Production scheduling in the snack-food industry

To solve a scheduling problem in a food-processing company where production is organized as a flow shop, I applied a theoretical scheduling approach that realized cost savings. Bluebird Foods Ltd., New Zealand, is a successful snack-food manufacturing company, with a major share of the market in New Zealand and the Asia–Pacific region. It produces over 700 different kinds of snacks and shelf-stable food products. Bluebird manufactures and packs its products on several flow lines in its Auckland plant. To satisfy customer demand as quickly as possible, the company produces to stock and keeps minimum stock levels for all products.