NEW DESIGN APPROACH FOR OIL PALM TRANSPORTATION PROCESSES USING KANO MODEL AND QFD

Existing transportation systems have been extensively developed to serve a variety of needs. While most systems of agricultural product transportation are designed for multi-purpose functions, farming activities and agro-processing industries may need specific types of transportation. The main focus of this study was to find a design to fulfil customer transportation requirements for oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs). Since more than 70% of Thai oil palm farmers operate at a small scale with an average oil palm plantation area of 3 to 5 ha, the challenge is not to further develop advanced technology to transport FFBs, but to develop a new design approach that fits the basic needs of farmers. Kano model, based on customer requirements for the oil palm FFB transportation processes, was integrated with quality function deployment method to identify significant design attributes and vehicle specification details. Three dimensions of cost structure-the economic monetary value, time required to complete each step, and product quality-were further considered to compare new transportation design with an existing one. The results verified that the proposed design showed a substantial potential to reduce the cost and processing time of transportation and to increase product quality.