A project for The Global Cold Chain Alliance

The cold chain

Click to enlarge.

Picking cartons to pallet in a chilled dairy distribution center.

The “cold chain” is that part of a supply chain that must be temperature controlled. This is typical of much food, which must be either refrigerated or frozen. It is also the case with many medical supplies, such as vaccines.

The three main components of cost are picking, storage, handling. Of these, the cost of picking is hardest to estimate accurately, partly because it depends on storage and handling. Here are some other factors that affect pick rates.

The project

Click to enlarge.

Picking cartons to pallet in a frozen-food distribution center.

Build a model that will enable someone to design a case-picking operation in a cold-chain environment or to evaluate performance of such an operation.

This will require answering such questions as: What factors are most important? Exactly how do they affect productivity?

This project will likely involve lots of interaction with cold chain DCs in the area. You will likely need to provide your own transportation.

Data

The company data is copyrighted and proprietary. You may use it for the purposes of this course only. (If you would like to use it for something else, please contact me to discuss.)