System and Methods for Automatic Reorganization of Pick Slot Assignments in a Warehouse

摘要

Systems and methods for automatic reorganization of pick slot assignments in a warehouse are described. Replenishments of products from storage slots to pick slots are used to perform product relocation to new pick slots for active items, along with traditional relocation moves for inactive items to establish open pick slots. By use of replenishments, the blocking of product relocations to new pick slots due to order picking activity is reduced or eliminated, enabling product relocation for improved slotting to be performed during normal warehouse operations. A dynamic slotting method is described where each item is assigned to a zone having a designated set of slots and each item is replenished to any new slot, as compared to an originally assigned slot, in the zone as stock is depleted by picking. Inactive items may be proactively relocated to temporary slots to reduce or eliminate the blocking of relocations of active items.

主权项

1. A computer based method for using replenishments to perform product relocation to new preferred slots in a warehouse, the method comprising:
obtaining from a warehouse management control (WMC) function lists of items, currently empty slots, a current assignment of items to slots, and a slotting map that lists preferred slot assignments for all listed items; comparing the current assignment of items to slots with the slotting map and with the list of currently empty slots to determine whether there is at least one currently empty slot that is a preferred slot having an item assigned to it in the slotting map, wherein the item is currently assigned to an original slot; and sending a replenishment command to the WMC function to direct new inventory for the item to the at least one empty slot that is the preferred slot to replenish the item relocated to the preferred slot.