The process of choosing the right materials, products, items or SKUs from the storage bins in a warehouse or fulfillment center for fulfilling an order placed by a customer is known as Picking. It is the first stage in fulfilling an order and must be flawless so that the remaining fulfilment processes—order packing; shipping, and post-sales activity—can also run smoothly. An efficient order picking process should be able to make sure that the right product is picked for every order.
It has to be executed speedily and accurately because a lot of productive time of operators/pickers is wasted if they have to wait unduly to obtain the items.
Types of Picking
There are three types of picking systems: piece picking, case picking, and pallet picking. Under these types are five different processes: single order picking, batch picking, multi-batch picking, zone picking, and wave picking. Let us look at them individually:-
Piece Picking
- Piece picking is when items are picked one at a time from a warehouse
- This type of picking is commonly seen in orders that have many different SKUs but a smaller quantity of items per pick
Pallet Picking
- A pallet is a wooden platform that holds an arrangement of products in a warehouse
- Depending on the size of a pallet, it can hold one large item, or several smaller ones
- So pallet picking is when one entire pallet of items is picked and sent to the packing area
Case Picking
- Case picking is similar to pallet picking except here, only a part of the pallet is picked and sent to the packing area
- This form of picking is used when there is a large number of SKUs with fewer items per SKU
Methods of Picking
Single order picking or discrete picking
- In discrete picking the picker picks one order at a time before taking it to the packing station
- The same picker retrieves all SKUs in the order, and can handle orders across the facility
- This is usually used in smaller warehouses with low traffic and is considered as the simplest warehouse picking strategy
- This technique can be used with piece picking, case picking, and pallet picking
- Discrete picking requires a lot more movement than other picking strategies
Batch picking or Cluster picking
- Batch picking allows pickers to work with multiple orders at the same time
- The picker is given multiple orders to pick in one go and take to the packing station
- It works best when fulfilling many identical orders that use the same SKUs
- This method is ideal for warehouses that deal with a large number of orders with a small number of products each
- Batch picking is usually used with piece picking, rarely with case picking, and cannot be used with pallet picking
Zone picking or Pick and Pass
- Zone picking is used when a warehouse is split into different zones
- Pickers are assigned to individual zones to handle all the orders that come from their section of the warehouse
- Zone picking is best for warehouses that receive many high-volume complicated ordersthat fulfill complicated orders with many units and it can be used for all 3 types of picking processes
Wave picking
- Zone picking is used when a warehouse is split into different zones
- Pickers are assigned to individual zones to handle all the orders that come from their section of the warehouse
- Zone picking is best for warehouses that receive many high-volume complicated ordersthat fulfill complicated orders with many units and it can be used for all 3 types of picking processes
Best practices of Order picking systems
The best strategies minimize picking times by making frequently picked items more accessible through a quicker pick path. Implementing one or more of the following order picking process refinements supports higher accuracy, increased productivity, greater throughput, and faster cycle times in order picking—ultimately maximizing efficiency while boosting customer satisfaction. Some of the best practices are-
Warehouse Organization/Layout
- Organize your warehouse based on the order in which inventory travels through each functional area i.e. receiving, storage/put away, order picking, packing and staging for shipment to outbound
- Each area should logically lead to the next, eliminating the need for double back or pass through a later process on the way to an earlier one
- Other best practices include hanging signage to help associates quickly identify where they are and where they need to be and make sure aisles aren’t blocked—causing congestion and slowing
Reduce Walking Time
- In addition to properly arranging and slotting a facility, other ways include locating items that are frequently picked together close to each other
- Further, having workers pick orders directly into shipping cartons can avoid the need to route all picks through a consolidation zone, eliminating more travel while saving time
Utilize Bins, Totes and Dividers
- Whether it is stored in on shelves, rack or in an automated system, sub-dividing inventory with reusable plastic bins, totes and dividers makes it easier to find items faster
- They are particularly ideal for sorting and storing bulk quantities of tiny items—such as nails, washers, O-rings and more—while simultaneously allowing more items to be stored in the same space
- When properly labeled, totes, bins and dividers reduce search time in picking, and also keep their contents clean and protected from dust, debris and damage
Choose the Correct Picking Strategy
- Choosing the right picking strategy for operations will speed up order fulfillment because it allows more picks to be completed simultaneously
- Batch, Zone, Wave etc. are some of the different methods that can be chosen based on the requirement and situation
Implement a WMS
- Implementing warehouse management software can complement a warehouse and employees, and improve efficiency without compromising order fulfillment accuracy
- A WMS should auto-generate pick lists, accurately display product availability, provide real-time insight into order status, help forecast when to replenish inventory through reorder point notifications, and even assist with planning staff labor