A route-selecting order batching model with the S-shape routes in a parallel-aisle order picking system

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2016.07.017

• This paper aims to address a route-set for the S-shape routes and composites a best fit route for batches from the predefined S-shape routes while partitioning orders into batches.
• This study highlights a large-scale order batching model for an S-shape routing method producing very efficient solutions in a six parallel-aisle order picking system with 500 orders.
• The proposed batching procedure develops batches from the predefined S-shape routes, which also produced the tight lower bound by the combination with the route-selection based relaxed batching model. This study, therefore, is able to evaluate other large-scale batching algorithms in the published literature by comparing with a lower bound.