Performance analysis and management of an Automated Distribution Center

Fierce global competition, rapid market changes and short product life cycles originated the diffusion of automated warehousing systems. This paper focuses on the performance evaluation and management of an Automated Distribution Center (ADC), i.e., a specific and automated type of warehouse where storage of products is limited or non-existent and the core activity is the sorting operation. We consider a case study in the clothing factory and we model the ADC as a discrete event system by way of the UML formalism, a graphic and textual modeling language intended to describe systems from structural and dynamics viewpoints. The ADC is simulated in the well-known ARENA simulation software environment under several scenarios, in which different system parameters are considered, e.g. number of material handling operators, speeds of machines, dimensions of pallets etc. The employed approach enables us to successfully select crucial parameters in order to improve the ADC management.