Given a picker-to-part warehouse having a simple rectilinear aisle arrangement with north-south storage aisles and east-west travel aisles (or "cross aisles"), this paper investigates the optimal placement of the cross aisles as a consequence of the probability mass function of the order pick points, as determined by the storage policy. That is, what placement of the cross aisles will result in a minimal expected path length for the picker? An analytical solutionprocedure is developed for the optimal placement of a single middle cross aisle for a given storage policy. A simplifying assumption is made as regards picker routing, but arbitrary non-random storage policies are considered. The solution procedure is generalized to a method for multiple cross aisles. Some example problems are solved and a simulation study is used to measure the impact of our simplifying assumptions.

With increased globalization and offshore sourcing, global supply chain management is becoming an important issue for many businesses as it involves a company's worldwide interests and suppliers rather than simply a local or national orientation. The storage systems significantly affect the level of quality of products, the customer’s service level, and the global logistic cost. The mission of warehousing systems design, control and optimization is to effectively ship products in the right place, at the right time, and in the right quantity (i.e. in any configuration) without any damages or alterations, and minimizing costs. Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain presents and discusses a set of models, tools and real applications, including a few case studies rarely presented with a sufficient detail by other literature, to illustrate the main challenges in warehousing activities. This includes all warehouse operations (from receiving to shipping), problems and issues (e.g. storage allocation, assignment, layout, vehicle routing) for industrial and service systems as parts of global supply chains. Advanced and effective solving methods are also illustrated and the discussed case studies help the reader to quickly apply the proposed models and techniques/algorithms. Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain is useful to managers and practitioners of industry and service sectors for the determination and modeling of the critical issues concerning warehousing systems planning and design. It is a valuable source of information for engineering students, doctoral and post-doctoral students, and researchers of academic institutions who are searching for advanced modeling approaches and solving techniques to complex logistic decision making problems. Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain presents and discusses a set of models, tools and real applications, including a few case studies rarely presented with a sufficient detail by other literature, to illustrate the main challenges in warehousing activities. This includes all warehouse operations (from receiving to shipping), problems and issues (e.g. storage allocation, assignment, layout, vehicle routing) for industrial and service systems as parts of global supply chains. Advanced and effective solving methods are also illustrated and the discussed case studies help the reader to quickly apply the proposed models and techniques/algorithms. Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain is useful to managers and practitioners of industry and service sectors for the determination and modeling of the critical issues concerning warehousing systems planning and design. It is a valuable source of information for engineering students, doctoral and post-doctoral students, and researchers of academic institutions who are searching for advanced modeling approaches and solving techniques to complex logistic decision making problems.

Warehouses are an integral link in the modern supply chain, ensuring that the correct product is delivered in the right quantity, in good condition, at the required time, and at minimal cost: in effect, the perfect order. The effective management of warehouses is vital in minimizing costs and ensuring the efficient operation of any supply chain. Warehouse Management is a complete guide to best practice in warehouse operations. Covering everything from the latest technological advances to current environmental issues, this book provides an indispensable companion to the modern warehouse. Supported by case studies, the text considers many aspects of warehouse management, including: cost reduction productivity people management warehouse operations With helpful tools, hints and up-to-date information, Warehouse Management provides an invaluable resource for anyone looking to reduce costs and boost productivity.

Now in Its Fourth Edition: Your Guide to Successful Facility Design Overcome design and planning problems using the fourth edition of Facilities Design. Dedicated to the proper design, layout, and location of facilities, this definitive guide outlines the main design and operational problems that occur in manufacturing and service systems, explains the significance of facility design and planning problems, and describes how mathematical models can be used to help analyze and solve them. Combining theory with practice, this revised work presents state-of-the-art topics in materials handling, warehousing, and logistics along with real-world examples that emphasize the importance of modeling and analysis when determining a solution to complex facility design problems. What’s New in the Fourth Edition: The latest version introduces new material that includes handling equipment and systems, and presents relevant case studies in each and every chapter. It also provides access to Layout-iQ software, data files for many of the numerical examples that are contained throughout the book, and PowerPoint files for various chapters. Additionally, the author: Describes tools commonly used for presenting layout designs Presents traditional models for facility layout including the popular systematic layout planning (SLP) model in detail Provides a layout project involving the SLP model Covers group technology and cellular manufacturing at the elementary level Includes a project and case study on machine grouping and layout Considers next-generation factory layouts Discusses analytical queuing and queuing network models, and more Facilities Design, Fourth Edition explains the ins and outs of facility planning and design. A reference for both student and professional, the book addresses facilities design and layout problems in manufacturing systems and covers layout, logistics, supply chain, warehousing, and materials handling. Please visit the author’s website for ancillary materials: http://sundere.okstate.edu/downloadable-software-programs-and-data-files.