Enhancing Productivity of Latex Lifting Operation of Rubber Plantation Using Industrial Engineering Techniques

Abstract

In the competitive commodity market, where raising the selling price of natural rubber in the face of increasing cost of production is becoming increasingly difficult due to stiff competition by its alternative synthetic rubber, rubber plantations must focus on productivity of operations. One key operational area for productivity improvement is the transportation of produce from fields to processing centres. An industrial engineering technique is deployed in this study to enhance productivity of latex lifting in a rubber plantation. The study includes analyzing the current method, proposing a new method and conducting a cost-benefit analysis. The findings indicate that adopting latex pit storage and pumping system could reduce operation time by 2.91 hours (29%) and save 4.47 hours in latex collection time. Additionally, the method eliminates 38% underutilization of tanker/tractor capacity (3980 litres vs. 6400 litres). However, the proposed method would increase ammoniation to 0.02% of latex weight and requires the use of 23 collection pits with capacities ranging from 1500 litres to 6000 litres. The cost analysis shows that the new method would save approximately ₦12,666,500 annually for the plantation, with a payback period of two years.

Key words: Productivity; Latex; Pit; Ammoniation; Cost benefit