Optimization of production planning and scheduling in the molded pulp industry

Abstract

The objective of this research is studying the optimization of the decisions involved on the production planning and scheduling in the pulp molded industry. Production of molded pulp products retrieve the aggregated value of big volumes of post-consumer paper, reducing significantly the environmental impact involved disposing this material. Furthermore, molded pulp products are ecologically and economically more appropriated than other kind of material, as styrofoam. Thus, efficiency in production activities in this kind of industry is very important in economical and environmental aspects. The demand of the molded pulp products has incremented in the last years, making more important and challenging the production planning and scheduling activities. Decisions involved in the production planning are related to the generation of the processes through the products are produced, and the lot sizing and scheduling of these processes. Previous research about production planning and scheduling in this kind of industry considered the lot sizing and scheduling decisions in a plant of molded pulp packages for eggs and fruits. In that research were proposed two mixed integer mathematical models for representing the decisions involved. Solutions obtained by the models were appropriated and competitive compared with the schedule of a particular plant. In an attempt to propose approaches more efficient with more realistic aspects that allow generate plausible schedule that can be implemented easily in real contexts, this research pretend extend the previous models that assist the optimization activities in the production planning and scheduling in the molded pulp industry. These approaches will integrate decisions about the processes generation (molding patterns) with the lot sizing and scheduling. This project pretend show that these optimization approaches will be effective to assist the decision making process in the production planning and scheduling in the molded pulp industry. (AU)