Track: Facilities Planning and Plant Layout

Abstract

Location problems remain a practical necessity, despite their extensive theoretical development. The objective of the research is to identify the location of a coconut plant and its derivatives in the context of the Manabí agrifood chain. A procedure for locating a coconut derivatives processing industry was developed using a mathematical model. In the first stage: characterization of the variables of the value chain, it helps to determine the most feasible location of a coconut plant in the province of Manabí. The actors and links in the chain are identified. Along with the description of these. In the second stage: selection of the location method, each location method is analyzed with its risks and potential for decision-making on the location of the coconut derivatives processing plant in the province of Manabí. The methods selected for the location of the plant are applied and the one with the highest performance is chosen. The weighted method and center of gravity were selected. In the third stage, the model that best fits the one carried out was determined, with the objective function of model optimization based on the selected variables, and the information that is counted. Along with the identification of restrictions of the variables of the value chain. The model that best fits is the p-median. Finally, the optimal location of the plant within the agri-food chain is identified. As a result of the application of the methodology, the location of the plant in the town of Sosote was obtained, an element that demonstrates the practical-methodological application of the research.