Cel THE COLLECTION OF MILK FROM DISPERSED FARMS OFTEN OCCURS IN AN INEFFICIENT WAY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO OPTIMIZE ENERGY AND COSTS SAVINGS BY USING COMPUTERIZED ROUTING TECHNIQUES AND BY RATIONALISING THE CATCHMENT AREAS IN ORDER TO AVOID DUPLICATION AND OVERLAP. COMPUTER TECHNIQUES FOR DERIVING AN EFFICIENT ROUTING SYSTEM IN TERMS OF COST OR ENERGY SAVINGS ARE RELATIVELY WELL KNOWN AND THERE ARE A VARIETY OF ROUTING PACKAGES AVAILABLE. THERE ARE HOWEVER DIFFICULTIES IN APPLYING GENERAL SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF MILK COLLECTION WHERE THE LOCATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL FARMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NATURAL BARRIERS SUCH AS LAKES OR MOUNTAINS. THE STUDY COMPRISED TWO DISTINCT PARTS. THE FIRST WAS CONCERNED WITH MODELLING THE MILK ASSEMBLY OPERATIONS AND WITH USING THE MODEL DEVELOPED, TO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF RATIONALISING CATCHMENT AREAS OR DECREASING FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION ON TOTAL ASSEMBLY COSTS AND ENERGY USAGE. THE IMPACT OF CHANGES IN FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION WAS CONSIDERED. THE LESS FREQUENTLY MILK IS COLLECTED FROM A GIVEN STOP, THE GREATER THE QUANTITY OF MILK AT THE STOP WHEN IT IS COLLECTED. THE COSTS OF COLLECTION TEND TO FALL AS THE QUANTITY OF MILK COLLECTED PER STOP INCREASES. HOWEVER, LESS FREQUENT COLLECTION INVOLVES INCREASED STORAGE AND REFRIGERATION CAPACITY ON FARMS. THE INCREASED ON-FARM COSTS ARE QUANTIFIED AND THESE ARE COMPARED TO THE TRANSPORT SAVINGS. THE NET BENEFIT IS FOUND TO DEPEND VERY MUCH ON THE FEATURES OF THE REGION BEING CONSIDERED. IN THE SECOND PART, THE VALUE OF AVAILABLE COMPUTER PACKAGES AS A TOOL IN REDUCING TRANSPORT COSTS AND ENERGY USAGE WAS ASSESSED. THE PACKAGES WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF MILEAGE SAVED, DIFFICULTY OF OPERATION, ETC. A COMPARISON OF THE COST/ENERGY EFFICIENCIES FOR COLLECTIONS MADE DAILY, EVERY TWO DAYS AND EVERY THREE DAYS WAS ALSO CARRIED OUT. FROM THEIR ENQUIRIES IT APPEARED THAT ROUTING BY THE USE OF COMPUTER PACKAGES IS COMPARATIVELY RARE IN THE COMMUNITY. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE DAIRY INDUSTRY HAS FOUND THE PACKAGES, AT PRESENT AVAILABLE, WANTING IN SOME RESPECT. THEIR INABILITY TO DEAL OPTIMALLY WITH A MULTI-DEPOT PROBLEM; THE NECESSITY IN PRACTICE TO AMEND MANUALLY THE ROUTES PRODUCED BY THE COMPUTER ARE REASONS WHY THE DAIRY INDUSTRY MIGHT REJECT COMPUTER ROUTING. Program(-y) PRE-ENNONUC 2C - Energy research and development programme (EEC), 1979-1983 Temat(-y) Data not available Zaproszenie do składania wniosków Data not available System finansowania Data not available Koordynator THE AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE Wkład UE Brak danych Adres ECONOMICS AND RURAL WELFARE RESEARCH CENTRE 19 SANDYMOUNT AVENUE DUBLIN 4 Irlandia Zobacz na mapie Koszt całkowity Brak danych
