Routing strategy: S-Shape routing strategy
The routing strategy is a subcategory of the transportation strategy. One variant is the S-Shape routing strategy (also called Traversal strategy). Transportation strategies are used to execute existing transport orders. With the help of transportation strategies, it is possible to route the transport units to the corresponding destinations in the warehouse. There is a division into four transportation strategies: station strategies, routing strategies, empty run strategies and traffic strategies.
The routing strategy determines which routes the storage and retrieval machines should take to the picking locations. The storage and retrieval machines should move to the storage and retrieval compartments one after the other over the shortest possible route, while, depending on the strategy, the storage and retrieval trips are carried out in combination.
Routing strategies can be divided into three categories:
- Strategies with minimum routes
- Strategies with maximum capacity utilization
- Schedule strategies
A proven, analytical routing strategy for route-optimized transport with a storage and retrieval machine is the S-Shape routing strategy.
S-Shape routing strategy process
With this strategy, the picking area or high rack is divided into an even number of horizontal strips of equal width. The storage and retrieval machine travels up and down the strips in serpentine movements, passing the individual picking locations of its travel order one after the other. When it reaches the end of a strip, the compartments from which units are to be removed are approached from the strip below. The transport order begins and ends at the same base, i.e. when all the strips have been passed through and all the positions of an order have been picked, the storage and retrieval machine moves back to the base point.
You can find more information on the compact transportation of individual transport goods under Consolidation.
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