TITLE:
Optimize the Transport Cost and Environmental Impact of Whey Collection: A Case Study in the Region Trentino A. A. (Italy)
AUTHORS:
Luca Iseppi, Franco Rosa, Mario Taverna
KEYWORDS:
Dairy Chain, Whey Production, Network Theory, Transportation Whey Optimization, Sustainability
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Operations Research,
Vol.7 No.3,
May
4,
2017
ABSTRACT: The scope of this research is to elaborate a strategy to minimize the logistic cost of the whey collection. The problem consists of the description of the whey collection basin and transport from CP (Cheese plant) to WPP (Whey processing plant). We started with an initial basic solution and proceeded with successive iterations to find the final optimal solution. Two numeric methods are proposed to solve iteratively the problem: the first one emulates the simplex method, the second one is an empirical solution to find the optimal route. Both are solved with an Excel and Google map software and do not require a dedicated LP program for calculus. The results demonstrate that both methods contribute to solve the transport problem and generate valuable information for the achievement of economic and environmental targets.