This project modeled the complete flow of a modern fulfillment center, from trailer receiving and putaway through robotic picking, replenishment, packing, sortation, and shipping. The objective was to evaluate the operation as a connected system, identify constraints, and determine which process and resource changes would most effectively improve performance.

Challenge
The fulfillment center included several interdependent manual and automated processes. A bottleneck in one area could disrupt downstream operations, making it difficult to evaluate individual processes without understanding their effect on the broader system.

Scope
- Trailer receiving and unloading
- Receiving and putaway
- Carton erection
- Robot induction
- Collaborative robot picking
- Case and pallet replenishment
- Carton unloading, void fill, and sealing
- Sortation
- Shipping

Approach
- Built a detailed simulation of inventory flow, equipment, labor, routing, queues, and conveyor controls.
- Modeled operator schedules, machine states, processing times, and resource availability.
- Evaluated throughput, utilization, cycle time, queueing, and order completion.
- Identified system bottlenecks and tested alternative staffing, process, and equipment configurations.
- Compared improvement scenarios based on operational performance, implementation complexity, and cost.

Outcome
The simulation identified receiving and carton unloading as primary system constraints, with secondary delays caused by stockouts and robot queueing at pack finish.

The recommended changes increased modeled throughput by approximately 20%. Additional improvements, including labor balancing, zone picking, increased cartons per trip, and improved robot traffic management, reduced estimated operating costs by approximately 10%.

The completed model also established a validated baseline that could be quickly modified to evaluate future operational changes, demand scenarios, and labor plans.