AUTOMATIC SIMULATION MODELLING OF WAREHOUSES

Background: The goal of the paper is study on the possibility of using automation in simulation modeling of various types of warehouses, enabling quick verification of projects carried out in the area of storage. The paper outline the problem of simulation modeling of a complex storage system based on the concept of drawer racks designed by the company Zrembud located in Cieszyn, Poland. In order to properly evaluate the usefulness of the concept, the mechanism for modeling of both the drawer racking system and the highly popular row racking system was developed and adjusted to user without advanced simulations skills. The mechanism described in the paper is the part of the methodology of warehouse automatic simulation modeling.

Methods: Based on the structural analysis of rack types and the spatial relations of their components, modeling in the LogABS program was concluded. Modeling was performed in the DES (Discrete-Event System) environment. Data structures are necessary to automate the generation of warehouses. The engine code was written in C ++ programming language.

Results: The result of implementing the mechanism is the automatic generation of two storage systems, adapted to the user's requirements, in one simulation model. The first results of the analyzes for the generated structures determine the size of the storage area necessary to accommodate a certain number of storage units, as well as the level of complexity of the operation of both systems, which translates into the time of transport and loading activities.

Conclusions: The presented mechanism is the basis for the methodology of automatic simulation modeling of warehouses. It allows significant reduction in simulation models building duration, and thus a significant reduction in the time of projects consisting in verifying the concept of spatial arrangement in various projects related to the storage area. The proposed tool is innovative and useful for practitioners specializing in simulation modeling and specialists in warehouse design. Due to the organization and simplification of data structures, it can be implemented in various simulation modeling environments. Also after implementation, it can be used by people who do not have advanced simulation skills.