Operation analysis of cane harvest and transport in Barbados

Abstract

The survival of the Barbados economy is largely dependent on the foreign exchange received from the export of sugar; therefore, it is important that the sugar industry operate in an efficient and productive manner. Economic and labour pressures have rapidly changed the structure of the industry during the last several years, resulting in many concerns requiring management decisions.

This study examines three problem areas:

1. The optimal allocation of plantation cane to sugar factories in order to minimize cane movement is considered in a linear programming framework. This format is subsequently modified to study future factory requirements and to evaluate development plans proposed by management.

2. The introduction of machines has expanded the choice of harvesting systems available to plantation management but the resultant agronomic implications and the high investment involved complicates decisions about machinery selection. A procedure combining simulation and budgeting techniques is developed to provide an economic and agronomic comparison of alternative cane harvesting systems.

3. The change towards mechanized harvest has also introduced problems in the cane delivery section of the industry. A simulation model is developed to study the operational relationships between plantation and factory production with the view to identifying underutilized facilities and to test corrective actions.