Warehousing Operations Guide: Part 2

(5) Order Picking

Order Picking is the process of picking products from different parts in a Warehouse / Distribution Centre to fulfil the items on a customer order using:

??Labour

??Technology

??Equipment parts?(Trolleys, Low-Level Order Picker (LLOP) etc)

On average this process can take anywhere from?40 to 60 per cent?of the?operational costs?of your warehousing operations.

This article is divided into different parts.

For Part 1 — Click?HERE.

For Part 3 — Click?HERE.

For Part 4 — Click?HERE.

For Part 5 — Click?HERE.

For Part 6 — Click?HERE.

For Part 7 — Click?HERE.

To take full advantage of this process (order picking)

A business needs to invest in the right kind of

? Tools

? Technology

? Automation

? Warehouse/DC Design

? People

? Processes

? Systems

Three key things to consider are:

1. Speed
2. Accuracy
3. Organisation

When?designing the flow?of the Warehouse / Distribution Centre (DC)

AND

Choosing which?picking technologies?will be used to fulfil the needs of your customers

The above three things are essential for achieving:

— Effective Operations

— Delivering Quality Customer Service

— On-time Deliveries

— Retain Order Accuracy

— Reduce Avoidable Costs

— Increase Space and Asset Utilisation

Different picking technologies, systems and processes needs to be used depending on the:

— Size

— Nature

— Types of products and services

Your businesses are providing, which fulfils the needs of your customers.

Now, we are going to learn about the various processes, systems, types, and technologies used in Order Picking.

Order picking has evolved a lot over the last couple of decades and has become very complex in today's world.

This requires understanding the different elements involved, which includes:

?? A — Technology

?? B —?Processes

?? C —?Systems

?? D —?Types

(5-A). Picking ??????????????????????s

The different types of technologies being used in the process of Order Picking include:

(5-A1) ― Pick by Voice

(5-A2) ― Pick by Light

(5-A3) ― Radio Frequency (RF)

(5-A4) ― Pick by Paper

(5-A5) ― Pick by Vision

(5-A6) ― Pick by Robots

(5-A1) ― Pick by Voice

Now we will learn about ?????????? ?????????????? aka ????????-???? ?????????? technology.

In this type, pickers can pick up the order items hands-free.

In simple terms, it means they don't need to scan a barcode to pick order items, rather they say the check digit when the voice prompts them.

How does this work?

This depends on

— Software and tools being used

— Which company has manufactured the voice system

— How it is set up in your warehouse or DC

Typically, in most cases that I have seen, here is how it works:

1. This solution (technology) is integrated with your Warehouse Management System (WMS) or an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP).

It receives order information and other data such as pick location, areas, quantity etc from the above systems.

2. Using the above data, the voice picking system then organises and creates work assignments which are then distributed to different individuals (warehouse order pickers).

3. The orders could include small quantities such as one or two, too big pallet loads such as two full pallets that contain a lot of different products.

4. Pickers turn on their headphone and voice picking handset, then they have to wait for them to pair up.

After pairing, they have to select the speed, volume and usernames from the menu (this will vary depending on what software you are using).

5. Once users select their names, they are asked to provide a password, then a location code followed by a task code.

(These things will vary from place to place, depending on how the Warehouse/DC has been set up).

6. Then the voice system will tell you to say to READY to pick order(s).

It will tell you to pick up one pallet or two, depending on the size of the order.

7. Once you pick up the pallets, then the system will tell you to go to a location

e.g., Aisle 70 then you say ready

8. Then it will you the location in that aisle

e.g., location 7015

9. It will tell you how many items to pick and where to place them (front or back pallet)

10. When you pick the items it will ask you for a check digit (ID printed on that location).

11. Once you pick them and repeat the check digit it will tell you to go to the next location until your order is complete.

12. When all items have been picked, it will print the stickers that you will need to put on your pallets after they have been wrapped.

(5-A2) ― Pick by Light

Also known as Pick-by Light.

This is a Paperless and Wireless Technology that can reduce picking times and help increase the efficiency of your warehouse.

Usually, in this setup:

A digital display is set up next to the product line that needs to be picked.

It tells the picker how many items need to be picked

e.g., 1, 3, 4, 6, or 8 etc

Once the items are picked then the picker presses the acknowledge button to confirm the selection.

Why do we use Pick by light?

Some of the benefits that this system can bring are:

? Reduce picking costs

? Decreases walking and seek time

Saving you time, and Time = $$ Money

? Being a wireless technology, it eliminates paperwork and can help with your business sustainability

? Simplifies the picking process compared to traditional picking

? Improves Productivity

? Can reduce the labour costs associated with picking

? Improve customer service by improving order accuracy

The following videos show how this is done in real life.

Note

These systems will vary based on the vendor, hardware and technology being used.

It also depends on how it is being set up whether it is a manufacturing facility, a warehouse, a 3PL business or a distribution centre.

(5-A3) ― Radio Frequency (RF)

NOW - We will learn how ?????????? ?????????????????? (????) picking works.

In RF picking

?????????? ?????????????????? ???????????????? (???? ????????????????) are used to pick products from different areas of the warehouse to fulfil a customer order.

In this method, pickers use a wireless handheld device (RF Scanner) which operates on a wireless radio frequency that communicates with a Warehouse Management System (WMS) or an ERP such as SAP, Manhattan, and Pronto etc

to transfer order information such as:

▉ Item Quantities

▉ Item Description

▉ Item Location

▉ Customer Name

▉ Delivery Location etc

At the start of the shift, each picker has to TURN ON the RF Scanner.

After the boot-up, they have to enter the

???????????????? and ???????????????? to log in to the system and start picking.

This will vary from place to place, depending on how it is being set up.

When the device is ready, they can start picking.

The RF scanner will tell them what item(s) to pick and the pick location.

After going to the pick location, the picker scans the product barcode and the location it is being picked up from.

This information is being updated in real-time to the WMS to reflect correct levels of inventory.

Once all items have been picked up, then a printer connected to the WMS will print the order details that will be sent in the invoice sachet.

(5-A4) ― Pick by Paper

In Paper-based picking, products for order are picked using printed papers.

This method is used by small businesses that have smaller operations and as such, it is easy to use this picking method due to its simplicity and ease.

However, if the business is growing this method brings barriers and can create problems down the line.

This method does not provide real-time visibility of your stock items and inventory.

This is also prone to errors and as such is not an ideal solution for picking.

?????????? ???????????????? ???? ?????????? ??????????????

? Order’s data is entered into Order Entry System

? Pick Tickets (Picking list for orders) are printed

? Pickers then read each line item (SKU and quantity)

? Pickers walk through the warehouse to pick locations

? Products/line items are then picked into a Tote, Cart, or Trolley etc

? Pickers go through the above process for each order (Steps 1 to 5)

? Picked orders are checked for accuracy and quality control before shipping

? Orders are then packed according to SOP or customer’s requirements and ready for despatch/shipping

(5-A5) ― Pick by Vision

Vision Picking is Powered by Augmented Reality (AR) technology and Smart Glasses.

This method is paper and hands-free and is therefore very efficient.

How does this work?

? 1) Order picker scans the Scan Login Card to sign in

? 2) After authentication, pickers pick up the available trolley or cart, depending on the warehouse set-up

? 3) Task information is displayed via Smart glasses in front of the picker eyes

This could include information such as:

— Picking Progress

— Aisle Number

— Location (which shelf and bin to pick from)

— Quantity (how many items to pick)

— Next Pick (next order for picking)

— Optimised route

? 4) The trolley/cart is also displayed graphically to the pickers so they know what items need to go where.

This technology can improve your warehouse picking efficiency and productivity anywhere from 5% up to 20%.

See this in action in the video below:

Benefits of this technology

? Increase speed to market (faster deliveries to your customers)

? Simplifies picking operations and improves the order picking process

? Easy to use and learn for the warehouse employees

? Faster, accurate and more productive

? Increases order picking accuracy

? Reduces pick time and errors

? Optimises order picking process

? Reduces inventory holding costs

? Using “Picture check” result in making fewer mistakes and reduce picking errors

(5-A6) ― Pick by Robots

This is the last one in the series.

In this type of picking, Robots are designed and programmed to do the picking instead of humans. There are different kinds of robots and set up out there.

Different businesses use different kinds of robots to maximise the following

— Productivity

— Efficiency

— Storage

— Improve speed to market

— Safety

— Flexibility

— Bottom line

— Reliability

The list goes on and on.

What kind of robots will work best for a business?

This depends on:

— What "Products & Services" they are offering

— How big is the business

— How large are the sites and their operations

— Their financial capabilities to afford this technology

Robotic implementation is not as easy as some might think. A lot goes into implementing and maintaining these technologies in warehousing operations.

See the video where a smart robot is picking items for orders alongside humans.

Pretty cool, right! ??

Watch another video of the Squid V4.2 Robot by Bionic HIVE picking order items from different locations in the warehouse.

This article is divided into different parts.

For Part 1 — Click?HERE.

For Part 3 — Click?HERE.

For Part 4 — Click?HERE.

For Part 5 — Click?HERE.

For Part 6 — Click?HERE.

For Part 7 — Click?HERE.

Published on the 9th of November 2021.

Last Updated: 02/12/2021 at 12:44 AM.