Optimal Product Layout in an Order Picking Warehouse

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for locating product in an order picking warehouse such that average order picking time will be minimized. A stochastic model is developed to ensure that optimal, rather than just “good,” results are obtained. It is shown that, for a class of order picking warehouse, simple, but general, assignment algorithms may be used to optimally allocate product to locations. The results are then used to explore the effects of average order size and the shape of the inventory curve on order picking efficiency.