Essays on planning food processing industries: the case of a dairy factory

Food processing companies experience growing logistical demands as product variety and uncertainty are increasing while competition becomes more intense. As a result, companies reconsider the way the production processes are planned and controlled. However, the reconsideration is complicated by a number of typical characteristics of food processing industries. The thesis of Tim van Kampen reports on how industry specific characteristics affect planning in food processing industries. Through a collection of research papers, he shows how the typical characteristics affect decisions on production strategy, buffering policies and postponement options in food processing industries. The basis for the thesis is an extensive case study in a dairy company that revealed a number of planning challenges. To extend the generalizability of our findings the case outcomes were combined with simulation studies. By staying close to practice, the thesis aims to contribute to both academia and practice.