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Ramping up a heuristic procedure for storage location assignment problem with precedence constraints

Author

Listed:
  • Maria A. M. Trindade

    (Universidade Do Porto
    Universidade Católica)

  • Paulo S. A. Sousa

    (Universidade Do Porto)

  • Maria R. A. Moreira

    (Universidade Do Porto
    INESC TEC)

Abstract

The retail industry is becoming increasingly competitive; as a result, companies are seeking to reduce inefficiencies in their supply chains. One way of increasing the efficiency of operations inside a warehouse is by better allocating products in the available spaces. In this paper, we propose a new heuristic approach to solving the storage location assignment problem (SLAP) considering precedence constraints, in multi-aisle, multi-product picking warehouses. A two-phase heuristic procedure is developed: the products are clustered and assigned to the available spaces. We tested the procedure in the non-perishables warehouse of a real-world Portuguese retail chain, which supplies 191 stores per day. The results show that the new assignment of products allows for an improvement of up to 15% on the distance travelled by the pickers, which implies savings of approximately 477 km per month. This problem is a special case of SLAP since we are dealing with large percentages of non-uniform products. This procedure incorporates four relevant criteria for the allocation decision: the products’ similarity, demand and weight, and the distance travelled by the picker. By using a two-phase heuristic method, this study offers companies and academics an alternative and more effective solution for SLAP than the usual methods based on the creation of density zones.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria A. M. Trindade & Paulo S. A. Sousa & Maria R. A. Moreira, 2022. "Ramping up a heuristic procedure for storage location assignment problem with precedence constraints," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 646-669, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:flsman:v:34:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s10696-021-09423-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10696-021-09423-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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