Improving order picking systems by using arena simulation: A case study of SVC

Abstract

Most warehouse managers are concerned with increasing productivity and lowering labor costs throughout the picking process. As a result, order picking (OP) is regarded as the most labor-intensive and expensive of all warehouse processes. The OP process uses a significant amount of warehouse labor and adds significantly to total warehouse operating costs; thus, the order picking system (OPS) requires special attention to optimize the warehouse process and the required time reduction during the order picking operation. Restructuring, along with the use of various order-picking strategies to save processing time, could yield significant benefits. This thesis analyzes the OPS improvement possibilities of the current system through appropriate OP methods. This research project applies ARENA simulation models which are applied to evaluate different OPS scenarios based on two different OP methods including Zone Picking method and Batch Picking method. Test results should therefore bring advantages of new picking methods to overcome difficulty for the entity case. Specifically, reducing the travel distance time