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Chinese Journal of Management Science ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 168-177.doi: 10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2024.0255

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Study on the Order and Rack Sequencing Problem with Rack Buffer Zones

Qianqian Han1, Kang Wang1(), Zhenping Li2   

  1. 1.School of Management Engineering,Capital University of Economics and Business,Beijing 100070,China
    2.School of Systems Science and Statistics,Beijing Wuzi University,Beijing 101149,China
  • Received:2024-02-20 Revised:2024-10-29 Online:2026-04-25 Published:2026-03-27
  • Contact: Kang Wang E-mail:winky9811@163.com

Abstract:

With the rapid development of e-commerce enterprises and the wide application of robotic mobile fulfillment systems, the importance of order picking for warehousing operational efficiency is increasingly evident, and configuring rack buffer zones can enhance order picking efficiency. Therefore, it focuses on the research of the order and rack sequencing problem with rack buffer zones. In the scenario of limited capacity in the rack buffer zone, it aims to jointly optimize the order picking sequence, rack retrieval sequence, and buffering strategy. Taking into consideration factors such as the shared storage mode for products, the quantity of each product stored on individual racks, the ordered quantities in customer orders, and the limited capacity of the buffer zone, an integer programming model is established for the order and rack sequencing problem with rack buffer zones. The objective is to minimize the number of rack retrievals while considering these factors. Considering the characteristics of the problem, an interactive heuristic algorithm is designed to synchronously address the three sub-problems. Through case study experiments, the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm have been verified. The experimental results indicate that the average relative deviation between the feasible solutions obtained by the interactive heuristic algorithm and the exact solutions is approximately 5.4%, demonstrating that the proposed algorithm can achieve high-quality feasible solutions in a relatively short time. Furthermore, comparisons with the baseline algorithm and the heuristic algorithm without the rack buffer zone further validate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Specifically, the average improvement in the objective function achieved by the proposed algorithm is about 9.6% compared to the benchmark algorithm, and the implementation of the rack buffer zone significantly reduces the number of times racks are transported during the order fulfillment picking process by about 14.1%. The proposed model and algorithm in this paper provide decision-making foundations for enterprises to strategically set up rack buffer zones, reduce the number of rack retrievals, and enhance order-picking efficiency.

Key words: robotic mobile fulfillment system, order and rack sequencing, rack buffer zone, interactive heuristic algorithm, product quantity

CLC Number: