OPTIMIZATION APPROACH IN THE ROUTING PROBLEM

Abstract

The article considers that the warehouse is a particularly important element of the logistics system of the enterprise. Properly organized warehousing increases the organization of production and its rhythm; preserves the quality of materials, raw materials, products; as well as improves the use of occupied territories, etc. The main operations carried out in each warehouse are the receipt, storage, assembly and delivery of goods. The authors emphasize that a special problem in the warehousing process is the search and execution of orders as the most time-consuming operations. These processes include moving according to the search for goods, withdrawal of goods according to organizational inputs. Moving through the warehouse is the dominant component of the order picking process, which accounts for more than 50 % of the total order collection time. Therefore, the optimal route can simultaneously minimize time and correct the fulfillment of the order. The main task is to organize the process so as to reduce the route of the picker when bypassing the storage of goods and eliminate unnecessary movement. Thus, the problem needs to be solved by two tasks: determining the set of storage sites to be visited, and minimizing the distance traveled by the picker. The article considers a set of methods for solving the routing problem and proposes an algorithm for solving the problem of the optimization of the route of the picker, which allows to partially reduce the time of completion of the order. The scientific and practical significance of the study is to combine the taxonomic degree of attractiveness of the location of the elements of the order and heuristic approaches to the construction of the route of movement of the picker for the specified topology of the warehouse. Considerable attention is paid to heuristic methods of route construction. It is impossible to unambiguously choose the best method of determining the route, as this choice depends on the individual characteristics of the composition: size, location of racks, method of storage. Thus, the proposed algorithm makes it possible to improve the efficiency of one of the processes in the warehousing logistics system, taking into account the type and typology of the warehouse and without requiring significant additional costs. The algorithm allows to construct a shorter path of the picker, but it is advisable to consider the time spent on the picking process. The study has been conducted as a part of research work "Modeling of logical processes in warehouses of the enterprise" in warehouses of parts and components of enterprises, specializing in the preparation of boilers of various modifications. Four heuristic methods are used to determine the employee's route, namely S-Shape, Midpoint, Return, Combined.