A Two-Stage Ant Colony Optimization-Based Approach to the Storage Location Assignment Problem (SLAP): An Application in a Cable Manufacturing Facility

Öz

In this study, a two-stage approach based on K-Means clustering and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is proposed for solving the rack storage location assignment problem (SLAP) in a cable manufacturing facility where automated transport robots are used. In the first stage, 184 cables were clustered using the K-Means algorithm according to their monthly usage quantities across six production machines; the optimal number of clusters was determined as k=7 (silhouette score of 0.554) by jointly evaluating the elbow and silhouette analyses. In the second stage, a cost matrix was constructed by taking into account the usage-weighted access time of each cable to all the machines it serves, and cable-cell assignments were performed using the ACO algorithm. The ACO parameters were tuned using the Taguchi experimental design (L27 orthogonal array), and the resulting solutions were improved with Swap and Relocate local search operators. Applied to a real storage layout consisting of 18 rows × 30 columns with 504 available cells, the proposed approach reduced the total usage-weighted access cost to 1,608,326.24 usage-weighted seconds (usage count × s) after 1,000 iterations. The average usage-weighted access cost per cable was 8,740.90 usage-weighted seconds, with minimum and maximum values of 6.41 and 29,347.75 usage-weighted seconds, respectively. The results demonstrated that cables with high usage intensity were largely placed in cells closest to the machine supply points. The proposed approach, applicable to real industrial data, contributes as a data-driven decision-support tool to reducing robot movements and organizing storage areas more efficiently.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Storage Location Assignment Problem
• Ant Colony Optimization
• K-Means Clustering
• Local Search
• Cable Manufacturing

Destekleyen Kurum

This study was not supported by any external institution. The research was conducted independently by the author.

Proje Numarası

Not applicable

Etik Beyan

This research does not involve human or animal subjects. The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Depolama Yeri Atama Problemine (SLAP) Karınca Kolonisi Optimizasyonu Tabanlı İki Aşamalı Bir Yaklaşım: Bir Kablo Üretim Tesisinde Uygulama

Öz

Bu çalışmada, otomatik taşıma robotlarının kullanıldığı bir kablo üretim tesisinde raf depolama alanı atama probleminin çözümü için K-Means kümeleme ve Karınca Kolonisi Optimizasyonu (KKO) tabanlı iki aşamalı bir yaklaşım önerilmiştir. İlk aşamada, altı üretim makinesindeki aylık kullanım miktarlarına göre 184 kablo, K-Means algoritması ile kümelenmiş; elbow ve silhouette analizleri birlikte değerlendirilerek optimum küme sayısı k=7 (silhouette skoru 0,554) olarak belirlenmiştir. İkinci aşamada, her kablonun hizmet verdiği tüm makinelere olan kullanım-ağırlıklı erişim süresi dikkate alınarak bir maliyet matrisi oluşturulmuş ve kablo-hücre atamaları KKO algoritması ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. KKO parametreleri Taguchi deneysel tasarımı (L27 dik dizi) kullanılarak ayarlanmış; elde edilen çözümler Swap ve Relocate yerel arama operatörleri ile iyileştirilmiştir. 18 satır × 30 sütundan oluşan ve 504 uygun hücre içeren gerçek depo düzenine uygulanan yaklaşım, 1.000 iterasyon sonunda toplam kullanım ağırlıklı erişim maliyetini 1.608.326,24 kullanım ağırlıklı saniyeye (kullanım sayısı × s) düşürmüştür. Kablo başına ortalama kullanım ağırlıklı erişim maliyeti 8.740,90 kullanım ağırlıklı saniye olarak hesaplanırken en düşük ve en yüksek maliyet değerleri sırasıyla 6,41 ve 29.347,75 kullanım ağırlıklı saniye olarak gerçekleşmiştir. Sonuçlar, yüksek kullanım yoğunluğuna sahip kabloların büyük ölçüde makine besleme noktalarına en yakın hücrelere yerleştirildiğini göstermiştir. Önerilen yaklaşım, gerçek endüstriyel veriler üzerinde uygulanabilir, veri odaklı bir karar destek aracı olarak robot hareketlerinin azaltılmasına ve depo alanlarının daha verimli organize edilmesine katkı sağlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Depolama Yeri Atama Problemi
• Karınca Kolonisi Optimizasyonu
• K-Means Kümeleme
• Yerel Arama
• Kablo Üretimi

Destekleyen Kurum

Bu çalışma herhangi bir dış kurum tarafından desteklenmemiştir. Araştırma yazar tarafından bağımsız olarak yürütülmüştür.

Proje Numarası

Not applicable

Etik Beyan

Bu araştırma insan denekleri veya hayvan deneyleri içermemektedir. Yazar herhangi bir çıkar çatışması olmadığını beyan eder.

Kaynakça

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