Order picking is the process of selecting items from a warehouse inventory, to satisfy several independent customer orders. This is an important part of the supply chain process and has been considered the most labor-intensive and expensive activity for every warehouse.

Picking is the process of pulling inventory from the warehouse to be included in the customer order. Packing is the process of gathering and packaging these items to prepare them for shipment to the customer.

5 Ways to Increase Warehouse Picking Efficiency

1. Don’t Mix Numbers. If you use large bins for small items, it can be tempting to mix multiple small items in one single bin.
2. Be Smart About Placement.
3. Pick the Right Racks.
4. Invest in RFID.
5. Use the Right Storage Medium.

John Gomez December 13th, 2019. Warehouse picking refers to the process where individual items are picked from a fulfillment facility to satisfy customers’ orders. It’s an essential aspect of order fulfillment and is considered one of the most expensive and labor-intensive activities for warehouses.

Pick-to-zero is dividing the packets between the different, separate shops. For order picking in general, space is always needed for warehousing, order picking and handling.

Placing fast-moving items in easily accessible areas. Storing frequently picked items near packing and shipping areas. Verifying that all items are in proper slots/locations and properly labeled. Store different items/parts in separate storage bins (items stored together in a single bin leads to picking errors)

Order picking tends to be a job with redundancies. It takes a special person with discipline and inner peace to perform the job consistently well. As seen in the example above from GlassDoor, giving order pickers more responsibility and a greater degree of involvement is usually enough to keep them inspired.

Pick-to-zero is dividing the packets between the different, separate shops. For order picking in general, space is always needed for warehousing, order picking and handling. The organisation and the building are organised completely for this purpose in accordance with the latest standards.

Pick performance can be measured in a variety of ways. It can be tracked at the order level, showing how long it takes to pick an entire order. Or it can be measured by lines, units or individual items. The choice of which to measure will depend on the operation and its type of stock.

The order picking or order preparation operation is one of a logistic warehouse’s processes. It consists in taking and collecting articles in a specified quantity before shipment to satisfy customers’ orders. It is a basic warehousing process and has an important influence on supply chain’s productivity.

Let’s take a look at the different types of warehouse order picking systems and types of picking methods in use today.

• Single order picking.
• Batch picking.
• Multi-batch order picking.
• Cluster picking.
• Wave picking.
• Zone picking.
• Pick-to-light.
• Voice picking.

Order picking is when the products listed in an order are retrieved from their respective warehouses. It is the first stage in fulfilling a customer’s order, and it’s essential that the process is flawless so that the remaining fulfilment processes—order packing, shipping, and post-sales activity—can also run smoothly.

Warehouse order picking best practices Place top-selling items nearest the packing stations (since they’re going to be picked more often) Store items that are often packed together right next to each other.

6 best order picking methods

1. Single order picking. Single order picking is the most common order picking method, it is also the most time-consuming.
2. Batch order picking.
3. Pick and pass.
4. Zone order picking.
5. Cluster order picking.
6. Wave order picking.

In case picking, product is picked in full case or carton quantities from a variety of storage mediums: pallet positions, carton flow, and shelving. Slow-moving products are picked from static shelving. When workers pick product, they typically pick the item to a pallet, cart or conveyor.

Order picking is an important aspect within any warehouse. It forms as much as 55% of operation costs within any distribution centre, compared to shipping, storage and receiving stages and has a direct impact on customer satisfaction levels.

How does it work? By wearing a headset designed for comfort, a picker listens to the instructions and confirms locations and quantities etc. by simply speaking back to the system. Voice recognition software understands the response – even in a noisy warehouse – and then continues to direct the picker accordingly.

The voice picking technology system may be difficult for some people to learn, be comfortable with and return to higher productivity. Develop training materials and processes. How long will each person need? Be sure to provide plenty of hands-on use in the training.

The Benefits of Voice Picking

• Productivity gains of between 15% and 30% – versus paper or RF scanning-based picking.
• Accuracy rates of 99.9% – higher than any other order picking methodology.
• Dramatically reduced training times for new and temporary employees – with voice they become proficient in just hours.

In other words, voice picking eliminates physical obstacles and can, therefore, increase productivity by up to 35%. When you take devices and other distractions out of hands and away from eyes, a direct benefit is greater safety and fewer damages.