North Texas Food BankPassionately pursuing a hunger-free community

Senior Design 2009

Allison GriffinMegan WalkerPragya Lohani

Background Current Agency Pick-ups process at NTFB

• First come, First Serve

• Multiple agency orders being loaded at the same time• Increased wait time, disorganization, agency frustration

• Use of one dock• 5 docks available

• Use of one fork lift for loading• More than one fork lift available

• Frozen item palettes created once agency arrives• Increased wait time

• Pick-n-Weigh

P & W

Sign - InX XX XX

• Flow charts• Navisions

• Amount of food ordered in lbs• Pick and Weigh

• Calculation of different metrics – Actual Observations• Amount of food loaded/min• Total time taken for the entire process• Time taken for each sub-process

• Forecasting of P&W lbs• Divided agencies into categories depending on their P&W order for

the year

Analysis of the Situation

P & W

Sign - InXX

• Inputs

• Timeslots required per agency

• Number of Days and Preferences

• Number of Docks and Preferences

• Agency Day Preferences

• Patterns

• Generates timeslot options

• Bounded by largest agency requirement

• Incompatible patterns calculated

Creating the Model

• Constraints

• Assigns one agency per timeslot, dock, and day

• Objective Function

• Cost on patterns

• Cost on docks

• Cost on days

• Agency Preferences

More About the Model

• Constraints

• Distribution Center open for 3 days

• # of Docks open : 2

• Open : 7 ½ hours

• NTFB preference given to Day 1

Example Model I

Output 1 Time Slots Dy 1 D 1 Dy 1 D 2 Dy 2 D 1 Dy 2 D 2 Dy 3 D 1 Dy 3 D 2

7:15 A3 A 24 A 25 A 15 A1 A 467:30 A 44 A 59 A 60 A 10 A 48 A 267:45 A 38 A 53 A 40 A 50 A 21 A68:00 A 54 A8 A 16 A 418:15 A 23 A 17 A 34 A19 A 56 A 518:30 A9 A 22 8:45 A 39 A 29 A 55 A 30 A 11 A 369:00 A 28 A 58 9:15 A 35 A 57 9:30 A 18 A 47 A 45 A4 A 31 9:45 A 27 A 43

10:00 A 33 A5 A 1310:15 A14 A 12 A 49 A 20 10:30 10:45 A7 A 42 11:00 11:15 A2 11:30 A 32 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:30 A 5212:45 1:00 A 37 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 2:15 2:30

• NTFB has no preference for any of the 3 days

• Constraints

• Distribution Center open for 3 days

• # Docks : 2

• Open : 7 ½ hours

Model Output 2

Model Output 2

Time Slots Dy 1 D 1 Dy 1 D 2 Dy 2 D 1 Dy 2 D 2 Dy 3 D 1 Dy 3 D 2

7:15 A 54 A 47 A 39 A 35 A 6 A 43

7:30 A 29 A 27 A 25 A 10 A 28 A 26

7:45 A 24 A 57 A44 A 59 A 23 A 33

8:00 A 22 A 17 A 60 A 15 A 41 A 48

8:15 A 40 A 7 A 9 A 50 A 38 A 16

8:30 A5 A 18 A 53

8:45 A 12 A 42 A 14 A 19 A 21 A 46

9:00 A 58 A 8

9:15 A2 A 34 A4 A3 A 51

9:30 A 32 A1

9:45 A 30 A 56 A 55

10:00 A 49

10:15 A 11

10:30 A 52 A 45 A 13

10:45 A 31

11:00 A 37 A 36

11:15 A 20

11:30

11:45

12:00

12:15

12:30

• NTFB has preference for the first day

• Constraints

• Distribution Center open for 3 days

• # Docks : 4

• Open : 5 hours Day 1

1 ½ hours Day 2 and 3

Another variation of the Model

Model Output Time Slots Dy 1 D 1 Dy 1 D 2 Dy 1 D 3 Dy 1 D 4 Dy 2 D 1 Dy 2 D 2 Dy 2 D 3 Dy 2 D 4 Dy 3 D 1 Dy 3 D 2 Dy 3 D 3 Dy 3 D 4

7:15 A8 A33 A27 A17 A 14 A 45 A20 A49 A41 A6 A16 A26

7:30 A54 A39 A9 A48 A21 A51 A46 A 56

7:45 A23 A25 A 57 A 60 A1 A36

8:00 A24 A38 A5 A44 A55 A13 A11 A31

8:15 A30 A35 A 47 A28

8:30 A53 A 58 A22 A 59

8:45 A10 A40 A49 A18 A15

9:00 A3 A12

9:15 A7 A19 A34

9:30 A 42

9:45 A4 A52 A37

10:00 A32

10:15

10:30 A2

10:45

11:00

11:15

11:30

11:45

12:00

• Consider a new Inventory System

• Navisions is not advanced enough for statistical analysis

•Use of AMPL Model

• Open up more docks if number of agencies in a given week is large

• Have preferences given to a certain day or dock

• Preferences of agencies taken into account

• Having equal preferences divides agencies equally

• Work load balance for the workers

• Schedule of Agencies

• Allows time for frozen items to be prepared when an agency is in P & W

•Look into another model that could use this model / concept

Recommendations

Weekly Schedule of Agency Pick-Ups

Streamlined ProcessHappy Workers and Agencies

End Results

Distribution increased by over 1 million pounds in the month of

July