Of all warehouse processes, order picking tends to get the most attention. It’s just the nature of distribution and fulfillment that you generally have more outbound transactions than inbound transactions, and the labor associated with the outbound transactions is likely a big piece of the total warehouse labor budget. Another reason for the high level of importance placed on order picking operations is its direct connection to customer satisfaction. The ability to quickly and accurately process customer orders has become an essential part of doing business.
There is many ways to achieve the best of order picking, depending on warehouse layout, the speed of goods flow, the technology being used and many more. Orders can be picked in different ways and every ways has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. To name few :* Basic order picking * Zone picking * Wave picking * Automatic picking machines * Picking using Bar-code scanners * Voice pickingIntroduction: In today's fast moving world when costumer demands grows rapidly, creates bigger and bigger goods flow. As a chain reaction it creates a need of more and bigger warehouses. Today warehouses with smart layouts and difficult processes can be easily called Logistic Centres.
One of the most basic but probably the most important process in any warehouse is order picking. So what is order picking? Why it is so important and can it be improved in any way?Main Body: Designing a warehouse and defining the type of appropriate warehouse equipment is a complex decision process, being a long-term strategic decision. Between the other functions like receiving and checking, storage, packing and shipping the orders, an important function in designing a warehouse is represented by the picking process. Developing an effective order picking operation and enhancing this in pick accuracy and speed, need to integrate new technologies combined with the adequate methods for picking the products.The classical warehouse becomes more and more a sophisticated place, determined by, the large number of problems, types and demands of customer services. An important function in designing a warehouse is represented by the picking process, between the other functions like receiving and checking, storage, packing and shipping the orders.
Key objectives in designing an order picking operation include increases in productivity, reduction of cycle time, and increases in accuracy. Often times these objectives may conflict with one another in that a method that focuses on productivity may not provide a short enough cycle time, or a method that focuses on accuracy may sacrifice productivity. Productivity in order picking is measured by the pick rate.Piece pick operations usually measure the pick rate in line items picked per hour while case pick operations may measure cases per hour and line items per hour. In pallet pick operations the best measure is actual pallets picked per hour.
Since the actual amount of time it takes to physically remove the product from the location tends to be fixed regardless of the picking method used, productivity gains are usually in the form of reducing the travel time. In recent years, customer’s expectations of companies to provide same day shipment has made to reduce cycle times from days to hours or minutes. Immediate release of orders to the warehouse for picking and methods that provide concurrent picking of items within large orders are ways to reduce cycle times.Basic Order PickingIn the most basic order-picking method, product is stored in fixed locations on static shelving or pallet rack.
An order picker picks one order at a time following a route up and down each aisle until the entire order is picked. The order picker will usually use some type of picking cart. The design of the picking flow should be such that the order picker ends up fairly close to the original starting point. The picking document should have the picks sorted in the same sequence as the picking flow. Fast moving product should be stored close to the main cross aisle and additional cross aisles put in to allow short cuts.Larger bulkier items would be stored towards the end of the pick flow.
This basic order picking method can work well in operations with a small total number of orders and a high number of picks per order. Operations with low picks per order will find the travel time excessive in this type of picking and operations with large numbers of orders will find that the congestion from many pickers working in the same areas slows down the processing.Zone PickingZone picking is the order picking version of the assembly line. In zone picking, the picking area is broken up into individual pick zones. Order pickers are assigned a specific zone, and only pick items within that zone.
Orders are moved from one zone to the next as the picking from the previous zone is completed (also known as "pick-and-pass"). Zones are usually sized to accommodate enough picks for one or two order pickers. Creating fast pick areas close to the conveyor is essential in achieving high productivity in zone picking. Zone picking is most effective in large operations with high total numbers of stocks, high total numbers of orders, and low to moderate picks per order.
Separate zones also provide for specialization of picking techniques such as having automated material handling systems in one zone and manual handling in the next.Wave pickingA variation on zone picking and batch picking where rather than orders moving from one zone to the next for picking, all zones are picked at the same time and the items are later sorted and consolidated into individual orders/shipments. Wave picking may be used to isolate orders by specific carriers, routes, or zones.Automatic picking machinesFully automated picking machines (such as A-frames) are still pretty rare and are used only where very high volumes of similar products are picked such as music CDs, or, where high volume in combination with high accuracy requirements exist such as pharmaceutical fulfillment.Bar-Code ScannersBarcode system is used to increase the efficiency of the work done in warehouse. Some of the advantages of barcode are as following: •It’s easy to control inventory.
•There is less chance of error as the work is done by an automatic system. •By using barcode system we can save our time and can use manpower in some other work to be done. Barcode scanner/reader is used in warehouse to scan or read the barcode pasted on the product. •It saves a lot of time in gathering data.•It provides accurate data about the products. •Barcode scanners are of low cost and easy to be use.
But they are better suited to case pick, pallet load, put away, and order checking operations. Voice-directed picking Voice technology uses speech recognition and speech synthesis to allow workers to communicate with the Warehouse Management System (WMS). Warehouse operatives use a wireless, wearable computer with a headset and microphone to receive instructions by voice, and verbally confirm their actions back to the system.The wearable computer, or voice terminal, communicates with the Warehouse Management Software via a radio frequency. The most common application is Order Picking where improved accuracy and productivity offer a fast payback, but you can also use it for Goods Receiving, Pallet Put-away and Let-down, and Stock Checking.
Accuracy improvementsImprovements in order picking accuracy are dramatic, and accuracy of 99.9% (one error per thousand picks), and often much better, is usually achieved. The improvements that you obtain will depend on your current method of order picking, but if you are moving from a paper-based system to voice directed picking, picking errors are usually reduced by between 80% and 90%.Productivity gainsOrder picking productivity usually improves by 10% to 20% because the hands free and eyes free operation speeds up picking, and trips back to the assignment desk are eliminated.
Administrative productivity is improved by paperless picking because the work of printing and distributing picking lists or labels is eliminated, as is the task of keying in picking confirmations, picking amendments and catchweights.Other benefitsEliminating paper picking labels brings a significant cost saving in the cost of the paper alone. The real time radio communication enables real time stock updating. This in turn allows optimising the use of fork lift trucks and preventing re-picks or waiting time due to empty picking faces. Cycle counting can built in to the replenishment task, improving the efficiency of the stock checking process. The improved accuracy of stock recording leads to improved service level, less time spent investigating stock discrepancies and better management of the warehouse.
Safety is improved as the hands free and eyes free operation leads to fewer accidents. Eliminating paper also leads to less waste paper or label backing sheets, resulting in a cleaner, tidier and safer warehouse. The training time for new pickers is reduced by the use of voice, as a voice directed task is easier to learn than interpreting a paper task. Training time can often be reduced by as much as half. ‘ Voice-directed warehousing has been in use since the late 1990s, and its use is expected to increase rapidly over the next five years due to advances in technology and decreasing costs for the voice directed software and for the mobile computers on which it runs.
’ (www.wikipedia.com)Conclusion: It’s been a huge step forward from the very first warehouses comparing to todays Logistic centres. The amount of different processes and operations, the speed of the goods flow and the amount of goods increased many times. And even such simple process in the past as order picking involved into different dimension.
Now order picking is highly organised process that save time and money. To make it even more efficient the best of todays technologies was brought in. But order picking process as well as the whole warehouse doesn’t stop there. It steady keeps involving together with new technologies helping minimize the human error possibility. I believe, that in the future Logistic Centre together with new technologies can achieve 100% accuracy that would lead to 100% costumer satisfaction.
