Title: Reference framework for material handling equipment selection in distribution centres

Authors: G.G. Torres-Hernandez; R.G. García-Cáceres; J.W. Escobar-Velásquez

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia ' School of Industrial Engineering, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia – UPTC, Sogamoso, Colombia ' Department of Accounting and Finance Universidad del Valle Cali, Colombia

Abstract: The current paper proposes a methodology intended to facilitate decision-making in material handling equipment selection (MHES) contexts in which distribution centre (DC) design or redesign is needed. A list of 119 decision criteria and 134 equipment alternatives is presented, all of them obtained from a survey on the material handling systems market and a literature review. The focus of the present work is the introduction of a MHES methodology comprising 12 steps and a series of components that provide a solid reference when it comes to facilitating the decision-making process. A study case is developed in a well-known Colombian 3PL (third-party logistics) firm. In it, seven usually unheeded equipment alternatives were qualified by means of 18 criteria. As one of the few existing public environment decision techniques, SMAA-O was selected as the current multi criteria decision-making (MCDM) procedure due to its capability to handle different types of information simultaneously.

Keywords: distribution centre; DC; design; material handling equipment selection; MHES; multiple criteria decisions making; MCDM; SMAA-O; storage racks; supply chain.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2023.134796

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2023 Vol.46 No.3, pp.356 - 379

Received: 18 Feb 2021
Accepted: 30 May 2021
Published online: 13 Nov 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article