IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ortrsc/v51y2017i1p3-18.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Layout Planning of Sortation Conveyors in Parcel Distribution Centers

Author

Listed:
  • Stefan Fedtke

    (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Lehrstuhl für ABWL/Operations Management, D-07743 Jena, Germany)

  • Nils Boysen

    (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Lehrstuhl für ABWL/Operations Management, D-07743 Jena, Germany)

Abstract

Fully automated sortation processes play a crucial role in modern distribution networks of the parcel service industry. In this context, this study systematically investigates different design alternatives of closed-loop tilt tray sortation conveyors. In particular, the number of loading stations for feeding parcels into a conveyor system, and its relation to the subordinate decision problem of assigning inbound and outbound destinations to docking doors, is shown to considerably influence the throughput of a hub terminal. A novel destination assignment problem is formalized, appropriate solution procedures are presented, and, by means of simulation, the resulting throughput is quantified, so that an experienced terminal manager can weigh the operational gains against the investment cost of different conveyor layouts.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Fedtke & Nils Boysen, 2017. "Layout Planning of Sortation Conveyors in Parcel Distribution Centers," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(1), pages 3-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:51:y:2017:i:1:p:3-18
    DOI: 10.1287/trsc.2014.0540
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2014.0540
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/trsc.2014.0540?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bozer, Yavuz A. & Hsieh, Ying-Jiun, 2004. "Expected waiting times at loading stations in discrete-space closed-loop conveyors," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(2), pages 516-532, June.
    2. Boysen, Nils & Fliedner, Malte, 2010. "Cross dock scheduling: Classification, literature review and research agenda," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 413-422, December.
    3. Klose, Andreas & Drexl, Andreas, 2005. "Facility location models for distribution system design," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(1), pages 4-29, April.
    4. John J. Bartholdi & Kevin R. Gue, 2004. "The Best Shape for a Crossdock," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(2), pages 235-244, May.
    5. Werners, Brigitte & Wülfing, Thomas, 2010. "Robust optimization of internal transports at a parcel sorting center operated by Deutsche Post World Net," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(2), pages 419-426, March.
    6. Kevin R. Gue, 1999. "The Effects of Trailer Scheduling on the Layout of Freight Terminals," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 419-428, November.
    7. M. Eric Johnson & Russell D. Meller, 2002. "Performance Analysis of Split-Case Sorting Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 4(4), pages 258-274, November.
    8. John J. Bartholdi & Kevin R. Gue, 2000. "Reducing Labor Costs in an LTL Crossdocking Terminal," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 823-832, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nils Boysen & Stefan Fedtke & Stefan Schwerdfeger, 2021. "Last-mile delivery concepts: a survey from an operational research perspective," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 43(1), pages 1-58, March.
    2. Nils Boysen & Stefan Fedtke & Felix Weidinger, 2017. "Truck Scheduling in the Postal Service Industry," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(2), pages 723-736, May.
    3. Boysen, Nils & Schwerdfeger, Stefan & W． Ulmer, Marlin, 2023. "Robotized sorting systems: Large-scale scheduling under real-time conditions with limited lookahead," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(2), pages 582-596.
    4. Rupp, Johannes & Boysen, Nils & Briskorn, Dirk, 2022. "Optimizing consolidation processes in hubs: The hub-arrival-departure problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 298(3), pages 1051-1066.
    5. Khir, Reem & Erera, Alan & Toriello, Alejandro, 2023. "Robust planning of sorting operations in express delivery systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(2), pages 615-631.
    6. Boysen, Nils & Fedtke, Stefan & Weidinger, Felix, 2018. "Optimizing automated sorting in warehouses: The minimum order spread sequencing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 270(1), pages 386-400.
    7. Boysen, Nils & Stephan, Konrad & Schwerdfeger, Stefan, 2024. "Order consolidation in warehouses: The loop sorter scheduling problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(2), pages 459-472.
    8. Tadumadze, Giorgi & Boysen, Nils & Emde, Simon & Weidinger, Felix, 2019. "Integrated truck and workforce scheduling to accelerate the unloading of trucks," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 278(1), pages 343-362.
    9. Boysen, Nils & Briskorn, Dirk & Fedtke, Stefan & Schmickerath, Marcel, 2019. "Automated sortation conveyors: A survey from an operational research perspective," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(3), pages 796-815.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nils Boysen & Stefan Fedtke & Felix Weidinger, 2017. "Truck Scheduling in the Postal Service Industry," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(2), pages 723-736, May.
    2. Van Belle, Jan & Valckenaers, Paul & Cattrysse, Dirk, 2012. "Cross-docking: State of the art," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 827-846.
    3. Peter Bodnar & René de Koster & Kaveh Azadeh, 2017. "Scheduling Trucks in a Cross-Dock with Mixed Service Mode Dock Doors," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(1), pages 112-131, February.
    4. Li, Mingjie & Hao, Jin-Kao & Wu, Qinghua, 2024. "A flow based formulation and a reinforcement learning based strategic oscillation for cross-dock door assignment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(2), pages 473-492.
    5. Ladier, Anne-Laure & Alpan, Gülgün, 2016. "Cross-docking operations: Current research versus industry practice," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 145-162.
    6. Gelareh, Shahin & Glover, Fred & Guemri, Oualid & Hanafi, Saïd & Nduwayo, Placide & Todosijević, Raca, 2020. "A comparative study of formulations for a cross-dock door assignment problem," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Boysen, Nils & Briskorn, Dirk & Fedtke, Stefan & Schmickerath, Marcel, 2019. "Automated sortation conveyors: A survey from an operational research perspective," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(3), pages 796-815.
    8. Hans Corsten & Ferdinand Becker & Hagen Salewski, 2020. "Integrating truck and workforce scheduling in a cross-dock: analysis of different workforce coordination policies," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(2), pages 207-237, March.
    9. Buijs, Paul & Vis, Iris F.A. & Carlo, Héctor J., 2014. "Synchronization in cross-docking networks: A research classification and framework," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 239(3), pages 593-608.
    10. Konrad Stephan & Nils Boysen, 2011. "Cross-docking," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 129-137, September.
    11. Konur, Dinçer & Golias, Mihalis M., 2013. "Cost-stable truck scheduling at a cross-dock facility with unknown truck arrivals: A meta-heuristic approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 71-91.
    12. Fonseca, Gabriela B. & Nogueira, Thiago H. & Ravetti, Martín Gómez, 2019. "A hybrid Lagrangian metaheuristic for the cross-docking flow shop scheduling problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(1), pages 139-154.
    13. Claudia R. Rosales & Michael J. Fry & Rajesh Radhakrishnan, 2009. "Transfreight Reduces Costs and Balances Workload at Georgetown Crossdock," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 39(4), pages 316-328, August.
    14. Vincent F. Yu & Parida Jewpanya & Voratas Kachitvichyanukul, 2016. "Particle swarm optimization for the multi-period cross-docking distribution problem with time windows," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(2), pages 509-525, January.
    15. Anne-Laure Ladier & Gülgün Alpan, 2018. "Crossdock truck scheduling with time windows: earliness, tardiness and storage policies," Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 569-583, March.
    16. Dirk Briskorn & Simon Emde & Nils Boysen, 2017. "Scheduling shipments in closed-loop sortation conveyors," Journal of Scheduling, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 25-42, February.
    17. Maknoon, M.Y. & Soumis, F. & Baptiste, P., 2016. "Optimizing transshipment workloads in less-than-truckload cross-docks," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 90-100.
    18. Saeid Rezaei & Amirsaman Kheirkhah, 2018. "A comprehensive approach in designing a sustainable closed-loop supply chain network using cross-docking operations," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 51-98, March.
    19. Rijal, Arpan & Bijvank, Marco & de Koster, René, 2019. "Integrated scheduling and assignment of trucks at unit-load cross-dock terminals with mixed service mode dock doors," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 278(3), pages 752-771.
    20. Boysen, Nils & Fliedner, Malte, 2010. "Cross dock scheduling: Classification, literature review and research agenda," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 413-422, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:51:y:2017:i:1:p:3-18. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.