Kellogg’s Cereal Production Process The Kellogg’s cereal production process used
ID: 427653 • Letter: K
Question
Kellogg’s Cereal Production Process
The Kellogg’s cereal production process used one cereal line to process two brands of cereal: wheat based Raisin Bran and corn-based Frosted Flakes. The line processed cereal in two stages: flake prepping and cooking-packaging.
Stage 1: Flake Prepping The flake prepping stage began when raw corn grains or wheat flakes, depending on the cereal, entered a large, rotating pressure cooker, which used a screw to grind the raw materials into a flaky mash. Next, the mash entered a drying oven to remove excess moisture. Large, metal rollers then crushed the mash into thin flakes, which were ready for the cooking-packaging stage.
Stage 2: Cooking-Packaging In the cooking-packaging phase, the prepped flakes entered a cereal cooker, at a rate of four tons of cereal per hour, where they were baked until turning golden-brown. Next, the baked flakes entered a coating drum that sprayed sugar and vitamins onto the flakes; the coating drum could process four tons of cereal per hour.8 Depending on which brand of cereal was being run, the cereal flakes entered one of two large hoppers that, in turn, fed a packaging line dedicated to that brand of cereal. Thus, each brand of cereal had a dedicated hopper and packaging line. The packaging line was the last stage in the cereal production line and could package cereal at a rate of 1.5 tons per hour.
Set-Up Time Between Runs: The same cereal cooker and coating drum were used for both brands of cereal, but these two machines could process only one brand of cereal during a given run. After processing one brand of cereal for eight hours, the cereal cooker and coating drum were shut down, rigorously cleaned, and set up to produce the second brand of cereal. This precaution took four hours and ensured that there was no cross-contamination of cereal, which could be dangerous, even fatal, for consumers with allergies. Afterward, the production process resumed, running for eight hours with the second brand of cereal. While the cereal cooker and coating drum were shut down for cleaning, and while Frosted Flakes cereal was being run, Raisin Bran’s packaging line would continue operating as long as there was cereal in its hopper. Similarly, the packaging line for Frosted Flakes would continue operating while Raisin Bran was being run or while the cooker and coating drum were off. However, if a hopper was empty, its packaging line would shut down.
Presume they want to keep a production cycle wherein they cook raisin bran for eight hours, perform a four hour setup, cook frosted flakes for eight hours, and then perform another four hour setup. Now, suppose that to avoid starving the packaging line, Kellogg wants to raise the capacity of its cooking process (it is currently four tons/hour). What is the smallest capacity for the cooking process that will prevent starving the packaging line?
A. 4.25 tons/hour B. 4.75 tons/hour C. 5.00 tons/hour D. 4.5 tons/hour
Given the capacity for the cooking step that you calculated in the previous question, how big must the hopper be? In other words, what does the capacity of the hopper need to be?
A. 20 tons B. 22 tons C. 24 tons D. 26 tons
Explanation / Answer
1.)Rate of cooking=4tonnes/hour
Packaging rate=1.5tonnes/hour
Total time to run packaging line(for one type cereal)=8+4+8+4=24 hours
Total quantity required for operation of packaging line=1.5*24=34 tonnes
Least rate of cooking=34÷8=4.25tonnes/hour
2.)Capacity of hopper for new cooking capacity=16*1.5=24tonnes
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