Bechar, A., Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Agriculture Engineering, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel
Vitner, G., Ruppin Academic Center, School of Engineering, Emek-Hefer, 40250, Israel

The study deals with performance improvement in flowers mixed farms. The farm under investigation is located in the central part of Israel and grows three types of green ornamentals: Pittosporum, Aralia and Aspidistra. The farm consists of 8 hectares and employs 7 workers. The annual yield of the farm in 2009 was 3.5 million branches. The study investigates the working processes of the packing house. A computer model and work planning management tool was developed using MATLAB. The model inputs are: flower type and quantity, due date and sales price. The output is a work schedule. Results show an improvement of processing time by: 47% for Pittosporum, 19% - 45% for Aralia, and 23% - 54% for Aspidistra.