What is the difference between person-to-goods and goods-to-person picking?
Person to goods or man to goods is somewhat self-explanatory; the picker will travel pick aisles or zones to pick inventory at the case level for order fulfillment. An operator can pick cases directly to a pallet (Pick to Pallet) or they can pick and place them on to a conveyor system (Pick to Belt) to be routed to a downstream pallet building or truck loading location. Replenishment can either be done manually or by an ASRS machine if reserve inventory is kept in an automated system. Most often the pick face for this type of picking is either a full pallet location (static or pallet flow) or case flow rack. It’s also very flexible from a throughput perspective as you can add labour as needed to cover peaks. A typical pick rate is 150 cases per hour up to 250 cases per hour.
Goods to person picking, also known as goods to man picking, is also fairly self-explanatory as the product that needs to be picked will be pulled from an ASRS system and brought to the employee or robot for picking. This type of picking increases employee productivity by eliminating unnecessary travel time, but obviously requires a higher investment due to the automation used to deliver the product to the picker. It’s a great way to add case picking functionality to an ASRS system, but keep in mind that the capacity is limited by the number of picking stations in the design. With labour being in demand and sometimes hard to find, operators are often substituted with robots with an increase in investment to achieve the highest level of automation, which also moves employees out of harsh frozen conditions. Typical pick rates are 350 cases per hour up to 650 cases per hour between a person or picking robot.
Which picking solution is right for my application?
There are several different types of picking for warehouse and fulfillment applications. While some may be perfectly suited for an application, others may not. It’s best to know the details of each type and speak to an expert. Depending on your storage process and workflows, an application can also include more than one type of order-picking solution. However, most fulfillment centres have several factors they want to accomplish when it comes to picking.
How to improve order picking accuracy?
Order accuracy rates are a must with today’s technology. With today’s e-commerce systems, order picking accuracy must be right. Returns can be costly to handle and every time a missed picked order goes out the door, it’s a risk of product damage and a lost customer.
Thankfully, there are ways to increase order picking accuracy. Regardless, if an application calls for a manual or automated picking, accuracy rates can improve with technology and workflow processes.
Depending on the warehouse or distribution centre, there are varied picking methodologies like single order, zone picking, batch picking, or wave picking that may be used within the process. Furthermore, a complete automated solution may be coupled with a manual solution to increase order picking throughputs and accuracy rates. Since order picking affects the profitability of a distribution centre, it’s important that the right picking methodology is used to get the most benefit. Typically, most processes aim for the following:
How to minimise travel distance for employees?
Logging steps for order picking isn’t the best way to stay in shape. In fact, it cost money for employees to travel further distances inside a distribution centre. Today’s warehouse management software technology streamlines order picking paths and optimises both inventory layout and manual picking based on order histories.
Is error free picking a reality?
Yes, and it should be a top strategy of any warehouse solution. According to Retail TouchPoints, return rates for retail have now hit an all time high of 20%. With the pandemic, an onslaught of e-commerce orders gave way to a larger problem for retail—returns. Return rates typically range from 8 to 10 percent within a physical store. However, e-commerce rates are higher, and the holiday peak season can push upwards to 30%. Therefore, accuracy rates are extremely important when it comes to picking orders. An error-free picking solution is always best and will help maximise profits.
Can optimising space increase pick rates?
Trying to get more real estate warehouse space can be tough right now. Even with rents moving upwards of 10%, warehouse space just isn’t always available. This scenario has distribution and fulfillment centres looking to maximise space. When it comes to picking, understanding placement of inventory is key. Optimisation for both manual or automated picking enables a better workflow and saves money. If you haven’t done so already, talk with an expert about getting a data study completed. Sometimes it’s even small changes in workflow processes that can yield better returns and higher pick rates—even in a manual application.
What are the Different Order Picking Methods?
While each methodology has its pros and cons, it’s best to understand the basic differences. While one method may seem best for a particular application, it’s always best to consult a fulfillment expert to get more clarity and understanding of the advantages and disadvantages to each.
Batch Picking
Batch picking, also known as two stage picking or multi stage picking, is when multiple items are picked across multiple orders at the same time. Think about two to three orders coming in with one or two of the same items. Those SKUs are batched, and the items are all picked at once to save time. These items are brought to the order packing and assembled with the right quantities per order for pack out. Batch picking reduces travel time and reduces the stress of picking by a single order.
Cluster Picking
Cluster picking works similar to batch picking but with one caveat. Cluster picking is when an order is picked with multiple SKUs within an area. So, the SKUs that are being picked are targeted within one area. This also minimises travel time, but it includes multiple SKU picks.
Discrete Order Pick
Order picking is probably one of the most common ways to pick an order. Although it may not be the most efficient depending upon the application. Also, it’s known as single order pick, one step picking or just plain order picking or piece picking. It’s simply picking an order by line item until the order is complete. This type of picking is mostly done in fulfillment centres that have low SKU volume or bulk products.
Wave Picking
Wave picking works similarly to batch picking. However, the difference is that the order is picked over multiple shifts and employees. Software enables wave picking and it takes into consideration the shifts and peak order times. This type of picking gets extremely optimised and is used with high-volume SKUs and orders.
Zone Picking
Zone picking divides the fulfillment centre into separate areas or zones. Employees are assigned to work a zone and picks within that area throughout his or her shift. If an order requires SKUs from multiple zones, the SKUs are picked from one zone and passed to another zone to fulfill the order—this is called sequential zone picking or pick and pass picking.
