Core Principles

CLASS Training Module: Core Principles
CLASS Training Module:

Core Principles
www.classwarehouse.com Document Version 15.06

www.classwarehouse.com 2
Contents
INTRODUCTION 8
Objectives of this CLASS Training Course Module 8
BACKGROUND TO CLASS 9
ROLE OF CLASS 9
BUSINESS USE OF CLASS 10
BENEFITS OF CLASS 10
OVERVIEW OF CLASS WAREHOUSE LAYOUT AND SIMULATION SYSTEM 11
Key Ideas 11
CLASS IS A “WHAT IF” TOOL 12
CLASS LAYOUT 13
CLASS SIMULATION 13
CLASS WAREHOUSE LAYOUT DESIGN 15
The Layout tab 15
Drawing tools and their properties 15
Warehouse Layout objects and their properties 16
Select Mode 17
The Properties Panel 19
Drag Canvas Mode 19
Default Object Properties 19
The View Tab 21
Zooming 21
Storing & Setting Views 21
Layers 22
Images 24
3D Mode 25
View Settings 27
Saving your work 28
Hands-on Example 1: Using the drawing tools 29
BUILDING A LAYOUT 30
Warehouse building 30
Using the Grid options 30
Dimension Tool for adding distance measurements to the layout. 31
Drawing the Warehouse Boundary Wall 31
Warehouse space costs 32
Add Roof Constraints 32
Create Vehicle Docks 33
Create Columns 35
Create Marshalling Areas 35
Multiple Object Selection 36
Hands-on Example 2: Single Storage Area Part 1 – Warehouse Layout 37
Extension Work – Add a Backdrop 38
Storage Racking 39
Create Storage Areas 39
Warehouse Storage Costs 39
Create Load Types and Define Storage Requirements 40
Create Racking 40
Racking Propoerties 41
View Racking Elevations 51
View Warehouse Statistics 52
Other Layout Features 53
Undo/Redo 53
Printing and the Clipboard, 53
Textures 53
Hands-on Example 3: Single Storage Area Part 2 – Storage Racking 55
Extension work: Aisle Labels 58
CLASS WAREHOUSE SIMULATION 59
Building the Simulation 59
Analysing the Flows and Activities in your warehouse 59
Setting up Simulation Flows 61
Design Mode 61
Types of Simulation Objects 61
Display of Simulation Objects 63
Arranging Simulation Objects 63
Editing Simulation Object Properties 64
Wizard buttons in Design Mode 64
Inbound Movements 65
Hands-on Example 4: Single Storage Area Part 3 –Inbound movements 68
Outbound movements 69
Picking and Loading Time Windows 70
Simulation Flow Analyser 72
Hands-on Example 5: Single Storage Area Part 4 – Outbound movements 74
Analysing Flows to understand tasks required 75
Labour and MHE resources 77
Labour Shifts, Teams and Shift Patterns 77
MHE Types 78
Standard MHE to Task Assignments 78
Costs for Labour and MHEs 79
MHE Costs 79
Labour Costs 79
Running the Simulation 80
Data Integrity Checker 80
Status of Operators and Vehicles 81
Looking at the simulation results 82
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 82
Model Testing and Calibration 84
Hands-on Example 6: Completing Single Storage Area Simulation – Labour, MHEs & Test
simulation 85
Analyse Flows in warehouse 85
Complete simulation data – Add labour and MHE resources 86
Run Simulation and Check model data was entered correctly 86
Hands-on Exercise 7: Solution Design Presentation 87
What-if Wizard 88
Project Comparison 89
Hands-on Example 8: What-if Wizard Stress Testing 90
Extension work: Project Comparison 91
Animate 92
Extension work: Animate 93
Conclusions 94
Introduction
Objectives of this CLASS Training Course Module
This CLASS training course module is designed to give you an appreciation of the core
functionality of the CLASS Warehouse Layout and Simulation software. The course is a mixture of
presentations and hands-on experience via several example warehouses.
The principles you learn on this course can be applied to a wide variety of warehouse modelling
projects. All further CLASS Training Modules build on these Core Principles.
This is the Core Principles module of CLASS Training, and includes the following Hands-on
Examples:
Hands-on Example Layout Learning Outcomes Simulation Learning Outcomes
Layout Drawing Tools Gain familiarity with the Not applicable

CLASS Layout Drawing Tools.
Single Storage Area Experience of building a Core principles of creating inbound

warehouse layout, with movements, outbound movements
infrastructure and wide aisle and setting up MHE and Labour
racking. Resources to do tasks.
What-If Wizard and Project Use the What-If Wizard to run a

Comparison number of scenarios on the base
model and compare results.
Animate Use Animate function to create a

set of simulation objects.
Background to CLASS
The CLASS warehouse simulation package is in use in over 300 locations worldwide in
manufacturing, retailing and the 3rd party logistics industry. The system was developed based on
Cirrus Logistics’ extensive experience of bespoke simulation projects, covering all aspects of
warehouse operations.
CLASS is continually improving, based on client feedback and Cirrus Logistics’ experience of
working with customers on consultancy projects. CLASS has developed from traditional pallet,
order and line picking operations to support the modelling of low-level automation and conveyor
systems. In addition, we use it as a base for modelling high-end automated operations, such as
dynamic picking systems.
Role of CLASS
CLASS allows organisations to create warehousing operations in a computer environment and
assess the productivity; service levels; and cost impacts of changes in 3 key areas:
• warehouse infrastructure (racking type & layout, loading/unloading bays, marshalling

areas)
• product flow through (goods in, goods out, order composition)
• organisation of resources (MHE, staff, shift patterns, task priorities)
This capability enables the performance of various options to be compared, as part of the
development process for future warehousing operations.
Business Use of CLASS
CLASS has been applied to warehouse development in a number of ways:
• for new build design and testing
• for warehouse re-development
• as a basis for specifying on-going improvements
• for understanding warehouse costs and how they might change in different circumstances
• as a presentation tool to help communicate operational issues and as a catalyst for

discussion
• as a costing tool in the tender process
Benefits of CLASS
CLASS provides a number of clear commercial benefits. It:
• enables decisions to be made based on costs & operational performance
• enables a wider range of options to be considered
• alternatives can be investigated without disruption to real life operations
• ensures the impact of peak loading on warehouse activities is fully understood (through its
dynamic nature)
• improves understanding between the customer and the warehouse operator
• potential problems or areas of uncertainty are uncovered earlier on
Overview of CLASS Warehouse Layout and Simulation System

Key Ideas
CLASS is a fully-integrated layout design system and warehouse simulation engine.
The layout module enables users to build and define the infrastructure of the virtual warehouse in
the form of scaled drawing of the facility. The simulation module then allows volume throughput to
be specified; the warehouse tasks to be carried out; and the resources available to fulfil these
tasks (see the schematic below).
The simulation uses this information to generate detailed warehouse activities and measures the
performance of the available resource in carrying these out. If there are insufficient resources at
anytime during the simulation, outstanding activities remain in a queue and are completed when
labour & MHE become available. This queue of tasks is monitored and its impact on the service
performance of the operation is captured in the results, along with the utilisation and productivity
rates of the associated resources. It is the generation of individual tasks and their associated
timings, known as ‘discrete time/event’ simulation, which provides CLASS with its unique ability to
assess the dynamic nature of warehousing activity and to identify the impact of peak loadings, and
the interrelation of activities, on warehouse performance.
CLASS is a “What if” tool
CLASS is a “What if” tool, which means it enables you to try out alternative solutions and see the
effect. CLASS aids you to make decisions; but it does not automatically decide how you should
operate a particular warehouse.
Effective use of CLASS requires knowledge in the use of the software as well as operational
knowledge of the warehouse being modelled.
CLASS Layout
2D & 3D views of specific racking elements, or

the whole warehouse help visualise layouts.
•Specific warehouse design tools

speed up the layout process and
make changes quick and easy to Multiple rack views provide detailed
implement. measurements to asses fit and MHE
access.
•Racking automatically fitted
around constraints, such as 11040 mm
roofing & columns. 9500 mm
9250 mm
1790 mm
•Multiple load types (pallets, 7710 mm
7460 mm
cases, totes etc.) can be created 1790 mm
and storage targets set to assess 5920 mm
5670 mm
capacity. 1790 mm
4130 mm
3880 mm
1790 mm
2340 mm
1790 mm
2090 mm
1 7 00 m m
1 7 00 m m 250 mm
•Warehouse analysis provides key

infrastructure data and enables
racking solutions to be costed.
CLASS Simulation
2D & 3D simulation provide a feel for the flow of activity in

the warehouse and a powerful communication tool.
Analysis tools provide a summary of operational information & a range of more detailed
performance data.
Track movements in & out of
selected racking area(s)
Track movements in and out of
Bulk Movement History Selected Storage Areas
170
selected racking areas:160 Putaways
Retrievals
150
140
130
120
110
Units Per Hour
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48
Time (Hrs)
Calculated productivity rates

for defined warehouse tasks
Calculates productivity rates for Task Completion R ates - Units/Hour/Oper ator
Storage Area / Marshalling Area / Picking Route
Monitor labour use versus available labour hoursdefined warehouse tasks Task Description
1 Receipt :Unload
All
28.7
1 2 1
28.7
2 1 2
2 :Check/Break Act 1 180 180
Shift Usage H istor y All Shift Types 3 :Mov e Act 1 to Act 2
4 :Check/Break Act 2
5 :Mov e Act 2 to Act 3
Monitor labour use versus 15
14
Ops Spare
Ops In Use
6
7
8
:Check/Break Act 3
:Mov e Act 3 to Act 4
:Check/Break Act 4
13 9 Putaway :Marshall to W/A
available hours 12
11
10
11
12
:Marshall to P&D
:P&D to N/A
:Pick By Line
13 R etriev e :W/A to Marshall
59.4
38.8
59.3
38.7
Ave Ops in Use Per Hour
14 :N/A to P&D 39.0 39.0

10 15 :P&D to Marshall 38.5 38.5
16 :Pick by Order 5.43 5.43
9 17 :Pick by Order to P&D
8
18 R eplenish :W/A to W/A or P&D 16.4 16.4
19 :N/A to P&D
7 20 :P&D to W/A or P&D
21 :P&D to N/A
6 22 :N/A to N/A
23 Shipment :Check/Consolidate Act 1 180 180
5 24 :Mov e Act 1 to Act 2
25 :Check/Consolidate Act 2
27 :Check/Consolidate Act 3
2 29 :Check/Consolidate Act 4
30 :Load Vehicle 30.7 30.7
1 31 Transf er :W/A to W/A or P&D
32 :N/A to P&D 35.5 35.4
0 33 :P&D to W/A or P&D 25.2 25.1
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 34 :P&D to N/A
Time (Hrs)
CLASS Warehouse Layout Design

The Layout tab
All Layout and Simulation functions are available from the Ribbon bar. The CLASS Layout tab of
the Ribbon contains all the layout design tools:
On all tabs on the Ribbon, there are tooltips attached to all the buttons which serve as a useful
reminder of what each button does.
There is also a Help system which is available via the Help option on the Application menu.
Drawing tools and their properties
The Drawing tools are contained in the Geometry section of the

Layout tab; and are used to add text, lines, circles, rectangles,
polygons etc to the layout.
The drawing tools are used to add additional detail to the layout. They are cosmetic and are not
used in the simulation or in the results. The drawing tools available are as follows:
Line Tool for drawing straight lines
Rectangle Tool for drawing rectangles.
Elliptical Arc tool for adding arcs, segments and sectors of Ellipses.
Polygon Tool for drawing polygons.
Bezier Curve Tool for drawing curves.
Circle Tool for drawing Circles.
Ellipse Tool for drawing Ellipses.
Text Tool for adding Text.
Dimension Tool for adding measurements indicating distances on the layout.
Image Tool for adding images from the image library.
Warehouse Layout objects and their properties
The Warehouse-specific Object tools in CLASS are for adding

objects to the layout that have an effect on the operation on the
warehouse such as racking, marshalling areas, docks, etc; or
have an effect on the reports and racking elevations such as
roof panels, warehouse walls, mezzanine floors, and columns.
The Warehouse Object tools available are:
Boundary wall tool for drawing the warehouse boundary walls.
Column Tool for adding columns to support roofs or mezzanine floors.
Roof tool for adding roof panels.
Mezzanine floor tool for adding Mezzanine floors.
Racking Tool for adding Racking and Storage areas.
MHE Parking Area tool for adding MHE parking areas.
Marshalling Area tool for adding load marshalling areas.
Dock Tool for adding vehicle docks.
Path tool for adding Paths onto to the layout.
Paths may be used as Animation Pathways (to give animation

of simulation Automated Material Handling Systems) or for
Movement Pathways (to define paths along which MHEs

move).
Zone tool for adding movement zones to monitor congestion, or limit

MHE access.
Measure tool allows distances and areas on the layout to be measured.
The different examples used on this course will show you how to use these warehouse objects.
Select Mode
The Selection tool button is on the Layout tab of the Ribbon.
When Select mode is active, the mouse can be used to select and move/resize objects on the
layout. Clicking the Select mode button while one of the drawing tools is currently selected will
cancel out of drawing mode.
When an object is selected, small square

“handles” appear at its corners on the
screen. One handle has a circle inside it;
this special handle shows the start
position of the object on the layout.
Handles shown around a Vehicle Dock
To select an object, point and click the mouse

on or near to the object required.
To cycle through closely located objects, right-

click to bring up the pop-up menu, and select
Next to move on to the next nearest object.
The status bar in the bottom-right of the

screen will show what type of object has been
selected.
When an object is selected, the Properties

Panel will appear which allows the object
properties to be edited (see section below).
To resize a selected object, move the mouse pointer over one of the handles: the mouse pointer
will change to indicate that the object may be resized. Left-click and drag the handle to resize the
object
To move a selected object, move the mouse anywhere over the object. The mouse pointer will
change to indicate the object may be moved. Left-click and drag to move the object to a new
position.
The Properties Panel

The Properties Panel allows the properties of
selected objects to be edited, e.g. height of a
warehouse roof or the colour of text.
The contents of the Properties Panel change

according to the type of layout object selected,
and are organised onto tabs such as 2D, 3D, and
Simulation.
Drag Canvas Mode
The Drag Canvas mode allows the layout to be moved about by left-clicking and
dragging with the mouse.
The mouse pointer changes to the Drag icon to indicate that Drag Canvas mode is
activated.
The layout can also be dragged in Select Mode by clicking and holding the mouse
wheel and dragging the mouse.
Default Object Properties

When you add in a new object of a given type, it will be created with default attributes for that type
of object. The Set and Apply default property tools allow the default properties to be stored and
applied to other objects. The Set and Apply tools are available under the Clipboard section of the
Layout tab.
You can set the default attributes using the Set Default Properties button which
sets the current default properties to be the values for the current object.
The Apply Default Properties button sets the properties of the current object to
the current set of default properties
These buttons can be used to transfer the attributes from one object to another.
The View Tab

The View tab contains controls for navigating around the screen.
Zooming
The Zoom control can be used to zoom into

and out-of the layout.
Click the + button on the control to zoom in.

Click the – button to zoom out.
Zooming can also be done using the mouse

wheel.
The Zoom-To function can be used to zoom in

to a specific area of the layout.
To use Zoom-To, select the Zoom-To tool

from the Navigation tools on the View tab.
Then over the area to zoom in to, left-click
and drag the area to zoom in to.
Storing & Setting Views

You can set your own pre-set views of the warehouse which focus on different points of interest.
To save a view, position the layout at the

desired location using the Zooming and
Panning tools, then use the Save option from
the Views tools on the View tab.
The Default view is a special view. This can

be used to set a default position to return to.
After Saving a view, you will then be asked to

input a name or description of the view for
reference.
To return to a previously stored view, select

the Views button and choose a view from the
list.
To update the position of an existing view, re-

position the layout on the screen, and select
the name of the View you wish to update from
the Save button.
Layers
Layers are used to organise the Class layout. Layout Objects
can be placed on different layers, and layers can then be
switched on or off to show or hide the layout objects on them.
To Show or Hide layers, click the Layers button and use the
tick boxes to select which Layers are to be displayed.
By default, new drawing objects are placed on the Default Layer. To add a new Layer, from the
Layers meu, select Organise.
This displays a list of the current layers. Click Add to create a new layer and enter a name for
the new layer:
Once created, layout objects can be moved to new layers by

selecting the Layer option of the 2D tab on the Properties
panel.
Selecting a Layer in the Organise window also gives options to Delete a selected layer (and any
layout objects on that layer), or to Lock the layer which prevents any of the objects on the
selected layer from being selected or edited on the layout.
The 2D Simulation Offset allows layers to be displayed offset from their normal position when in
the simulation. This allows activity to be viewed in areas which may be hidden by another layer,
e.g. levels of a mezzanine floor.
Images
CLASS can import a number of standard picture file formats e.g. bmp, jpg, gif, png into the Image
Library, available from the View tab.
Images stored in the Image Library can be placed on the 2D layout via the Image
drawing tool e.g. to put a company logo on the plan.
An image of a scaled warehouse drawing can also be brought in and resized to

be used as a backdrop to trace over.
Textures can be used to give more detail to 3D mesh objects and these are
made from imported images – see page 53
3D Mode
The 3D Mode button is used to switch between the current layout view in 2D
and 3D. Most of the drawing tools described in the previous sections can be
used in either the 2D or the 3D view.
Note that the 3D colour property is a separate attribute from the colours shown in the 2D display
and is set on the 3D tab of the Properties Panel.
In the 3D view, the mouse is used to interact with the Ribbon; to select, draw, and edit layout
drawing and warehouse objects; and to manipulate the 3D camera view. The keyboard can be
used as an alternative control method for the 3D camera, and to enter data on the Properties
Panel.
3D Mouse Controls
Mouse Control Function(s)
Left-click Select object
Left-click, hold, and drag On selected object, move object

On handle of selected object, stretch object
Middle mouse button/wheel click, hold, and drag Move 3D camera position (according to selected
3D Camera Control mode)
Middle mouse wheel roll Zoom in/out
Right-click Create AVI camera position
Keyboard Controls
As an alternative to using the mouse to control the 3D camera, the keyboard may also be used:
The Arrow Keys may also be used for Forwards/Backwards/Left/Right movement.
View Settings
The Settings section of tools on the View tab contains

controls for showing or hiding the grid; the zoom control;
the scale marker; and the Properties Panel on the screen.
The View Settings window allows general properties for the

view to be set.
The Properties include:
• Snap to Grid (also can be set from the Layout tab);
• Horizontal and Vertical grid spacing;
• Select Element on Creation;
• Visible bound distance for layout window;
• Unit system (Metric or Imperial);
• Background colour;
• Foreground (i.e. grid) colour;
• Warning displayed when aisles need to be

recalculated (this causes Data Editor tables to be
regenerated, see Product Zoning module)
• Image Editor application choice for editing in the 3D

Mesh Editor.
Saving your work
The current project can be saved using:

the Save option from the Application
menu;
or the Save icon from the Quick Access
Toolbar;
or using the ctrl-s keyboard shortcut.
To save the project in a different location

or under a different filename, the Save
As option may be used from the
Application menu.
CLASS projects are saved in the .zpjx

file format. The zpjx file contains all
layout; simulation; and library data with
your project.
CLASS will display warning messages if

you are about to potentially overwrite or
lose data. If these occur, do read them
carefully and make the appropriate
response.
To restore an existing project, choose The Application menu, with the Quick Access toolbar
the Open option from the Application shown in the window title bar.
Menu, or the ctrl-o keyboard shortcut.
CLASS also maintains a list of shortcuts

to recently used projects for quick access
– the ten most recently used projects can
be opened from the Open Recent..
option from the Application menu.
Hands-on Example 1: Using the drawing tools
Start off with a New project. Then use the Open Project option to load the cleanwithtextures.zpjx
(a blank starting project with some Texture and Icon libraries pre-loaded).
Be sure to Save the Project using Save As to “exDrawing.zpjx” so as not to overwrite your starting
project.
Experiment with the drawing tools to add different types of drawing object to the layout:
Add in a rectangle, a polygon, some text. Experiments with changing the properties of the objects
you have added e.g.
• Colour and size of the text
• Fill pattern of the polygon
• Line colour of the rectangle
With polygons, use the mouse to

place each point of the polygon, and
once you wish to complete the
polygon, go to the Drawing
Completion Options tab that appears
on the top line of the screen.
Click on Finish to finish the drawing. The Connect option allows you toggle the polygon between
being connected or unconnected.
Use the Set Default Attribute and Get Default Attribute buttons to speed up adding in objects with
the same characteristics. Try some of the Edit options section of the Layout tab to copy/paste or
rotate objects.
Try moving and resizing some objects.
You can view the layout in either the 2D or the 3D mode. Use the 3D button on the View
tab to switch between the different views.
Save your work! Use the Save option from the Application menu to save the project with the same
name.
Building a Layout
Warehouse building
Using the Grid options
The Drawing Grid is a network of points that helps you to align objects on the layout.
The Grid button under the Settings section on the View tab will turns the Grid
Display on/off.
The grid is displayed as a series of dots on the 2D layout at the intersection of

the gridlines. In 3D, the grid is drawn as a grid of lines.
If the Snap To Grid option is selected on the Layout tab then an object being
moved or positioned with the mouse will be aligned with the nearest
intersection of gridlines.
To turn off Snap To Grid click on the Snap To Grid button again.
The spacing between the gridlines can be

changed from the View Settings window,
and setting the Grid Spacing values for the
horizontal and vertical grid spacing.
Dimension Tool for adding distance measurements to the layout.
You can add lines with distances marked on them using the
Dimension tool. You can change the position of the distance label and
the units display on the properties panel for the Dimension object.
Warehouse layout showing dimensions
Properties Panel for the

Dimension tool
Drawing the Warehouse Boundary Wall
The warehouse boundary will contain the storage objects. Sometimes the boundary
represents the physical walls of a warehouse building, if you are modelling the entire
building. Sometimes you might be modelling a self-contained subset of the whole
physical building e.g. in which case you could set the boundary to be the self-contained
area within the building which is being assessed
A boundary wall should be given a height and a thickness value on the 3D tab of its Properties
Panel to be shown in 3D.
The area enclosed within the warehouse boundary is used by the Warehouse Analysis
report e.g. for calculation of Floor Area utilisation.
Note that the Boundary Wall must be Connected to provide the area utilisation
calculation and space cost calculation (see next section).
Warehouse space costs

A cost can be set per unit area of the warehouse.
The Space Cost per unit area is set from the View – Settings
– Cost.
This cost can be used to reflect the real estate costs of the
warehouse building.
It could also be used to incorporate additional operating costs

such as heating, electricity, etc.
If the Space cost value is non-zero, then on the Warehouse

Summary report, the total space cost for the warehouse
layout will be displayed:
Add Roof Constraints
The height of the roof at each point in the warehouse will limit the number of
shelves which can be used on racking. A roof can be made sloping by setting the
start and end heights of the roof panel to be different.
In order to see the roof panels or select them on the 2D plan make sure the View
Show/Hide options has the Roof display enabled.
Create Vehicle Docks
The Vehicle Dock tool is used to represent the positions where vehicles are
unloaded or are loaded. Docks may be used to represent level access doors, or
dock levellers, or simply areas in the yard where vehicles are loaded or unloaded.
Although on the layout they look like rectangles,

they have a number of properties which are used
in the simulation e.g. vehicle display orientation or
unload times.
The vehicle orientation is shown by an arrow in

the drop down list on the dock objects property
bar. The direction of the arrow shows the direction
the vehicle will be drawn, both for 2D and 3D
visualisation.
You can alter their appearance in 3D by setting

the heights of the dock and the door height. If you
position the docks so they just overlap the
warehouse boundary then CLASS will
automatically show a door in the warehouse
boundary.
The docks are used in the simulation later on, so it

is advisable to give the docks meaningful names
such as a consistent numbering scheme e.g.
“01”,”02”,”03”, etc.
Make sure that you set the Simulation flow type

correctly – whether the docks are used for
inbound vehicles, outbound or both
The Dock Layout object can be also be used to make other

openings in Boundary Walls, such as for other doorways, or
windows. These docks can be excluded from the
calculations of the Dock KPIs.
You can copy objects using the copy and paste button, or ctrl-c/ctrl-v keyboard shortcuts. This can
be useful for duplicating objects such as Docks where much of the data is the same (apart from
their descriptions which can be readily changed on the copies). Dock numbers will automatically
be incremented on the copies.
Create Columns
The position of columns can be important when planning a warehouse layout,
because they may obstruct storage racks and thus reduce the number of pallets or
loads which can be stored in the racking.
Often columns are equally spaced in a warehouse, the MultiCopy option can be used to make
several evenly spaced copies of the starting column. MultiCopy is an option under the Copy
option on the Layout tab.
The roof height limits the height of columns, so set up columns with a large height.
Create Marshalling Areas

Marshalling areas are used to model Goods In areas (e.g. for
checking/breaking/wrapping pallets which have just been received) or Goods Out
areas (e.g. for consolidating pallets prior to loading). A marshalling area could be
used for both Goods In and Goods Out activities, in which case the floor area is
shared.
The simulation records the number of units held in a marshalling area over time, as the
marshalling area capacity is an important buffer storage area between different activities in the
warehouse.
The marshalling areas are used in the simulation later on, so it is advisable to give them
meaningful names e.g. “Goods In”, “Goods Out”.
If there are different rectangular areas, any of which can be chosen for placing the product in, then
you can use the Marshalling group ID on the Simulation tab to specify this. In the simulation data,
you just need to specify one of the areas in the group and the model will randomly allocate each
movement to one of the areas in that group, in proportion to their relative capacities.
Multiple Object Selection

There are two methods that can be used to select multiple objects on the Layout:
• Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on objects to select them, or
• Left-click and drag the mouse to create a box enclosing the objects you wish to select
Changes made on the Properties Panel will be applied to all selected objects. If multiple objects of
different types have been selected, then the Properties Panel allows the type of object properties
displayed to be selected. Any properties common to types of object will be applied to all objects
with those properties (e.g. Line Colour).
Here the outbound docks and Goods Out

marshalling have been multi-selected (note
the dashed blue box grouping the objects).
The list at the top of the Properties Panel

allows the type of object properties to be
selected.
The Purple Pattern colour has been applied

to both docks and marshalling area as the
Pattern Colour is common to both types of
object.
Hands-on Example 2: Single Storage Area Part 1 – Warehouse Layout
Use the Open Project option to load the “clean with textures.zpjx” project (a blank template with
some Texture and Icon libraries pre-loaded).
Immediately use the Save As option to save your project as “exSingleArea1.zpjx”. This is to make
sure that the cleanwithtextures project is not over-written.
Next, create the warehouse structure for this example:
Use a grid size of 5m x 5m with the grid snap on.
Add:
• Walls
• Docks
• Marshalling Areas
Use the Dimension tool to create the measurements with the distances on them.
Use the same names as shown on the picture above as it will enable us to compare results more
readily.
Once completed, add columns and roof panels of your own design and view in 3D mode. If time
you could setup some pre-defined views in 3D.
Check that the Warehouse Summary is reporting correctly the warehouse area, marshalling areas
and number of docks.
Experiment with selecting more than one object and changing the properties of the selected
objects.
Check the layout in the 3D view.
Extension Work – Add a Backdrop

First, add the image Backdrop.png from the memory stick into the Image Library.
Then add an Image object to the layout and set it to Backdrop.png.
• Turn off ‘Snap to Grid’ on the Layout tab while you’re bringing in the backdrop.
• Turn off the Stretchable? Option of the Image properties
• Resize the image to the correct scale (HINT: use of a Dimension can help here), using
the Scale object tool This allows you to define how much larger (or smaller) you need
the image to be.
• Right-click the image, and select Order – Send To Back to position the backdrop behind
the warehouse layout.
Create a new Layer called Backdrop via Organise Layers, and set the Image to be on the new
layer. Now set the Backdrop layer to be ‘locked’ so that you don’t move it by accident.
Save your work! (keeping the name “exSingleArea1” which you set at the start of this example).
Storage Racking
Having set up the warehouse building, let us now add the storage racks and loads which are
stored in the warehouse.
Create Storage Areas

Racks are assigned to Storage Areas. Storage Areas are used in the simulation to describe the
flows to different parts of the warehouse.
Setup the names of the different Storage Areas first. Give them meaningful names e.g. “A01: Wide
Aisle”, “A02: Picking Area” etc.
Storage Areas can be accessed from the Data Tables section of the Layout tab.
Warehouse Storage Costs

Storage system build costs can be applied to
racking objects on the Bays tab of the
Properties Panel.
Costs could vary per bay location for different

types of racking.
To associate different costs with different

racks, enter a value into the Cost per Bay
parameter.
To change the currency symbol used, or to

create a new currency definition, open the
Settings window from the View tab and select
the Cost tab.
If the cost per bay is non-zero, then CLASS calculates the cost of building the number of bay
locations created. The results are reported on the Warehouse Analysis report.
Create Load Types and Define Storage Requirements

Loads are objects which are stored in the racking (typically a type of product contained on a
pallet). Loads have dimensions and display properties for the Load and for the Pallet.
Different types of load can be created to identify the number of storage locations in different
storage areas. For example: to separate bulk stock locations from picking locations, or to separate
different main product groups.
The Loads library can be accessed from the Data Tables section of the Layout tab.
For each load type, you can

set the following information:
The textures are used in the

3D display (see the Other
Layout Features section) –
and the load visualiser
shows you what the load will
look like.
In the Warehouse Summary report, CLASS will report back to you how many loads of each type
can be stored in the racking compared with the target number you set here.
Create Racking
Press the Rack button on the Drawing Tools area and click and drag to mark out an
area of racking.
When a racking object is selected, you can use the Properties Panel to enter detailed data about
the Racking.
On the top of the Racking Properties Panel, you can give the section of racking a name, and on
the Racking tab select the type of rack (Static, Drive-in, Live/Pushback, Block Stack, Cantilever,
Shelving, Mobile) and assign the racking to a Storage Area.
Racking Properties
The Racking Properties Panel has a number of rack-specific tabs where the following key data can
be entered:
Tab Properties
Racking
Name Name for this section of

racking
Racking Type Select rack types from:
Static,
Drive-in,
Live/Pushback,
Block Stack,
Mobile,
Shelving,
Cantilever.
Storage Area Name of the Storage

Area this rack is
assigned to
Display
Layer Layer on which the

rack is held.
Style Type of Line used to

show the Rack in 2D.
Line Colour Colour of the rack

shown in 2D.
Height Dimensions of the rack

area on the 2D display.
Width
Beam Colour Colour of racking

beams (3D view)
Post Colour Colour of racking

uprights
Aisles Begin Drawing Rack or Aisle

with…
Beginning cross Width of the first (outer)

aisle cross aisle
Centre Cross Width of any centre

Aisle aisles (created using
the Centre Aisles
drawing tool)
End cross aisle Width of the end (outer)

cross aisle
Face-to-Face Width of the aisles

Aisle Width within the rack.
Aisle Label Define and apply an

aisle labelling scheme.
Rack Orientation Direction of the rack

rows: horizontal or
vertical.
Stretchable Allows the Face-to-

Face Aisle width to be
stretched to fill the
space, if selected.
Rack Used to join this rack to

Connection the end of a different
section of racking.
Bays Back to Back Distance between

Space back-to-back rack rows
Bay Select either Back-to-

Configuration Back, or Single Rack
rows.
Bay Depth Depth of bay (including

uprights)
Bay Width Width of bay (between

the uprights)
Multi-deep Distance between

spacing backs of bays using a
multi-deep
configuration.
Number Deep Number of Bays deep
Beam Width Width of racking beams
Post Depth/ Dimensions of rack

Width uprights.
Cost per bay Assign cost per storage

bay.
Shelves Shelf Range Select or Create a shelf

Configuration configuration, with the
following attributes:
Name Name of the shelf

range
No. of Shelves Number of shelf levels

contained in this shelf
range
Clear Height The vertical space

within the bay available
to store a load.
Measured from beam
to beam.
Beam Height Height of rack beams in

this shelf range
Shelf Range Load type to be stored

Load in this shelf range.
Rotate by 90° Turn the load by 90 in

the racking (i.e. to fit
the pallet in widthways
or lengthways).
Load Configuration of loads

configuration with the bay.
(Wide, Deep,
High) Number of loads wide x
deep x high.
P&Ds Select if this shelf

range is to have Pick
and Drops for Narrow
Aisle operation.
Floor Offset Height at which the

racking begins (e.g. 0m
for ground floor, 5m to
position rack on a 5m
mezzanine)
MHE Access Level at which MHE

Level need to be to access
the racking.
Roof Clearance Space from the

uppermost beam to the
roof
Lowest Shelf Height of first shelf

Offset from the ground. E.g.
0m has no shelf –
pallets positioned on
the ground; 0.2m
creates a beam at
0.2m.
Post Extension Height of uprights

above uppermost
beam.
P&Ds Beginning P&D Configuration of P&Ds

on beginning of aisles.
Select from: All racks;
Odd racks; Even racks;
or None.
Beginning P&D Length of P&Ds at the

Length beginning of aisles.
Ending P&D Configuration of P&Ds

on ends of aisles.
Ending P&D Length of P&Ds at the

Length ends of aisles.
Tunnels Access Tunnel Height of Access

Height Tunnels positioned in
racking, with the
Tunnels tool.
NOTE: these tunnels

are for emergency
access only, they are
not aisle tunnels.
Pick tunnels for

Pushback racks can be
configured here also.
Borders Beginning Offset Adds a border to the

beginning edge of a
rack area.
End Offset Adds a border to the

end of a rack area.
The following diagrams summarise the main racking dimensions:
Figure 1 Aisles & Borders & P&Ds
Figure 3 Beam & Post dimensions
Figure 2 Bays
Figure 4 Multi-deep bays

Figure 5 Shelves
Figure 6 Floor Offset & Roof Clearance
When racking is selected, an additional context-sensitive tab appears on the Ribbon:
The Rack-specific tabs allow access to these additional rack options:
Split Racking
You can split a racking object into two separate objects. You might need to do this if one part of a
Storage Area has shorter aisles because of an obstruction in the warehouse. It’s best to set up all
the data for one original racking object and split it at the end so you only have to enter the data
once.
Click the Split Rack button, and then drag one of the handles on the rack to the position to make
the split.
Add Centre Aisles

Central cross Aisles can be added to cut down journey times when switching between aisles.
To add a centre aisle in the middle of the racking, click the Centre Aisles button on this tab. The
handles on the rack will change to aisle markers at either side.
Drag an aisle marker to the desired position in the middle of the racking – you will need to have set
a Centre cross aisle width first. When you have finished placing the aisles then click again on the
Centre Aisles button to cancel it.
Tunnels
Tunnels may be added in a similar method described above for Centre aisles. Click the Tunnel
button and drag a tunnel marker into the position for the tunnel in the racking. Tunnels will be
created with a height specified on the Tunnels tab of the Properties Panel.
When using Pushback racking the Tunnels options can be used to create pick tunnels in the rack.
In other types of racking, this function creates emergency access tunnels. Note that these
emergency tunnels are not used as aisles in the simulation – to create a tunnel aisle, position a
centre aisle, and then place a section of rack above, setting the Lowest Shelf Offset to the tunnel
height.
Storage Summary
The Storage Summary button on the additional Racking Properties tab generates a report with
racking statistics, e.g. how many load positions have been created – is your target met? How
much storage has been lost due to columns? An example is shown below:
View Racking Elevations

You can look at the racking with its loads in place via a series of elevation
views – if racking is selected, then you get an Elevation Views option on the
View tab.
Check these views to ensure racking dimensions have been defined properly e.g. will the loads fit
in the racking shelves or are they overhanging? The data validation on the various tabs should
also highlight this.
Under the View option, you can look at the racking from different directions – you have the choice
of Front, Back, Left or Right.
There are also options to add dimensions to the shelf heights; the aisle widths; and also the load
clearances to the rack elevation diagram.
View Warehouse Statistics

The Warehouse Analysis option on the Layout tab allows you to assess
the overall storage results and other summary results for the whole
warehouse (as opposed to individual racking elements above)
You can see the floor area used for marshalling and the number of
docks created.
Other Layout Features

Undo/Redo
Don’t worry if you make a mistake; use the Undo button to revert
back. You can undo multiple edit actions.
Printing and the Clipboard,

You can print the current view of the layout via File – Print, where there is also a Print Preview
option, or send it to the Clipboard using ‘Copy Layout to Clipboard’ from the Copy options so that
you can import it into other packages such as Word or PowerPoint.
Many data tables can also be sent to the Clipboard (for an example see the Racking data in the
Hands-on Examples).
The Elevations in the Layout system can also be printed or sent to the Clipboard, as can the 3D
views.
Textures
Textures can be applied to warehouse objects to change their appearance in 3D. Objects which
can have textures include: warehouse walls, loads, marshalling areas.
There are many texture files that come pre-loaded with CLASS, in the library. Additional textures
can be created from image files imported into the Image Library.
E.g. Digital photographs of the warehouse walls or loads for an existing warehouse can be added
to the Image Library and then converted into 3D Textures to enhance the 3D Layout.
The wrapping method affects how the texture is applied. Experiment with a cube to see the effect
of different wrapping methods.
The display size determines the repeat pattern, if the texture is applied to an object which is bigger
than the display size. For example if you set the display size to 1m for a company logo texture and
you apply it to a 2m long 3D rectangle which abuts the warehouse wall the logo will appear twice
in the 3D rectangle.
Go to the Image Library option on the

View tab to view the image library or
add/remove images
The CLASS installation comes with preloaded image files which are stored in the Library folder
under CLASS15. To add a new image file to your project, click on Add, Browse to the
Library\Textures folder and choose the file you want to use.
Once you have loaded a new image file into your model you can add it to the texture library by
clicking on the Textures tab. Then add new textures using this image, selecting the tiling method
and display size.
Hands-on Example 3: Single Storage Area Part 2 – Storage Racking
This example adds the storage racking into Part 1 of this example (Open the Part 1 project if it is
not currently loaded)
Immediately use Save As to save your project to “exSingleArea2”
Use the same names as shown on the following pages as it will enable us to compare results more
readily.
1. Create a Storage Area called “A01 – Racking”. Leave the default Storage Area data
parameters unchanged.
2. Under Settings – Costs, set a warehouse cost of £73.50 per square metre.
3. Using the following rack drawings for measurements:
• create a new ‘Full Pallet’ load type, with pallet

(you may use colours and textures of your choice)
• Then create the racking, which should give 6500 storage locations.
- use the ‘Stretchable?’ aisle option to accommodate any spare space at the end of
the warehouse
• Allow 3.0m clearance from the top beam to the roof for sprinkler system and lighting.
Hint – it is best to add the racking to the layout before entering the dimensions and positioning the
exact size and location of the racking on the screen. When you enter the racking data you may
change factors such as aisle widths or spaces between rows of racking which will change the
appearance of the racking on the layout picture.
Racking Properties
Name: Racking
Racking Type: Static
Storage Area: A01 – Racking Display: Use display colours of your choice
Centre Cross Aisle Width is 3.10m
Access all the Elevation Views and the Storage Summary to ensure that the correct number of
storage locations have been created.
If you don’t get the exact number of locations, check the losses due to columns, or check the
racking elevation views to see if any of the racking has been constrained by the height of your
roof.
It is not a problem if some locations have been lost to columns or roof constraints, but you must be
able to understand where the differences are.
In the 3D viewing mode try navigating around the warehouse.
Save your work! (keep the name “exSingleArea2” which you set at the start of this example)
Extension work: Aisle Labels

If you have completed the Layout, try some of these exercises:
• Label the aisles
choose Aisle Label groups from the Data Tables section of the Layout tab and create a new
Label Group of your choice.
Then, on the Aisles tab of the racking, select this aisle label group.
Experiment with different formats -
o Single letters e.g. A, B…
o Double letters e.g. AA, AB…
o Numeric e.g. 1,2,... or 01, 02.. or 001,002
Aisle numbers can also be prefixed by text e.g. C1, C2… using the Beginning Text option.
The default starting letter or number is the first in the list (A, AA, 1, etc depending on the
format). However, the user can also specify a different starting label in the ‘Starting From:’
option.
It is common practice in warehouses to omit some aisle letters to avoid confusion with numbers.
To define this in CLASS, you can use the Excluded Characters to exclude standard character
sets, or use the Custom Excluded Character to define you own.
Further things to try:
• change some of the colours of the racking and the loads
• Copy the 2D layout, a 3D view, elevations and racking data tables to the clipboard and
then pasting them into the provided presentation template..
• Import images to the Image Library, and add Images and Textures to your Single Area
example...
CLASS Warehouse Simulation

Building the Simulation
So far you have been introduced to the Layout design tool, which has introduced the warehouse
infrastructure building blocks which CLASS uses in the simulation.
Analysing the Flows and Activities in your warehouse
Before embarking on adding simulation, the first step should be to analyse the flows and activities
in the warehouse we need to simulate.
This process should be done ahead of setting up the layout, because the flows and activities
needed will have an impact how storage areas, marshalling areas, docks etc are defined in the
Layout.
Questions to consider include:
Inbound movements Arrival pattern?
Load sizes on vehicles?
Which storage areas is stock destined for?
Do vehicles each carry stock for one or several storage

areas?
Does stock go straight into storage or does it go through

one or more marshalling processing stages?
Are the incoming units putaway whole, or is “pick by line”

needed where incoming units get taken round to several
locations and parts of the load put away at each location
Outbound Movements Departure pattern?
Amount of goods on different vehicles?
From which storage areas are the goods retrieved?
Do vehicles ship stock from a single storage area or

several?
How is retrieval organised (whole pallets or pick by order

where several locations get visited?)
Within storage areas, is the picking even across aisles

or does the stock location mean some aisles have fast
movers and therefore get visited more often than
others?
Does stock go through any marshalling processing

stages between picking and loading e.g. consolidation,
repacking?
Replenishment & Restocking Where is bulk stock held relative to the pick face?
Which areas need replenishment and restocking and

where is stock brought from?
Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Which trucks are used for which activities?
Resources
How many trucks are available of each type?
What are their performance characteristics (speeds,

acceleration, etc)
Labour Resources What shift patterns?
What teams? Which tasks are they responsible for?

How many people?
What strategy e.g. picking for shipping same day or next

day? Replenish at night or day?
Drawing a picture can be a helpful way of capturing the analysis. Mark up the areas of storage and
use arrows to show the flows between areas.
Setting up Simulation Flows
Setting up the Simulation flows can be carried out in two ways:
• using visual simulation objects and associated dialog screens, with visual connections
displayed on the warehouse layout.
• via a set of data files edited using the built-in data editor.
For this course use the Design Mode; the data editor is covered in later training modules.
Design Mode
When you go to the Simulation tab, CLASS automatically starts in Design mode.
You can turn off the design objects by clicking on the option on the View tab. When the
simulation starts running, the design objects are automatically hidden.
Types of Simulation Objects
The simulation is setup by using objects of different types. Each object has a button on the
Simulation tab. Click on these buttons to add in new Simulation objects.
Inbound Flow Numbers of loads arriving, arrival times, docks used. Activate traffic
modelling if required. Makes use of one or more Putaway Routes
Putaway Route Inbound marshalling activities, including any processing activity.

Storage area into which units are putaway. Putaway process can be
configured as Pick by Line if required.
Outbound Flow Numbers of loads departing, departure times, docks used. Activate
traffic modelling if required. Makes use of one or more Retrieval Routes
Retrieval Route Storage area from which units are retrieved. Outbound marshalling
activities, including any processing activity. Retrieval process can be
configured as Pick by Order if required.
Transfer Flow Numbers of movements per day, time profiles, source and destination
storage areas. Makes use of one Retrieval Route combined with one or
more Putaway Routes.
Replenishment Replenishment of pick faces may be required as a consequence of Pick

Driver by Order retrieval. Subsequent Restocking of storage locations in the
pick area can also be setup.
Labour Shift A labour shift is a group of people working a particular arrangement of

shift patterns. Each labour shift can have one or more teams. Tasks are
assigned to each team. Each team has a headcount.
Work Zones can be defined so that certain tasks in some parts of the
warehouse are carried out by particular MHEs or labour shifts.
Automated Automated Material Handling systems can be added if there are tasks
System which are not being carried out by the warehouse labour directly. For
example, a wrapper machine, or a conveyor for moving units between
marshalling areas. Animation will be able to be linked to an Automated
Material Handling system though this is not yet implemented.
A simulation model can have several instances of each type of simulation object. For example
there might be several different Labour shifts or several different ways of putting goods away or
retrieving goods.
The simulation objects are displayed on the screen which enables you to edit their properties, copy
and delete objects.
Display of Simulation Objects
Each Simulation Object is shown as a rectangular area on the screen which contains:
• Simulation object icon to easily recognise the type of objects

• Name of this instance of the simulation object
• Buttons for Deleting, Copying, Editing the Simulation object
• Buttons for turning on display links to other simulation objects and/or warehouse physical
objects (storage areas, docks or marshalling areas) on the Layout.
•
An example of a simulation object is shown below:
Copy Object Edit Object

Delete Object
Display link buttons
Name of Object
Display Links between Simulation Objects
Try switching on the display links to show the relationship between simulation objects and the
physical warehouse objects.
Arranging Simulation Objects

Simulation Objects each have their own display position on the simulation
screen.
You can re-arrange Simulation objects by clicking and dragging individual

objects; or by using the Rearrange button on the View tab. You can choose
which types of object to rearrange.
Editing Simulation Object Properties
To edit the properties of a simulation object click on the Edit button on the
simulation object. This takes you into a dialog for that object.
Many object properties are chosen from a list offered to you. For example a storage area is
chosen from a list of all the Storage Areas which were created in the Layout.
Some properties of Simulation objects are gateways into editing or creating related Profile
information. For example creating a Vehicle Arrival Time profile is edited via the Inbound object.
Where a field is compulsory and has not been filled in, the tab on the dialogue is highlighted in red
and red validation messages show what is missing e.g.
Wizard buttons in Design Mode

When you are using Design Mode look out for the Wizard button, which give
you a quick way of setting up the initial data for a Simulation.
. Examples of Wizards available include:
• Setting up different types of profiles

• Setting up labour teams with their assigned tasks
Inbound Movements
Deciding on how many Inbound Flows to use
CLASS uses Inbound Flow objects to represent different types or different groups of inbound
vehicles (e.g different suppliers).
Each Inbound Flow is assigned to a range of docks, has a loadsize of units per vehicle, an arrival
pattern and information on how the goods will be putaway into storage, including any marshalling
stages.
Inbound Flow objects make use of one or more Putaway Route objects, describing the method
used to putaway units (e.g. marshalling stage(s) and destination storage area)
Your warehouse may have many different types of vehicles arriving carrying different types of
stock destined for different storage areas. How best to model your particular situation will vary, but
some questions to ask include:
Should the real life vehicles be grouped for modelling purposes? CLASS can use profiles for
number of vehicles per day; loads per vehicle; and for arrival times, so you can introduce variability
into the model without having to model every vehicle as a separate Inbound Flow.
Using vehicle groups can streamline the data entry and make it easier to investigate alternative
scenarios e.g. increasing all vehicle flows by 20% to model a growth scenario.
Does each vehicle group or type have product destined for one storage area or several? If
several then you can use a putaway split profile to specify the proportion of the inbound load which
goes to different Storage Areas.
What marshalling and process activities are applied to Inbound Movements? CLASS can
model a number of marshalling stages with optional process times. These can be used to model
activities such as checking or de-palletising or packing.
Use of Profiles
Careful consideration has been given to the data required to drive the simulation and how this
information is specified. This has been done to overcome two issues commonly encountered in
modelling projects:
• variability in the availability and quality of operational information
• the need to model likely future scenarios for which no detailed data is available
As a result, the CLASS system is not based around SKU level data. Instead Cirrus Logistics has
developed the use of ‘profiles’ in order to overcome the issues highlighted above.
The profile concept is consistently used across CLASS, and is a distribution of values expressed
in terms of a percentage. Profiles are used in CLASS to hold a variety of information. They allow
you to setup the model with the appropriate amount of detail, depending on what data is available
and what problems you are looking at.
Design Mode uses a Profile Wizard which you can use to quickly setup certain types of profiles.
The following examples show how the types of profiles used by CLASS.
Some examples of data held as Profiles are shown below:
• vehicle arrival times
• load size (number of pallets) on a vehicle
• time for a processing activity in a marshalling area
Examples of Profiles
Here are some examples of how such data is held in Profiles
• “Vehicles arrive between 12 noon and 3 pm”
• Nothing arrives before the earliest time of 12:00
• All vehicles arrive by the latest time of 15:00
• Class “Profile” would be
0% 12:00 100 % 15:00
• “Between 15 & 25 pallets per vehicle”
• No vehicles have load size of less than 15
• All vehicles have load size of up to 25
0% 15 100 % 25
• “Check time of 1 minute per pallet”
• No pallets have check time of less than 1:00
• All pallets have check time of up to 1:00
0% 1:00 100 % 1:00
These profiles are continuous cumulative profiles. Continuous means the result can be any
value within the range, for example between 15 – 25 pallets on a vehicle. The phrase cumulative
refers to the % figures accumulating starting at 0% and going up to 100 %.
Hands-on Example 4: Single Storage Area Part 3 –Inbound movements
Select the Simulation tab on the Ribbon to access the simulation design objects.
Select an Inbound Flow object from the Simulation Flows. Set the properties for this
Inbound Flow object as follows:
• 20 vehicles/day (Profile Wizard Constant Value)
• Arrival profile - randomly between 9.00 - 10.30 am (Profile Wizard Simple Range)
• Load size - between 22 and 26 units per load (Profile Wizard Simple Range)
• Select docks 01 - 06 for Inbound vehicles. Selection method is Lowest First.
• Vehicles spend an additional time on dock of 0:15 hr:mn after unloading has been
completed.
• Vehicles will spend a minimum elapsed time of 0:30 hr:mn on the dock
• Name – meaningful name of your choice
On the ‘Putaway’ tab of the Inbound Flow properties dialog, click on the button to create a
new Putaway Route.
• For this Putaway Route setup the following properties:
• Unload to the Goods in Marshalling area
• 1 minute process time per pallet in the Goods in Marshalling area (Profile Wizard Constant
Value)
• All pallets putaway whole into the single storage area A01 – Racking
Try the different buttons for displaying simulation object display links.
Save your work! (but keep the name “exSingleArea3” which you set at the start of this example)
Outbound movements
CLASS uses Outbound Flow objects to represent different types or different groups of Outbound
vehicles (e.g. Main store deliveries; local store deliveries; or large trailer deliveries; van deliveries
etc).
Each Outbound Flow has docks assigned, units per vehicle, a departure schedule and information
on how the goods will be retrieved from storage, including any marshalling stages.
Outbound Flow objects make use of one or more Retrieval Route objects, describing the method
used to retrieve units (e.g. source storage area and marshalling stage(s))
The Outbound Flow object specifies a target departure time for vehicles; which docks they will
use; and how the product will be retrieved for loading. If picking is completed before the target
departure time, then vehicles could come onto docks earlier than the target time; if picking is not
completed in time, then vehicles will be shown as leaving late.
Retrieval can be modelled as detailed picking by order or alternatively whole or full pallet retrieval.
Picking by Order is covered in a separate training module. Retrieved products can go through
several marshalling stages e.g. for consolidation or for processing.
The Start Times tab of the Retrieval Route object allows the time when Retrieval starts, and the
time when loading may start, to be specified.
Picking and Loading Time Windows

CLASS can be set-up to reflect pick to despatch windows. Picking and Loading Time windows are
defined on the Start Times tab on the Retrieval Route object. The retrieval picking tasks, on each
retrieval route, are released according to these values.
Absolute Elapsed Retrieval Start Time Comments

Earliest Time Before
time of day departure
0:00 24:00 This is the Default setting. All picking would be released at the start of
the simulation day, regardless of its scheduled departure time.
10:00 24:00 No picking can start before 10am; this is an order cut-off time. All
picking would be released for action at that time, regardless of its
scheduled time for departure as the 24:00 means no constraint.
10:00 2:00 For a scheduled departure of 3pm, picking will be released at 1pm so
the time before departure rule is a tighter constraint than the 10am
absolute earliest.
However for a scheduled departure time of 11 am, the absolute

earliest time of 10am becomes the constraint i.e. picking for units on
this retrieval route would not be released at 9am because this is
earlier than 10am.
10:00 0:00 Picking would start 0:00 hours before any scheduled departure due
after 10am. For any outbound load due earlier than 10 am, picking
would start at 10am. All Outbound vehicles would therefore leave later
than scheduled departure - not a recommended rule!
Note the earliest time of day can be a single figure (as in the above table) or a profile of times.
CLASS samples from the profile for each Outbound Flow load using this retrieval route to give a
profile time of day. If an outbound vehicle had 10 units using this retrieval route then one time is
sampled from this start time of day profile and applied to all 10 units. The binding constraint is then
applied to give a start time which is then compared with the time before departure rule, as shown
by the following example:
Absolute Earliest Time Time sampled from Start time of day for Comments
of Day Time of Day profile comparison with Time
before departure
10:00 8:00 10:00 Cannot be any earlier

than absolute earliest
time of day
10:00 12:00 12:00 Retrieval release is

delayed because later
time was sampled
Relating retrieval start times to scheduled departure times will minimise marshalling area overflow,
but could increase the risk of some vehicles not meeting their scheduled departure times if picking
is delayed. CLASS records if vehicles do not meet their scheduled departure times.
In a similar way you can control how Outbound vehicles are loaded by the Loading Start Time
Rules. If your warehouse had a yard full of trailers then you might not need to constrain when
loading starts and loading could start as soon as the first pallets were ready in the outbound
marshalling area. Alternatively if the Outbound vehicles are coming from elsewhere they may only
arrive a certain time before their scheduled departure time.
Absolute Time Before Loading Start Time Comments

Earliest departure
time
16:00 24:00 No loading can start before 16:00. Any ready pallets would be loaded
regardless of their scheduled time for departure as the 24:00 means
no constraint
16:00 2:00 For a scheduled departure of 19:00 loading cannot start before 17:00
(2 hours before) so the time before departure rule is a tighter
constraint than the 16:00 absolute earliest.
However for a scheduled departure time of 17:00, the absolute

earliest time of 16:00 becomes the biting constraint i.e. this outbound
vehicle would not be loaded at 15:00 because this is earlier than

16:00.
0:00 2:00 Outbound vehicles would commence loading 2 hours before their
scheduled departure time
0:00 24:00 Outbound vehicles would commence loading as soon as their pallets
are ready, regardless of their scheduled departure time
16:00 0:00 For departures after 16:00 loading would start 0:00 hours before
scheduled departure (all Outbound vehicles would leave later than
scheduled departure)
Not a recommended rule!
Simulation Flow Analyser
The Simulation Flow Analyser allows you to, at a glance, check the input data.
It compares the inbound and outbound volumes defined in your input data and
highlights any potential problems using a colour-coded report, allowing you to
check your input data before running the simulation.
The Analyser compares movements to/from storage including: full unit putaway and retrieval; Pick By
Line putaway and Order Picked retrievals; transfers between storage areas; and replenishments and
restocks in response to picking activity.
In large models, it is important to use this report to highlight any potential issues with the data.
The colour code used on the Analyser report is broadly defined as follows:
Green OK. Inbound and Outbound

volumes balance
Yellow Imbalance in In vs. Out

but within storage limits
Red Imbalance in In vs. Out

storage limits are exceeded
Blue Comparison not applicable
The figure below shows an example of the Simulation Flow Analyser output:
Hands-on Example 5: Single Storage Area Part 4 – Outbound movements
Add in a Retrieval Route object using the button. Set the properties on this Retrieval route
as follows:
• Pallets taken to the Goods Out marshalling area (no Additional Marshalling)
• Pallets have a process time of 30 seconds in Goods out marshalling area (Profile Wizard
Constant value)
• All pallets are retrieved whole from the single storage area A01 - Racking
• Retrieval can start at 12.00 noon.
Add in an Outbound Flow object using the button. Set the properties on this Outbound Flow
object as follows:
• 30 vehicles/day (Profile Wizard Constant Value)
• To depart evenly between 14.00 - 18.00 p.m., (Profile Wizard Simple range and then set
the Sampling method to be Evenly Spread, rather than the default of Random)
• 16 pallets per outbound vehicle (Profile Wizard Constant value)
• Use Docks 07 - 12. Use selection method Lowest First.
• Additional time on Dock of 15 minutes after loading has been completed.
• Minimum elapsed time of 30 minutes on the dock.
• On the “Retrieval tab” select the single retrieval route created above.
Name – meaningful name of your choice
NOTE: Watch the format of times when you enter them, some are in hrs:mins others mins:secs.
Now you have created your inbound and outbound flows, use the Simulation Flow
Analyser to check your volumes.
Save your work! (but keep the name “exSingleArea4” which you set at the start of this example)
Analysing Flows to understand tasks required

The simulation flows we have entered for Inbound movements and Outbound movements will
require certain tasks to be carried out. There can be a number of different tasks which may need
to be carried out in the warehouse.
It is helpful to analyse the flows in your model to understand which tasks will be required. Some
examples are shown below for the Single Storage Area Hands-on Example:
The following task map shows Tasks for Full pallet putaway activities:
The following task map shows Tasks for Full pallet retrieval activities:
These diagrams show the most common way in which the tasks fit together.
Many variations are possible. For example, the incoming inbound movements might not have a
marshalling stage, in which case the putaway task moves the goods directly from the incoming
vehicle to the wide aisle storage location. Similarly if the warehouse has no goods out area then
the retrieval will retrieve full pallets directly from wide aisle storage to the vehicle. The vehicle will
arrive on the dock at the pick release time. A process time can still be specified, without
marshalling areas, and the processing activity takes place in the vehicle.
Labour and MHE resources
The simulation needs to be told how many people are available and how they will be organised
e.g. what teams will work in different areas of the warehouse and on what tasks? What shift
patterns will be worked by each team?
The simulation also needs to be told how many MHEs are available and you can choose which
type of MHE is used for each of the various tasks.
Labour Shifts, Teams and Shift Patterns
From the Simulation tab, you add in a Labour Shift objects to represent
Labour resources.
Labour shift objects have properties covering:
• Shift pattern worked each day.
When setting up the properties of a shift pattern, an extended 24 hour notation applies, for
example a shift pattern running from 10 pm to 6 am would be entered as 22:00 to 30:00
(where 30:00 = 24:00 + 6:00)
• Work Zone which labour shift belongs to (Work Zones is discussed in more detail in the
Additional Simulation Techniques module)
• One or more Teams – teams have a list of tasks in priority order which the team undertakes,
head count of people.
MHE Types
The number of each type of MHE available in the simulation, and the MHE
performance parameters, can be set from the MHE Types window.
Each task requires a type of MHE to complete the task, plus people to operate
them in the simulation.
Note that even tasks which in reality do not require a MHE (e.g. checking,
labelling, etc) require an MHE in the simulation: for this purpose a Non-MHE
Manual Task MHE is defined, which is essentially a man.
The MHE travel times are calculated in the simulation from MHE travel performance and
lifting/lowering performance, for tasks such as:
• Moving pallets between marshalling areas and docks
• Moving stock between marshalling areas and storage racking
• Moving stock within storage areas
Standard MHE to Task Assignments

Every task in the simulation needs to have an MHE
assigned which the labour operator will use to complete
the task (unless the task is assigned to an Automated
Material Handling System).
The MHE types assigned to tasks are defined, and can be

changed, from the MHE to Task button.
You can use this option to assign different MHEs to

different tasks.
If you wish the same task type to be carried out by different MHE types in different parts of the
warehouse, then you need to use Work Zones (see Work Zones section).
Costs for Labour and MHEs
MHE Costs
Against each type of MHE you can associate two cost parameters:
Cost incurred whilst This cost is incurred for each day or part day that the simulation
available (£ per day) has run for and is calculated for all available MHE of this type.
Thus if there were 10 trucks of a given type available, but a

maximum of 8 were used at any instance during the simulation run,
the static cost will be applied to all 10 available trucks.
Cost incurred whilst This cost of using an MHE type is calculated by multiplying the total
working (£ per hour used) number of hours usage of the MHE type by the cost per hour.
This parameter can be used to represent maintenance costs, or

pay per use-type lease arrangements.
Within the simulation, the Summary results report summarises the total MHE cost incurred (if cost
data has been entered). The MHE Usage history report, for a given MHE, shows the cost incurred
for that type of MHE.
Labour Costs
Against each labour shift there are two costs:
Labour Cost - £/hour This labour cost rate is applied to all available time on shift,
Available On Shift regardless of whether active or idle.
The cost for a shift is therefore the product of the hours available in
the shift pattern (discounting breaks and Available time), the
number of operators, and the labour cost rate.
Labour Cost - £/hour This labour cost rate is applied only to active on shift time.
Working
The cost for a shift is therefore the product of the total active hours
for the shift and the labour cost rate.
Within the simulation, the Summary results report summarises the total labour cost incurred (if
labour cost data has been entered). The shift Usage history report, for a given labour shift,
shows the cost incurred for that
Running the Simulation
To run the simulation, press on the Play button. The simulation will run using the
Flows and Labour shifts that have been set up.
You can also run the simulation until a chosen time via the Continue To option off
the Start button.
Simulations may be run for repeated weeks – press the Start button again after a
simulation run has completed to run a further week.
If you run the simulation for longer than 7 days, the results for the completed 7 day
period are cleared ready for the next 7 day’s results.
The animation can be switched off to increase the processing speed of the
simulation. (NOTE: switching off animation is not recommended until you’ve tested
your model!).
To re-run the simulation, e.g. after changing some data, use the Reload button to
reset the simulation time to zero.
Data Integrity Checker

When the simulation is started to run, the data is checked for consistency and for missing vital
information. If any data is missing or has been defined incorrectly then the Integrity Checker will
display an error message describing the source of the error, and the simulation will not run.
Use the information provided by the Integrity Checker to find the incorrect data and rectify, before
running the simulation again.
Status of Operators and Vehicles

As the simulation is running, tool tips
are displayed if the mouse is
positioned over the vehicles and
operators, and marshalling areas.
These are useful for testing the

model and for explaining the logic of
your model to others.
Examples are shown (top to bottom)

for:
an Inbound Vehicle on the Dock;
a MHE doing putaway in the

racking;
and the capacity of the Goods Out

Marshalling Area.
Looking at the simulation results

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Simulation outputs are accessed from the KPIs button under the Simulation Analysis section of the
Simulation tab. From here the KPI Summary report and all other simulation outputs are available.
The Help file contains a detailed description of the different charts and tables of results. These
reports are designed so you can understand the warehouse operation so it can be tuned to
improve efficiency and performance. Examples include:
Results Examples of Use
Key Performance Summary results e.g. unloading and loading throughput, overall labour
Indicators utilisation, marshalling area most heavily used.
A Traffic Light colour scheme is used to highlight potential bottlenecks.
Click on a top level button to see the details behind, and click on a
detailed level button to jump to specific results graph.
Task Completion Rates Check the rates against existing operations as a sense check. Do the
rates seem plausible? If not, check the process times assigned.
Utilisation of Are any areas overflowing (% used exceeded 100%)?

marshalling areas
If a marshalling area overflows, can the labour task priorities be
improved?
For example, if the task priority list for the Outbound team is: load;
process; retrieve, this will minimise stock residing in the Goods Out
marshalling area. To keep the retrieval on track another team could be
given the complementary task priority order of retrieve; process; load.
Shift Utilisation and Examine how much of labour is in use versus idle waiting for tasks.
Breakdown
If utilisation is very uneven, can the team sizes be changed and some
labour saved?
If utilisation has big peaks and troughs during the day, can the timings of
Inbound Movements, picking or Outbound movements be changed to
smooth out the workload?
Vehicle Service times How do the departure times achieved for Outbound vehicles compare
with the target times?
If a lot of vehicles are leaving later than target, could picking be started
earlier or given more labour? What rules have been set on the Retrieval
Routes for when picking and then loading can start?
Model Testing and Calibration
It is important to check the tasks carried out in the simulation to verify that the base data on
workloads has been entered correctly and the timing assumptions combine to give work rates as
expected.
The results graphs are also designed to allow the model to be tested or checked and any
problems with the model’s data to be tracked down and. Steps to go through are as follows:
Examine numbers of each have the expected number of vehicles been unloaded and loaded?
type of task completed
has the expected number of pallets been unloaded and loaded?
is the number of items picked as expected?

(Key Performance Indicators
& Task Completion Reports)
It is vital to check that the throughput data has been entered
correctly, because this is a key driver for the results.
Are any outstanding tasks at If so, examine which tasks are outstanding, and if any have been
the end of the simulation completed at all.
run?
If none have been carried out then check you have assigned labour
and MHE to the task.
(Key Performance Indicators, If some of the tasks have been done, check whether the labour or
Task Queue Status Reports MHE assigned are fully utilised (may not have enough assigned)
& Task Queue History
Graphs)
Compare task completion In some cases you may be modelling changes to an existing
rates or labour requirements warehouse, in which case it is good practise to setup a “base case”
with information from current which models the current situation. You can then compare the
operations results from the simulation with current operations. If you are
modelling a new warehouse, it may have elements which are
(Task Completion report) similar to current operations which can be used as a cross check.
See the Additional Simulation Techniques module and the Simulation Help FAQs for further details
on calibrating models.
Hands-on Example 6: Completing Single Storage Area Simulation – Labour,

MHEs & Test simulation
Continue from the simulation model started in Part 4.
Immediately use Save As to save your project to “exSingleArea”
Analyse Flows in warehouse
Consider which tasks you will need for the activities in this warehouse. Sketch the activity flows
and tasks required on the layout below. Refer back to the Task Maps on page 76 to see the
different tasks which can be generated.
Complete simulation data – Add labour and MHE resources
Create a Labour Shift Object using the button.
• To begin with, create a single team; then you can refine your team structure and
headcounts once the simulation is running as expected
• Create shift pattern(s) as you think best
• leave the efficiency and availability factors at their default of 100%
• Assign your labour shift(s) to the default Whole Warehouse Work Zone
To setup the team use the double-arrow button on the team dialog. This will assign all
relevant tasks to the team in a priority order. Try 12 as an initial team headcount.
Use the MHE To Task dialog to assign MHE Types to tasks.
• Select your own choice of MHE Type from the ones provided with Class
• (or create your own if you wish – try copying an existing MHE Type and renaming it)
Run Simulation and Check model data was entered correctly
The following table re-states the Inbound & Outbound Movements quantity data for this example.
Inbound movements Outbound movements
• 20 vehicles/day arriving randomly • 30 vehicles/day to depart evenly

between 9.00 - 10.30 am, between 14.00 - 18.00 p.m.,
• between 22 and 26 pallets per vehicle, • 16 pallets per vehicle,
• unloaded into Goods in area where 1 • All pallets are retrieved whole and
minute process time per pallet prior to taken to the Goods Out marshalling
putaway. area
• Pallets have a process time of 30

seconds.
Run the simulation.
Watch the animation - is it behaving as intended?
Once the Simulation is complete, examine the KPIs:
check the throughput quantities are as expected
how is your shift utilisation?
are there any problems? What is the cause? Can you implement a solution?
Hands-on Exercise 7: Solution Design Presentation
Imagine you are to present your final warehouse design to a customer. Prepare a short
presentation to communicate the key results of the modelling.
Some examples are:
 Vehicles and Volumes In and Out
 Hours required
 Tasks completed
 MHE required
 Task rates
A presentation template is provided with some suggested titles, feel free to add your own.
What-if Wizard
The What-if Wizard provides a rapid method to create and run What-if scenarios on the simulation,
such as “What happens if volumes increase by 10%?”
The What-if Wizard allows what-ifs to be set up against the following data sets:
Inbound Vehicles Number of vehicles per day, Inbound loadsize
Outbound Vehicles Number of vehicles per day, Outbound loadsize
Pick By Line Putaway Inbound Unit size; Items per Product; Locations per Product; Average Pick
Rate; Time per Item; Time per Location
Pick By Order Outbound Unit size; Items per Order; Locations per Order; Pick Unit Size;
Average Pick Rate; Picking Time per Item; Time per Location
Labour Team Headcount, Efficiency
MHE Number of available MHE, travel speed performance
The What-If Wizard is accessed from the Simulation Analysis section of the Simulation
tab.
You can set up a number of different What-If scenarios within a project and select which
What-If you wish to run. Select the scenario you wish to activate by selecting the
scenario in the left-hand list, then run the scenario by pressing the Run button.
Project Comparison
The Project Comparison function allows the user to compare, at summary

level, several CLASS projects, perhaps with different flow volumes, task
allocation, different layouts etc.
After a simulation has been run, when the project is saved, the simulation
results are also saved within the project. Once saved, these results can be
imported to the Project Comparison report.
On selecting the Project Comparison

option from the Simulation Analysis
section, other projects can be imported
into the Project Comparison using the
Add Project button.
A browser will be opened, which enables

a comparison project to be added to the
comparison.
A selection of KPI comparison reports can be generated by the Project Comparison function:
Outbound Vehicle Lateness; Marshalling Area Utilisation; Labour Utilisation; and Pick By Order
travel distance:
For each project selected, a bar will be shown on the KPI chart comparing the results from
each project. The above example shows a comparison of Shift Utilisation between 2 projects
with different layout options.
Hands-on Example 8: What-if Wizard Stress Testing
Restore the “exSingleArea” finished project.
Run the simulation again, and then save the project again. This saves the results of the base case
run for comparison.
Next set up a what-if scenario to increase both the inbound and outbound flows, and labour
headcount, by 10%:
• Click the What-If Wizard button.

• In the Description box, type a name for the What-if scenario – “Plus 10%”.
• Then add 10% to Inbound and Outbound number of vehicles per day.
• On the Labour & MHE tab, increase the Headcount by 10%.
• Click on the Run button.
At the end of the simulation, look at the KPI report. Record the key KPIs in your results table.
Now save this project with another name “exSingleAreaWhatIfWizard”.
Next, click the Add button and repeat the above steps to create additional scenarios for 20% and
30% increases.
Record the KPIs in your results sheet as before:
 Vehicles and Volumes In and Out
 Hours required
 Tasks completed
 MHE required
 Task rates
Complete a further slide in your presentation deck showing the results of the stress testing
• Were there any problems?

• In what areas of the warehouse were bottlenecks seen? Can you suggest solutions?
Extension work: Project Comparison

You can compare the results of this project with those of the base case.
Rerun each scenario and save the project with a new name, e.g.
exSingleAreaWhatIfWizard10.zpjx
From Simulation tab, choose the Project Comparison option.
Click the Add Project button and select the original project “exSingleArea” from your saved
projects.
Then add the scenario files.
Select the different KPIs to compare from the list on the Project Comparison window to see a
graphical representation of the differences between the different sets of results.
• Complete your slide deck with results from the What-If comparisons.
Animate
The Animate function generates a simple set of simulation objects based on some basic volume
and shift information, and of course a layout.
For Animate to be available, there must be no pre-existing simulation data. To run Animate on a
layout which already has some simulation data, use the View – Simulation Objects – Delete All
option to remove all the simulation data.
Once Animate has been selected, the Animate dialog will be shown. It has two tabs:
The first tab shows settings for

weekly volume, shift patterns,
and inbound/outbound load sizes.
Values may be changed either by

using the sliders or by directly
entering values.
Note that some values are inter-

linked.
The second tab allows the retrieval method from

each storage area to be selected, either Full Pallet
or Case Pick methods.
Click OK and Animate will generate a

set of simulation objects based on the
information provided and the
warehouse layout.
Extension work: Animate

Use Animate to create a simulation model on your layout.
Restore the “exSingleArea” finished project. Save As “exAnimate.zpjx”.
From the Simulation tab, select the View tab.
Use the Delete option, and select Delete All to remove all the
simulation objects.
Next, from the Simulation tab, select the Animate button.
(note that Animate is only active if there is no simulation data

already present)
Set the Animate settings:
• Select shift pattern

• Enter weekly throughput, in cases
• Adjust inbound and outbound volumes
• For the Storage Area, select Full Pallet pick type (Case picking will be covered in the Pick
By Order module)
Click OK and Class will generate a set of simulation objects.
Run the simulation and check the KPIs.
Save the project.
Conclusions
This training course in CLASS Core Principles has introduced you to the foundation principles of
the CLASS warehouse modelling tool. The Hands-on Examples have demonstrated different
situations which arise in warehouse simulation. These training notes and examples are designed
for you to refer back to in the future to remind you of the material covered on this course.
You are encouraged to use the on-line Help facility which comes with CLASS. This explains the
different properties of objects and the fields in the different datasets. There are a range of
“Frequently Asked Questions” in the Layout and Simulation Help which explain how to configure
CLASS to model different warehouse situations and also advice on interpreting results.
Whilst the examples used on this training course were for relatively small warehouses, the
principles learnt through these examples can be applied to larger problems. Your CLASS
installation comes with some demonstration projects which illustrate different aspects of the
system and show how complex warehouses can be modelled using CLASS.
You can connect to our web site www.classwarehouse.com from the Help option from the
Application menu. The CLASS web site contains technical information and upgrades to CLASS
which you can download. You can add your name to our email list to be kept informed of new
releases.
If you have any questions about CLASS or need further advice, please get in touch with Cirrus
Logistics. We can be contacted as follows:
Cirrus Logistics Ltd classtechsupport@cirruslogistics.com
9A Cedarwood
Chineham Business Park +44 (0)1253 602920
Basingstoke
RG24 8WD
United Kingdom

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CLASS Training Module: Core Principles

CLASS Training Module:

www.classwarehouse.com Document Version 15.06

Objectives of this CLASS Training Course Module 8

BUSINESS USE OF CLASS 10

OVERVIEW OF CLASS WAREHOUSE LAYOUT AND SIMULATION SYSTEM 11

CLASS IS A “WHAT IF” TOOL 12

CLASS WAREHOUSE LAYOUT DESIGN 15

The Layout tab 15

Drawing tools and their properties 15

Warehouse Layout objects and their properties 16

The Properties Panel 19

Drag Canvas Mode 19

Default Object Properties 19

The View Tab 21

Storing & Setting Views 21

Saving your work 28

Hands-on Example 1: Using the drawing tools 29

Using the Grid options 30

Dimension Tool for adding distance measurements to the layout. 31

Drawing the Warehouse Boundary Wall 31

Warehouse space costs 32

Add Roof Constraints 32

Create Vehicle Docks 33

Create Marshalling Areas 35

Multiple Object Selection 36

Hands-on Example 2: Single Storage Area Part 1 – Warehouse Layout 37

Extension Work – Add a Backdrop 38

Create Storage Areas 39

Warehouse Storage Costs 39

Create Load Types and Define Storage Requirements 40

View Racking Elevations 51

View Warehouse Statistics 52

Other Layout Features 53

Printing and the Clipboard, 53

Hands-on Example 3: Single Storage Area Part 2 – Storage Racking 55

Extension work: Aisle Labels 58

CLASS WAREHOUSE SIMULATION 59

Building the Simulation 59

Analysing the Flows and Activities in your warehouse 59

Setting up Simulation Flows 61

Types of Simulation Objects 61

Display of Simulation Objects 63

Arranging Simulation Objects 63

Editing Simulation Object Properties 64

Wizard buttons in Design Mode 64

Hands-on Example 4: Single Storage Area Part 3 –Inbound movements 68

Picking and Loading Time Windows 70

Simulation Flow Analyser 72

Hands-on Example 5: Single Storage Area Part 4 – Outbound movements 74

Analysing Flows to understand tasks required 75

Labour and MHE resources 77

Labour Shifts, Teams and Shift Patterns 77

Standard MHE to Task Assignments 78

Costs for Labour and MHEs 79

Running the Simulation 80

Data Integrity Checker 80

Status of Operators and Vehicles 81

Looking at the simulation results 82

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 82

Model Testing and Calibration 84

Analyse Flows in warehouse 85

Complete simulation data – Add labour and MHE resources 86