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Abstract This paper examines and extends previous analytical work on the scheduling of stacker cranes in automatic warehousing systems. In particular, the following are examined by means of a computer simulation: (1) The performance of the closest-open-location rule compared to random storage assignment; (2) The dynamic behavior of the system under stochastic conditions, using various crane and rack utilization levels; (3) The actual versus predicted reduction in crane travel time due to improved scheduling rules; (4) The effect of imperfect information concerning the length of stay of an incoming pallet on system performance. The results of our experiments provide evidence in support of the proposed analytical models. Most important, the experiments demonstrate the value of previously-proposed scheduling rules in a dynamic, stochastic environment operating with imperfect information.
Schwarz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.