Browsing by Author "Kritzinger, Chris (Cornelis Christiaan)"
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- ItemThe development of generic modelling software for citrus packing processes(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-03) Kritzinger, Chris (Cornelis Christiaan); Bekker, James F.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was initiated in October 2004 when Vizier Systems (Pty) Ltd approached the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch with a concept. They proposed that a fruit packing line be represented as a series of unit operations and suggested that the concept could be used to create a generic model that can be used to represent any packing line. After further discussions with Vizier about the concept and their reasons for requiring a generic model, a formal client requirement was formulated. It was decided that the generic modelling concept had to be tested in the citrus industry. Modelling theory was investigated and a generic modelling methodology was formulated by adapting an existing modelling methodology. The first few steps of the developed methodology led to industry data being gathered and several role-players in the citrus export industry being visited. An analysis of the data enabled the development of the necessary techniques to do distribution estimation and forecasting of the system input, which is fruit. The various processes were grouped into generic groups and detailed capacity calculations were developed for each process. The fruit parameter estimation techniques and capacity calculations were integrated into a five step modelling procedure. Once the generic model was set up to represent a specific packing line, the modelling procedure provided optimum flow rates, equipment setups and personnel allocations for defined production runs. The modelling procedure was then translated into a computer model. This allowed a complete capacity analysis of a packing line by incrementally varying the characteristics of the fruit input. The developed generic model was validated by comparing its predictions to the results of two production runs at an existing packing line. It was found that the generic model is able to adequately represent the packing line and that the fruit inputs and outputs can be accurately estimated. The concept proposed by Vizier, that a packing line can be generically modelled as a series of unit operations, was shown to be valid.