The Ultimate Guide to Order Picking

Order picking is the process of extracting a small number of goods from a warehouse system for independent customer orders. The picking process is an integral aspect of the supply chain process.

Unfortunately, it is often viewed as the most expensive and time-consuming activity within every warehouse, which can also impact customer satisfaction. Thankfully, there are many solutions for order picking to reduce overheads, time, and labor.

Picker to Part

One of the most common order picking solutions is the picker to part method, which is found in various warehouses. The solution requires a storage area, picking area and a material handling system to refill the picking locations within a storage area. The material handling systems can range from forklifts to gravity flow racks.

Located inside the storage area are items to meet customer orders. A picking operator will therefore select items for a customer order at the picking area. The products are often located at a smaller area in comparison to a standard warehouse. As a result, the picking operator can quickly pick the items from the storage area to fulfill the order on time. Many companies often introduce gravity flow racks for commonly ordered items, so the picking operator can find the products with ease.

Part to Picker

The part to picker process is similar to the previous solution, as it comprises of a storage area, picking area, and material handling system. It only differs as it features a range of picking bays. Products are transported to the storage area and placed into picking bays, and every bay will receive items for one or more orders. It is the picking operator’s responsibility to then collect the products from their bay and fulfil each customer’s order. The biggest disadvantage of the part to picker method is than an operator may be forced to wait for the items to be delivered to a designated picking area.

A Sorting System

The sorting system requires a storage area, picking area, replenishment of a picking area, and a sorter. The efficient solution employs an automatic handling system that will consist of many fluent conveyors and sorting equipment.

It works by placing items on a conveyor within the storage area, which are then sorted for a specific order. An operator is responsible for collecting items specific to a customer order, and will then process the order to ensure it arrives on schedule. It is one of the most efficient methods, as an operator will not spend a considerable amount of time collecting individual items for an order.

Pick to Box

Similar to the sorting solution is pick to box. This method utilizes similar elements, such as the storage area, picking area, replenishment of picking area and an operator. It also features an organized picking area, as there are a multitude of picking zones linked to the conveyors. Each operator will fill a box with the picked items for an order, which is then transferred to a picking zone until the customer order has been completed.