A MULTI-ITEM MULTI-RACK APPROACH FOR DESIGNING LIFO STORAGE SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY FROM THE FOOD INDUSTRY

In a variety of industrial sectors rack storage is adopted for holding stock-keeping units (SKUs) between production (or purchasing from external supplier) and delivery. It is well known that, among the different types of rack storage, racks accessed in a Last-In-FistOut manner are the most economically convenient solutions. Nevertheless, especially when product shelflife is critical as occurs in the food industry, the design of LIFO storage systems is not trivial. Thus, this paper presents an approach able to take into consideration two different measures for assessing the performance of a storage system, with the aim of assigning each item type in inventory to the optimal type of lane racks. Lastly, a significant case study from the food industry is discussed.