Paper

The Hog Case Problem Case Study: Integrated Logistics

Executive Summary

This paper examines the logistics plan for a hog slaughtering plant located in Brandon, Manitoba. The plant slaughters 2.5 million hogs annually over 50 weeks. Hogs are trucked into Brandon from all over Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan. This paper will develop a typical week’s shipping pattern, as well as describe a typical day. I will determine the size and composition of the trucking fleet that will be required to deliver 50,000 hogs per week. This paper will provide a decision regarding the use of our own trucks or the option of hiring a company owned fleet.

Issue Identification

The daily schedule of the slaughter operation runs from 7 am to 5 pm. The slaughter operation kills 1000 pigs per hour equally a daily total of 10,000 hogs. Therefore the consistent operation of the slaughter facility is one of the long- term issues that will need to be addressed.

Hogs are required to be penned for four hours after delivery to the plant prior to slaughtering. Slaughtering them too quickly results in a poorer quality of meat. This will have implications for the plant’s number of pens, and the management of the daily inventory in order to keep the facility running at full capacity.

Interruptions will occur if the hogs do not arrive on time, or in the right numbers. There are also restrictions on pick- up times. The plant dispatches its own trucks, so a tight schedule must be arranged in order to maintain proper balance in scheduling.

In order for the facility to run at a balanced capacity, 4000 hogs must be penned overnight for slaughter beginning every morning.

The number and size of the pens that will be required to host hog inventory will have to be determined. An appropriate “overnight” inventory level must be established, and uncertainties will have to be dealt with quickly and efficiently in order for the facility to run efficiently.

The main issue to be...

Full...