Analysis of assignment rules in a manually operated distribution warehouse

Due to strong market competition, operators of production and logistics systems are constantly looking for measures to increase the efficiency of internal handling and storage processes. The scope of this application-oriented paper will be a manually operated distribution warehouse with a capacity of more than 40,000 pallets connected to an order-picking and a value-added-service area. Different concepts to control the warehouse, such as storage location assignment strategies or the control of the forklift fleet, are investigated with regard to their ability to improve the handling performance in real world applications. Therefore, during the modeling process several relevant practical characteristics e.g., traffic obstruction of forklifts in storage aisles during loading and unloading activities, dimensions of storage locations or storage and retrieval strategies, are taken into account. The results show that concepts can significantly improve warehouse operations.