Lukas Chabada

Sales and operations planning: responding to the needs of industrial food producers

This paper investigates sales and operations planning (S&OP) at four Scandinavian industrial food producers in order to explore how the use of S&OP might help leaders to deal with the challenges set by the planning environment. Variables connected to the product and market, e.g. frequency of new product development, customer service levels and supply uncertainty, were identified as particularly critical for the S&OP process. It was found that there is great potential for S&OP in the food industry, foremost to cope with the imbalances between demand and supply and to create prerequisites for a stable production process.

Lean Six Sigma and environmental sustainability: the case of a Norwegian dairy producer

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the continuous process industry, taking an insight into the food processing industry; and to evaluate the impact of LSS on environmental sustainability. The authors present observations and experiences from the application of LSS at a Norwegian dairy producer, with the aim of bringing out pertinent factors and useful insights that help us to understand how LSS can contribute toward greater environmental sustainability in this industry type, something that is so far lacking in the extant literature. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt a single, longitudinal field study approach as we observe an entire cycle of the VSM-DMAIC (value stream mapping-define, measure, analyze, improve and control) LSS process, which evolved over a six-month period at the dairy. Findings The authors highlight some of the important elements that should be considered when using LSS as a contributor toward greater environmental sustainability in fresh-food supply chains. The authors also present some of the specific outcomes and key success criteria that became apparent to the implementation team following the deployment of the VSM-DMAIC approach. Originality/value The authors demonstrate how LSS can be applied in the food processing industry as a contributor to greater environmental sustainability. The authors also make useful reflections regarding the success criteria that can be used by researchers and practitioners for the effective deployment of such an approach, particularly in the continuous process industry.

Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Towards a Framework for Waste Identification

Reduction of waste in food supply chains is an important sustainability issue. More efficient utilisation and management of the resources and values created in food supply chains can contribute to improving competitiveness, and environmental and social responsibility. This study uses the seven wastes approach from lean theory to classify categories of waste in fresh food supply chains and to identify at which stage of the supply chain waste occur. A case is used to illustrate the applicability of the classification. The analysis identifies four categories of waste in the fresh food supply chain; time, distance, energy and mass. The study indicates that the majority of waste is hidden in time, energy and mass categories, related to overproduction, defects and transportation.

Sustainable food supply chains: the impact of automatic replenishment in grocery stores

Abstract The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of automatic replenishment on food waste metrics in grocery stores. The work has been designed as a case study focusing on the replenishment process among various stores and a single warehouse. Food waste metrics of products ordered through an automatic replenishment program are compared against products ordered manually. Specifically we contrast food waste, remaining shelf life and availability at the stores for a variety of products with different shelf life. The study suggests that by utilising an automatic replenishment program the stores can reduce their level of food waste by up to 20% and their products have a longer remaining shelf life without compromising on-shelf availability. The study also indicates that the impact of the automatic replenishment program is dependent on the product’s shelf life. Those products with a shelf life of between 51 and 110 days experience the highest impact, while products with a shelf life below 30 days experience a low or even negative impact. The study extends the current understanding of automatic replenishment programs. The key point for practitioners is to apply appropriate replenishment programs according to the product characteristics and especially the shelf life.

Logistical Causes of Food Waste: A Case Study of a Norwegian Distribution Chain of Chilled Food Products

This study discusses logistical planning and handling activities contributing to food waste in the food distribution chain of chilled products with fixed shelf life and with an age dependent deterioration rate. The study has exploratory character and all the findings are based on the case study investigation from six Norwegian companies. The causes of food waste as identified in the case companies are grouped into four areas, namely planning decisions, data utilisation, execution of plan, and damaged products. Quantitative data indicates that for chilled products with fixed shelf life, logistical planning seems to have higher impact on financial losses from food waste than physical handling.

Linkage Between Delivery Frequency and Food Waste: Multiple Case Studies of a Norwegian Retail Chain

The main objective of this paper is to investigate linkage between delivery frequency and food waste of chilled products by testing the hypothesis – the higher the delivery frequency, the lower the food waste. Multiple case studies have been used to test the hypothesis. Food waste ratios of five product groups have been compared in three delivery frequency scenarios, namely low delivery frequency, medium delivery frequency and high delivery frequency scenario. Moreover, food waste ratios of different product groups have been compared to each other within each delivery frequency scenario. The findings show a strong negative correlation between delivery frequency and the food waste ratio for each investigated product group, which supports the hypothesis. On the other hand, food waste ratios among different product groups within the same delivery frequency scenarios vary significantly.