This summer I joined Optioryx as a computer science engineering intern. As I had been curious about working in a start-up environment for a while, I am grateful for receiving this opportunity.
Optioryx's goal is to help companies transport less air by providing two services. On the one hand, they offer a box packing algorithm to determine the smallest box in which an order can fit. On the other hand, Optioryx can optimise the dimensions of the assortment of boxes a certain warehouse needs. These services result in significant economic advantages whilst decreasing carbon emissions.
My goal was to come up with creative new concepts that could improve Optioryx's box packing algorithm. A project I was very eager to work on, since improving sustainability through computer science is one of my main interests. In close collaboration with the founders (Bart & Gilles), I came up with lots of promising ideas, implemented these, and compared these to the company's current algorithm in terms of speed and accuracy.
We did hit some roadblocks along the way, as some very promising early ideas ended up being less useful than expected. However we kept going and I am proud to say that in this short period, we managed to gain important insights and create real added value to the algorithm.
Overall my internship has been a great learning experience and I am looking forward to working with Gilles and Bart in the future.
Cedric Helewaut