Abstract:
A major retailer in Africa, Company X, has a distribution center working around the clock, to help
grow the company's success. As expected, there are a multitude of workers employed at Company X's
distribution center, all of which need meals during the day. One of the canteens, in particular, deals with
concentrated, heavy
ow of workers, at speci c times of the day.
This research project's aim is to improve the canteen's e ciency through business process improvement
and facilities layout planning.
The current scenario is analysed, simulated and the associated internal processes are depicted and
analysed using business process diagrams. Thereafter, alternative layouts are developed and simulated
(using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) modelling). The Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) method is
used to develop the alternative layouts. The alternative layout's associated business processes are then
also depicted, using principles of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN).
In order to compare the various layout alternatives, based on di erent types of criteria, a technique
called the Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) is utilised.
General recommendations are made in order to address the ine ciencies that can not be addressed
by the improved layout changes. The business processes of the implemented changes are also shown in a
business process diagram.
