The impact of zoning on congestion caused by workers with different walking speeds in order picking operations

Abstract

In order to improve the efficiency of logistics warehouses, it is important to reduce travel time since most working hours in order picking operations are spent on travel. In actual distribution warehouses, delays due to the aging of workers and the congestion of multiple workers are also a problem. Research on evacuation guidance has shown that the congestion of pedestrians with different walking speeds affects travel time, so the congestion of workers with different walking speeds is expected to affect travel time and cause work delays at field sites. Therefore, in this study, we focused on elderly people who have different physical characteristics and considered a reduction in walking speed as one of those characteristics. Our objective was to design and allocate work areas to alleviate congestion among workers with different walking speeds in the order picking process using a multi-agent system.