Novice seeking HELP Getting Started with a warehouse model

I am a new Flexsim user a very limited amount of experience (over a decade ago) in using a competitive product.

I haven't had any formal training and I am stuck in the gap between working through the tutorials and understanding the more advanced sample models.

In summary I am seeking guidance and suggestions in modelling a warehouse. The operation basically involves product (steel pipe) arriving (24 hrs/ 6 days) in batches at a fairly predicable rate (from four mills running on a 10 day rolling cycle). The product is then assigned to a rack (according to product size and rack availability) and put away with a gantry crane.

Product is being dispatched simultaneously for 12 hours a day six days a week.

The purpose of the model(s) is to consider different layouts for the warehouse to handle the capacity of material (how many cranes, how often are they idle in order to avoid colliding, where to put driveways, how many operators.

Initially I want to build a simple model with the objective of eliminating some of the models.

This model would involve product arriving in one drivway, being put away in any random rack and then being dispatched at a seperate driveway as orders come in. The main purpose is to see if the cranes can physically handle the tonnage of product required for different driveway locations (arrival and dispatch points)

The first issue I am having is generating orders and having the model pull these items off the racks and through the model.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance

Nathan

That's quite a model description! Could you attach any attempts at getting started you have made?

For generating orders, you would probably want to use pull logic. For an example of a model using pull logic, see Brandon's post here: http://www.flexsim.com/community/for...read.php?t=534

Here's a nice example of a warehouse picking model