• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.136-144
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• 2005

This research deals with an order picking problem in automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). When retrieval requests consist of multiple items and the items are in multiple stock locations, the storage/retrieval (S/R) machine must travel to numerous storage locations to complete each order. The aim of this research is to propose algorithms for the resolution of order picking problems with multiple stock locations to minimize the total time traveled by the S/R machine. We present and compare three alternatives for solving the problem based on enumeration, ordinary heuristic and genetic algorithms. We used a set of 180 different problems that are solved by these three algorithms. The results show that our proposed genetic algorithm is more efficient than the other two.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제18권34호
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• pp.9-14
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• 1995

A cost minimization model for designing AS/RS (Automated Storage/Retrieval Systtems) has been developed under the S/R (Storage/Retrieval) machine throughput rate and total storage capacity requirements. The objective function includes S/R machine cost storage rack cost, and interface conveyor cost. Since the model is a nonlinear integer programming problem which is very hard to solve with large problem size, the model is simplified using previous research results to be solved exactly and a simultion procedure is combined to verify that throughput rate requirements are satisfied.

• 한국시뮬레이션학회논문지
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.71-82
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• 2001

Considering material handling delay which occurs between storage and processing stations, we propose an algorithm to estimate the required storage capacity, i.e., number of aisles and number of openings in vertical and horizontal directions in each aisle, of an automated storage/retrieval(AS/R) system. Due to the random nature of storage and retrieval requests, proportion of single and dual commands is not known in advance. Two design criteria, maximum permissible overflow probability and maximum allowable storage/retrieval(S/R) machine utilization, are used to compute the storage capacity. Most of studies assume that storage capacity of AS/R systems is given, although it is a very important decision variable in the design phase. Therefore, the proposed model can be effectively used in the design phase of new AS/R systems.

• 대한산업공학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.306-316
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• 2004

We present a closed form approximate analytical model to estimate the expected waiting times for the storage and retrieval requests of an automated storage/retrieval (AS/R) system, assuming that the storage/retrieval (S/R) machine idles either at the rack or at the input/output point. The expected waiting times (and the associated mean queue lengths) can play an important role to decide whether the performance of a stable AS/R system is actually acceptable, to determine buffer size (or length) of the input conveyor, and to compute the number of the rack openings which is required to hold the loads which are requested by processing machines but waiting in the rack to be retrieved by the SIR machine. This model can be effectively used in the early design stage of an AS/R system.

• 한국경영과학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.91-108
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• 1998

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RSs) are an important facility for modern material management. The expected benefits of these capital-intensive facilities are gained when their control policies and their physical design parameters are determined simultaneously. In this paper we present several analytical models that capture the impact of the storage assignment policy and of the rack design on the expected storage and retrieval times. Sequential and interleaved service modes are considered for sequencing the storage and retrieval requests. We further investigate the impact of the rack structure on the relative performance of the following storage assignment policies : closest open location (random), full turnover-based policy, and class-based. Our analysis clearly indicates that significant savings in crane travel time are realized when implementing full turnover-based policy, rather than random. These savings become more and more pronounced as the profile of the storage racks approaches the square-in-time shape. Furthermore, it is shown that a class-based policy, with a small number of storage classes, will capture most of these savings and be easier to manage in practice.

• 대한산업공학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.169-175
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• 2001

Most of studies on automated storage/retrieval (AS/R) system assumed that storage capacity is given, although it is a very important decision variable in the design phase. We propose a simple algorithm to estimate the required storage capacity, i.e., number of aisles and number of openings in vertical and horizontal directions in each aisle, of an AS/R system under stochastic demand, in which storage requests occur endogenously and exogenously while the retrieval requests occur endogenously from the machines. Two design criteria, maximum permissible overflow probability and maximum allowable storage/retrieval (S/R) machine utilization, are used to compute the storage capacity. This model can be effectively used in the design phase of new AS/R systems.

• 대한산업공학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.421-432
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• 1997

In general, Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) have racks of equal size. But higher utilization of warehouse storage can be achieved by using AS/RS with racks of different size. Therefore those systems are adequate and efficient in current environment. In this paper, travel time models are developed for AS/RS with racks of different size under randomized storage in each zone. Each zone has its own rack size. In order to confirm the proposed travel time models, some numerical examples are given.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제18권33호
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• pp.29-37
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• 1995

An Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems(AS/RS) has been gradually emphasized because of the change of production and distribution environment. This paper develops algorithm and Shortest Distance Model that can reduce the traveling time of a stacker crane for efficient operation of AS/RS. In order to reduce the traveling time of a stacker crane, we determine the order processing and then the sequencing of storage/retrieval for each item. Order processing is determined based on the SPT(Shortest Processing Time) concept considering a criterion of retrieval coordinate. The sequencing of storage/retrieval is determined based on the Shortest Distance Model by using a modified SPP(Shortest Path Problem) of network problem. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the developed algorithm and Shortest Distance Model.

• 산업공학
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• 제17권spc호
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• pp.52-61
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• 2004

During the past decades automated storage/retrieval (AS/R) systems have been dominantly implemented in most industrial fields due to their handling efficiency and high utilization of storage space. Such AS/R systems consist of several modules each of which contains two racks and a S/R machine. This paper proposes a design of the hybrid AS/R module which can be adopted without too much initial expenditure by most of small-and-medium sized companies. The hybrid module consists of an AS/R module on the upper floor and a traditional warehouse module on the lower floor. For the AS/R module, analytical expressions of the expected travel times for the S/R machine and the elevator per operation are derived. The expected travel times represent the performance of the module and thus can be used for its economic design.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.134-141
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• 2005

Due to the complexity and stochastic nature of automated warehousing system, items are usually queued up at I/O point. We introduce a storage/retrieval policy : dual-command. We present quick approximations to queueing phenomena under these policies. It is assumed that the storage and retrieval arrival pattern follow the same poisson process. We also assumed that storage queue and retrieval queue being operated separately. The approximation attempts are performed under the proposed storage/retrieval policies after we derive S/R machine travel time distributions.