30 Warehousing Tour D’Horizon
In Table 30.1, we present a comprehensive overview of the existing literature reviews on warehousing. The reviews are sorted from the most broad to the most specific in terms of their focus.
Conversely, Table 30.2 present a curated list of books covering various aspects of warehousing within the context of logistics and supply chain management. The books present the classic theories, methodologies, and case studies that have shaped the field.
Literature Review Papers
Table 30.1 shows a selection of literature reviews related to warehousing from different perspectives. The reviews focus on the aspects within the premises of warehousing, including design, operations, and technology.
| Paper | Title | Year | Keywords | Small Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aretoulaki et al. (2024) | Discrete Event Simulation and Digital Twins in Warehouse Logistics: A Bibliometric and Content Analysis-Based Systematic Literature Review | 2024 | DES; digital twins; warehouse logistics; bibliometric | Bibliometric and content-analysis review of DES and digital twins applied to warehouse logistics, mapping themes and gaps. |
| Azadeh et al. (2019) | Robotized and Automated Warehouse Systems: Review and Recent Developments | 2019 | robotized warehouses; automation; review | Survey of robotized and automated warehouse systems, technologies, and research directions. |
| Baker and Canessa (2009) | Warehouse Design: A Structured Approach | 2009 | warehouse design; methodology | Presents a structured approach for warehouse design and summarizes supporting tools and steps. |
| Bartolini et al. (2019) | Green Warehousing: Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis | 2019 | green warehousing; sustainability; bibliometric | Systematic and bibliometric review of sustainability practices and metrics in warehousing. |
| Ben-Daya et al. (2017) | Internet of Things and Supply Chain Management: A Literature Review | 2017 | IoT; supply chain; enabling tech | Reviews IoT concepts and applications across SCM with implications for warehousing data and control. |
| Boysen and de Koster (2021) | The Forgotten Sons: Warehousing Systems for Brick-and-Mortar Retail Chains | 2021 | brick-and-mortar; retail warehouses | Survey of warehousing systems and decision problems specific to physical retail distribution. |
| Boysen and de Koster (2025) | 50 Years of Warehousing Research: An Operations Research Perspective | 2025 | historical review; OR; systems evolution | Historical overview of warehousing research and system generations, with a forward-looking agenda. |
| Boysen et al. (2019) | Warehousing in the E-Commerce Era: A Survey | 2019 | e-commerce; fulfillment; policies | Comprehensive survey of e-commerce warehousing systems, policies, and design trade-offs. |
| Boysen and Stephan (2016) | A Survey on Single Crane Scheduling in Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems | 2016 | AS/RS; crane scheduling | Focused survey on single-crane scheduling models and algorithms in AS/RS. |
| Casella et al. (2023) | Trends in Order Picking: A 2007–2022 Review of the Literature | 2023 | order picking; trends; timeline | Time-trend review of order-picking literature, highlighting research evolution since 2007. |
| De Koster et al. (2007) | Design and Control of Warehouse Order Picking: A Literature Review | 2007 | order picking; design; control | Classic review organizing order-picking system design and control methods. |
| Fragapane et al. (2021) | Planning and Control of Autonomous Mobile Robots for Intralogistics: Literature Review and Research Agenda | 2021 | AMR; intralogistics; planning-control | Review of AMR planning and control in intralogistics with a structured research agenda. |
| Gagliardi et al. (2012) | Models for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems: A Literature Review | 2012 | AS/RS; modeling | Survey of modeling approaches for AS/RS design and control. |
| Glock et al. (2021) | Assistive Devices for Manual Materials Handling in Warehouses: A Systematic Literature Review | 2021 | human factors; assistive tech; ergonomics | Systematic review of assistive technologies for manual handling and their performance impacts. |
| Gu et al. (2007) | Research on Warehouse Operation: A Comprehensive Review | 2007 | warehouse operations; review | Broad review of operational decisions and analytical models in warehousing. |
| Gu et al. (2010) | Research on Warehouse Design and Performance Evaluation: A Comprehensive Review | 2010 | warehouse design; performance | Review of design methodologies and performance evaluation for warehouses. |
| Jaghbeer et al. (2020) | Automated Order Picking Systems and the Links between Design and Performance: A Systematic Literature Review | 2020 | automated picking; performance links | Systematic review connecting design choices in automated picking to performance outcomes. |
| Roodbergen and Vis (2009) | A Survey of Literature on Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems | 2009 | AS/RS; survey | Foundational survey on AS/RS configurations, control, and performance modeling. |
| Rouwenhorst et al. (2000) | Warehouse Design and Control: Framework and Literature Review | 2000 | framework; design; control | Seminal framework structuring warehouse design and control decisions with literature mapping. |
| Staudt et al. (2015) | Warehouse Performance Measurement: A Literature Review | 2015 | KPIs; performance measurement | Review of warehouse performance indicators, measurement frameworks, and metrics. |
| Van Den Berg (1999) | A Literature Survey on Planning and Control of Warehousing Systems | 1999 | planning; control; overview | Early survey of planning and control across warehouse functions and decision levels. |
| Van Gils et al. (2018) | Designing Efficient Order Picking Systems by Combining Planning Problems: State-of-the-art Classification and Review | 2018 | order picking; planning integration | Classifies and connects planning problems for designing efficient order-picking systems. |
| Winkelhaus and Grosse (2020) | Logistics 4.0: A Systematic Review towards a New Logistics System | 2020 | Logistics 4.0; digitization | Systematic review of Logistics 4.0 concepts and enablers with implications for warehousing. |
| Zhen and Li (2022) | A Literature Review of Smart Warehouse Operations Management | 2022 | smart warehouse; information; automation; integration; sustainability | Framework-based review of smart-warehouse operations across information, automation, process integration, and sustainability. |
Books
Table 30.2 shows a series of books related to warehousing, logistics, and supply chain management.
| Author(s) | Title | Year | Keywords | Summary | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartholdi and Hackman (2019) | Warehouse & Distribution Science | 2019 | warehousing, engineering, models, operations | Open textbook focused on quantitative methods for layout, slotting, and picking with practical tools. | Official site (latest 0.98.1) |
| Coyle et al. (2020) | Supply Chain Management: A Logistics Perspective | 2020 | supply chain, logistics, management, textbook | Broad SCM text blending logistics theory with managerial applications. Latest is 12th ed. | Cengage 12e page |
| Frazelle (2016) | World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling | 2016 | warehousing, best practices, design | Practitioner guide to strategy, design, and operations of modern warehouses. | McGraw-Hill page |
| Heragu (2022) | Facilities Design (5th ed.) | 2022 | facilities planning, material handling, layout | Textbook on layout, material handling, warehousing, and modeling techniques. | CRC Press page |
| Hompel and Schmidt (2014) | Warehouse Management: Automation and Organisation of Warehouse and Order Picking Systems | 2014 | automation, order picking, WMS | Foundational Springer monograph on automated warehousing and WMS concepts. | SpringerLink book page |
| Lambert et al. (1998) | Fundamentals of Logistics Management | 1998 | logistics, marketing, foundations | Classic introduction to logistics from a marketing and management lens. | Internet Archive record |
| Manzini (2012) | Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain | 2012 | warehousing, models, applications | Edited volume on models, tools, and real applications for storage systems. | Springer info/extras |
| Manzini and Accorsi (2024) | Warehousing and Material Handling Systems for the Digital Industry | 2024 | warehousing, automation, robotics | Recent edited collection on digital and robotic technologies in WMH. | SpringerLink book page |
| Richards and Grinsted (2020) | The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit (3rd ed.) | 2020 | tools, warehousing, inventory, transport | Toolkit of 100+ methods for logistics, inventory, and warehouse management. Latest is 4th ed. | Kogan Page 4e page |
| Richards (2014) | Warehouse Management (2nd ed.) | 2014 | warehouse management, efficiency, costs | Comprehensive practitioner guide to running modern warehouses. Latest is 4th ed. | Kogan Page 4e page |
| Richards (2018) | Warehouse Management (3rd ed.) | 2018 | warehouse management, technology | Updated coverage of technology and operations. Latest is 4th ed. | Kogan Page 4e page |
| Ross (2015) | Distribution Planning and Control: Managing in the Era of Supply Chain Management (3rd ed.) | 2015 | distribution, planning, control | SCM-oriented reference on channel design, execution, and technologies. | SpringerLink book (PDF landing) |
| Stanton (2022) | Supply Chain Management for Dummies (3rd ed.) | 2022 | primer, SCM, management | Accessible SCM overview with examples and checklists for practitioners. | Wiley book page |
| Tompkins et al. (2010) | Facilities Planning (4th ed.) | 2010 | facilities planning, layout, material flow | Standard reference on systematic facilities planning. Latest is 5th ed. | 5th ed. listing (Wiley, 2024) |
| Uechi (2022) | Business Automation and Its Effect on the Labor Force | 2022 | automation, Industry 4.0, labor | Practical guide to automation technologies and workforce impacts. | Taylor & Francis page |
| Zijm et al. (2019) | Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management | 2019 | logistics, operations, overview | Edited volume surveying trends and core domains in logistics and SCM. | SpringerLink book page |
References
Aretoulaki, Eleni, Stavros T. Ponis, George Plakas, and Dimitra Tzanetou. 2024. “Discrete Event Simulation and Digital Twins in Warehouse Logistics: A Bibliometric and Content Analysis-Based Systematic Literature Review.” International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing 37 (10–11): 1376–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951192X.2024.2314772.
Azadeh, Kaveh, René de Koster, and Debjit Roy. 2019. “Robotized and Automated Warehouse Systems: Review and Recent Developments.” Transportation Science 53 (4): 917–45. https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2018.0873.
Baker, Peter, and Marco Canessa. 2009. “Warehouse Design: A Structured Approach.” European Journal of Operational Research 193 (2): 425–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(07)01135-6.
Bartholdi, J. J., and S. T. Hackman. 2019. Warehouse & Distribution Science. 0.98.1 ed. Georgia Institute of Technology. https://www.warehouse-science.com/book/editions/wh-sci-0.98.1.pdf.
Bartolini, Maicol, Eleonora Bottani, and Eric H. Grosse. 2019. “Green Warehousing: Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis.” Journal of Cleaner Production 226: 242–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.055.
Ben-Daya, Mohamed, Elkafi Hassini, and Zied Bahroun. 2017. “Internet of Things and Supply Chain Management: A Literature Review.” International Journal of Production Research 57 (15–16): 4719–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2017.1402140.
Boysen, Nils, and René de Koster. 2021. “The Forgotten Sons: Warehousing Systems for Brick-and-Mortar Retail Chains.” European Journal of Operational Research 288 (2): 361–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2020.05.035.
Boysen, Nils, and René de Koster. 2025. “50 Years of Warehousing Research: An Operations Research Perspective.” European Journal of Operational Research 320 (3): 449–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.03.026.
Boysen, Nils, René de Koster, and Florian Weidinger. 2019. “Warehousing in the e-Commerce Era: A Survey.” European Journal of Operational Research 277 (2): 396–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.08.023.
Boysen, Nils, and Karl Stephan. 2016. “A Survey on Single Crane Scheduling in Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems.” European Journal of Operational Research 254 (3): 691–704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2016.04.056.
Casella, Gianluca, Alessandro Volpi, Roberto Montanari, Lorenzo Tebaldi, and Eleonora Bottani. 2023. “Trends in Order Picking: A 2007–2022 Review of the Literature.” Production and Manufacturing Research 11 (1): 2191115. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2023.2191115.
Coyle, John Joseph, C. John Langley, Robert A. Novack, and Brian J. Gibson. 2020. Supply Chain Management: A Logistics Perspective. 11th edition. Cengage.
De Koster, René, Tho Le-Duc, and Kees Jan Roodbergen. 2007. “Design and Control of Warehouse Order Picking: A Literature Review.” European Journal of Operational Research 182 (2): 481–501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2006.07.009.
Fragapane, Giada, René De Koster, Fabio Sgarbossa, and Jan Ola Strandhagen. 2021. “Planning and Control of Autonomous Mobile Robots for Intralogistics: Literature Review and Research Agenda.” European Journal of Operational Research 294 (2): 405–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.01.041.
Frazelle, Edward. 2016. World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling. Second Edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
Gagliardi, Jean-Philippe, Jacques Renaud, and Andrés Ruiz. 2012. “Models for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems: A Literature Review.” International Journal of Production Research 50 (24): 7110–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2011.648278.
Glock, Christoph H., Eric H. Grosse, W. Patrick Neumann, and Alex Feldman. 2021. “Assistive Devices for Manual Materials Handling in Warehouses: A Systematic Literature Review.” International Journal of Production Research 59 (11): 3446–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1754489.
Gu, J. X., M. Goetschalckx, and L. F. McGinnis. 2010. “Research on Warehouse Design and Performance Evaluation: A Comprehensive Review.” European Journal of Operational Research 203 (3): 539–49.
Gu, Jinxiang, Marc Goetschalckx, and Leon F. McGinnis. 2007. “Research on Warehouse Operation: A Comprehensive Review.” European Journal of Operational Research 177 (1): 1–21.
Heragu, Sunderesh S. 2022. Facilities Design. Fifth edition. CRC Press.
Hompel, Michael, and Thorsten Schmidt. 2014. Warehouse Management Automation and Organisation of Warehouse and Order Picking Systems. Aufl. 2007. Springer Berlin.
Jaghbeer, Yasmeen, Marcos A. Gonçalves, José Geraldo Vidal Vieira, and Miguel Afonso Sellitto. 2020. “Automated Order Picking Systems and the Links Between Design and Performance: A Systematic Literature Review.” International Journal of Production Research 58 (15): 4487–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1788734.
Lambert, Douglas M., James R. Stock, and Lisa M. Ellram. 1998. Fundamentals of Logistics Management. The Irwin/McGraw-Hill Series in Marketing. Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
Manzini, Riccardo, ed. 2012. Warehousing in the Global Supply Chain. Springer London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2274-6.
Manzini, Riccardo, and Riccardo Accorsi, eds. 2024. Warehousing and Material Handling Systems for the Digital Industry: The New Challenges for the Digital Circular Economy. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50273-6.
Richards, Gwynne. 2014. Warehouse Management: A Complete Guide to Improving Efficiency and Minimizing Costs in the Modern Warehouse. Second edition. Kogan Page Limited.
Richards, Gwynne. 2018. Warehouse Management: A Complete Guide to Improving Efficiency and Minimizing Costs in the Modern Warehouse. 3rd Edition. Kogan Page Ltd.
Richards, Gwynne, and Susan Grinsted. 2020. The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit: Over 100 Tools for Transport, Warehousing and Inventory Management. Third edition. KoganPage.
Roodbergen, Kees Jan, and Iris F. A. Vis. 2009. “A Survey of Literature on Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems.” European Journal of Operational Research 194 (2): 343–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2008.01.038.
Ross, David Frederick. 2015. Distribution Planning and Control: Managing in the Era of Supply Chain Management. Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7578-2.
Rouwenhorst, Bart, Bert Reuter, Volker Stockrahm, Geert-Jan van Houtum, Rob Mantel, and Willem H. M. Zijm. 2000. “Warehouse Design and Control: Framework and Literature Review.” European Journal of Operational Research 122 (3): 515–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(99)00020-X.
Stanton, Daniel. 2022. Supply Chain Management for Dummies, 3rd Edition. John Wiley and Sons.
Staudt, Francielly Hedler, Gülgün Alpan, Maria Di Mascolo, and Carlos M. Taboada Rodriguez. 2015. “Warehouse Performance Measurement: A Literature Review.” International Journal of Production Research 53 (18): 5524–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2015.1030466.
Tompkins, James A., John A. White, Yavuz A. Bozer, and J. M. A. Tanchoco. 2010. Facilities Planning. 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons. https://www.wiley-vch.de/en/areas-interest/engineering/facilities-planning-978-0-470-44404-7.
Uechi, Edward Y. 2022. Business Automation and Its Effect on the Labor Force: A Practical Guide for Preparing Organizations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 1st ed. Productivity Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003189329.
Van Den Berg, Jan-Paul. 1999. “A Literature Survey on Planning and Control of Warehousing Systems.” IIE Transactions 31 (8): 751–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/07408179908969888.
Van Gils, Tom, Katrien Ramaekers, An Caris, and René De Koster. 2018. “Designing Efficient Order Picking Systems by Combining Planning Problems: State-of-the-art Classification and Review.” European Journal of Operational Research 267 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2017.11.033.
Winkelhaus, Svenja, and Eric H. Grosse. 2020. “Logistics 4.0: A Systematic Review Towards a New Logistics System.” International Journal of Production Research 58 (1): 18–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1612964.
Zhen, Lu, and Haolin Li. 2022. “A Literature Review of Smart Warehouse Operations Management.” Frontiers of Engineering Management 9 (1): 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-021-0178-9.
Zijm, Henk, Matthias Klumpp, Alberto Regattieri, and Sunderesh Heragu, eds. 2019. Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Lecture Notes in Logistics. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92447-2.