Multi-Objective Warehouse Layout Optimization with a Fair Workload Distribution Approach (Case Study: Kerman motor Company)

Efficient warehousing process management, particularly order picking, is crucial for enhancing productivity and reducing operational costs. This study, focusing on the sensitive parts warehouse of Kerman Motor Company, proposes a multi-objective mathematical model designed to simultaneously achieve two goals: maximizing the number of completed orders and minimizing workload imbalance among pickers. The developed model incorporates a strict order-picking policy, travel time, and order prioritization. Validated using real data within the GAMS software environment, the results indicate that completing all eight orders with three pickers was infeasible under the initial constraints. However, by introducing a virtual picker and applying a balance constraint, full order fulfillment was achieved. This approach also facilitated a more equitable distribution of workloads and reduced the model's execution time dramatically by ۸۵.۳% (from ۰.۱۰۹ seconds to ۰.۰۱۶ seconds). This study effectively demonstrates the critical trade-off between efficiency and fairness, where a ۲۰% reduction in the aggregate objective function value is justified by significant improvements in equity and operational performance. Consequently, the proposed method enhances not only operational efficiency but also promotes fairness and increases employee satisfaction.

کلیدواژه ها:

Multi-objective optimization ، Order picking ، Fair workload distribution ، Picker-to-parts systems ، Warehouse layout ، Mathematical modeling