon is already the largest manufacturer and operator of mobile robotics in the world. So if you're looking for the real leader in artificial intelligence (AI) robotics, it's Amazon. 1 million robots and counting Amazon got into the robotics space in 2012 when it acquired Kiva Systems for $775 million. While a small deal at the time, it is really starting to pay dividends for Amazon. Earlier this month, the company surpassed 1 million robots operating inside its fulfillment centers. These robots now assist with about 75% of all customer orders placed through Those are some huge numbers, and they are likely only going to get bigger. The company is soon expected to have more robot workers than human ones. Amazon's robots also aren't just moving packages around. They're sorting inventory, lifting heavy loads, unloading trailers, and increasingly handling complex warehouse tasks. AI gives Amazon an advantage What sets Amazon apart from other robotics companies is how it's using AI to make its robots smarter to improve efficiency. Its Lab126 team is working on a new generation of warehouse robots that can follow voice commands, adjust to problems in real time, and even fix themselves when something breaks. Amazon also just introduced an AI model called DeepFleet to manage and coordinate its entire robot fleet. The goal is to move packages faster and at lower cost by making better decisions about what robots should do and when. These robots also go well beyond moving boxes. They can find specific parts, reroute if an aisle is blocked, and unload trucks without needing everything pre-programmed. Some can even spot damaged items before they're shipped, which should reduce returns and improve customer satisfaction. Robots also don't take breaks or call in sick, which means they can keep working around the clock. Over time, this should lead to faster shipping, lower labor costs, and stronger operating margins in Amazon's core e-commerce business. AI in delivery, inventory, and beyond Robots are just part of Amazon's AI efficiency story. Amazon's new Wellspring system uses AI to map out hard-to-reach delivery locations, such as large apartment complexes and office parks. The data can also be integrated into smart glasses for real-time navigation. This all helps improve delivery times, letting drivers complete more routes per shift. The company is also using AI to fine-tune its inventory and delivery network. Through its SCOT (Supply Chain Optimization Technology) system, Amazon is now able to forecast demand for specific products by taking into account things like regional preferences, weather, and price sensitivity. Ultimately, this keeps inventory closer to customers, helping reduce shipping costs. These improvements are already translating into better operating performance. Last quarter, Amazon's North America segment grew operating income by 16% on just 8% revenue growth. That's great operating efficiency. Is Amazon stock a buy? Of course, robotics is only one part of the Amazon story. Its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is its largest business by profitability, and its fastest growing. Customers continue to turn to Amazon's cloud infrastructure to build, train, and scale their own AI models and apps. Meanwhile, Amazon has developed its own custom AI chips, which help give it a cost advantage. It also has a fast-growing sponsored ads business that is seeing strong growth. When investors think of digital advertising platforms, they generally think of Alphabet 's Google search engine or Meta Platforms ' social media apps, but Amazon is actually the third-largest platform in the world. Meanwhile, the company is using AI to help third-party merchants both improve listings as well as better target potential customers. While the stock has rebounded off its lows this year, the company still trades at a reasonable valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 36 times this year's analyst estimates. That's still below its historical average. Between its strong cloud computing growth, leading e-commerce operations, and the lead it has in automation and robotics, Amazon stock looks like a solid long-term buy. Should you invest $1,000 in Amazon right now? Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $976,677!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to180%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Nearly tapped out: Trump's tariffs and trade winds threaten America's craft brewers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patrons huddle around the 30-foot-long wooden bar at Spiteful Brewing on Chicago's Northside, enjoying drinks, televised sports, and games ranging from darts to Dungeons & Dragons. Article content 'It's a corner tavern without the booze,' says co-founder Jason Klein, noting they only serve beer they brew on-site, not liquor. What customers don't see is the storeroom, where Klein is engaged in another game: playing Tetris with supplies. Article content U.S. President Donald Trump's aluminum tariffs have forced U.S. breweries to consider stockpiling cans as a hedge against rising costs, but for small brewers like Klein, space is limited. Article content Article content 'It's like a puzzle back there for us. We've had to sacrifice on things like grain so we could hook up on cans,' he says. But Klein is facing more than just logistical challenges. Article content Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum in February, citing the need to promote domestic manufacturing and protect national security. He then doubled them to 50 per cent in June, and small brewers are feeling the squeeze. Trade talks are underway, with Canada looking for deals to reduce or avoid Trump's tariffs. Both sides aim to conclude a deal by July 21. If no deal is reached, the tariffs will remain. Meanwhile, higher costs threaten the thin margins and production capacity of smaller U.S. brewers, while trade tensions are limiting export opportunities for the larger ones, particularly in their biggest market, Canada. Article content Article content An industry on the edge Article content American craft brewing took off in the 2010s but has since faced challenges, including oversaturation, COVID, and inflation. 'Everything's gone up,' Klein says. 'Grain has gone up. Hops have gone up. Storage has gone up.' With input prices rising, brewers feel pressure to raise prices but worry about going too far. Article content 'At some point, you're not going to pay $14, $15, $16 for a six pack,' Klein says, noting that sales have already slipped. Article content The whole industry is grappling with this trend. U.S. craft beer production peaked in 2019 and has since declined, according to the Brewers Association. The U.S. craft brewing industry saw a 3.9 per cent drop in barrel production between 2023 and 2024 and a slight decline in its overall U.S. beer market share, dropping to 13.3 per cent. Its retail value grew by 3 per cent to $28.9 billion, but that was largely due to price hikes and strong taproom sales. Article content Aluminum cans are the go-to for US breweries because they are light, easy to ship, and more environmentally friendly, as aluminum is recyclable. As of January, cans accounted for 75 per cent of the craft beer market share, according to Beer Insights, so there was plenty of panic when the tariffs were introduced. Article content Much of the aluminum used for canning in the U.S. comes from domestically recycled products, while just 30 per cent is sourced from raw aluminum, largely from Canada. It's only the raw imports that are directly impacted by tariffs, which means the feared price spikes have been minimal, thus far. Article content But the price of aluminum generally is based on the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the Midwest Premium indices, and while the LME hasn't changed much this year, the Midwest Premium has soared, hitting a record 60 cents per pound in early June — a whopping 161 per cent rise since January. Distributors peg their rates to these indices quarterly. Article content For distributors like Core Cans, a California-based, family-run company specializing in the supply of aluminum cans and other packaging, this has meant only having to raise prices by 3 per cent thus far, says co-founder Kirk Anderson. For Craft Beverage Warehouse, a Midwest distributor, it has been closer to 4 per cent, according to co-founder Kyle Stephens. Article content Article content But the tariffs will continue to put upward pressure on pricing, they warn, and the greater the market uncertainty and the higher the indices go, the more big suppliers and companies buy up greater quantities of aluminum to shore up their inventory. 'That's what impacts us the most,' says Stephens, noting that the reduced supply drives up the price. 'People are out there hedging, buying a ton of aluminum and driving that price up.' Article content By the third and fourth quarters, if the uncertainty continues, Sophie Thong, director of account management for Can-One USA, a manufacturer of aluminum cans in Nashua, NH, says craft brewers should expect prices to rise further. 'In Q3, it will be higher,' she says. Article content Smaller brewers say they have little choice when it comes to suppliers. Most major U.S. suppliers have raised minimum order demands so high that smaller players often rely on distributors or Canadian suppliers to get the smaller orders they can manage. Article content Klein, at Spiteful Brewing, noted that the Trump administration wants the industry to source their cans domestically but that he has to work with his Canadian supplier because his former U.S. distributor raised its minimal order from a single truckload, with 200,000 cans, to five truckloads – a whopping 1 million cans he doesn't have enough room to store. Article content Also, for many brewers, buying two or more times the normal amount is about more than just the space. 'It has a negative effect on cash flow, too,' Klein adds. Article content Faced with these challenges, many in the industry are finding creative ways around the pinch. Article content For distributors and suppliers, this means working with clients to keep costs at a minimum. Craft Beverage Warehouse, for example, has adopted shared shipping, which involves reaching out to breweries by region to see if they want to be part of a group order to reduce shipping costs. Article content For breweries, some are storing as much as they can, leaning on taproom sales, and diversifying their products. 'If their beer volume is going down, maybe they're making a hop water or, if a state allows it, they might be making a hemp-derived THC product,' Stephens says. Article content Canada is the biggest foreign market for American craft brewers, making up 38 per cent of U.S. craft beer exports as of early 2025. But now, amid Trump's trade war, they're dealing with rising input costs as well as retaliatory bans on the sale of U.S. alcohol in major provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and others. Article content Last month, Alberta lifted its three-month ban on U.S. alcohol sales, but it remains in place elsewhere, and Ontario and Nova Scotia recently announced they would not order liquor stores to restock U.S. products. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been vocal about the impact. Article content 'Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore,' he said. In 2024, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario reported more than $6.2 million worth of sales of beer from New England alone. Article content While most small craft brewers don't export their products, larger ones do, and they stand to lose tens of millions of dollars in lost sales in 2025 alone as a result of the Canadian sales ban. This is another trade irritant irking the U.S., according to US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Article content Like he did with Canada's now-dead Digital Services Tax, Trump may soon target these Canadian sales bans for leverage in the ongoing trade talks. Article content The final pint? Article content Craft brewing was a tough business before the tariffs. Last year, for the first time in two decades, more U.S. craft breweries closed than opened. Now, with packaging costs rising and trade uncertainty mounting, it's enough to drive some brewers to … well, drink, and hope for policy shifts. Article content Klein says policymakers should understand the demands Trump's tariffs are putting on smaller businesses. Article content 'I think the policymakers need to understand that the only thing they're doing is increasing costs for small businesses,' he says, noting how they're punishing him for buying aluminum cans, which he can't source in America. Article content Many American craft brewers notably do use U.S.-based distributors and suppliers, and Can One-USA, for example, set up shop just over a year ago to meet the needs of these smaller players, offering smaller minimum orders and warehousing options. But brewers with domestic supply chains are still facing higher prices, thanks to the market uncertainty. Article content Article content If trade tensions escalate, Klein warns that many small breweries may not make it. Article content 'If the trade war escalated such that you couldn't buy cans cost-effectively from Canada or from somewhere else, and the American companies didn't lower their prices or lower their minimum order quantities, I think that would absolutely affect what we could do in the future.' Article content As U.S. craft brewers grapple with soaring aluminum costs and squeezed margins, the retaliatory Canadian sales bans on American beer and liquor add a painful blow, cutting off their biggest export market and threatening millions in sales. Article content
