Modeling a Strategic Raw Hides & Skins Supply Chain Network Suitable for Adoption of Chilling Method of Preservation in Decentralized Collection System

Abstract

Salt Curing is a method that is widely used for the preservation of raw hides and skins worldwide and this leads to high salinity in tannery effluents. The treatment of such highly saline stream poses serious challenges, as pollution control norms for salinity are quite stringent in many countries including India. Chilling has been proven a most efficient method both in terms of cost and preservation efficacy for short-term storage but adoption in decentralized raw material collection systems prevailing in many developing and underdeveloped countries is a major challenge. In the present techno-management study, an attempt has been made to model a strategic supply chain network for collection and chilling of raw hides and skins suitable for such decentralized situations. Tamil Nadu state in India has been chosen for the pilot project as it contributes close to 50% of the tanning activity in India. Eight clusters have been formed by grouping the districts of Tamil Nadu based on the geographical location. The optimized location for the chiller in each cluster was found using gravity location model and the feasibility of transporting the raw hides and skins from slaughterhouse to chiller has been studied.