Providing decision support functionality in warehouse management using the RFID-based fuzzy association rule mining approach

Warehouse management plays an important role in every manufacturing company. The inventory provides a buffer for the production plants. The Put-away process is one of the key activities in warehouse operations and has a significant impact on the overall performance of the warehouse. The put-away operation, if done effectively by the warehouse operators, helps the production plant to run smoothly. Warehouse management systems (WMS) can assist the warehouse operators in managing the warehouse. However, the current WMS cannot fulfill the individual warehouse objectives. Due to this drawback, warehouse operators have to rely solely on their knowledge and experience when doing the put-away process. As human beings are involved in the operation, mistakes and inconsistency cannot be avoided. Hence, as described in this paper, a RFID-based fuzzy storage assignment system (R-FSAS) has been developed to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the put-away process by means of formulating feasible and tailor-made storage plans for products coming into a warehouse. Through using R-FSAS, real-time warehouse operations are monitored by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, and a hybrid fuzzy association rule engine is adopted to formulate different storage plans. By applying R-FSAS in a manufacturing company, the overall results illustrate that R-FSAS enhances the efficiency of the put-away process in a warehouse.