Warehouse location in a developing country: Problems in formulating the problem

The paper examines the problems faced in trying to find the optimal location and dimension of warehouses for grain storage in a co-operative in the south of Brazil. Implicit in the study was the decision between large centrally located warehouses and a network of small decentralized silos. Here the authors examine the political and social factors which were involved in the study and which led to a complete reformulation of the initial problem.