Decreasing delay times in a wine export process

The international wine industry has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly in the area surrounding Mendoza, Argentina. Alta Vista, a winery near the city of Mendoza, produces two million bottles of wine annually, approximately half of which are exported to be sold internationally. The export process is complex; initiating a sale, evaluating inventory, designing and producing appropriate labels, applying the labels, packing the wine into a container, and shipping the wine through multiple ports to every corner of the world. Due to the large number of stakeholders involved and the importance of a timely delivery, wineries, such as Alta Vista, must work diligently to avoid delays within this process. The focus of this work is to identify the stages of the export process which cause the greatest delays for Alta Vista and to recommend procedures to minimize similar delays in the future. Peaks in demand and bottlenecks in the export order process were identified using graphical techniques, time series analysis, domain knowledge, and supplied data. One of the most significant causes of delay was during the label customization stage. Labels are customized for each order based on the language, type of bottle used, distributor, and changing government regulations; hence, a unique label must be designed, approved, and printed for each order being processed. Recommendations include operational and administrative improvements were made to Alta Vista to maximize the efficiency of their export process.