Development of Performance Evaluation Indicators for Table Grape Packaging Units

Abstract

In order to improve the process management of table grape packaging, its performance should be evaluated. However, the literature on performance evaluation indicators is scarce. To address this research gap, we propose a method for the development of performance evaluation indicators for table grape packaging units, which are characterized by labor-intensive and highly seasonal production processes in the agro-economic sector. The stages include the following: contextualizing table grape packaging units, selecting the performance objectives, selecting techniques to be used in the development of the indicators, and applying the method to the packaging units of table grapes. The techniques adopted in the development of the indicators aimed at the cost, quality, flexibility, reliability, and speed performance objectives were data envelopment analysis, principal component analysis, quantification of the batch, compliance with the program within the established deadline, and measurement of the execution time of the batch, respectively. The results obtained in the case study demonstrate that the correlations between the performance indicators do not indicate the need to disregard any of them. Furthermore, the standard deviation values for each indicator are similar. Thus, both results of correlations and standard deviation confirm the importance of the indicators chosen for the performance evaluation of table grape packaging.

Development of Performance Evaluation Indicators for Table Grape Packaging Units. 2. Global Indexes

“…This gap in the scientific literature motivated this study: the development of a robust GI for the performance evaluation of TGPUs. The method proposed in this research was verified for TGPUs located in the vale do submédio São Francisco (VSSF; San Francisco lower middle valley), in northeast Brazil, using previously developed performance indicators [18]. The structure of the proposed method for developing a robust GI for TGPUs is illustrated in Figure 1.…”

“…The objective was to provide researchers with a set of recommendations on how to design, develop, and disseminate a GI. The authors suggested a checklist with ten items to be followed: AGR Min-Max (0-1) Participative (AHP) Linear [25] AGR Min-Max (0-1) Participative Linear [5] AGR Min-Max (0-1) Participative (AHP) Linear [26] ENV Min-Max (0-1) Equal Linear [27] ENV Min-Max (0-100) Participative Linear [28] ENV Min-Max (0-1) Participative (AHP); Statistic (PCA) Linear; Geometric [29] ENV Relative to the maximum; Z-scores Participative; Statistic (Factor analysis) Linear [30] ENV Relative to the maximum Equal Linear; Geometric [31] ENV Min-Max (0-1) Statistic (Entropy) Linear [32] ENV Min-Max (0-1) Statistic (Entropy) Linear [33] ENV Min-Max (0-100) Equal Linear This checklist was used as a guideline for this study, however, the first four of the ten suggestions will not be covered in this paper because they have already been addressed in our proposal for the development of performance indicators for production processes of TGPUs [18]. In addition, item 9 ("links to other variables") was not considered due to the absence of another GI that can be correlated to the one developed here.…”

“…The steps carried out during the development of robust GIs for evaluating the performance of the TGPU production process in the VSSF are discussed here. Initially, the indicators, in their different units of measurement related to each performance objective used in the GI models, were taken from a previous study [18], as summarized in Table 5. Labels A to M designate the thirteen TGPUs analyzed.…”

“…They are also known as packing houses, which are suitable facilities that receive the grapes harvested in the field and perform the cleaning, classification, and packaging processes [17]. Such TGPUs exist in several countries and have a seasonal and labor-intensive work environment due to the special care required to avoid damage when handling the fragile fruit, which is only possible with manual labor [18].…”