Web-Based Integer Programming Decision Support System for Walnut Processing Planning: The MeliFen Case

Chile is among the largest walnut producers and exporters globally, thanks to a favorable nut growth and production environment. Despite an increasingly competitive market, the literature offers little scientific advice regarding decision support systems (DSSs) for the nut sector. In particular, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAgriculture (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 430
Main Authors Brunner-Parra, Carlos F., Croquevielle-Rendic, Luis A., Monardes-Concha, Carlos A., Urra-Calfuñir, Bryan A., Avanzini, Elbio L., Correa-Vial, Tomás
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2022
Subjects
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Applications programs
Artificial intelligence
Comparative analysis
Corporate image
Costs
Decision making
decision support system
Decision support systems
Design
Exports
Farmers
Information systems
Integer programming
Literature reviews
Mathematical programming
Nuts
Optimization
Production planning
Remote sensing
Supply chains
walnut processing planning
Walnuts
web application
China
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Summary:Chile is among the largest walnut producers and exporters globally, thanks to a favorable nut growth and production environment. Despite an increasingly competitive market, the literature offers little scientific advice regarding decision support systems (DSSs) for the nut sector. In particular, the literature does not present optimization approaches to support decision-making in walnut supply chain management, especially the processing planning. This work provides a DSS that allows the exporter to plan walnut processing decisions taking into account the quality of the raw material, such as size, color, variety, and external and internal defects, in order to maximize the benefits of the business. To formalize the problem, an integer programming model is proposed. The DSS was implemented via a web application for MeliFen, a walnut exporter located near Santiago, Chile. A comparative analysis of the last two years revealed that MeliFen increased its profit by approximately 9.8% using this tool. We also suggest other uses that this DSS provides, besides profit maximization.
ISSN:2077-0472
2077-0472
DOI:10.3390/agriculture12030430