Linear programming based decision support system for grapes transport planning in CAPEL

This research is about developing a decision support system (DSS) for the distribution of grapes and grape must in a Chilean cooperative, Cooperativa Agricola Pisquera Elqui Limitada (CAPEL). CAPEL is dedicated to producing and distributing several beverages such as sparkling wines, beers, energy drinks, rum, and pisco. This work aims to support the grinding-related transport stage through a linear programming based DSS, in order to find the optimal use of the transport demand in a network based on source and destination plants during the harvest season. To achieve this aim, an operational research (OR) model that feeds the DSS is developed, whose objective function seeks to minimize the total transport cost. The decision variables define the grape cargo to be transported from a source plant to a destination plant. The OR model uses constraints such as transportation demand, grinding capacity, maximum storage, and available grape in plants. The model succeeded in reducing the total transport costs by 14% for the 2017 season of the pisco-making process, meaning approximately savings of 59 million Chilean pesos.