Performance Enhancement and Evaluation of a Forward-Reserve Picking System

抄録

The forward-reserve picking (FRP) system is a warehouse layout designed to enhance the efficiency of product picking operations by dividing the space into two areas: a forward area for picking ordered items, and a reserve area for storing items to replenish the forward area. This study considers methods to improve the performance of the FRP system by comparing its effectiveness with that of the traditional picking (TRP) system, in which picking operations are carried out across an entire warehouse. The comparison is executed based on the walking distance of pickers. The results show that the FRP system does not always outperform the TRP system when only a simple division between forward and reserve areas is introduced. To enhance the performance of the FRP system, additional measures are required to make picker movement more efficient within the warehouse. These include aligning the storage positions of items between the forward and reserve areas, and implementing class-based storage strategies in the forward area.