Performance Analysis of Picking Path Strategies in Chevron Layout Warehouse

Huwei Liu,Fan Wang,Junhui Zhao,Jianglong Yang,Li Zhou,Chunqiao Tan

doi:10.3390/math10030395

Abstract

Order picking is the part with the highest proportion of operation cost and time in the warehouse. The characteristics of small-batch and multi-frequency current orders reduce the applicability of the traditional layout in the warehouse. Besides this, the improvement of the layout will also affect the picking path, such as the Chevron warehouse layout, and at present, there is a lack of research on order picking with multiple picking locations under non-traditional layouts. In order to minimize the order picking cost and time, and expand the research in this field, this paper selects the Chevron layout to design and describe the warehouse layout, constructs the picking walking distance model of Return-type, S-type and Mixed-type path strategies in the random storage Chevron layout warehouse, and uses the Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm to solve the picking walking distance generated by the Mixed-type path. Compared with the existing single-command order picking research, the order picking problem of multi picking locations is more suitable for the reality of e-commerce warehouses. Moreover, numerical experiments are carried out on the above three path strategies to study the impact of different walking paths on the picking walking distance, and the performance of different path strategies is evaluated by comparing the order picking walking distance with the different number of locations to be picked. The results show that, among the three path strategies, the Mixed-type path strategy is better than the Return-type path strategy, and the average optimization proportion is higher than 20%. When the number of locations to be picked is less than 36, the Mixed-type path is better than the S-type path. With the increase of the number of locations to be picked, the Mixed-type path is gradually worse than the S-type path. When the number of locations to be picked is less than 5, the Return-type path is better than the S-type path. With the increase of the number of locations to be picked in the order, the S-type path is gradually better than the Return-type path.

Highlights

Warehousing is an indispensable link in logistics and the supply chain [1]
Mixed-type path in the storage system under Chevron layout, it can be found that the picking travel distance of Return-type and S-type path is easy to be obtained, and the picking travel distance of Mixed-type path needs to be solved by relevant algorithms
According to the characteristics of the Chevron warehouse layout, this paper takes the shelf angles in the right half-warehouse and the left half-warehouse of 45◦ and 135◦ to design and describe the warehouse layout, constructs the walking distance model of picking operation with the Return-type, S-type and Mixed-type path strategies in the random storage strategy, and introduces the Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm to solve the picking travel distance generated by the Mixed-type path to compare and optimize the picking path in the Chevron layout storage center

Summary

Introduction

Warehousing is an indispensable link in logistics and the supply chain [1]. With the further development of e-commerce, small-batch, multi-frequency and high timeliness have gradually become the main demand characteristics of customers. Shavaki et al [34] comprehensively considered the constraints such as warehouse storage, online order batching, robot scheduling, and route selection, and proposed a rule-based heuristic path algorithm. It can be seen from the above literature that the existing research on warehouse picking paths mostly focuses on traditional layouts, while the research on picking paths under nonI-trcaadnitbieonseael nlafyroumtsthfoecaubsoevseolniteFriashtubroentehalatythoeutexainsdtinVg-srhesaepaerdchlaoynowuta,raenhdouthse preicskeainrcgh poanthostmheorsntloynf-otcruadseitsionatlraladyiotiuotnsailslareyloautitvse, lwyhlailcektihneg.reTsheearicmhpornovpeicmkeinngt opfawthasruenhdouersenolany-troaudtitpiornovalidlaeysomutosrefopcuasthescohnoiFciesshbfoornepilcakyionugt wanadlkVin-sgh. In the research of Öztürkoglu et al [35], it takes Chevron layout as a new design scheme of singlecommand order picking operation, but does not study the picking walking path with multiple picking locations.

Return-Type Picking Path Model

S-Type Picking Path Model

Results and Analysis

Analysis

Conclusions