Learning effects and mental fatigue of forklift operators in food retail logistics: An empirical analysis through the lens of behavioral operations management

Even though the ongoing digital transformation in the forms of artificial intelligence and robotics offer promising concepts on automating warehouse operations, a majority of processes in intralogistics rely on manual human work. Since order picking has been identified as the most labour-intensive, as well as costly activity in warehouses, forklift operators receive significantly less attention in research. To shed light on the cognitive aspects of forklift operators, this paper aspires to quantify the learning process for n = 5 forklift operators and mental fatigue effects for another n = 5 operators in a retail warehouse for cooled and perishable items. Our results indicate that learning, as well as fatigue effects, can be observed in this field of operations and are measurable through a multivariable parametric approach.