Modeling of Workflow Congestion and Optimization of Flow Routing in a Manufacturing/Warehouse Facility

Authors:
Min Zhang;Rajan Batta;Rakesh Nagi
Affiliations:
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, New York 14260;Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, New York 14260;Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, New York 14260
Venue:
Management Science
Year:
2009

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Abstract

This paper discusses the notion of workflow congestion in the context of material handling equipment interruptions in a manufacturing or warehousing facility. Development of a combination of probabilistic and physics-based models for workflow interruptions permits evaluation of the expected link travel time. The problem is then of routing in a way that minimizes total expected travel time. The rerouting problem is modeled as a multicommodity flow problem with link capacity design. A greedy upper bounding and Lagrangean relaxation algorithm are developed to solve this efficiently. To calibrate our modeling process we develop an object-oriented simulation model that explicitly considers various workflow interruptions. Our major finding is that rerouting traffic in a congested facility can significantly alleviate congestion delays and improve the efficiency of material movement. A managerial insight derived from this work is that rerouting is most effective in medium traffic-intensity situations.