Picking refers to an order fulfillment process in which items for an order are selected or pulled from various locations in the warehouse and transferred to packing stations to be prepared for shipping.
The process can be performed manually by a worker who works from a pick ticket to select items from their storage locations and puts them either into a tote or carton to be packed and prepared for shipment. It can also be automated to reduce labor by using automated systems such as voice technology, automated conveyor systems, or mobile warehouse robots to transport picked items from storage to the shipping area.
The efficiency and accuracy of the process can have a significant impact on the overall performance and profitability of a logistics operation. Poor picking can lead to order errors, delivery delays, and customer dissatisfaction, while efficient and accurate picking can help to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
Several different methods that can be used, including:
- Discrete: Picking individual or small quantities of items, a method applied for customized orders or orders made up of a small number of items.
- Batch: Picking a group of items simultaneously rather than picking an individual order at a time. Batch picking is an efficient method for orders that consist of multiple items that are all needed at the same time.
- Zone: A method of dividing the warehouse into zones specific to a specific type or category of items. Workers pick orders within each zone instead of moving through the entire warehouse.
- Wave: A method that divides the day’s work into waves and assigns each wave to a specific type or category of items. Picking is done within each wave, rather than throughout the day.
Optimize Picking with Voice Technology
Picking operations account for 50% or more of total warehouse labor costs when accounting for order picking, quality control, and packing activities. Voice-picking technology or pick-by-voice is proven to reduce manual picking tasks, lower labor costs, and increase profitability.
The best voice technology solutions, such as Numina’s RDS™ Victory Voice™ Suite, can handle diverse operational requirements. For example, Victory Voice is highly flexible and supports multiple operations, including:
- Pick to conveyor
- Discrete orders
- Batch cart picking
- Mixed case pallet
- Full pallet pick
- Directing multi-zone consolidation for LTL and truck shipments
To achieve the greatest ROI, choose a voice-driven solution that includes order fulfillment optimization components to further enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Optimize Your Order Picking Strategy
If you’re interested in learning about optimized order fulfillment strategies and other warehouse automation solutions, the Numina Group can help. As a leading warehouse automation design consultant, software developer and independent systems integrator, Numina Group has over 40 years of experience defining, designing, and implementing highly profitable automated warehouse systems.
Our automated warehouse solutions enable companies to increase productivity by 50% or more, reduce labor costs by 30% to 70%, and increase order accuracy to 99.9%.
We offer consultative warehouse design services to identify the right lean processes for your operations. We help you turn your design into reality by combining the power of RDS™ WCS-WES, our real-time warehouse control and execution software with cutting-edge material handling technologies.
Learn More
Video Case Study: Frozen Food Company Reduces Labor Costs by 50%
Video: NorthShore Care Supply Doubles Productivity with Batch Picking Combining Voice Picking and AMRs
Blog: The ROI of Voice Picking
Product Sheet: RDS™ Victory Voice™ Suite
