Dynamic Pick Path Substitution for Out-of-Stock Warehouse Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
In warehouses, inventory changes can cause out-of-stock products, leading to delays and inefficiencies as pickers search for substitute items, increasing travel distance and decision-making time.
Innovation Solution
A system dynamically revises pick paths to incorporate substitute products based on distance and user acceptance probability, minimizing deviations from the original path by selecting available items with the lowest distance and highest acceptance score.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the picker checks multiple locations for substitute products, then the availability of substitute products is improved, but the travel distance and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating substitute product locations and updating the pick path before the picker actually needs to retrieve the substitute. The inventory system proactively identifies available substitutes and their locations, allowing the picker to proceed directly to the correct location without having to search multiple areas, thus resolving the contradiction between ensuring availability and minimizing time loss
2Productivity
If the picker selects substitute products, then the order fulfillment is improved, but the travel distance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pick path is made dynamic and adaptable. When a product is found to be unavailable, the system automatically recalculates the optimal path to include the substitute product location, adjusting the route in real-time. This dynamic path adjustment ensures that the picker travels the minimum necessary distance to fulfill the order with the available substitute, rather than following a fixed rigid route
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters of the pick path including location coordinates, sequence of visits, and routing parameters to accommodate substitute products. By recalculating these parameters based on the substitute's actual location and availability status, the system optimizes the travel distance while ensuring order fulfillment
3Measurement precision
If the picker decides on substitute products manually, then the product selection accuracy is improved, but the decision-making time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback loops where the inventory system continuously monitors product availability and provides real-time feedback to the path planning system. When a product is unavailable, the system automatically receives feedback about available substitutes and their locations, eliminating the need for manual decision-making by the picker while maintaining high selection accuracy through algorithmic optimization
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying an available product for an unavailable product to minimize a deviation or distance from an original planned pick path. A computer can transmit instructions corresponding to a path through a location where products are stored to collect a plurality of products stored at locations along the path. In response to receiving a notification for a particular product that the particular product is not at the location where it is stored, the computer can modify the path to include a location of a substitute product for the particular product. The computer can identify a substitute product for the particular product based on a distance from a location of the one more available products to a location along the path and determine a revised path with the substitute product. The path can be revised to include the location for the available product.