The trim-loss problem in a wooden container manufacturing company

Abstract

The principal raw material for making wooden containers is rectangular veneer sheets. These sheets are cut into smaller rectangular sheets according to the customer orders for various sizes of wooden containers. The resulting offcuts, which do not meet the minimum dimensional requirements, are considered as trim loss or waste. At the time of the study, the company making these containers experienced veneer waste of about 40%, the major contributing factor being trim loss. This problem has been modeled here as a two-dimensional trim-loss problem. Fourteen different heuristics for allocating stock sheets to order sheets have been considered and evaluated with respect to five criteria including trim loss. A heuristic that results in acceptable levels of trim loss but reduces the administration of stock dramatically has been suggested.