Authors : Benjamin Yaw Kokroko; Joseph Kobi; Edmund Kofi Yeboah

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 10 - October

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25oct1431

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Abstract : The issue of warehouse layout design is one of the main decision problems, which has a great influence on the efficiency of operations, cost-effectiveness, and service quality in the logistic system of the modern world. This study offers full-fledged research that utilizes a simulation-based optimization solution to structure warehouse layouts with the aim of maximizing the utilization of the available storage space and the reduction in the travel distances of materials. The paper incorporates the use of class-based policies of storage location assignment and closest open location strategies regarding a variety of storage levels and dynamic inventory mobility. A model simulation of discrete events was created to compare different layouts taking into consideration stochastic change of the production rates, demand patterns, and material handling operations. The optimization model uses a mix of analytical models and metaheuristic algorithms to identify optimal values of aisles, cross aisles, bay depths, and configuration of the storage classes. The computational experiments based on real warehouse data prove that the proposed method has substantial advantages when compared to traditional layout methods and can save the total travel distances by up to 32% without depleting storage space utilization up to 85%. The study adds a closed-form solution to the finding of the optimal aisle numbers, a multi-objective optimization model balancing the competing layout goals, and useful principles to warehouse design decision-making. Findings suggest that effective location of cross-aisles, accompanied by smart location assignment of storage, provide significant operation cost savings. The established methodology offers evidence-based layout design decisions in the form of quantitative tools to warehouse managers and logistics planners, which apply to the wide range of types of warehouses and operational environments.

Keywords : Warehouse Layout Optimization, Storage Location Assignment, Travel Distance Minimization, Simulation-Based Optimization, Class-Based Storage Policy, Block Stacking Warehouses, Material Handling Efficiency, Space Utilization Maximization, Cross-Aisle Configuration, Discrete-Event Simulation, Metaheuristic Algorithms, Logistics Operations Management, Warehouse Design Algorithms, Order Picking Optimization, Inventory Management Systems.

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