Evaluation of the flow of goods at a warehouse logistic department by Petri Nets

This paper addresses the analysis issue of the complex interactions arising among different components of a warehouse logistic system. In particular, the focus is on a case study related to the handling operations required by the flow of goods within a store of Ikea, located in the center of Italy. The proposed study has been performed using Petri Nets (PNs) as discrete event modelling and simulation framework. In particular, this paper aims to bring out the innovative aspect of the use of PNs as tools to support the functional specifications of warehouse systems, highlighting their strengths and weakness. The goal is to emphasize critical factors in the entire logistic chain within the store and suggest solutions for improving its efficiency. In this regards, PNs have been proved to be quite suitable to easily represent the main features of the departments under consideration, showing at the same time the main logistic processes in which both labor and equipment are involved. The dynamics of the considered logistic system is evaluated, focusing on the three main operating cycles implemented at the Ikea store under consideration. Further, simulating directly the PN model, along with a quantitative analysis, has been possible to identify delays in the complete logistic chain and determine performance indices, such as utilization rate of the resources. Suggestions for improving the productivity of the system are given.