Constraint handling in an integrated transportation problem

The authors used constraint programming to develop TACT (Transport Application for Chickens and Turkeys), a decision support system for an integrated transport problem in the food industry. In addressing this transportation problem, the TACT decision support system handles the complete solution process from initial scheduling decisions to the resource assignment. Operational for five years, the system mimics the previous manual approach to the problem, speeds up the scheduling process significantly, and demonstrates flexibility in handling business process changes