A Stock Location Model for Dual Address Order Picking Systems

A model is formulated to evaluate alternative stock levels and item locations for dedicated storage warehouses where storage and retrieval transactions are interleaved to economize on travel of the order picking vehicle. The model can be used to measure the order picking and inventory cost effects of warehouse layouts representing alternatives to application of economic lot sizing and cube per order index storage assignment. A simple, sequential search heuristic is proposed for generating such alternative warehouse layouts and applied to a sample problem.     

An integrated storage assignment method for manual order picking warehouses considering cost,workload and posture

This paper presents an integrated storage assignment method for low-level picker-to-parts order picking warehouses taking into account economic and ergonomic objectives. Three different pallet rack layouts are studied in this paper, namely (a) picking from full pallets on the floor, (b) picking from half-pallets on the floor, and (c) picking from half-pallets on the upper rank of the shelf. First, cost functions are developed to assess the total order picking performance impact of these different pallet rack layouts. Second, with regard to workload, the metabolic cost and energy expenditure rates for picking from the different rack layouts under study are derived. Third, for assessing the working posture during order picking, the Ovako Working Posture Analysing System index is used where the required data is collected using a motion capturing system. The developed models are combined to propose a heuristic storage assignment procedure that supports the decision of which item to store on which pallet. The developed storage assignment method is then applied to an industrial case study. The results of the paper support warehouse managers in assessing the order picking storage assignment from an ergonomics viewpoint and in estimating its impact on financial order picking performance.     

Optimal Product Layout in an Order Picking Warehouse

The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for locating product in an order picking warehouse such that average order picking time will be minimized. A stochastic model is developed to ensure that optimal, rather than just “good,” results are obtained. It is shown that, for a class of order picking warehouse, simple, but general, assignment algorithms may be used to optimally allocate product to locations. The results are then used to explore the effects of average order size and the shape of the inventory curve on order picking efficiency.     

Ergonomic workplace design in the fast pick area

The aging society in many developed countries has made an ergonomic workplace design to an important topic among researchers and practitioners alike. We investigate the workplace design for order pickers that manually collect items from the shelves of a warehouse. Specifically, we treat the storage assignment, i.e., the placement of products in shelves of different height, and zoning, i.e., the partitioning of the storage space into areas assigned to separate pickers, in the fast pick area of a warehouse. A fast pick area unifies the most fast-moving items in a compact area, so that workers are relieved from unproductive travel, but face extraordinary ergonomic risks due to the frequent repetition of picking operations. Concerning the health of (aged) workers, it is crucial to reduce such risks. Thus, we define a combined ergonomic storage assignment and zoning problem with the objective of minimizing the maximum ergonomic burden among all workers. This problem is formalized, and two construction heuristics and a tabu search procedure are proposed. Our results show that neglecting ergonomic aspects and only focusing on picking performance leads to much higher ergonomic risks of the workforce.

     

A Stock Location Rule For A Low Level Picker-To-Part System

This paper deals with the problem of assigning warehouse space to inventory items in a low level picker-to-part system. Recognizing the importance of weights in material handling activities in warehouse, a linear programming model is developed with the objective of minimizing the workload required for order picking operations. It is proved that the stock location rule proposed in this paper generates an optimal solution for the model. Compared with the well known cube-per-order index (COI) rule, it is shown that the proposed rule is substantially better from the view point of human safety with some sacrifice of throughput.     

Data mining-based algorithm for storage location assignment in a randomised warehouse

Data mining has long been applied in information extraction for a wide range of applications such as customer relationship management in marketing. In the retailing industry, this technique is used to extract the consumers buying behaviour when customers frequently purchase similar products together; in warehousing, it is also beneficial to store these correlated products nearby so as to reduce the order picking operating time and cost. In this paper, we present a data mining-based algorithm for storage location assignment of piece picking items in a randomised picker-to-parts warehouse by extracting and analysing the association relationships between different products in customer orders. The algorithm aims at minimising the total travel distances for both put-away and order picking operations. Extensive computational experiments based on synthetic data that simulates the operations of a computer and networking products spare parts warehouse in Hong Kong have been conducted to test the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed algorithm. Results show that our proposed algorithm is more efficient than the closest open location and purely dedicated storage allocation systems in minimising the total travel distances. The proposed storage allocation algorithm is further evaluated with experiments simulating larger scale warehouse operations. Similar results on the performance comparison among the three storage approaches are observed. It supports the proposed storage allocation algorithm and is applicable to improve the warehousing operation efficiency if items have strong association among each other.     

An efficiency measurement model for a computerized warehousing system

This paper introduces a model for efficient utilization of warehouse personnel in an inventory selection process. A simple mathematical model, based on a time study that can be applied to establishing standards for efficiency measurement of labour in a warehouse setting is presented. The problem of determining a standard to compute performance in an environment with variable workload is solved by using an adjustable standard for each particular assignment. Specifically the proposed model is designed to estimate the time required to complete a picking cycle. Three time components are considered; the lead time, travel time, and non-efficient time. The results of an empirical study are used to set the values of system parameters.

The use of a computer system that can generate order lists is essential for an effective application of this methodology. Useful information can be obtained that can aid managers in formulating and implementing incentive plans and for controlling the labour cost which represents a major proportion of the total cost in warehouse operation.     

基于荷兰式拍卖机制的RMFS货位指派研究

目的对移动机器人拣货系统(RMFS)的货位指派问题进行研究,提出基于荷兰式拍卖机制的货位指派模型来提高RMFS的拣货效率。方法构建荷兰式拍卖模型并按周转率对指定区域的SKU进行逐步调整,以货位指派匹配度为期望指标,实现SKU的需求模式与仓库存储结构之间的合理匹配。结果通过与随机指派模型对比发现,在不同仓库规模、需求偏度、订单规模等情况下,基于荷兰式拍卖的货位指派方法可以使拣货路程下降21.15%、工作时间平均下降20.57%左右。结论与传统指派方法相比,提出的货位指派模型可以大幅度降低RMFS系统的拣货距离和时间,大幅度提升在线零售企业的RMFS的拣货效率。     

Enhancing the order picking process through a new storage assignment strategy in forward-reserve area

This paper reexamines the order picking process in a warehouse facing the challenges that e-commerce brings about and which are characterised by a very large number of small sized orders and returns. Implementing effective storage assignment strategies combined with efficient batching, in this context, is very fundamental to keep the warehouse’s responsiveness and order completion times up to the standards. This paper investigates a new storage assignment strategy, initially implemented by a large shoes and footwear wholesaler, to enhance the performance of the order picking process in its warehouses. The impact of this new storage assignment strategy on the performance of the order picking process is analysed via simulation. The performance of the system, measured in terms of total picking time as well as order lead time while taking congestion into account, is compared to the cases where conventional storage assignment strategies are implemented. A full factorial design is set up and the simulation output is statistically analysed. The results of this analysis are reported and thoroughly discussed. Attending to the results, the proposed strategy presents a remarkable potential to shorten total picking travel distances and order completion time and consequently customer satisfaction.     

An analysis of warehouse and distribution strategies

We consider a case where seven retailers, all belonging to the same organization, order independently from the manufacturer. The organization wants to evaluate the advantage of creating a centralized warehouse facility. However, the investment costs for such a warehouse are considerable and the organization is thus cautious that any cost savings must outweigh the investment cost. The multi-echelon inventory control literature does not indicate when a centralized warehouse is clearly the best option. However, there is evidence that a centralized warehouse may be advantageous for low demand items which are expensive, as opposed to inexpensive fast moving items. Also the costs of the additional warehouse (i.e., capital investment and operating costs) play an important role. Hence, whether or not a warehouse can reduce overall cost depends heavily on the additional cost of the centralized warehouse. In order to keep the investment cost low we consider an alternative to the centralized warehouse, called virtual centralized warehousing. In the latter system no additional investment costs are necessary (i.e., the existing retailers have excess capacity at their current facilities) and the benefits of central warehousing are achieved.     

Establishing the Optimum Inventory Size and Stocking Policy for a Warehouse

Graphical and algebraic solutions are described for determining minimum-cost order quantities, reorder points, and space allocations for warehouse design when either a dollar stockout penalty or a service level is specified. Similar relations are derived for the minimum-cost inventory stocking policy with multiple items in a fixed volume of existing warehouse space.     

Order picking system design: the storage assignment and travel distance estimation (SA&TDE) joint method

Of all the warehouse activities, order picking is one of the most time-consuming and expensive. In order to improve the task, several researches have pointed out the need to consider jointly the layout of the warehouse, the storage assignment strategy and the routing policy to reduce travelled distances and picking time. This paper presents the storage assignment and travel distance estimation (SA&TDE) joint method, a new approach useful to design and evaluate a manual picker-to-parts picking system, focusing on goods allocation and distances estimation. Starting from a set of picking orders received in a certain time range, this approach allows to evaluate the combinations of product codes assigned to storage locations, aisles, sections or warehouse areas and to assess the most relevant ones, for the best location and warehouse layout, with the aim of ensuring optimal picking routes, through the application of the multinomial probability distribution. A case study is developed as well, in order to clarify the concept that underlies the SA&TDE joint method, and to show the validity and the flexibility of the approach, through the calculation of the saving at different levels of detail.     

快速分拣区域储位空间分配策略对比分析

研究了快速分拣区域储位空间的优化分配策略,同时分析了企业常用的等时间分配策略和等空间分配策略的原理及模型。以某配送中心快速分拣区域为例,比较了3种储位分配策略的差别,验证了优化空间分配策略在节约补货成本方面的优越性。     

The effect of warehouse cross aisles on order picking efficiency

This paper investigates the effects of adding cross aisles to the layout of an order consolidation warehouse, with respect to order picking efficiency. Intuitively, cross aisles provide greater flexibility in the routing of order pickers, thus providing shorter order picking travel distances. However, this effect may be negated when the number of cross aisles becomes excessive, as the cross aisles themselves must be traversed in order to reach the required items. A shortest path pick sequencing model is developed which allows for any number of cross aisles in the warehouse. The optimal routing is computed for a large number of randomly generated picking requests, over a variety of warehouse layout and order picking parameters. The results are used to characterize the optimal number of warehouse cross aisles, as well as the conditions under which cross aisles generate the greatest benefit.     

Analysis of Constrained, One-Time, Multi-Item Discount Offers

This article develops optimal ordering policies for a group of inventory items when a supplier offers a one-time discount for the group. The objective of such policies is to reduce total inventory costs within a firm's warehouse space or funds-availability constraints. Several models are developed to reflect the characteristics of suppliers' offers and the models are analyzed using both Lagrangian and linear programming methods.     

AN APPLICATION OF CLUSTER ANALYSIS TO THE PROBLEM OF LOCATING ITEMS WITHIN A WAREHOUSE

The order picking function in a warehouse involves selection of items from storage areas in order to satisfy customer demand. It has been identified as the most costly warehouse operations activity. Cluster analysis identifies groups of items that are frequently ordered together. Items within a cluster may be located near one another, and efficient picking tours may, thus, be formed. We formulate the clustering problem as a p-median 0-1 integer program which may efficiently be solved to optimality.     

考虑残次品和碳排放的供应链多级库存的EOQ模型

针对供应链多级库存系统,探析残次品与碳排放对该系统的影响作用与供应链库存持有成本、订购成本、运输成本和检查成本的构成函数,建立多级库存的EOQ模型,提供考虑残次品和碳排放的供应链订货经济批量和库存控制策略,并用算例验证了模型的有效性。     

Weibull分布变质物品库存模型研究

研究了变质物品在考虑资金时间价值时的经济订货批量问题.假定物品的变质率服从两参数的Weibull分布,物品的需求率与库存水平有关,且为库存水平的线性函数,计划时域内进行多次订货,订货时间间隔相等,允许缺货且短缺量完全拖后,以库存系统的总费用最小为目标函数,建立了变质物品在存货依赖性需求下考虑资金时间价值时的最优订货批量模型,分析了模型存在唯一的最优解的必要条件,并且给出了在该条件下求解模型最优解的算法,最后给出了一个计算实例.     

Auto Store仓储系统的运作与效率优化研究

目的 为缓解零售电商商品仓库占地面积广,拣选效率受限等问题。方法 文中就存储策略、指派策略以及路径策略方面对Auto Store仓储系统进行详尽的介绍,在此基础上流程化的分析Auto Store系统完成单次订单拣货作业的业务流程,并运用Anylogic软件对所提出的模型进行仿真和验证。结果 假定订单到达服从Erlang分布,在拣选车和工作站数量和拣选货物数量相同的情况下,对比了Auto Store仓储系统混存布局和传统布局的拣选效率,验证了混存布局的可行性。结论 同时对比基于2种任务指派策略,得出了以基于拣选时间最小化的指派策略下系统运作效率更优这一结论,对理论分析与仿真研究之间的结果进行分析比较,验证了模型的有效性。     

Optimal order picker routing in a conventional warehouse with two blocks and arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour

This paper investigates manual order picking, where workers travel through the warehouse to retrieve requested items from shelves. To minimise the completion time of orders, researchers have developed various routing procedures that guide order pickers through the warehouse. The paper at hand contributes to this stream of research and proposes an optimal order picker routing policy for a conventional warehouse with two blocks and arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour. The procedure proposed in this paper extends an earlier work of Löffler et al. (2018. Picker routing in AGV-assisted order picking systems, Working Paper, DPO-01/2018, Deutsche Post Chair-Optimization of Distribution Networks, RWTH Aachen University, 2018) by applying the concepts of Ratliff and Rosenthal (1983. “Order-picking in a Rectangular Warehouse: a Solvable Case of the Traveling Salesman Problem.” Operations Research 31 (3): 507–521) and Roodbergen and de Koster (2001a. “Routing Order Pickers in a Warehouse with a Middle Aisle.” European Journal of Operational Research 133 (1): 32–43) that used graph theory and dynamic programming for finding an optimal picker route. We also propose a routing heuristic, denoted S*-shape, for conventional two-block warehouses with arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour. In computational experiments, we compare the average order picking tour length in a conventional warehouse with a single block to the case of a conventional warehouse with two blocks to assess the impact of the middle cross aisle on the performance of the warehouse. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the S*-shape heuristic by comparing it to the exact algorithm proposed in this study.