IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ems/eureri/14615.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Open Location Management in Automated Warehousing Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Yu, Y.
  • de Koster, M.B.M.

Abstract

A warehouse needs to have sufficient open locations to be able to store incoming shipments of various sizes. In combination with ongoing load retrievals open locations gradually spread over the storage area. Unfavorable positions of open locations negatively impact the average load retrieval times. This paper presents a new method to manage these open locations such that the average system travel time for processing a block of storage and retrieval jobs in an automated warehousing system is minimized. We introduce the effective storage area (ESA), a well-defined part of the locations closest to the depot; where only a part of the open locations –the effective open locations-, together with all the products, are stored. We determine the optimal number of effective open locations and the ESA boundary minimizing the average travel time. Using the ESA policy, the travel time of a pair of storage and retrieval jobs can be reduced by more than 10% on average. Its performance depends hardly on the number or the sequence of retrievals. In fact, in case of only one retrieval, applying the policy leads already to beneficial results. Application is also easy; the ESA size can be changed dynamically during storage and retrieval operations.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu, Y. & de Koster, M.B.M., 2009. "Open Location Management in Automated Warehousing Systems," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2009-004-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.
    • Handle: RePEc:ems:eureri:14615
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://repub.eur.nl/pub/14615/ERS-2009-004-LIS.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Gu, Jinxiang & Goetschalckx, Marc & McGinnis, Leon F., 2007. "Research on warehouse operation: A comprehensive review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(1), pages 1-21, February.
    3. Yavuz A. Bozer & John A. White, 1990. "Design and Performance Models for End-of-Aisle Order Picking Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(7), pages 852-866, July.
    4. Warren H. Hausman & Leroy B. Schwarz & Stephen C. Graves, 1976. "Optimal Storage Assignment in Automatic Warehousing Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(6), pages 629-638, February.
    5. Stephen C. Graves & Warren H. Hausman & Leroy B. Schwarz, 1977. "Storage-Retrieval Interleaving in Automatic Warehousing Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(9), pages 935-945, May.
    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. Roodbergen, Kees Jan & Vis, Iris F.A., 2009. "A survey of literature on automated storage and retrieval systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 194(2), pages 343-362, April.
    2. Gu, Jinxiang & Goetschalckx, Marc & McGinnis, Leon F., 2010. "Research on warehouse design and performance evaluation: A comprehensive review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 203(3), pages 539-549, June.
    3. Marcus Ang & Yun Fong Lim & Melvyn Sim, 2012. "Robust Storage Assignment in Unit-Load Warehouses," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(11), pages 2114-2130, November.
    4. Yu, Y. & de Koster, M.B.M., 2009. "On the Suboptimality of Full Turnover-Based Storage," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2009-051-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.
    5. Tian Liu & Xianhao Xu & Hu Qin & Andrew Lim, 2016. "Travel time analysis of the dual command cycle in the split-platform AS/RS with I/O dwell point policy," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 442-460, September.
    6. Guo, Xiaolong & Chen, Ran & Du, Shaofu & Yu, Yugang, 2021. "Storage assignment for newly arrived items in forward picking areas with limited open locations," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    7. Robert J. Batt & Santiago Gallino, 2019. "Finding a Needle in a Haystack: The Effects of Searching and Learning on Pick-Worker Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(6), pages 2624-2645, June.
    8. Ang, Marcus & Lim, Yun Fong, 2019. "How to optimize storage classes in a unit-load warehouse," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 278(1), pages 186-201.
    9. Chen, Lu & Langevin, André & Riopel, Diane, 2011. "A tabu search algorithm for the relocation problem in a warehousing system," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(1), pages 147-156, January.
    10. Silva, Allyson & Coelho, Leandro C. & Darvish, Maryam & Renaud, Jacques, 2020. "Integrating storage location and order picking problems in warehouse planning," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Le-Duc, T. & de Koster, M.B.M. & Yu, Y., 2006. "Optimal Storage Rack Design for a 3-dimensional Compact AS/RS," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-027-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.
    12. Bortolini, Marco & Faccio, Maurizio & Ferrari, Emilio & Gamberi, Mauro & Pilati, Francesco, 2017. "Time and energy optimal unit-load assignment for automatic S/R warehouses," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 133-145.
    13. Zhuang, Yanling & Zhou, Yun & Hassini, Elkafi & Yuan, Yufei & Hu, Xiangpei, 2024. "Improving order picking efficiency through storage assignment optimization in robotic mobile fulfillment systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(2), pages 718-732.
    14. 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.
    15. Dijkstra, Arjan S. & Roodbergen, Kees Jan, 2017. "Exact route-length formulas and a storage location assignment heuristic for picker-to-parts warehouses," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 38-59.
    16. Muppani (Muppant), Venkata Reddy & Adil, Gajendra Kumar, 2008. "Efficient formation of storage classes for warehouse storage location assignment: A simulated annealing approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 609-618, August.
    17. Boysen, Nils & Schwerdfeger, Stefan & Stephan, Konrad, 2023. "A review of synchronization problems in parts-to-picker warehouses," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 307(3), pages 1374-1390.
    18. Subir S. Rao & Gajendra K. Adil, 2017. "Analytical models for a new turnover-based hybrid storage policy in unit-load warehouses," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(2), pages 327-346, January.
    19. Jianming Cai & Xiaokang Li & Yue Liang & Shan Ouyang, 2021. "Collaborative Optimization of Storage Location Assignment and Path Planning in Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-26, May.
    20. Zhuxi Chen & Xiaoping Li & Jatinder N.D. Gupta, 2016. "Sequencing the storages and retrievals for flow-rack automated storage and retrieval systems with duration-of-stay storage policy," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 984-998, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    AS/RS; distribution science; open locations; storage and retrieval; warehousing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
    • M - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics
    • M11 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Production Management
    • R4 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ems:eureri:14615. 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: RePub (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/erimanl.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.