CASE STUDY

Optimizing Packing and Shipping: A Case Study of Young's Plant Farm with AMPL

Building the Solution with fast run times

The AMPL system is capable of processing massive datasets with millions of variables and constraints, while enabling results within an efficient timeframe for immediate impact. 

Implementation and Result of Optimization

Minimized wasted space on shipping racks, reduced packing time, and on-time deliveries, ultimately lead to greater efficiency and cost savings.

Young's Plant Farm Logo

INDUSTRY

Logistics & Supply Chain Management

WORKFLOWS OPTIMIZED BY AMPL

Packing Optimization

INTEGRATIONS

AMPL Optimization Model with VBA-modified Spreadsheet

KEYWORDS

Packing Optimization

AMPL

Logistics

Supply Chain Management

VBA

Shipping Optimization

JUMP TO SECTION

An Overview of Optimizing the Final Step: Packing Efficiency

The world of logistics and supply chain management is a meticulous orchestration, ensuring goods seamlessly flow from origin to end user. While transportation, inventory control, and planning are vital components, a seemingly basic task often holds the key to success: packing.

Packing stands as the final frontier, where careful space utilization and efficient organization directly impact factors like:

Shipping Costs

Efficient packing minimizes wasted space, potentially reducing the number of trucks needed and lowering overall shipping expenses.

Delivery Times

Optimized packing layouts enable faster loading and unloading, contributing to on-time deliveries and maintaining product quality, especially for perishable goods.

Product Quality

Proper packing safeguards products from damage during transportation, ensuring they arrive in good condition for customer satisfaction.

Therefore, optimizing packing processes is crucial for businesses to achieve efficiency and profitability within the complex logistics and supply chain management landscape.

Young's Plant Farm: Cultivating Success and Facing a Packing Challenge

Young’s Plant Farm thrives by cultivating a diverse range of plants, from delicate seedlings to towering trees. Their success relies not only on nurturing healthy flora but also on efficiently getting them to retailers across the country. They operate a unique model, shipping directly to major retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s using their own fleet of trucks. However, this approach presents a specific packing challenge.

With plants of various shapes and sizes, maximizing space utilization within their specialized rolling racks becomes a critical factor in optimizing shipping efficiency. Traditional, manual packing methods often resulted in wasted space and inefficiencies, potentially requiring additional trucks or causing delays. This case study explores how Young’s Plant Farm addressed this challenge by leveraging the power of AMPL, to develop an innovative packing optimization tool that transformed their logistics operations.

The Challenge: The Puzzle of Plant Packing

Young’s Plant Farm faced a unique logistical challenge stemming from the diversity of their products. With plants ranging from small seedlings to larger specimens, maximizing the use of space on their specialized rolling racks was like solving a complex three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

The limitations of manual packing often led to several problems:

Wasted Space

Inefficient arrangements of differently sized plants left empty gaps on the racks, translating to under-utilized truck space.

Costly Inefficiencies

Under-packed racks sometimes necessitated additional trucks to accommodate all orders, increasing shipping costs.

Time Constraints

The time-consuming nature of devising packing plans manually could cause delays, potentially jeopardizing the timely delivery of their perishable plants.

To ensure the smooth flow of their operations and maintain profitability, Young’s Plant Farm needed a solution that would streamline their packing processes, optimizing the use of their racks while meeting the time-sensitive requirements of their distribution network.

The AMPL Solution

Young’s Plant Farm sought a more efficient and automated approach to optimize their packing process. They identified AMPL, a powerful algebraic modeling language, as the ideal solution for several reasons:

Superior Solutions

AMPL facilitates the creation of complex optimization models, leading to significantly improved packing plans compared to manual methods.

Multiple Benefits

AMPL's optimization capabilities offered numerous advantages, including:

Solver Flexibility

AMPL integrates with 14 different top-tier solvers, allowing Young's Plant Farm to choose the one that best suits their specific needs.

Field of flowers

The implementation and results

The implementation of AMPL involved a strategic two-phase approach:

Model Development

The foundation was laid by an initial model built by Professor Rafay Ishfaq of Auburn University. AMPL then extended this model to handle Young's increasingly large orders.

Optimization in Action

AMPL's optimization engine powers the process. The model size varies depending on order volume, ranging from a minimum of hundreds of thousands of variables and constraints to a maximum of 100 million. Despite this complexity, solutions are achieved within a timeframe of 10-45 minutes.

Deployment and Impact

The AMPL-powered packing optimization tool is seamlessly integrated into Young’s workflow through a VBA-modified spreadsheet. This user-friendly interface allows a single replenishment specialist to utilize the tool multiple times per day, significantly streamlining the packing process. The positive impact is undeniable:

Optimized Packing

AMPL ensures efficient utilization of space on packing racks, minimizing wasted resources and reducing truck requirements.

Time Efficiency

The automated process generates packing plans quickly, ensuring on-time deliveries and maintaining plant freshness.

See how AMPL can optimize your packing and shipping!

Inspired by Young’s Plant Farm’s success? AMPL can transform your logistics operations by optimizing packing processes and streamlining your supply chain. Whether you’re facing challenges with space utilization, time constraints, or managing large order volumes, AMPL’s powerful capabilities can deliver significant improvements. Book a free demo today to see AMPL in action and discover how it can help you achieve optimal packing solutions, reduce costs, and ensure timely deliveries. Alternatively, start your free trial to experience the power of AMPL firsthand!

Final Thoughts

Young’s ongoing success with AMPL has them exploring potential adaptations of the tool for other use cases within their operations. This case study serves as a testament to AMPL’s ability to optimize complex logistical challenges and empower businesses like Young’s Plant Farm to achieve greater efficiency and profitability.

COMPANY WEBSITES

INDUSTRY

Packing Optimization

LEARN MORE