Retail

Picking orders in the warehouse takes up more than half of the total work time. This course will familiarize you with the different strategies, systems and models to help you improve your picking practices in the most efficient way possible. 

In this method, a worker picks one order at a time.


He or she then visits every aisle in the warehouse until the order is completed.


For each zone, there will be assigned pickers who are in charge of picking items specific to their area.


The pickers are prohibited from picking items in different zones


The orders are moved either through totes, bins or other conveyor systems.


Different picking strategies

Order picking is a time-consuming process.


If not done efficiently, it can cause bottleneck problems that will disrupt the entire workflow of your company.


Place items that sell faster closest to the packing stations. This way, you don't have to cover a lot of ground just to finish one order cycle process.


Once done, organize your inventory from the most popular items to the least.


For items that are usually packed together, it's better to place them right next to each other.


Pick multiple orders on a single trip to reduce travel time.


If possible, arrange your inventory so you can pick items from both sides of the aisle.


Make the picking route as short as possible


Which does not help in increasing picking speed?


Imagine the cost of a picking error:
the cost of item being shipped back
the amount of time re-processing it and putting it back in the inventory
and the effort of packing and shipping it again
Picking errors waste a lot of time, money and energy.
That is why it is important to get the orders right as much as possible.


Improve Picking Accuracy


Optimising picking practices

This system makes use of an automated crane to manage different boxes or cases in the warehouse.


It is a great space saver and allows picking items from high shelves, lessening the risk of fall among workers.


Automated Picking Systems

In Person-To-Goods (PTG) model, a worker physically goes to the storage area to pick items required to fulfil a customer’s order.


It starts simply by having the products sorted in storage systems.


These systems are managed my automated retrieval systems, using a warehouse carousel or other robotic systems.


Once an order is requested, the picker makes a request via an automated system and gets the items delivered to him or her.


This system allows both the picking and the storing process to be done simultaneously, resulting in faster cycle count.


Goods-To-Person system increases picking accuracy as it utilises robots to retrieve items, giving less room for human error.


And lastly, since it eliminates the need for you to travel in the warehouse, you have more time to inspect the items and do other tasks, resulting in a faster, more productive and more efficient workflow.


Goods-to-Person System

Some items might be hard to transport from the storage area to the accumulation point


This takes up a lot of time and increases the risk for injuries and accidents.


Consider using automated systems and other warehouse handling equipment. This way, moving goods will be easier and less troublesome.


What are the benefits of putting popular items next to each other?


Picking errors are hard to avoid 100% of the time


But there are some things you can control to help you reduce the chances of those errors from happening.


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Picking

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