Set up order and pick logic

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The first step in simulating order consolidation in a warehouse

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is to build the logic for the order and pick processes using a combination of activities, objects, labels, and lists.

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Here, a 3D model is already created and running.

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Orders arrive, with a variable number of items per order, which are picked from different points in a fulfillment center.

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Items travel from a pick area to the conveyor, and then to a pack area.

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The items are colored, and each color denotes an order.

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At the pack stations, the orders are packed once all items for an order arrive at the rack, or put wall.

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The items are placed in a colored tote that corresponds to the designated order color.

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In Properties, select Show Connections to view the connections between objects in the 3D model,

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like the conveyor and its corresponding rack, or the rack and its pack table.

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Keep in mind that these connections, as well as the specific object settings, need to be applied when building your 3D model.

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This ensures that the process functions as planned.

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For example, select the Rack, and in Properties, you can see that it has a Station Label of 1.

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Since there are multiple racks, this identifies the specific rack.

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Additionally, under Output, Do Not Release Item is selected for this rack.

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This ensures items do not immediately release from the Rack to the pack table, allowing you to retain control over the release of items.

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Similarly, select the pack table.

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In Properties, under Output, Do Not Release Item is selected.

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This option allows you to control the release of the tote.

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If it were not selected, then the pack totes would proceed to the conveyor before all the items are packed.

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This is why it is important to apply the appropriate settings to objects in your model before building the logic in your process flow.

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Next, an existing process flow is accessed by selecting Process Flow > General > Process Flow.

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Here, the logic that drives the model is broken down into two main parts, Order logic and Pick logic.

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Process containers and boxes are used to separate the different areas of logic.

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This is a recommended best practice to help you better organize the steps in your process flow.

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Zoom in on the Orders area and look at the first step in the process, Create Order and Reserve PutWall Slot.

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This activity block is meant to generate and set up the orders so that they can be easily tracked throughout the flow.

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Click the Source, Order Arrivals.

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Here, a Date Time Source controls the arrival of items.

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Click Edit Arrivals.

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In the dialog, a Quantity of “200” items arrive over the course of one full day.

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To repeat the arrivals, expand Repeat Interval and select Daily.

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For the Arrival Spacing, Randomly spaced is selected to spread the arrivals over the course of the day.

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Exit the dialog.

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Next, an Assign Labels activity, called Order Size, is used to create a Label on each order called Picks.

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In this case, the Picks label is set up with a uniform distribution between 1 and 12 to determine how many items are in the order.

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Then, a second Label is added to each order called OrderNumber.

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This label finds the arrival number of the order and applies the corresponding label to the order token.

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For example, the first order will receive a label of 1, the second, a label of 2, the third, a label of 3, and so on.

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This label not only identifies the order number but is also used to apply a color to the order,

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which makes it easier to identify it throughout the simulation.

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In the ProcessFlow, the next several steps in this activity block pertain to the put wall.

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Prior to creating picks, it is important to include the put wall slot reservation steps here,

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so that you can appropriately assign each order along with its picks to a put wall slot.

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This will be reviewed in more detail later in the course.

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Next, create the pick tokens for the order using a Create Tokens activity, here, called Create Pick Tokens.

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Remember, in Order Size, you created a label called Picks with a uniform distribution between 1 and 12

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to randomly assign a number of items to the order token.

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In Create Pick Tokens, in the Quantity field, you reference this number with “token.Picks”

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so that the number of pick tokens created matches the number of items in the order.

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Set Create As to “Child Tokens” to associate each pick with its parent token, the order.

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Under Parent Label Access, select Read to allow parent tokens to read child labels.

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Ensure Label Access on Parent Only is disabled.

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This allows you to apply labels to Child Tokens.

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Add a new label.

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For the Name, input “PickNum”, and then set the Value to creationRank.

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This creates a label on each pick token with a number based on its creation so that you can easily identify each pick token within an order.

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Next, navigate to the Picks logic of the process flow.

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Once your pick tokens are created, they need to undergo additional steps.

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For example, a Delay activity is used to represent a Time to Pick, and then pick tokens are assigned a Pick Area,

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which determines where the corresponding item arrives within the 3D model.

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Reset and then Right-click in the model.

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Select Object Groups > Select Picking Areas.

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The picking areas are Queues and are highlighted in the model by the red boxes.

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In Toolbox > Groups > Picking Areas, the six pick areas are listed in the Group Properties dialog.

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In the ProcessFlow, open the Assign Labels activity, called Pick Area.

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The PickArea label is set to a uniform distribution between 1 and 6

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so that one of the pick areas will be randomly assigned to each pick token.

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Next, a Create Object activity, here called Create Pick, is used to create the corresponding pick item in the model.

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Select Object > FlowItems > Pick to define the object that will be created.

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Note that Pick is not a default flowitem option, this is a custom flowitem created for this model.

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Then, set up where the object will be created, in this case, the picking area.

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Additionally, add a Label to the picks called “StationNum”, with a Value of “token.StationNum”.

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Remember that each rack was assigned a Station Number when it was set up in the 3D model;

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this label will identify which rack the item travels to.

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Next, define the logic for the picks to join with their order.

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Here, a Pull from List activity is used for the order token to wait for its picks, called “Wait for all Picks to arrive in PutWall”.

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The pick tokens arrive at a Push to List activity, called “Notify Order of Arrival”, and are pushed to the Arrived Picks list.

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Once all tokens arrive at the list for an order, the Order token will remove the picks from the list, advancing them in the process.

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For the Pull from List activity, the Request and Require Number are set to “token.Picks”.

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This references the total number of picks assigned to the order,

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ensuring that all items are required to arrive before the order token can pull the picks from the list.

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The Partition ID is set to “token” to ensure the order token pulls only those pick tokens whose Partition ID matches the Order,

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or parent, token.

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Similarly, for the Push to List activity, the Partition ID is set to “token.parent” to partition the picks by their parent token.

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Setting up the List activities in this way and appropriately partitioning the tokens

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allows you to ensure that all picks will be matched with their parent order.

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The initial logic to create, and then consolidate, your order tokens and pick tokens is now set up,

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and you are ready to create the logic for the put wall reservation slots.