Logistics Centre: Validating Expansion Plans for High-Bay Warehouses and Conveyor Systems
Initial Situation: Expansion of high-bay warehouses, conveyor systems and order picking
A company was planning to expand its logistics centre with a channel storage system as high-bay warehouse technology, a pallet conveyor system including an integrated cooling tunnel, and a warehouse order-picking area with manual and automatic replenishment. These expansion plans were to be reviewed using simulation before implementation.
Objective: To analyse material flow and utilisation of the high-bay warehouse and automated guided vehicles
The aim was to analyse the material flow in terms of throughput and utilisation and to identify potential bottlenecks. In addition, strategies for optimising the allocation and utilisation of high-bay racking (HRL) and rack feeders (RFZ), as well as customer order processing and freight consolidation in planning, were to be analysed.
Solution: Simulation model for intersecting conveyor flows and block zoning
SimPlan modelled the entire material flow of the planned expansion, from the intersecting conveyor flows to the block zoning in the channel warehouse. This made it possible to simulate different control strategies for high-bay warehouses and rack feeders, as well as various scenarios for order processing in the planning department.
Results: Appropriate control and even utilisation
The simulation provided an appropriate control strategy for the critical material flow at the intersecting conveyor streams. By modifying the block zoning of the channel warehouse, it was possible to achieve an even utilisation rate in the high-bay warehouse. Furthermore, the model enabled the advance planning of the pickers required for a given order volume.
Simulation as the basis for a future-proof expansion
The case study demonstrates how expansion plans for high-bay warehouses and conveyor systems can be assessed for bottlenecks and capacity utilisation prior to implementation, with direct benefits for control systems and staff planning.
