Towards a Metaheuristic for Routing Order Pickers in a Warehouse
نویسندگان
چکیده
In this paper we will deal with the sequencing and routing problem of order pickers in conventional multi-parallel-aisle warehouse systems. For this NP-hard Steiner Travelling Salesman Problem exact algorithms only exist for warehouses with at most three cross aisles. We propose a new approach were the problem of routing order pickers in multiple-block warehouses is translated into a classical Travelling Salesman Problem. Our approach allows for the use of the more powerful (meta)heuristic search procedures developed for amongst others the Vehicle Routing Problem and the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. To the best of our knowledge, a certain approach has not yet been used in literature on order picking.
منابع مشابه
Routing order pickers in a warehouse with a middle aisle
This paper considers a parallel aisle warehouse, where order pickers can change aisles at the ends of every aisle and also at a cross aisle halfway along the aisles. An algorithm is presented that can find shortest order picking tours in this type of warehouses. The algorithm is applicable in warehouse situations with up to three aisle changing possibilities. Average tour length is compared for...
متن کاملA U-shaped layout for manual order-picking systems
In manual order picking systems, order pickers walk or ride through a warehouse in order to collect items requested by customers. The performance of such a system is significantly dependent on its layout which determines the lengths of the order pickers’ tours and the corresponding picking times. Whereas for classic warehouse layouts all picking aisles are arranged in parallel to each other, in...
متن کاملData-driven warehouse optimization: deploying skills of order pickers
Batching orders and routing order pickers is a commonly studied problem in many picker-to-parts warehouses. The impact of individual differences in picking skills on performance has received little attention. In this paper, we show that taking into account differences in the skills of individual pickers when assigning work has a substantial effect on total batch execution time and picker produc...
متن کاملAn adapted water wave optimization algorithm for routing order pickers in manual warehouses
In this paper, we present a new algorithm for routing order pickers in manual warehouses and optimizing the total distance covered. The proposed approach is an adaptation of the recent water wave optimization (WWO) algorithm, a nature-inspired algorithm based on the shallow water wave theory. The algorithm is tested on a rectangular 1-block warehouse, with 12 aisles and 45 storage locations per...
متن کاملIntegrated Order Batching and Distribution Scheduling in a Single-block Order Picking Warehouse Considering S-Shape Routing Policy
In this paper, a mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed to integrate batch picking and distribution scheduling problems in order to optimize them simultaneously in an order picking warehouse. A tow-phase heuristic algorithm is presented to solve it in reasonable time. The first phase uses a genetic algorithm to evaluate and select permutations of the given set of customers. The seco...
متن کامل