Analysis for enhanced performance of a warehouse outbound planning process

Abstract

The project was completed at a Nike warehouse managed by the company Barloworld Logistics. The assignment is based on analysing and improving the outbound planning process of the warehouse and more specifically a warehouse management and order picking technique known as wave planning or wave picking, which is thoroughly explained in this document. The fundamental tasks that were required to complete the final project included: gaining a thorough understanding of the Nike warehouse daily outbound planning operation, researching industry tools and best practices that could be used to optimise wave planning through a literature review, analysing historical data of the average orders completed on a daily basis, determining possible wave planning improvement solutions specifically for the Nike warehouse, testing the proposed wave planning solutions through simulation and finally selecting and testing the preferred theories in practice.