Performance evaluation of AVS/RS under various design scenarios: A case study

Abstract

In this study, performance evaluation of an autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVS/RS) is completed under various pre-defined design scenarios. Design scenarios are considered based on the rack configuration of the warehouse, namely the number of aisles, bays, and tiers, number of autonomous vehicles (AVs), and number of lifts. The system is simulated using ARENA 12-a commercial software. Seven performance measures are observed from the simulation results. These are: the average cycle time, average utilization of the AVs, average utilization of the lifts, average waiting time in the AVs' queue, average waiting time in the lifts' queue, average number of transactions waiting in the AVs' queue, and average number of transactions waiting in the lifts' queue. Total cost of the system is also integrated into the analysis. The results are analyzed via graphs. Various design options and their costs facilitate the evaluation of the best design for the warehouse manager. The case study is completed for a company that utilizes AVS/RS in France. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited.