Batch Construction Heuristics and Storage Assignment Strategies for Walk/Ride and Pick Systems
研究步行/骑行拣选系统中如何构建订单批次和分配存储空间，通过模拟一个假设仓库模型，测试不同策略对拣选效率的影响，发现批次构建和存储分配方法能显著影响仓库订单拣选效果。
The retrieval of items from storage is a chore faced by virtually every business concern. Walk/ride and pick systems are a popular method for performing this chore in many applications. When retrieval requests consist of multiple items, order pickers must travel to numerous storage locations to complete each order. When these requests are made in sufficient volume, a method of order retrieval known as batch picking is often used. Batch picking is a popular approach in the mail-order industry and is employed in industrial settings such as tool cribs and in warehouses, which service assembly line operations. Batch construction heuristics are developed and tested under three strategies for assigning storage space to individual items that have been suggested in the literature. Our results are derived from the simulation of a single hypothetical warehouse model. Specifically, we employ a model that is square in travel distance and assume the walk and pick method of order retrieval with sequential one-way travel. Sensitivity analysis is performed on workforce level and batch size. Our results indicate that the methods used for constructing batches of orders and for assigning storage space to individual items can significantly impact order retrieval efforts in warehouses of this type.