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Simulation of automated warehouses

Example of a floor block storage with a crane as storage and retrieval device

Person of contact
Classification
Automated block storage systems can be characterized by the following features:
  • Compact storage by stacking the handling units on top of or behind each other as a block with a high degree of space utilization 
  • Direct access only to the front or top handling units 
  • Automated storage and retrieval machines for storage, retrieval or transfer, such as cranes, storage and retrieval machines, shuttles

Question formulation
What performance do automated block storage systems achieve, taking into account storage space allocation and retrieval strategies and real production and sales data?


Research activity

Development of a simulation model taking into account relevant influencing factors such as

  • Stored goods:
    • Different number of stock keeping units (SKU) and their dimensions, mass etc.   
  • Dimensions of the warehouse, travel paths and kinematics of the conveyors
  • Control strategies in the Warehouse Management System
    • Redundancy of materials across several storage areas 
    • Collision avoidance of operating devices in overlapping storage areas 
    • Formation of single-variety or single-order stacks/channels depending on the filling level of the warehouse, otherwise formation of mixed stacks 
    • Reorganization strategies (demixing, compaction) 
    • Shortest routes and times to the storage location 
    • Consideration of restrictions due to the stored goods (diameter, mass, etc.)
    • Taking interfaces into account
      • Production, loading areas with arrival behavior of trucks, trains, etc.


Goal of the projects

The primary function of automated block storage systems is the temporal decoupling between the production of goods or intermediate products and their dispatch or preparation for further processing. Typical objectives are to answer the following questions:

  • Is the planned storage capacity sufficient for time decoupling?
  • Is the performance of the operating devices sufficient, taking into account real production data, the formation of mixed stacks, the arrival behavior of the loading spaces and their capacity?
  • Is the dimensioning of the dispatch area sufficient, taking into account different loading times?
  • Can truck loading times be shortened?
  • How do disruptions to certain conveyor elements affect system performance? 
  • Can control strategies or changes in operating procedures increase the warehouse's performance?


Opportunities for cooperation

In the past, automatic block storage systems from various branches of industry have been examined on a manufacturer-neutral basis:

  • Paper industry
  • Steel and aluminum industry
  • Wood processing industry

Opportunities for cooperation exist both in the context of R&D projects and in the area of contract research.

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