A BI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMISATION HARVEST AND PACK PLANNING DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR TABLE GRAPE PRODUCER-EXPORTERS

Abstract

This paper presents a decision-support system developed to plan the harvest and packing of table grapes. Variability in harvest readiness and volume can significantly impact producer-exporters’ ability to meet market demands. The decision-support system incorporates planning aspects specific to table grape production, such as limiting transportation of unpacked stock, pack-to-order, and distinguishing between specific product requirements (i.e., packaging type and cultivar). This decision-support system uses several operational data sources. It assists decision-makers in minimising deviation from the demand plan and the distances harvest is transported between the orchards and processing sites. The conceptual architecture and software implementation tools to realise the decision-support system and a real-world case study are presented. The decision-support system accounts for multiple dynamic supply and processing network restrictions.