Analyzing the Receiving Operation of Different Grain Types in a Single–pit Country Elevator

With the rise of value–added grains and oilseeds, many elevators need to segregate their incoming products into batches of different end–use quality (for example, high oil corn, genetically modified soybeans, high protein wheat), but often they are not designed to handle this task efficiently. The primary challenge is to segregate multiple grain streams during the receiving operation without increasing waiting times for all customers. This study utilized a system simulation model to investigate how queue management could help to improve the performance of a country elevator receiving multiple grain streams with a single unloading pit. In order to maintain the speed of the unloading operation, two queuing methods were investigated: the segregated BATCH versus the traditional FIFO (first–in, first–out) queue service method. A discrete event system simulation model was developed and validated utilizing data collected at a country elevator facility in Indiana. The simulation results showed that the BATCH queue management strategy reduced average waiting times per customer by up to 27% compared to the traditional FIFO queue management strategy when the daily grain receipt was near the maximum receiving capacity of the facility. For receiving rates below 72% capacity, the traditional FIFO service had shorter average waiting times per customer.