The most demanding process of warehouse management is normally order picking. Of the transactions involved in distribution and fulfillment, outbound transactions are normally greater and labour intensive than inbound ones.  So greater labour costs need to be allocated for  the outbound transactions.  Customer satisfaction is also directly related to the order picking process, and this also increases the importance of the order picking operation.  The speed and accuracy of processing order is an extremely important part of business.

The order picking process can be achieved by different methods

There are many differences and it is important to choose the best method for your company’s operations.  The factors to determine the best order picking method for your company should be based on the number of transactions, the number of picks for each order, number of orders, quantity of items for each pick, product being handled, number of picks for each SKU, number of SKUs.  Plus some other factors, such as, private labeling, and whether you are picking pieces, cases, or pallets.  If a variety of products and orders are handled, then all order picking methods may be needed.

Productivity can be gained by reducing the travel time from the warehouse to the truck, since the actual time to pick the products tends to be fixed. In order picking, the cycle time is how much time is required from the time an order is placed until it is at the dock to be shipped. In the past few years customers have come to expect same day shipment. Therefore it is necessary to reduce cycle times from days to hours or even minutes. Some ways to reduce cycle times are to use methods that allow several items to be picked at the same time, and to have orders immediately released to the warehouse for picking.

No matter what type of operation you run, accuracy will be an important objective. Nearly every decision made in configuring a warehouse will have an impact on accuracy. From the design of product labeling to the product numbering scheme, packaging, and even the design of picking documents, accuracy should be a main goal. The location numbering scheme, storage equipment, lighting conditions, and picking method used also affect accuracy. Technologies which improve picking accuracy include pick-to-light systems, bar code scanners and counting scales. After considering the design aspect of an order picking operation, employee conditioning, tracking accuracy, and maintaining accountability all lead to higher levels of accuracy. Using these three objectives as a guideline, order picking methods can be selected as they best fit your warehouse operation.

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