International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

Order Picking in Narrow-Aisle Warehouses

Krishan Rana
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Krishan Rana, (1990),"Order Picking in Narrow-Aisle Warehouses", International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics
Management, Vol. 20 Iss 2 pp. 9 - 15
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 ORDER PICKING IN NARROW-AISLE WAREHOUSES
U
sing an algorithm to compute the number
and routes of order picking can prove
efficient and cost-effective.
Order
Picking in
Narrow-
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Aisle
Warehouses
Krishan Rana
Introduction
Warehousing is an essential function in any service or
manufacturing industry. The principal functions of a
warehouse are receiving goods, put away, order picking,
marshalling, shipping, physical inventory, reporting and
processing. For details, see Smith[l]. Warehousing must
effectively perform these functions at minimum cost. Due
to the advent of computerised information systems and
automated storage and handling equipment, there has been
a revolutionary change in warehousing in the past decade.
Traditionally, storage operations have used standard sacks,
bins, boxes and pallets to store and to stage materials,
either from the factory floor, suppliers or for shipment.
Such systems are fully labour-intensive in materials
handling (fork-lift truck operation, workers required to
break down bulk lots) and materials control functions. In
This article is based on research supported by the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada under Grant Number
A6787.
9
general, incoming shipments in a warehouse are few and
large, due to the economics of manufacturing,
transportation and purchasing, but outgoing shipments are
many and are for small quantities. Because of the relative
high frequency of transactions, stock picking as opposed
to put away, consumes most of the stockroom labour.
For order picking, certain rules are generally practised
by warehouse managers. In such cases, potential for
improvements may not be readily apparent. However,
operations can be made more cost effective, sometimes
with little expense.
Orders are received at warehouses on an on-going basis,
generally with a required delivery date. Orders cannot be
sent out too early as the customers might not have
sufficient shelf space in their retail stores, nor can they
be sent out too late. The order items are picked from their
respective locations and brought to the staging area where
they are packed and shipped to the customers. Generally,
more than one trip is necessary for a larger order. The
objective is to minimise the distance travelled by the
vehicle picking the order items. In a warehouse where
a large number of orders are picked everyday, considerable
savings can be achieved if an efficient order-picking method
is employed.
This article presents an algorithm for order picking in
narrow aisle warehouses. The algorithm has two phases.
First, the warehouse is partitioned into zones. Second,
the sequence of picking the order items (the vehicle route)
is determined in such a way that the distance travelled
in each trip is minimised. The algorithm determines:
(1) The number of trips required to pick the order
items.
(2) The route of each trip.
(3) The number of boxes picked on a trip from each
location, in order to minimise the total distance
travelled.
The algorithm is applicable to automated warehouses, the
fork-lift truck environment, as well as hand-picking
operations. The algorithmic method is compared to the
current method in terms of the number of trips required
and distance travelled to pick order items. The sample
problems used for comparison were randomly generated.
Computations show up to 85 per cent savings in distance
travelled if the algorithmic method is used.
The algorithm has been implemented by a wholesale food
distributing company in its warehouses. Their current
method of order picking is to take each order individually,
break it down according to warehouse area, select the
order items from each warehouse area, and take the
selected items to the staging area, where the products
are sorted out and assembled into orders. For example,
 10 IJPD & LM 20,2

if an order contains dry goods, dairy products and frozen (4) The aisle width is small and a vehicle is driven down
food, then the order is broken into three sections, called the centre of aisles. If the vehicle stops at a point,
"pick breaks". Each pick break is picked separately, and the boxes are picked from both sides without
the three sections of the order are assembled at the travelling additional distance.
staging area. The vehicles used in the warehouse for order (5) Locations of various products are fixed.
picking are not automated. No special software package
was required but, by using a spreadsheet on a
microcomputer, the manager could easily implement the
algorithm in real time. As a result, the warehouse manager
is able to plan the delivery of orders more effectively and
efficiently.

In the following sections, the algorithm is described and

illustrated by an example, followed by computational
comparisons.
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Literature Review
The routing of vehicles within a warehouse has been
studied by Bearwood[2], Daganzo[3,4]. Goetschalckx and
Ratliff[5,6] and Ratliff and Rosenthal[7]. Their basic idea
has been to find the shortest tour through the aisles of
a warehouse so that various items on an order are picked
by one vehicle or on one trip. It is assumed in their papers
that the vehicle picks only one order at a time and that
an order does not exceed the vehicle's capacity.
Goetschalckx and Ratliff briefly describe the four possible
policies for picking orders within an aisle. They assume
that aisles are wide and that a vehicle has to travel to pick
from one side of an aisle to the other.
However, there are situations which involve narrow aisles
and where more than one trip is required to pick items
on an order. This is more so when automated vehicles
are used. The vehicle is driven down the centre of the
aisles. If boxes are required to be picked from opposite
sides of an aisle at a particular point, the vehicle stops
and is able to pick from both sides without travelling an
additional distance. If automated vehicles are used, turning
around is not required as they can travel in both directions
and picking is done by the robotic arm of the vehicle.
Description of the Algorithm
At a warehouse, a large order requires several trips for
picking product boxes in one order. It is assumed that small
orders also require more than one trip. The layout of a
parallel aisle warehouse is shown in Figure 1, and the
following assumptions are made.
(1) Sufficient stock is usually available to meet the daily
demand.
(2) Customers place their orders in terms of full
product boxes only, i.e. orders for split boxes are
not permitted.
(3) The loading time is proportional to the number of
boxes.
Let:
ap = number of boxes required to be picked from some
location p.
b = vehicle capacity in terms of number of boxes.
If ap>b for any p, the vehicle goes to that location and
picks b boxes and brings to the staging area. Consequently,
the leftover cargo at any location is less than the vehicle's
capacity b.
The algorithm has two phases. The first is "zoning", in
which the warehouse is partitioned into zones. The second
phase describes a method for routing the vehicle through
each zone and assigning boxes to each trip.
Let:
aij = number of boxes at location; in aisle i(aij<b, for
all i and j)
Total number of boxes in aisle i, ai= ∑j aij (1)
Number of trips for an aisle i, ki = [ai/b] (2)
The minimum number of trips required for an order,
K = [∑iai/b] (3)
∑iai is the total number of boxes in all aisles. In equation
(2), [ai/b] means that if ai/b is not an integer (say, 4.3),
it is rounded to the next higher integer (i.e. ki = 5). If
∑iki =K, the partitioning is optimal and each aisle is a
zone. But this is not always possible and in general,
∑ i k i >K.This implies that more than one trip will not
be loaded to the vehicle's full capacity and the distance
 ORDER PICKING IN NARROW-AISLE WAREHOUSES 11

travelled by ∑iki vehicles is also more than that travelled
by K vehicles. In order to make ∑iki =K, some
adjustment is necessary — i.e. the load points should be
assigned to zones in such a manner that the integer
number of trips (a multiple of the vehicle's capacity, b)
are made through as many zones as possible. This is
accomplished by the following operation. An aisle is
assigned to a zone and if its total cargo is not equal to
the integer number of trips, it is made so by assigning
cargo from the adjacent aisle to this zone. The process
of assigning various load points to a zone is termed
"zoning" and is described below.
Zoning
First of all, the aisle farthest from the staging area is
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The next part of the algorithm is routing pickers through
the zones, for which the following procedure is employed.
Vehicle Routing
If a zone has only one aisle, then the vehicle goes to the
farthest point in that aisle and picks loads on its return
trip. This is called "return policy". If more than one aisle
is assigned to a zone, then for the first trip in that zone
the vehicle goes to the last load point assigned to the zone
and picks cargo until its capacity is full. This method of
picking is termed "traversal policy". For the remaining
trips in a zone, the return policy is followed (the flow
diagram for the algorithm is shown in Figure 2).

considered. This is aisle 1. All of its load points are

assigned to zone 1. If a1 is equal to the integer number
of vehicle loads, then zone 1 constitutes aisle 1 only. Aisle
2 is then considered. If an order has nothing to be picked
from aisle 2, then the net aisle is considered. Let aisle
2, or the next aisle, be called the current aisle. If a1 is
not equal to the integer number of vehicle loads, it is made
so by assigning loads from the current aisle. A logical
choice is to assign boxes from the farthest load points in
the current aisle. All load points of aisle 1, and these
additional load points of the current aisle, make zone 1.
The remaining load points of the current aisle are than
considered and are assigned to zone 2. It is necessary
to check that the sum of these load points is equal to the
integer number of vehicle loads. If this is so, it is zone
2; otherwise, extra load points from the next adjacent aisle
(which becomes the current aisle) are added to zone 2
such that the total number of load points in zone 2 is equal
to the integer number of vehicle loads. This process is
continued until the aisle closest to the staging area has
become the current aisle. If the remaining load points in
this current aisle make the integer number of trips, they
are assigned to the next zone; otherwise, they are
unassigned. In any case, one proceeds to the farthest aisle
on the other half of the staging area, which is the nth aisle.
This is assigned to the next zone (say, zone z). If the total
cargo in the nth aisle is not a multiple of the vehicle's
capacity, then the (n–l)th is made into the current aisle.
The above procedure is repeated until all the remaining
aisles on the other side of the staging area have been
considered. All the zones formed thus far contain cargo
in multiples of the vehicle's capacity. However, one or
more aisles in the centre of the warehouse (close to the
staging area) may still remain to form a zone; though the
total cargo from these remaining aisles may not be a
multiple of the vehicle's capacity. Nevertheless, these
aisles are grouped together to make one zone. This Let:
algorithm yields the optimal zoning for the layout shown W = width of an aisle; all aisles are assumed to be
in Figure 1. the same size.
 12 IJPD & LM 20,2
Ws= shelf width (assumed to be the same for all
shelves).
A = length of each storage space.
M = number of storage spaces along a shelf.
m = storage space number from the near side.
I = number aisles; i indicates the number.
ie = the aisle number in which the vehicle enters when
it is empty.
ix the aisle number from which the vehicle exits when
it is full.
A rectangular warehouse is considered to be the optimal
geometrical shape for storing rectangular units (see Berry
[8]). It is assumed that the warehouse has only one staging
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area located close to the exit door. The end of the aisles
close to the staging area will be referred to as the "near
side", and the other end as the "far side". The walls
parallel to the aisles will be referred to as ' 'longitudinal
walls" and the others as "cross walls". It is assumed that
the space between the cross wall and the aisle end is equal
to the aisle width (i.e. W). The analysis using the above
notation is as follows:
Length of the longitudinal wall = MA + 2W
Length of the cross wall = I(W+2WS)
Area of the warehouse = I(W+2WS) (MA+2W) (4)
In order to minimise the area of a warehouse, W (in
equation (4)) should be as small as possible. In other
words, a compact warehouse should have narrow aisles.
Distance from the staging area to the centre of aisle i
= |I+l–2i|(Ws + W/2) (5)
Distance travelled through an aisle from the near side to
the far side
= MA + W (6)
Distance travelled from the near side to the centre of the
mth storage space
= A(m-0.5)+W/2 (7)
For the first trip (traversal policy), the distance travelled
= [Ws + W/2][|I+l–2ie|+2|ix-ie| + |I+l–2ix|] +
[MA+W][|ix-ie|]+[A(2m-l)+W], if |i X -i e | (8)
is even
= [Ws+W/2][|I+l-2ie|+2|ix-ie| + |I+l-2ix|] +
[MA+W][|ix-1e|+1] if |i x -i e | is odd. (9)
For the return policy, distance travelled
= 2[Ws+W/2][|I+1-2ie|]+[A(2m-1)+W] (10)
In equations (8) to (10), |x| means absolute value of AT.
For example, if x is –2, then |x| =2. Equation (10) holds
good for the first trip as well as for the subsequent trips.
An algorithm is said to be 0(N) if N is the measure of
the problem instance and if the running time of the
algorithm does not grow faster than the linear function
of N. This algorithm uses the distance equation K times.
The effort required to compute the total distance travelled
is 0(K). The zoning and routing parts of the algorithm
involve the comparison of cargo at a load point with the
vehicle's balance capacity and the calculation of the
vehicle's balance capacity after the cargo is loaded on to
the vehicle at each location. Other comparisons involve
determining zones. The computational effort required for
this aspect is 0(F)+0(Z), where P and Z are the number
of all locations and the number of zones respectively. From
the above, it can be concluded that the total algorithm
complexity is 0(K)+0(P)+0(Z).
An Example Problem
An example of a warehouse with four parallel aisles is
considered. The number of boxes to be picked from each
storage space is shown in Figure 3. Let aij be the load
at location j of aisle i. There are 40 storage spaces in four
aisles, i = 1,... 4. The number of boxes in each aisle is
totalled and the number of trips per aisle is computed,
assuming a vehicle capacity of 20 boxes, see Table I.
Table I. Total Number of Boxes and Trips per Aisle
Aisle Total Number of
trips required
1 2 3 4
Number of
boxes in an
aisle 33 39 21 22 115 6
Number of
trips
required/aisle 2 2 2 2 8
 ORDER PICKING IN NARROW-AISLE WAREHOUSE 13

The sum of boxes in aisle 1 is 33 (i.e. a1 = 33). These respective zones) and the return policy for the fourth and
are assigned to zone 1. In order to make it equal to two sixth trips. Table HI shows the route sequence and the
trip loads (40 boxes), seven boxes from aisle 2 (P21,P22) number of boxes picked from each location for the six
are also assigned to zone 1. Only 32 boxes are then left trips. Other information pertaining to a trip, such as the
to be picked from aisle 2, which may be assigned to zone aisle of entry/visit, the farthest location visited (i.e. m)
2. In order to form a zone, eight boxes are required from and the equation used for computing the distance travelled,
aisle 3. Notice that aisle 3 is on the other side of the staging is given in Table IV.
area. Therefore the farthest aisle on the other side of the
staging area, i.e. aisle 4, should be considered first. Aisle Table III. Route Sequence and Number of Boxes Pick
4 is assigned to zone 2. There are 22 boxes in aisle 4. from Each Location
In order to form a zone (the integer number of trips), 18
boxes (P31, P32, P33, P36,P37)from aisle 3 are assigned to Trip Sequence and number of boxes
zone 2. This procedure is followed until the aisle closest
to the staging area is encountered. Consequently, only 1 P22 P21 P11 P12 Pll Pl4 P15
three boxes are left in aisle 2 and 30 in aisle 3. This load 5 2 2 3 5 1 2
of 33 boxes is assigned to zone 3, which needs two trips. 2 P15 Pl6 P17 P8 Pl9 Pl,l0
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As a result of zoning, six trips are needed and the 40 1 5 1 2 6 5

locations are divided into three zones. The assignment 3 P37 P36 P33 P32 P31 P41 P42
of locations to zones is shown in Table II. 4 2 3 6 3 1 1
4 P42 P43 P44 P46 P 47 P4,10
4 3 1 2 4 6
Table II. Locations and Number of Boxes per Zone 5 Pi9 P3,10 P22 P23 P24 P25 P26
2 1 3 6 2 3 3
Zone Locations Number Number 6 P26 P27 P28 Pl9 P2,l0
of boxes of trips 3 4 3 1 4
required

1 All locations of aisle 1, and P21(2),

P22(5) 40 2 Table IV. Trip Information on the Aisles of Entry/Ex
2 All locations of aisle 4, and P31 to Policy, etc.
P37 40 2
3 aisle 2, locations P22(3) to P2,10
and aisle 3, locations P39 , P3 , 10 35 2 Trip Policy Aisle of m | I x - I Equation
e |
Entry Exit number

1 Traversal 2 1 Odd 9
Zone 1 has two aisles, i.e. aisle 1 and aisle 2. In accordance 2 Return 1 1 3 10
with the vehicle-routing policies, the first trip follows the 3 Traversal 3 4 — Odd 9
traversal policy — i.e. the vehicle enters aisle 2 at the near 4 Return 4 4 5 10
side (ie=2), picks five boxes from P22 and two boxes from 5 Traversal 3 2 — Odd 9
6 Return 2 2 3 10
P21. It exits aisle 2 and enters aisle 1 at the far side of
the warehouse. Boxes are picked from locations P11, P 1 2 ,
P13, P14, andP15until the vehicle is full. Then it exits aisle
1 at the near side (ix=1) and moves to the staging area. Calculation of Distance Travelled
For the first trip |Ix-Ie| is equal to one and therefore the Using the algorithm, the distance travelled in each of the
distance travelled is computed by using equation (9). For six trips is computed as follows:
the second trip in zone 1, the return policy is used.
Accordingly, the vehicle enters aisle 1 at the near end, Trip 1
travels straight to P15, picks boxes fromP 1 5 ,P16, P17, P18, Distance = [Ws + W/2]x [|4+l-2x2|+2|l-2| + |4+l
P19, and P110, while returning, and exits at aisle 1 at the -2xl|]+[5A+W]x[|l-2|+l]
near side. In the second trip, the farthest location visited = [Ws+W/2]x[l+2+3]+[5A+W]x[2]
is P15, or P16, that is m = 3, the third storage space from
the near end, and ie=1. Equation (10) is used to compute = 5W+6WS+10A
the distance travelled on the second trip. Trip 2
The third and fourth trips are in zone 2, and thefifthand Distance = 2[Ws+W/2]x[|4+l-2xl|]+[A(2x3-l)+W]
sixth trips are in zone 3. The traversal policy is used for = 2[Ws+W/2]x[3]+5A+W
the third and fifth trips (these being the first trips in their = 4W+6WS+5A
 14 IJPD & LM 20,2

Trip 3 Total distance travelled in the six trips

Distance =[W s +W/2]x[|4+l-2x3|+2|4-3| + = 24W + 30WS + 43A (11)
|4+l-2x4|] + [5A+W]x[|4-3|+l]
= [Ws + W/2]x[l+2-3] + [5A+W]x[2] The current practice is to consider each aisle as a zone.
= 5W+6WS+10A In such a case eight trips would be made. Assuming that
the traversal policy is followed for determining the route
Trip 4 of each trip, the total distance travelled would be equal
to 24ir+32irs+46A. In this example, the algorithmic
Distance = 2[W s +W/2]x[|4+l-2x4|]+A(2x2-l)+W method leads to a saving of 2WS+3A in distance travelled.
=2[Ws+W/2]x[3]+3A+W
=4W+6WS+3A
Computational Experience
Trip 5 The data requirement for this algorithm includes the
Distance = [W s +W/2]x[|4+l-2x3|+2x |2-3| + number of aisles and locations of the warehouse, vehicle
|4+l-2 x2|]+ [5A+W]x [|2-3|+1] capacity, aisle width, shelf width, length of each storage
space or location, and the cargo matrix showing the
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= [Ws+W/2]x[l+2+l]+[5A+W]x[2]
= 4W+WS+10A number of boxes to be picked from each location.

Trip 6 In order to illustrate further the effectiveness of the

algorithm, solutions of 27 randomly generated problems
Distance = 2[Ws+W/2]x[|4+1-2x2|]+A(2x3-l)+W are displayed in Table V. Values of the parameters used
= 2[Ws+W/2]x[1]+A(5)+W in the problems are: the vehicle's capacity as 20 boxes,
= 2W+2WS+5A the aisle width W and the shelf width Ws as four metres

Table V. Comparison of Traditional and Algorithmic Methods of Order Picking

Problem No of aisles No of Min. no. of Current method Algorithmic method Percentage
locations trips Trips Distance Trips Distance saving
needed travelled needed travelled (6-8)/8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 10 20 8 12 1846 8 1517 21.69

2 10 20 11 14 2030 11 1818 11.66
3 10 20 12 17 2283 12 1952 16.96
4 10 30 5 9 1757 5 1327 32.40
5 10 30 8 11 2143 8 1809 18.46
6 10 30 9 12 2212 9 1842 20.09
7 10 40 7 10 2530 7 1920 31.77
8 10 40 9 12 2784 9 2237 24.45
9 10 40 11 15 3227 11 2536 27.25
10 15 20 8 12 2310 8 1768 30.66
11 15 20 11 16 3032 11 2456 23.45
12 15 20 12 17 3327 12 2729 21.91
13 15 30 13 18 3986 13 3342 19.27
14 15 30 16 22 4768 16 3861 23.49
15 15 30 19 25 5557 19 4426 25.55
16 15 40 10 18 4664 10 3486 33.79
17 15 40 11 20 5030 11 3756 33.92
18 15 40 13 22 5487 13 4054 35.35
19 20 20 7 20 4330 7 2339 85.12
20 20 20 8 19 3993 8 2384 67.49
21 20 20 9 19 4041 9 2568 57.36
22 20 30 9 17 4405 9 3106 41.82
23 20 30 11 18 4828 11 3510 37.55
24 20 30 17 24 6226 17 4979 25.04
25 20 40 12 18 5538 12 4313 28.40
26 20 40 15 21 6357 15 4884 30.16
27 20 40 21 28 7954 21 6616 20.22
 ORDER PICKING IN NARROW-AISLE WAREHOUSES
each, and the length of each storage space as five metres.
The number of aisles considered are 10, 15 and 20, and
the number of locations are 20, 30 and 40. Three data
sets were generated for each of the combinations of aisles
and locations. The number of trips required by following
the current and the algorithmic methods are displayed in
columns 5 and 7 respectively, and the corresponding
distances are shown in columns 6 and 8. Column 9 reveals
the extra distance (as a percentage) travelled by the picker,
if the current method is followed. Notice that in all 27 cases
presented here, the algorithmic method yields better
results. The savings range from 11 to 85 per cent. My
computational experience reveals that the saving in
distance travelled is dependent on the number of aisles,
number of storage spaces along an aisle (size of the
warehouse), and locations of the order items. The
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computer code used for the algorithm was written in
Fortran 77, and the sample problems were run using
NAS/9080 (an IBM compatible system). The running time
to solve the largest of the sample problems was less than
one-tenth of a second. This time includes reading the data,
execution of the program, and output.
Implementation
The algorithm described here has been successfully
implemented by a wholesale distributing company. Their
customers include approximately 100 large supermarkets
either owned by them or their franchises. Over 8,000
products are stored on shelves in the warehouse. The
order sizes that the warehouse processes range from one
to 1,000 products per order. Normally the supermarkets
order once or twice a week with high volume orders.
Smaller customers may order regularly or not, but their
order sizes are generally small.
The warehouse is equipped with a microcomputer and
the manager was already using a spreadsheet for other
functions. He was very pleased to know that this algorithm
would be implemented by using a spreadsheet. A column
of shelves in a warehouse is similar to a column in a
spreadsheet, where the number of boxes to be picked
from each location can be entered. In order to give an
analogy to a warehouse, blank columns may be left in the
spreadsheet to show vehicle paths. The algorithm is then
followed by summing up the columns, doing necessary
adjustments and so on. This simple interactive method
of partitioning the warehouse into zones fascinated the
manager.
A spreadsheet needs the data to be keyed in and so does
any other package. However, entering and editing data on
a spreadsheet is quite easy and fast.
Krishan Rana is Visiting Professor at the University of Toledo, USA.
15
Conclusion
This article describes an algorithm for order picking in
narrow-aisle warehouses. The algorithm computes the
number of trips required to pick the order items, the route
of each trip, and the number of boxes picked on a trip
from each location. A wholesale food distributing company
has successfully implemented the algorithm. Though this
company does not use automated vehicles, the algorithm
is also applicable when automated vehicles are utilised for
order selection and a robotic arm for order picking, such
as in the pharmaceutical industry.
The article also describes how a spreadsheet can be used
to implement the algorithm. The idea of using spread­
sheets may be quite appealing to practitioners.
The food distributing company where the algorithm was
implemented did not give an estimate of cost-saving but
the manager informed me that the warehouse has become
more efficient and effective in order delivery through its
use. It can be seen from Table V that the distance travelled
for one order is several thousand metres. A company
processing thousands of orders every month can save
thousands of kilometers in distance travelled per month.
It depends on the number of orders, their sizes, and the
size of the warehouse. However, the larger the warehouse,
the more the savings. The size of warehouse or the number
of products do not pose any limitation on the algorithm.
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