Optimization of Equipment and Labor for Seed Processing and Bagging Systems

ABSTRACT A seed processing and bagging plant represents a large investment; therefore it is important that an opti-mum design be selected. A dynamic simulation called PACASACS (Loewer et al., 1979b) has been developed which provides a method of evaluating a proposed design, but offers no recommendations about the sizes, numbers, and types of equipment to be employed. A new program called JAWS (Joint Analysis of Warehousing and Sacking) has been developed which provides its user with an optimum design by using a network approach similar to that used by Bridges et al., (1979) and Loewer et al. (1979a). A typical seed processing and bagging system is com-posed of cleaner(s), spiral separators, bagging machine(s), forklift(s), seed conveyors and labor. Labor is composed of bagging persons and pallet persons. Bag-ging persons obtain an empty bag from a local bag storage and position it on the bagging machine. Pallet persons perform three duties: (a) receiving a full bag from the end of the bagging belt and placing it on a pallet; (2) operating a forklift; and (c) retrieving an empty pallet from the local pallet storage and positioning it in the pallet site area. Typically, seed flows in a continuous path through a seed processing system as shown in Fig. 1. The unit with the least capacity controls the flow through the process-ing plant. The system can also be viewed as a network. Using the network approach, the computer design pro-gram JAWS was developed to aid the contractor, equip-ment dealer and engineer in selecting the most satis-factory design. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were: (a) to present an optimization model that sizes and prices the various components of a seed processing and bagging system; and (b) to demonstrate how the pro-gram can be used to design the most economical seed processing and bagging system based on user supplied specifications.