The Optimization of Picking in Logistics Warehouses in the Event of Sudden Picking Order Changes and Picking Route Blockages

Abstract

(1) Background: This work focuses on improving the efficiency of warehouse operations with the goal of promoting efficiency in the logistics industry and mitigating logistics-related labor shortages. Many factors are involved in warehouse operations, such as the optimal allocation of manpower, the optimal layout design, and the use of automatic guided vehicles, which together affect operational efficiency. (2) Methods: In this work, we developed an optimal method for operating a limited number of workers or picking robots in a specific area, coping with cases of sudden disruptions such as a change in picking order or the blockage of aisles. For this purpose, the number of pickers, the storage capacity, and other constraints such as sudden changes in picking orders during the picking process, as well as blockages in the aisles of a warehouse site, are considered. The total travel distance is minimized using Gurobi, an optimization solver. (3) Results: The picking routes were optimized in three different scenarios using the shortest route between the starting point and the picking points, resulting in up to a 31% efficiency improvement in terms of the total distance traveled. (4) Conclusions: The main contribution of this work is that it focuses on the day-to-day work situations of sudden changes in the picking order and the presence of route blocks in real-world logistics warehouse sites. It demonstrates the feasibility of responding to sudden disruptions and simultaneously optimizing picking routes in real time. This work contributes to the overall efficiency of logistics by providing a simple, yet practical, data-driven solution for the optimization of warehouse operations.