The paper deals with the design of storage systems. Specifically, we focus on storage racks that are accessed in a Last-In-Fist-Out (LIFO) manner (e.g. “drive-in” racks). On one hand, such a type of rack storage is more space-efficient than, e.g., single deep selective racks (less aisle space is required per pallet location); on the other hand, pallets are not independently accessible and replenishing/emptying cycles are required. This leads to a reduction of a performance measure called here storage efficiency. The aim of the study is to present a methodology for computing the storage efficiency of such a type of rack system with respect to different production/delivery patterns of the allocated items. Then, the overall system performance can be assessed by investigating the trade-off between storage efficiency and space utilization. Moreover, the benefit of integrating LIFO storage with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) is discussed. The methodology is finally applied to a case study.
Efficiency estimation of LIFO storage systems managed with automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
GEBENNINI, Elisa;
2011-01-01
Abstract
The paper deals with the design of storage systems. Specifically, we focus on storage racks that are accessed in a Last-In-Fist-Out (LIFO) manner (e.g. “drive-in” racks). On one hand, such a type of rack storage is more space-efficient than, e.g., single deep selective racks (less aisle space is required per pallet location); on the other hand, pallets are not independently accessible and replenishing/emptying cycles are required. This leads to a reduction of a performance measure called here storage efficiency. The aim of the study is to present a methodology for computing the storage efficiency of such a type of rack system with respect to different production/delivery patterns of the allocated items. Then, the overall system performance can be assessed by investigating the trade-off between storage efficiency and space utilization. Moreover, the benefit of integrating LIFO storage with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) is discussed. The methodology is finally applied to a case study.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
