Batch Pick Process Flow Question

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Mason W asked Sep 19, '18 Mason W commented Sep 24, '18

Batch Pick Process Flow Question

I'm trying to replicate a batch picking process and am having some trouble on how to do this in Process Flow. In the attached model, I've successfully created orders and added them to a list based off OrderNo and SKU. The next step is to consolidate all of these orders every hour by "Zone" and "SKU". This is where I'm having issues, I need to sum all the orders by these labels each hour. I can't figure out how to consolidate at this point at each hour. Below is a process flow overview.

1. List of Orders by OrderNo & SKU (Completed)

2. Consolidate Orders by Zone & SKU (example: two orders with Order1 having SKU's 1 & 3 and Order2 having SKU's 1, 2, & 3. I need to sum the quantity of SKU's at the end of each hour by Zone and place them on a list to later be picked.)

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!

-Mason

Software Version:

FlexSim 18.0.7

picking

batchsample.fsm (25.9 KiB)

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Mason W commented · Sep 19, 2018 at 07:03 PM

I've made a couple edits to the model in the "Zone Lists" area that should make more sense. Basically, I don't know how to create a request number in the pull list activity that is dynamic depending on the number of entries in the ItemList that have the same SKU number as the token trying to pull the entries.

Hopefully this helps add some clarity.

batchsample-1.fsm

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batchsample-1.fsm (25.6 KiB)

Joshua S Mason W commented · Sep 19, 2018 at 08:55 PM

Your new model is throwing up exceptions, remove the finish from your subflow block to allow it to run without exceptions, it's destroying you tokens when it hits Finish after being pulled, so there is nothing to reference when you go to your "Push to Zone". You can set the request number to a very high number while leaving the required number to 1 in your pull from list. Since you are using a query, it will pull only the tokens that match your request. How would you like your sums of SKUs to be displayed. would you like a token to have that count on a label?

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Mason W Joshua S commented · Sep 19, 2018 at 09:15 PM

@Joshua S

Yes, sums of SKU's. So that each time a token pulls all the entries from the ItemList it creates a label on that token for the sum of SKU's. Then that token entry gets pushed to the ZoneList having one entry that records sum of SKU's.

Hope that makes sense.

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Answer 1 · 2018-09-20T16:58:00Z

Joshua S answered Sep 20, '18 Mason W commented Sep 24, '18

batch-sample.fsm

Ok, I understand the process more now. I've changed the model so that the list updates anytime an order comes through. I thought it was supposed to read the orders individually coming in.

batch-sample.fsm (28.1 KiB)

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Mason W commented · Sep 20, 2018 at 09:18 PM

@Joshua S

I feel like it's so close, but still not quite there. So notice on the first token that comes in the sub flow within Order Creation is SKU 4 with Qty 2, but when the token pushes the label Qty in the ZoneList is is shown as Qty 1 not 2. So seems like it's pushing the count of tokens that have a certain SKU rather than sum the Qty of that SKU in the token. Because one token can have a Qty label greater than 1.

I wish I knew how to troubleshoot this without relying so heavily on you. I apologize.

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Mason W commented · Sep 20, 2018 at 09:53 PM

@Joshua S

I think I found a workaround using the logic you had. I just created an additional sub flow that is based off the Qty of SKU's. That way your logic will always add the correct amount to the ZoneList because each token will only have a Qty of 1.

Thanks!

The only question I have at this point is is there any way I could destroy tokens after a certain point when they are no longer needed? I can see this slowing down my model where the sub flows store all the tokens when I implement the full model with thousands of orders.

14403-batch-sample-1.fsm

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14403-batch-sample-1.fsm (28.0 KiB)

Joshua S Mason W commented · Sep 24, 2018 at 06:51 PM

Glad you were able to figure it out, just put a sink activity at the end of each of the block of activities that aren't looping and they will be destroyed.

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