Optimizing Replenishment Base on Order Structure in Combined Automatic Warehouse System

Abstract

This paper presents a new combined automatic warehouse system that can not only realize automatic storage and sorting processes, but also process automatic replenishment requests according to inventory demand. In this system, there are two storage areas: one for the pallets and the other for the totes. The pallet storage area can process the storage and picking of pallets, whereas the tote storage area can handle case storage and picking. In addition, this system automatically initiates a replenishment request from the pallet storage area to the tote storage area when the storage area is lower than the safety stock. This study uses the characteristics of the order matrix to study the influence of order structure on replenishment with four evaluation parameters: the workload of two storage areas, the number of used storage positions in the tote storage area, and replenishment time. The numerical analysis part sets different order parameter values, including the order density, order strength, and wave size, to analyze the impact of multiple order structures on the system performance, which helps warehouse operation managers decide the replenishment strategy parameters.