Optimal zone boundaries for two-class-based compact three-dimensional automated storage and retrieval systems

Yugang Yu and René de Koster

IISE Transactions, 2009, vol. 41, issue 3, 194-208

Abstract: Compact, multi-deep three-dimensional (3D), Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) are becoming more common, due to new technologies, lower investment costs, time efficiency and compact size. Decision-making research on these systems is still in its infancy. This paper studies a particular compact system with rotating conveyors for the depth movement and a Storage/Retrieval (S/R) machine for the horizontal and vertical movement of unit loads. The optimal storage zone boundaries are determined for this system with two product classes: high- and low-turnover, by minimizing the expected S/R machine travel time. We formulate a mixed-integer non-linear programming model to determine the zone boundaries. A decomposition algorithm and a one-dimensional search scheme are developed to solve the model. The algorithm is complex, but the results are appealing since most of them are in closed-form and easy to apply to optimally layout the 3D AS/RS rack. The results show that the S/R machine travel time is significantly influenced by the zone dimensions, zone sizes and ABC curve skewness (presenting turnover patterns of different products). The presented results are compared with those under random storage and it is shown that significant reductions of the machine travel time are obtainable by using class-based storage.[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of IIE Transactions for the following free supplemental resource: Appendix]

Date: 2009
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/07408170802375778 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:uiiexx:v:41:y:2009:i:3:p:194-208

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/uiie20

DOI: 10.1080/07408170802375778

Access Statistics for this article

IISE Transactions is currently edited by Jianjun Shi

More articles in IISE Transactions from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().