Question 7.20. Consider the SKUs of the following table as candidates for stocking a forward area in which cartons are picked from pallets. Less-than-pallet picks can be from either the forward area or else from bulk storage; but each SKU can have at most one broken pallet at a time from which to pick.

SKU	Cartons/pallet	Forecast carton picks	Forecast cartons demand
A	32	315	3292 cartons
B	24	1017	4944 cartons

On average it takes about 1.5 minutes per pick from the forward area and about 2.5 minutes per pick from reserve. Restocks average 4 minutes each. Assume that you have determined that, to avoid stock outs while waiting for replenishment, any SKU in the forward area should have at least 2 pallets forward. And, because SKU B is so popular, if it is stored forward, it should occupy at least 3 different locations to avoid congestion, while 1 location is sufficient for SKU A.

A. Rank the SKUs of the table according to their claim to space in the forward pick area of Figure 7.5. Assume that pallets may not be stacked in the forward area because the top one would be too high for picking. (Answer: SKU B has stronger claim to forward storage.)

aisle -> Figure 7.5: The view from above of a forward area consisting of a single aisle flanked by two rows of 1-deep pallet locations. aisle -> Figure 7.5: The view from above of a forward area consisting of a single aisle flanked by two rows of 1-deep pallet locations