Evaluation of the effectiveness of methods and criteria for product classification in the warehouse

Abstract

The paper presents an algorithm for calculating the approximate picking time. In order to perform a simulation, the PickupSimulo software was developed. For this purpose, the PHP language and MySQL relational databases were used. The PickupSimulo makes it possible to define the warehouse topology, solve the product allocation problem (PAP) based on pre-defined criteria and calculate an approximate time of the picking process for that product layout. The warehouse under analysis enables the stocking of over 22,000 pallets. Two variants were analysed. In the first one, the product weight does not matter, whilst in the other the picker must make sure the lightest products are placed at the top of the logistic unit. Such an approach reduces the risk of damaging light products by heavy ones. The research results show that the presented method enables a reduction of the total warehouse costs by 10–16%. [Received: 18 August 2017; Revised: 20 May 2018; Revised: 18 December 2018; Accepted: 20 May 2019].