The storage location assignment problem: application in an agribusiness company

Abstract

The goal of this work is propose an efficient storage scheme for a company in the agribusiness sector. The company studied herein is located in the Alto Paranaíba region of Minas Gerais, and exports coffee beans. Efficient storage can provide improvements in the use of space, operational resources, and staff time, as well as facilitating the order picking process. To accomplish this, the problem was mathematically modeled as a Storage Location Assignment Problem (SLAP), aimed at minimizing handling costs and maximizing space utilization and storage efficiency. The mathematical model using the company data was solved using the CPLEX solver, version 12.1. The results obtained were compared with the actual company scenario, and several advantages were observed.

Keywords

• Agribusiness
• Storage systems
• Integer linear programing
• Storage location assignment problem