Warehouse Pick Path Optimization Algorithm Analysis

Warehouse operational costs are heavily influenced by the efficiency in which workers are able to traverse the warehouse and gather items on orders around the warehouse that must be shipped to customers; this action accounts for over 50% of warehouse operations expenses. The act of traversing the warehouse is greatly optimized by following a designated pick path; however, algorithms for pick path generation are complex and heavily unexplored by the industry. Generating pick paths involves solving two common place graph theory problems: the shortest path problem and the traveling salesperson problem. We will analyze algorithms used for solving both of these problems and discuss the feasibility of generating pick paths through the use of the algorithms. We also introduce a simplified implementation to illustrate the viability of the described approaches.