Analysis of storage assignment policies in less than unit load warehousing systems

Analytical models for the analysis of item location policies in unit load storage and retrieval systems are extended to less than unit load warehousing systems. The models are used to compare dedicated storage using cube per order index item dispatching and randomized storage using closest open location item dispatching with respect to total item space requirements, orderpicking cycle times and system responsiveness. Despite a number of computational limitations, it is argued that the models provide practical tools for analysis of less than unit load systems prior to development of simulation-based models or for validation of simulation-generated model results. The application of the models are demonstrated for a sample problem.