Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
1.
Processing time:
The processing time (minimum, average, max-
imum) for fulfilling an order is the first of two key performance
measures for warehouse eciency. The processing time spans the
time period from receiving an order until all required articles are
loaded onto an outgoing truck. Two different situations need to be
distinguished: The first situation is that all articles are available
in the warehouse, whereas in the second situation some (or all)
articles have to be reordered by the warehouse manager.
2.
Costs:
Obviously, processing time can always be minimized by
using a larger warehouse and more workers respectively forklifts.
Therefore, the second key performance measure are the costs. On
the one hand, overall costs (i.e., warehouse, workers, forklifts, etc.)
are of interest and on the other hand utilization of the warehouse
as well as of workers and forklifts.
3.
Usability of the reference model:
This objective aims to an-
swer the question if the GRAMS reference model is able to represent
all aspects with the necessary level of detail and if the specifications
and definitions of the reference model regarding the simulation
of such a model are detailed enough. Due to the fact that no
performance measures exist, this objective can not be answered in
a quantitative way but only in a qualitative way.
Input parameters
The following input parameters are relevant for
the analysis:
Warehouse setup
The warehouse setup is defined by several variables. For simplicity,
it can be assumed that the warehouse has a rectangular layout. The
main area of the warehouse is divided into two disjoint sets:
-
The
storage area
is the area for storage of articles.
-
The
transportation area
is the area for transporting articles from
one place to another (either by workers or forklifts). Under no
circumstances may articles be stored at the transportation area.
