A hybrid approach for selecting material handling equipment in a warehouse

Abstract

Warehouse operations are closely related to material handling activities. Loading, unloading, transporting and picking material constitute a huge part of the activities. In order to handle material properly as well as to contribute value to the material, the operator and the environment, utilizing Material Handling Equipment (MHE) is required. The selection of proper MHEs requires great focus since its consideration is linked to mutli-criteria and multi-objective decision making problems. Here, a hybrid method is proposed to address the MHE selection problem. An approach that integrates the entropy based hierarchical fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Multi-Objective Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MOMILP) is used for seeking the best alternative. The evaluation of alternatives is performed based on both subjective and objective criteria. Subjective weights are derived from a fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). To deal with objective criteria, the entropy method is adopted to determine the weights, and the integrated weights are also calculated. The alternatives are rated by using fuzzy TOPSIS. For final execution of the selection, an MOMILP model is developed incorporating two goals, namely to minimize the disadvantage of material handling operation and to minimize the total cost of material handling. The AUGMented E-CONtraint method (AUGMECON) is used to solve the model. A case study is given to illustrate the method. The results show the effectiveness of the hybrid method in complex decision making.

An integrated group FWA-ELECTRE III approach based on interval type-2 fuzzy sets for solving the MCDM problems using limit distance mean

“…Many attempts have been carried out for solving the MHESP during the last 3 decades. In a general classification, these studies can be categorized into the following four classes: (1) decision support systems (expert system for the design of repetitive manual materials handling tasks [68], the material handling expert system [69], the prototype expert system for the selection of industrial truck type, an expert consultant for in-plant transportation equipment [70], and a knowledge-based system for the choice of conveyor equipment [71]); (2) hybrid methods (an intelligent knowledge-based expert system, named intelligent consultant system, for selection and evaluation of material handling equipment, which has been composed of the following four models: equipment and their attributes, a rule-based database for selecting type of equipment, an MCDM technique (AHP) for selection of optimal equipment, and simulators to evaluate the performance of the equipment model [72], a decision support system based on axiomatic design principles [73], and a hybrid fuzzy knowledge-based expert system and genetic algorithm for the selection and assignment of the most appropriate MHE [74]); (3) optimization formulations (an integer programming model for minimizing material handling costs in manufacturing systems or warehousing facilities [75], a hybrid methodology including the integer programming formulation for designing layout and material handling system simultaneously [76], a 0-1 integer programming model to determine operation allocation and selection of material handling system in an flexible manufacturing systems simultaneously [77], a mathematical model to implement problem modeled by radio-frequency identification technology [78], and a multi-objective optimization model for selection of material handling system for large ship [79]); (4) the MCDM problems (fuzzy axiomatic design principles for selecting automated guided vehicles [80], fuzzy AHP (FAHP), and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-ANP with geographic information system for the selection of the best space for leisure in a blighted urban site [81], FAHP and fuzzy additive ratio assessment for selection of conveyor [82], the fuzzy complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method for evaluating performance measures of equipment in total productive maintenance [83], the AHP and TOPSIS methods for selecting the most appropriate tomography equipment [84], COPRAS, simple additive weighting, and TOPSIS for analyzing and prioritizing Rotor systems [85], FAHP, fuzzy entropy, fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS), and multi-objective mixed integer linear programming for the choice of MHE in warehouse [86], FAHP for bu...…”

Development of Decision Support Model for Selecting a Maintenance Plan Using a Fuzzy MCDM Approach: A Theoretical Framework

“…(2) Technical applications: using the fuzzy and MCDM methodologies to choose from different technologies or equipment alternatives [20,34,35].…”

“…In a study that involved purchasing equipment from different manufacturers, the authors used fuzzy AHP and entropy to evaluate the criteria and fuzzy TOPSIS to evaluate the alternative, as the first stage of the study. In the second stage, a layout problem methodology, AUGNECON, was used to involve the facility constraints and solve the case as a facility layout problem, as shown in the process chart in Figure 3 [34].…”

“…While the study has incorporated a facility layout problem procedure for the application of selecting equipment at the end of the process, the first two steps of the chart used fuzzy AHP for pairwise comparison and weights calculation, and fuzzy TOPSIS for alternatives weights' calculation. These two steps successfully led the authors to the selection of equipment using best-and worst-case scenarios and by comparing several criteria and subcriteria using the hybrid fuzzy methodology [34].…”

“…Process chart design for the model incorporating fuzzy AHP, fuzzy DEMATEL, and fuzzy TOPSIS (2) Criteria selection which is used for pairwise comparison by the experts and matrices development (3) Different maintenance strategies and policies that are covered in the literature using MCDMs in order to develop the alternatives for the process Applied Computational Intelligence and Soft Computing 7 Define the problem as a hierarchy Evaluate criteria & subcriteria throughout to obtain the total weights Evaluate criteria & sub criteria to obtain the total weightsSolve the Hybrid fuzzy MCDM application integrated with facility layout problem for equipment selection in industrial application[34].…”