Use of a Process Computer to Control a High-Bay Warehouse

Abstract

This paper is not concerned with the planning of stock-keeping, where obviously the various possibilities of storing goods must be considered, but it is based on the assumption, that a preliminary detailed analysis has shown the high-bay warehouse to be the most economic solution. In order to do so, exact studies must be made in the following areas:

• 1. Cost comparison (Investment, Running costs)

• 2. Structure of customer orders. Resulting assortement, average storage time, throughput.

• 3. Harmonic insertion in a production process and possible distorting feedback into an already existing organization.

• 4. Sketch of a model based on these investigations and simulation of the movements on a DP-computer, to find bottle-necks and to prove throughout.

• 5. Improvement of this model in a heuristic manner by repeating the simulation with different parameters, or by simulating parts of the warehouse (e.g. main transfer conveyor).