MANAGERIAL DESIGN OF SLOTTING AND PICKING IN SMART WAREHOUSES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46299/j.isjmef.20260505.07Keywords:
smart warehouse, order picking, storage location assignment, slotting, managerial design, Order Picking 4.0, human-centric logistics, digital twin, warehouse performanceAbstract
The article develops a managerial framework for the joint design of storage location assignment (slotting) and order picking in smart warehouses. Design decisions are arranged in strategic, tactical and operational layers, coupled with digital enablers and human-centric constraints, and closed into a decision cycle with a re-slotting trigger. A stylised computational case compares six configurations, from manual random storage to a goods-to-person system, by an order cycle time model, cost per order line and a weighted utility under two managerial priority profiles. Supportive technologies combined with affinity-based slotting give the lowest cost per line, whereas hybrid and substitutive automation win on throughput and ergonomic load and reach cost parity only at about five times the base volume. The preferred configuration therefore follows from managerial priorities and volume rather than from technology alone.References
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