Operational Efficiency and Operational Optimization Questions and Answers Essay

Words: 1376
Pages: 6

Operational Efficiency & Operational Optimization

Sa – Situation Anlysis

Pa – Problem Analysis

Da – Decission Analysis

Pa – Probabilty Analysis

1) Suppose that a peak harvest-season day involves 18,000 barrels of berries, 70% of them wet harvested, arriving uniformly over a twelve-hour period from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and process initiates as soon as the first truck arrives.

a) At what time during the day, would the trucks start queuing up to upload?

Answer: - Trucks carrying wet berries will have to wait to unload during the day because the incoming arrival rate is 1050 is greater than processing rate 600. The Trucks arriving with dry berries will not have to wait as processing is greater than
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The best solution is to acquire2 additional drying unit and advancing the processing

Nonetheless, when making the decision to purchase a new dryer, the company should also consider the useful life of the dryer being purchased. If the dryer cannot be utilized for long or fully, it might be detrimental for the company and in the end the benefits of purchasing an additional dryer might not be recognized.

3) Any other recommendation (apart from the obvious investment decision in Light Meter System)? (Weight: 10%)

Answer: - Firstly, there are high payroll and overtime costs due to absenteeism and irregularity of the plant's operating times. These lead to difficulty in scheduling workers to meet the shift demands and an overload on the payroll. Long waiting times for the trucks due to the capacity of receiving food are also upsetting the growers who leased the trucks. Finally, there is an inaccuracy in the grading of berries. Nonetheless, when making the decision to purchase a new dryer, the company should also consider the useful life of the dryer being purchased. If the dryer cannot be utilized for long or fully, it might be detrimental for the company and in the end the benefits of purchasing an additional dryer might not be recognized.
Moreover, the company now needs to consider restructuring some of its processes as the supply of wet berries is significantly getting higher compared to dry berries, which