Will your space saving ideas work? Warehouse simulation has the answer

12th February 2017

You may think Hyster has re-made the popular 1980’s video for Dire Straits – Money For Nothing with this header image, but we’re sorry to disappoint! It’s merely a fantastic simulator we can program to show you how your warehouse could benefit from Hyster equipment. 

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You may have some great ideas for saving space in your warehouse. However, how do you know if they will work in practice and if your forklift trucks still be able to operate effectively?

An innovative warehouse simulator allows Hyster to help applications choose the right configuration of forklift trucks for their warehouse.

What If…?

So, you find ways to save warehouse space for normal operations, but how would your warehouse cope if arrivals peak at an unexpected time?  What if you win a new contract? What if a key road is closed and all arrivals are delayed?  The simulator allows you to try out all scenarios.

More than just a spreadsheet

Unlike other suppliers that only use excel based simulation, with linear relationships between all movements, the Hyster simulator gives a more realistic representation of an operation. In this case, your space saving ideas.

The Hyster Warehouse Simulator accounts for the random nature of events and works on probabilities, giving a range of results closely simulating day to day operational variations.

3D images allow you to see what the operation will be like, providing a platform to try out different space saving approaches and strategies for warehouse operations. Key data will include the normal arrival and dispatch patterns with estimations of the minimum, average and maximum number of pallets per load.

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Data on the size of the warehouse, racking dimensions, and the number of loading and unloading bays can be altered to test different scenarios. You can then vary the number and types of Hyster® materials handling equipment.

Simulation that illustrates how the warehouse would actually work

Each simulation considers significant details of the warehouse operation. For example, battery discharge, re-charging, changing times and rates, operator shift patterns, break times and ability/permission to drive certain truck types, creep speed when forks are lifted and even the degree of truck slow down when cornering or when near another truck.

The programme can also simulate a variety of order picking methods and will show in clear graphical form where and when congestion occurs.

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