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Excel algorithm for equalizing item usage like cars & printers

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    Excel algorithm for equalizing item usage like cars & printers

    My company has a fleet of vehicles and printers and other things like that. What I want to do is make something that allows me to swap around these items so that they all end up with equal usage. I like to have all the same items with all the same years of manufacture for certain functions. That way I know the problems that occur with that model and do not have to learn about how to fix twenty different makes & models of cars and printers and keep parts for all on hand. So, I want to develop a spreadsheet that I can record mileage for each vehicle and the page count for each printer, at regular intervals move the printer or vehicle around so at the end of 5 years I have all my vehicles being equally used and can replace them all at once. Excel, I know enough about excel but little about high end math. Does anyone have an idea about where to start?

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    Re: Excel algorithm for equalizing item usage like cars & printers

    I am not aware of any pre-programmed files for something like this. I know there are several "resource allocation" examples out there, most of them seem to use the built in Solver as the main engine. A few resources for research:
    looks like a decent introduction to Solver, including a resource allocation example: http://faculty.insead.edu/delquie/ms...g%20Solver.pdf
    A list of examples, including resource allocation examples, by Solver's programmers: http://www.solver.com/examples-optimization-problems
    Another tutorial/example of a resource allocation problem: https://www.exceldemy.com/allocating...-using-solver/

    There are probably others. From what I can see, the overview of the problem involves:
    1) Measure "equality of use" in some way. (I saw some references to a "skewness algorithm" almost always referring to computing resources in cloud computing, but the basic idea seems the same).
    2) Use Solver or similar tool to optimize "equality of use".

    I would suggest that you look through some of these resources so you understand what you are up against. I suspect that the most difficult part of this is figuring out how to measure/calculate "equality of use".
    Quote Originally Posted by shg
    Mathematics is the native language of the natural world. Just trying to become literate.

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