I am trying to model picking from rack in a warehouse. The picker has an assigned path and would pick a pre-defined number of items (X) along picker's path. What would be a good way to model this? Do I model pick locations with network nodes and maintain an ordered list of these nodes for the picker to stop at? Are their easier ways to model this? 
An idea would be to set the racks up so that the bayIDs ascend along the path the operator should travel. This would allow to order the picking by the bayIDs of the items' slots.
In the attached model the racks push the items to a list that contains an expression field to read the bayID of the slot the item is in.
In the process flow a token first pulls 8 random items from the list. It then pushes those eight items back to the list, but this time into a partition, to be able to identify the previously pulled items. The token now pulls them one by one ordered by the bayID.
Thank you Felix, this helps. A follow up question, why wouldn't item virtualization not work in the way it has been modeled?
When the items are virtualized they no longer exist as their original object pointers.
That means you need to use the Storage.System class to access them or store the virualized pointers to a list.
Fortunately there are Warehouse activities to find items for you regardless of the being virtualized or not. When you mark the items as outbound (default option on the actiivty) they are automatically restored/ unvirtualized so that you can reference them in picking tasks as normal.
You also need to uncheck the rack option: "Use as fixed resource"
14 People are following this question.
© 1993- FlexSim Software Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
FlexSim is a fully 3D simulation software environment. FlexSim can be used to simulate any process in any industry.
FlexSim®, FlexSim Healthcare™, Problem Solved.®, the FlexSim logo, the FlexSim X-mark, and the FlexSim Healthcare logo with stylized Caduceus mark are trademarks of FlexSim Software Products, Inc. All rights reserved.
