Order batching operations: an overview of classification, solution techniques, and future research

Companies have been trying continuously to reduce their logistics costs in the current competitive markets. Warehouses which are important components of the logistics systems draw attention in accordance with cost reducing efforts. Warehouse management is becoming more critical, as storage and distribution of the ordered items to customers is a cost-intensive process for the companies, and this process affects the customer service level directly. In warehouse order picking systems, order batching problem is encountered when several orders are demanded, and this paper reveals recent developments and particular trends for the order batching problem. This study aims to give a literature review on order batching operations in the framework of order picking process. It also displays current position and importance of the problem among warehouse operations, and presents future research directions based on key findings. The paper examines several research papers and existing reviews about order batching and order picking. Papers are selected after a systematic approach with predetermined search strategy, classified and presented with important characteristics under main headings.