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Exact Solution of the Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage

Author

Listed:
  • Katrin Heßler

    (Global Data Strategy and Analytics, Schenker AG)

  • Stefan Irnich

    (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)

Abstract

We present a new modeling approach for the single picker routing problem with scattered storage (SPRPSS). The SPRP-SS assumes that an article is, in general, stored at more than one pick position. The task is then the simultaneous selection of pick positions for requested articles and the determination of a minimum-length picker tour collecting the articles. It is a classical result of Ratliff and Rosenthal that, for given pick positions, an optimal picker tour is a shortest path in the state space of a dynamic program with a linear number of states and transitions. We extend the state space of Ratliff and Rosenthal so that every feasible picker tour is still a path. Furthermore, the additional requirement to make consistent selections and grouping decisions can be modeled as additional constraints in shortest-path problems. We propose to solve these problems with a MIP solver. We will explain why this approach is not only convenient and elegant but also generic: it covers optimal solutions that use heuristic routing policies for the picker tours, can be applied for different warehouse layouts (we present additional results for a two-block parallel-aisle warehouse), and can incorporate further extensions. Computational experiments with a direct MIP solver-based approach for the SPRP-SS show that the new modeling approach outperforms the available exact algorithms.

Suggested Citation

  • Katrin Heßler & Stefan Irnich, 2023. "Exact Solution of the Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage," Working Papers 2303, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    • Handle: RePEc:jgu:wpaper:2303
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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