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Designing a virtual warehouse operator integrating fatigue, recovery and learning using agent-based modeling

Malpas, Régis
(2023)

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MALPAS_21911500_2023.pdf
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Details

Supervisors
Susana Isabel Carvalho Relvas ; Pedro Maria de Sousa Araújo Ribeiro da Costa
Faculty
Louvain School of Management
Degree label
Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée
Abstract
The retail market in Portugal has undergone significant changes due to the rise of online retail. Worten, a market leader in consumer electronics and home appliances, has successfully adapted to this transformation by expanding its online offerings and adopting an omnichannel distribution strategy. However, the company's supply chain, particularly the store and online items preparations area responsible for sorting and packing items, is unable to meet the growing demand. To address this issue, Worten plans to automate operations and implement an automated item sorter in its Azambuja warehouse. To finalize this project, it is important to understand its impact on the workforce. This study consisted in creating a virtual agent using agent-based modeling to simulate operators' behavior and sensitivity to their environment. The goal was to develop and calibrate a human-like agent that can be used for future work to define the key characteristics of the equipment and required workforce to operate the automated sorter using agent-based simulation. By developing a human-like agent, productivity and accuracy were analyzed considering various environment control variables. The methodology involved selecting relevant factors, researching mathematical models, collecting data, calibrating and validating the models, and developing a simulation model. The results of the simulation model analyzed the impact of changes in schedules, experience level, task intensity, rest quality, and layout on operator productivity and accuracy. The findings revealed that fatigue and experience significantly influence operators, with factors such as task intensity, rest quality, layout, and schedules affecting their performance. Overall, the developed virtual agent provides valuable insights for defining the equipment characteristics and workforce requirements to operate the automated sorter effectively.

Citations

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Malpas, R. (2023). Designing a virtual warehouse operator integrating fatigue, recovery and learning using agent-based modeling. https://dial-mem.test.bib.ucl.ac.be/handle/2078.2/36431