Material Handling Systems Analysis

This chapter introduces the fundamental principles for the design, analysis, and integration of the flow of products and customers within a material handling system. A detailed example is included to facilitate the understanding of the symbiotic relationship between the layout and the material handling or circulation system of a facility. Open and closed queuing network models are recommended to study the flow of traffic. The modeling approach is described in some detail along with the algorithms used to generate the performance measures. The optimization approach for these material handling and workstation design systems is included, and several examples demonstrate the computer package available with the book for carrying out the experiments. Discrete-event digital simulation modeling and its importance for evaluating the integration of the layout design and the material handling system are also discussed.