Loop based facility planning and material handling

A sizeable proportion of manufacturing expenses can be attributed to facility layout and material handling. Facility layout decisions involve designing the arrangement of elements in manufacturing systems. Among the most critical material handling decisions in this area are the arrangement and design of material flow patterns. This survey article reviews loop based facility planning and material handling decisions for trip based material handling equipment with an emphasis on unit load automated guided vehicles. The article examines issues related with facility design, material handling design, and fleet sizing and operating.