SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF A PROCESS LAYOUT FOR DEHYDRATED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES PROCESSING PLANT USING FLEXSIM

In this research study, the process layout for dehydration of fruits and vegetables processing plant was examined using computer simulation software. Nigeria's production of fruits and vegetables is around 16.4 million metric tonnes, which makes Nigeria the 14 th largest producer of tomatoes in the World, 2 nd largest in Africa and sadly the 3 rd largest importer of processed tomato commodities in the World as the result of our inability to refine and add value, Nigeria losses an estimated $9 million to postharvest losses annually. The essence of performing simulation is to experiment and analyse a manufacturing process to reduce the time, cost of procurement of equipment for construction, upgrading and testing the performance in real-life situations. Flexsim software was used to perform simulation runs and optimization alternatives on production lines were drawn, with special emphasis on tomatoes. The simulation was done on the basis of flow chart of the processing of dehydrated fruit and vegetables and design data. Based on the analysis of the simulation data, the study identified the bottlenecks in processing and proffer alternative solutions for improved and optimal output respectively. The Initial model had machine buffer due to the capacity of the dehydrators which made the production to lag by 20% in output stuck as Work-in-process over simulation period. The optimized production line scheme 1 had additional processors for dehydration and milling, it was found suitable for the production process as it addresses the issues of bottlenecks in production with increased production capacity, reduced work-in-process and complete production cycle of 50000 seconds per day.