Chapter 5: Optimisation, Planning and Decision Support

Title: An agent-based approach for finding the optimal dwell point in automated storage/retrieval systems

Author(s): Emanuel Federico Alsina, Giacomo Cabri, Alberto Regattieri, Giulia Santarelli

Address: Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics (FIM), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy | Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics (FIM), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy | Department of Industrial Mechanical Plants (DIEM), University of Bologna, Italy | Department of Industrial Mechanical Plants (DIEM), University of Bologna, Italy

Reference: Software, Knowledge, Information Management and Applications (SKIMA 2013) pp. 181 - 188

Abstract/Summary: Automated storage/retrieval systems are devices that allow intensive physical storage of materials. They can improve the performance of the supply chain, reduce labour costs and minimise the system response time. This study presents a multi-agent system able to investigate the dwell point position for random allocation of unit loads, simulating different storage dimensions (varying the number of spans and the number of levels simultaneously) and arrivals (varying the interval between requested tasks). We propose a model in which a dwell point is attracted by the positions where the most recent storage or retrieval operations have been performed. The results of this analysis are presented in terms of travel time and waiting time, and are compared with the performance of other policies found in literature.

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