OPTIMAL SCHEDULING OF ROAD VEHICLES IN THE MARYBOROUGH SUGARCANE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

THE SCHEDULING of a road transport system within a sugar mill is a complex task due to the need to effectively service several harvesters at different locations and keep a continuous supply of cane for mill processing, given a limited vehicle and trailer fleet. Mathematical programming methods provide a means to assist traffic officers to schedule the pick up of full trailers from the farms more efficiently. This reduces the time that harvesters spend waiting for empty trailers and reduces vehicle idle time, leading to a potential reduction in the number of vehicle shifts needed and a more reliable cane supply. A mathematical model, which can be used on a standard PC, was applied to assess the transport impacts of strategic options that the Maryborough region is investigating. These options, which could not be evaluated in the past in such detail, include transporting the cane trash to the mill for electricity co-generation and extending the time window of harvest to improve transport efficiency. When the model is used as an operational tool, the average vehicle idle time at the mill is predicted to be reduced by about 90%, and the number of vehicles needed to service the harvesters could be reduced. The model is adaptable to other sugar mill regions based on road transport including a just-in-time harvesting to transport to milling interface.