Designing Chilled Warehouse Layouts by Data-Driven Approach

บทคัดย่อ

This paper aims to understand the current storing practices in a chilled warehouse and proposes a new warehouse layout using a data-driven approach. The products, temperature, and humidity data were collected to explore the warehouse's current practices and environment. The authors used ABC analysis and the postharvest management technique to design the layouts by determining the product's essential characteristics and requirements. The author collected the data from one of Thailand's cold chain warehouse providers from January to April 2022. However, the authors discovered that there is limited research relating to cold chain warehouse layout design. It is difficult to determine the correct layout design due to the dynamic range of products in this warehouse type. The authors found that the current storage practice could be improved in many ways. Redesigning the warehouse layout is one improvement that will create new standard procedures in the depositing and withdrawing process. It could improve the warehouse's operation by reducing the operation time and ensuring a smoother flow of tasks within a tight timeline. Also, keeping the inappropriate product nearby could affect the product quality. Some products are sensitive to ethylene, which could directly affect product appearance and quality. It could result in faster product spoilage than the usual shelf life. Another finding is that each case study chilled warehouse room area has a different temperature and humidity. In the case of not storing the product in an appropriate area that matches the product's characteristics, those factors could directly affect the product's quality and appearance. In the end, the author has suggested two layouts that take into account the characteristics and requirements of the most active product this company has deposited and withdrawn as a primary factor.