Improving Warehouse Layout Effectiveness and Process Picking Efficiency with the Discrete Event System Simulation Approach

Abstract

Field conditions show process picking inefficiencies caused by the layout and arrangement of products in the warehouse that are not optimal. The objective of this research is to estimate the actual system performance and propose a new design so that the system becomes more effective and efficient. The research methodology combines Discrete-Event System (DES) Simulation to estimate the performance of the system and Double ABC Analysis to determine the re-arrangement of the item's position based on the pickup frequency and outer volume of the item. The statistical results identified the moving time has a significant difference between the actual and proposed layout. This study concludes that the re-arrangement of items can reduce the picking time of operators in the operational warehouse process.