IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/queues/v108y2024i3d10.1007_s11134-024-09928-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An exact analysis and comparison of manual picker routing heuristics

Author

Listed:
  • Tim Engels

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Ivo Adan

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Onno Boxma

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Jacques Resing

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

Abstract

This paper presents exact derivations of the first two moments of the total order picking time in a warehouse for three routing heuristics, under the assumption of random storage. The analysis is done for general order size distributions and provides exact closed expressions in terms of the probability generating function of the order size distribution. We also indicate how the methods and insights in this paper extend to different storage policies and multi-block warehouses. The exact results derived in this paper are used to investigate effects of routing heuristics, order size distributions and layouts on warehouse efficiency. As illustration, we model the warehouse as a queueing system. By using approximations of the average order-lead time in terms of the first two moments of the order picking time, we are able to find optimal warehouse layouts and batch pick sizes.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Engels & Ivo Adan & Onno Boxma & Jacques Resing, 2024. "An exact analysis and comparison of manual picker routing heuristics," Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 108(3), pages 611-660, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:queues:v:108:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11134-024-09928-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11134-024-09928-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11134-024-09928-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11134-024-09928-9?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Le-Duc, Tho & de Koster, Rene M.B.M., 2007. "Travel time estimation and order batching in a 2-block warehouse," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(1), pages 374-388, January.
    2. Boysen, Nils & de Koster, René & Weidinger, Felix, 2019. "Warehousing in the e-commerce era: A survey," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 277(2), pages 396-411.
    3. H. Donald Ratliff & Arnon S. Rosenthal, 1983. "Order-Picking in a Rectangular Warehouse: A Solvable Case of the Traveling Salesman Problem," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 507-521, June.
    4. Toshikazu Kimura, 1986. "A Two-Moment Approximation for the Mean Waiting Time in the GI/G/s Queue," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(6), pages 751-763, June.
    5. Boysen, Nils & de Koster, René & Weidinger, Felix, 2019. "Warehousing in the e-commerce era: A survey," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 126185, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    6. Chew, Ek Peng & Tang, Loon Ching, 1999. "Travel time analysis for general item location assignment in a rectangular warehouse," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(3), pages 582-597, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Jiang, Min & Huang, George Q., 2022. "Intralogistics synchronization in robotic forward-reserve warehouses for e-commerce last-mile delivery," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    2. Katrin Heßler & Stefan Irnich, 2023. "Exact Solution of the Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage," Working Papers 2303, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    3. Yu, M. & de Koster, M.B.M., 2007. "Performance Approximation and Design of Pick-and-Pass Order Picking Systems," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2007-082-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    4. Giannikas, Vaggelis & Lu, Wenrong & Robertson, Brian & McFarlane, Duncan, 2017. "An interventionist strategy for warehouse order picking: Evidence from two case studies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 63-76.
    5. Fangyu Chen & Yongchang Wei & Hongwei Wang, 2018. "A heuristic based batching and assigning method for online customer orders," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 640-685, December.
    6. Tutam, Mahmut & De Koster, René, 2024. "To walk or not to walk? Designing intelligent order picking warehouses with collaborative robots," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. Žulj, Ivan & Salewski, Hagen & Goeke, Dominik & Schneider, Michael, 2022. "Order batching and batch sequencing in an AMR-assisted picker-to-parts system," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 298(1), pages 182-201.
    8. Maximilian Löffler & Nils Boysen & Michael Schneider, 2022. "Picker Routing in AGV-Assisted Order Picking Systems," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 440-462, January.
    9. Briant, Olivier & Cambazard, Hadrien & Cattaruzza, Diego & Catusse, Nicolas & Ladier, Anne-Laure & Ogier, Maxime, 2020. "An efficient and general approach for the joint order batching and picker routing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 285(2), pages 497-512.
    10. Gharehgozli, Amir & Zaerpour, Nima, 2020. "Robot scheduling for pod retrieval in a robotic mobile fulfillment system," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    11. de Koster, Rene & Le-Duc, Tho & Roodbergen, Kees Jan, 2007. "Design and control of warehouse order picking: A literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(2), pages 481-501, October.
    12. Laura Korbacher & Katrin Heßler & Stefan Irnich, 2023. "The Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage: Modeling and Evaluation of Routing and Storage Policies," Working Papers 2302, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    13. Pardo, Eduardo G. & Gil-Borrás, Sergio & Alonso-Ayuso, Antonio & Duarte, Abraham, 2024. "Order batching problems: Taxonomy and literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 313(1), pages 1-24.
    14. Bock, Stefan, 2024. "Vehicle routing for connected service areas - a versatile approach covering single, hierarchical, and bi-criteria objectives," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 313(3), pages 905-925.
    15. Gámez Albán, Harol Mauricio & Cornelissens, Trijntje & Sörensen, Kenneth, 2024. "A new policy for scattered storage assignment to minimize picking travel distances," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 315(3), pages 1006-1020.
    16. Mustapha Haouassi & Yannick Kergosien & Jorge E. Mendoza & Louis-Martin Rousseau, 2022. "The integrated orderline batching, batch scheduling, and picker routing problem with multiple pickers: the benefits of splitting customer orders," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 614-645, September.
    17. Silva, Allyson & Roodbergen, Kees Jan & Coelho, Leandro C. & Darvish, Maryam, 2022. "Estimating optimal ABC zone sizes in manual warehouses," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    18. Saylam, Serhat & Çelik, Melih & Süral, Haldun, 2024. "Arc routing based compact formulations for picker routing in single and two block parallel aisle warehouses," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 313(1), pages 225-240.
    19. Zhang, Jun & Wang, Xuping & Huang, Kai, 2018. "On-line scheduling of order picking and delivery with multiple zones and limited vehicle capacity," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 104-115.
    20. Laura Lüke & Katrin Heßler & Stefan Irnich, 2024. "The single picker routing problem with scattered storage: modeling and evaluation of routing and storage policies," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 46(3), pages 909-951, September.

    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:spr:queues:v:108:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11134-024-09928-9. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.