Based on the model and identification of the blocking mechanism, Hong, Johnson, and Peters (2016) developed a new control model to mitigate blocking delay for high order picking throughput. Hong, Johnson, and Peters (2015) developed an analytical model to quantify the amount of blocking delay and its characteristics over throughput. An upstream picker cannot pass over a downstream picker while moving downward and a downstream picker cannot pass over to an upstream picker while moving upward. After hand-off of the tote to the downstream picker, the upstream picker travels backward to take a tote from another upstream picker. An upstream picker fulfills items for a tote while moving downward and passes the tote to the idle downstream picker. As orders arrive with random pick patterns, pickers fulfill the items for each order by using a pick-and-pass system. Both types of delays reduce productivity and operational performance.īucket brigade order picking, which represents the flexible response of pickers to the operational variation in order picking, is well-suited for a flow-rack order picking system (OPS) as shown in Fig.
The first situation incurs blocking delay and the second incurs hand-off delay.
Other disruptions occur when downstream pickers are busy or when upstream pickers are not ready to release the current order or batch. The bucket brigade’s workload balancing characteristic ultimately leads to high productivity (Bartholdi and Eisenstein, 1996a, Bartholdi and Eisenstein, 1996b), even though order picking frequently encounters operational disruptions, mostly because of fluctuating demand. Bucket brigade order picking is an essential function of warehouse distribution center operations.
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