In fact, over half of warehouse operating costs are attributed to order picking. More importantly, fast and accurate order fulfillment leads to high rates of customer satisfaction. The order picking method used in your operation is critical for achieving business goals.

What is order picking?

Before diving into the best methods, let’s first establish what it is. Order picking is just what it sounds like: the process of retrieving products from the warehouse inventory to fulfill customer orders. It’s a labor-intensive activity that requires both speed and accuracy. The amount of time it takes to get an order together greatly influences delivery time, which is why your productivity levels are essential.

Since a worker must find the products, pick them and confirm that the correct items are selected for a customer’s order, strong organizational skills, close attention to detail and a focus on efficiency and correctness are necessary for this order picking process. Multiple techniques can be used to efficiently pick orders, including single order picking, batch order picking and wave order picking. These techniques and technology, such as handheld scanners, dramatically help streamline the order-selecting process and enhance general productivity.

Overall, order picking is labor-intensive work that is vital to the success of any order fulfillment operation. It requires meticulous attention to detail, good organizational abilities and a focus on speed and accuracy. Combining these qualities gives customers a pleasant delivery experience, making them return for more.

What does an order picker do?

In a warehouse or storage facility, solo or team-based order pickers spend more than 50% of the total order picking time traveling throughout the warehouse searching for and pulling the proper items. Pickers frequently lift and move large objects to pick items depending on the order. Aside from picking items, order pickers could also be in charge of securely and safely packaging products for shipping and ensuring that the warehouse or storage area is kept tidy and organized.

Warehouse managers could expect order pickers to operate in various settings, such as indoor and outdoor warehouses. Depending on the workload and time constraints, order pickers might also have to stand for extended periods of time. Although their work is mainly physical, order pickers must have a keen eye for detail, excellent organizational abilities, and the capacity to move fast and accurately.

Order picking is hard work that is very important to the success of the order fulfillment process. The use of robotics in the order picking process is increasing, with robot sales in North America increasing by 28% from 2020 to 2021, according to the Association for Advancing Automation. However, robots and automation don’t eliminate the need for human labor.  Luckily, some methods can help to cut down on this travel time so that your company can fulfill more orders each day.

What are 6 different order picking methods?

When it comes to order picking, there are six different methods or order picking systems that can support an efficient, profitable operation.

1. Single order picking

Single order picking is the most common fulfillment method, and it is also the most time-consuming. With single order picking, the picker works on one order at a time. They’ll search the warehouse for each item one-by-one to complete the order, meaning pickers often travel the same route repeatedly throughout their shift.

Benefit:

Single order picking is ideal for smaller warehouses that handle smaller order volumes. Its simplicity makes it an appealing order picking method for new businesses.

2. Batch order picking

Also known as multi-order picking, this method allows pickers to work on multiple orders at the same time, one SKU at a time. Batch picking is best for companies that often have multiple orders with the same SKUs (items) or orders with only a few SKUs in each. It cuts down on travel time since the picker usually only needs to travel to an item location one time per picking cycle.

Benefit:

For businesses with high order volume or recurring orders, this order picking process is a quick and effective way to complete customer orders. This order picking method can manage multiple orders simultaneously while cutting down on travel time to boost production and result in cost savings for the business.

3. Pick and pass

In the pick and pass method, the warehouse is divided into zones with workers assigned to each. Warehouse pickers pick SKUs for multiple orders at a time from within their zone and the bins, totes or containers are then passed to the next zone. Pick and pass is a term often used interchangeably with zone picking, although zone picking can also be carried out without passing bins or containers from zone to zone.

Benefit:

The pick and pass method’s ability to lower the likelihood of errors by boosting picking accuracy is one of its primary advantages. The pick and pass approach improves tracking and accountability while ensuring that the correct items are picked for each order by designating zones to certain workers.

4. Zone order picking

Zone picking is often combined with other methods, most notably, the pick and pass method. With zone picking, the warehouse is divided up into zones and each picker is assigned their own zone to pull items from.

For orders that require products from multiple zones, the order container is passed on to the next zone, and that zone’s picker continues picking items for the order. This process is continued until the order is fulfilled. This method is great for high volume warehouses that often suffer from picker congestion in multiple areas.

Benefit:

The zone order picking method allows for the simultaneous picking of several orders while cutting down on travel time, potentially reducing business labor costs. This system allows for the fast handling of numerous orders while lowering the chance of errors in warehouses with picker congestion thanks to its improved tracking and accountability system.

5. Cluster order picking

The cluster picking method also allows pickers to work on multiple orders at the same time. However, instead of concentrating on similar SKUs (items) for multiple orders, pickers pick a variety of items for multiple orders. Although there are a few different ways to accomplish this (such as with vertical lift modules or carousels), the most common method is for a picker to have a cart loaded with multiple containers. The use of a picking cart or autonomous mobile robot helps pickers keep orders organized to reduce errors.

This method also cuts down on traveling, although not as much as batch picking. With cluster picking, the picker only needs to travel to an area (or zone) once for each cluster they’re working on.

Benefit:

The cluster order method empowers pickers to handle several orders while picking various items for each order, significantly reducing the time needed to complete orders and boosting overall productivity. Keeping orders sorted by using warehouse automation technologies like autonomous mobile robots helps to manage large amounts of orders while lowering the chance of errors. These benefits make it a good fit for businesses with high-volume fulfillment requirements.

6. Wave order picking

With the wave picking method, pickers also work within their assigned zones except, to cut down on time, all zones are picked from at the same time (instead of in one zone and then passed on to the next). The items are then later sorted and consolidated into their respective shipments.

While wave order picking is quicker than waiting for each zone to do their part before the order can move on to the next zone, more time and sometimes more workers are needed for the sorting and consolidation process. This method works best for companies with a higher number of picks per order.

Benefit:

The wave order picking method is a quick and effective way to complete customer orders. This method’s picking approach dramatically reduces the time it takes to complete multiple orders while boosting the overall productivity levels of pickers by allowing them to pick from all zones simultaneously.

Which order picking method is best?

You’re probably wondering which method is best for you. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single best method; the ideal order picking process can differ for each company.

The method you choose depends on how big your warehouse is, how much inventory you have, how many order pickers you have, how many orders you get each day, and how many items are in each order (picks per order). However, from this list, you should be able to choose the method that is right for your company to ensure maximum efficiency and success.

Many picking methods can be combined with automation technologies, such as autonomous mobile robots, to improve order picking accuracy and efficiency. We can also discuss the solution that’s right for you. Contact us today.

The post 6 Best Order Picking Methods appeared first on 6 River Systems.

E-commerce behemoths such as Amazon have forever changed the perception of how orders should be fulfilled, both in terms of time and accuracy. But, while your company might not be promising same-hour delivery, these changing expectations are not to be ignored– in fact, they should be shaping your ever-changing warehouse order picking strategy.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is straining supply chains around the world, disrupting business activities and impacting both manufacturers and consumers alike. The aftershocks of this era will also shape warehouse order picking activities going forward and guide warehouse managers in the design of agile and more resilient strategies for dealing with possible future occurrences.

Because we’re your ally in all things warehouse systems and types, we’ve compiled this best practices guide to guarantee that your business is putting its best foot first as it operates in the fluid world that is order fulfillment.

In this guide, we’ll discuss:

• What is warehouse order picking?
• The different types of warehouse order picking
• Tried and true methods used in order picking
• Best equipment for warehouse order picking
• Best hiring practices for warehouse order pickers
• Best practices for improving warehouse picking productivity
• Further reading on warehouse order picking

What is warehouse order picking?

Warehouse order picking is a simple concept, but in practice, it can be quite complex. Simply put, warehouse order picking refers to the necessary labor and parts involved in pulling an item from inventory to fulfill a customer’s order. It’s a process that might sound like the most uncomplicated aspect of your business, but when you crunch the numbers and realize that it amounts to an average of 55% of operational costs within any given distribution center, budget-conscious warehouses quickly find that ineffective systems could stop them from further innovation.

If your business fulfills orders, it’s key that you develop a warehouse order picking strategy that emphasizes speediness, order pulling accuracy and organization, as well as investments that might aid the three points as your demand shifts in the future.

Generally speaking, order picking and order selecting falls entirely under the umbrella of warehouse logistics, but that doesn’t mean your current practices must always be assessed by the decision-makers at the top. For instance, if your competitors are undercutting you in terms of fulfillment time or you have received public online complaints concerning order accuracy from customers, the first factor you need to reassess is your warehouse order picking process.

By streamlining your business’ methodology, staff and technology, you can:

• Offer faster order fulfillment times to customers
• Invest in technologies that can promote automation
• Promote accuracy in your orders
• Retain trustworthy, able and happy warehouse staff
• Minimize cost and maximize asset utilization
• Save precious time and money that will help you focus on the future of your business

Though best practices for warehouse order picking are not “one-size-fits-all,” the right organization, communication, smart investing and good common sense can help you make the most of your fulfillment process.

The different types of warehouse order picking

Warehouse order picking strategies must be customized to fit your business’ unique fulfillment needs. Selecting an overarching plan from the most used categories below will help you to develop a framework if you are reworking your current order picking plan — or even starting from scratch: 

• Zone Picking — Zone picking often is put into place when the warehouse is compiling orders that contain multiple components and in large warehouses to reduce walk times for individual pickers. The inventory is organized into “zones” where an order picker or automated piece of equipment is stationed with the unique SKUs found only in their zone. To fulfill an order, bins or totes move through each zone, with associates simultaneously collecting products for multiple orders. Once a bin gets to a zone, the picker puts in the required number of SKUs to fulfill several orders at once. The bin passes from zone to zone until all items are collected.
• Discrete Picking — In discrete picking, instead of the worker being assigned to a specific “zone” in the warehouse, they compile each piece of necessary inventory in the order, one line at a time. This plan might work well for a warehouse with a small team that isn’t inundated with complex customer orders. While it may take more time in the pick area, the tradeoff is that it minimizes the number of touches to ship an order. An order can be picked with one touch, without having additional sorts in a discrete picking methodology.
• Batch/Multi-Order Picking — This works well for businesses that are interested in picking up the pace in regards to order fulfillment. Batch picking calls for managers to assess current orders for popularity and place them into batches by their SKU. From there, pickers are in the best location of the warehouse to get orders fulfilled as quickly as possible. Batch picking works especially well for e-commerce businesses with somewhat predictable ordering trends, like those specializing in food and apparel.
• Cluster Picking — Efficiency is the name of the game for cluster picking, which involves a single picker compiling multiple orders at a time, usually dealing with a variety of SKUs. This method can give you a serious leg-up when it comes to speed, but you will need to integrate special technologies and resources to make it successful in your warehouse, such as a sharp, well-trained picker, a mobile cart, automated equipment and voice solutions.
• Wave Picking — Wave picking makes a whole lot of sense if your warehouse is grappling with high fulfillment demand coupled with plenty of diverse inventory. In wave picking, a single picker prepares each order, line-by-line, but instead of simply being compiled in the number that it was placed, all warehouse orders are first assessed to maximize shipping and picking operations. This strategy allows “waves” of orders to be shipped and compiled throughout the day, prioritized by time and importance.

In addition to the five most common picking types, many companies will combine two or more to better fit the unique needs of their warehouse. For instance, managers may integrate the successful points of the above to make a zone-batch picking, zone-wave picking or zone-batch-wave picking plan that fits their changing needs best.

Tried and true methods used in order picking

When it comes to implementing an order picking process that works best for your warehouse, picking one or more of the above types is key, but you will need to consider a host of supporting factors first. From available space to strategies to comprehensive training practices, a full order picking re-vamp entails an investment in both time and sometimes capital in order to pull off a change successfully.

Let’s take a look at how you can do this:

• Ensure that your production schedule allows for 100% availability of inventory — Offering competitive and guaranteed shipping dates to your customer must be a standard and predictable part of your business. In order to make this a sustainable reality, you must have a minimum level of inventory per day, as well as an effective communication procedure for when you might be running low on an item. 
• Plan your picking routes carefully — Just because your warehouse’s picking routes improved your productivity when they were first implemented doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t face constant scrutiny as your business grows. Require your warehouse manager or picking specialist to establish routes that eliminate backtracking, which can cause major slowdowns. Also, keep in touch with your pickers to better understand the factors that may be slowing them down.
• Implement velocity-based slotting — Your warehouse manager might be a whiz when it comes to organizing your inventory with the trusted warehouse slotting method, but have you made them aware of your current product velocity analysis? Those working behind a desk may be aware of this information, but that doesn’t mean that everyone notices how often a product sells, specifically if your business’ warehouse is a booming one. This means that, based on its specific velocity, a product might be sitting in a “prime slot,” even though it hasn’t been picked in days. Make the appropriate manager aware of each product’s velocity so that they can make the necessary, time-saving changes in your warehouse’s overall organization.
• Invest in smart automation — Smart automation is the future; its inherent qualities promote more accurate and time-efficient picking, all in ways that can be completely customizable to your business. This investment can be a big decision, but it is much less overwhelming — and a lot clearer — if you include all warehouse managers and supervisors in the conversation, instead of simply keeping it between a salesperson and a boardroom. That way, you can assess all factors to select what smart automation equipment best fits the needs of your growing business.
• Keep records of error data — It’s easy to blame picking errors on negligent employees, substandard equipment or inefficient shipping companies, but coming to a quick conclusion might mean that you are hastily selecting a “fall guy.” Instead, keep thorough records of all error data, including missed time targets, and properly analyze it to get a better idea of who is to blame. If you have a hardworking, honest staff, for instance, it might be time to implement a velocity-based slotting plan, integrate smart automation or re-assess your inventory routes.

The best equipment for optimized warehouse order picking

You might have invested in the best and brightest staff to establish your warehouse’s order picking strategy, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t all fall apart due to faulty, out-dated or unnecessary equipment.

Here’s a look at a few commonly used types of order picking equipment that can help to optimize your warehouse’s picking processes:

• Mobile Robots — Over the last few years Robots have quickly increased their level of intelligence and flexibility as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have been built in. The result of these innovations is a new style of robot that is suited to work side by side with warehouse pickers. Modern warehouse robots are designed to complement traditional picking processes. These robots have been designed to operate on the floor in the same spaces where associates are at work, often in collaboration with those associates. In this model, the robot is assigned a task and automatically navigates to a pick location. When it arrives at a location, a picker will pull product from a shelf or carton and place it in a bin or tote on the robot. The robot is then directed by the software controlling the system to the next pick location until all the items for an order are in the tote and ready for delivery to the pack station. Mobile Collaborative Robots can be very effective for fulfillment centers with a high variety of orders, including a significant number of multi-product orders. Because the robot is responsible for all of the non-value-added travel between tasks, associates on the floor are more productive because they remain in their zone where they are focused on picking items from the shelves.
• Heavy-Duty Equipment — This can include anything from the aforementioned smart automated robots to forklifts that have a larger load capacity than the one you are currently using. Whether or not your warehouse is using either of these tools is beside the point; the main takeaway is a simple one — big capital expense, less manpower and more machinery. Of course, not all facets of a warehouse will — or should — be completely automated, but if the available warehouse picking tools save your company more time and money in the long-run, take advantage of the technologies and order picking machines out there.
• Voice-Picking Equipment — The term “voice picking” refers to the paperless, hands-free system that gives pickers instructions in real-time. This technology is a big one as it allows workers to keep their hands and eyes free as they move about the warehouse. In terms of equipment, voice-picking usually requires a headset and microphone connected to a wearable device along with a manual cart that they pull around the warehouse. A big advantage is that many voice-picking devices are also equipped with multi-modal feedback functions, which allows pickers to communicate necessary information back into your system.
• Barcode Scanners — Barcode scanners have been used for years throughout the field of inventory tracking, but that doesn’t mean the piece of equipment is out-dated. In fact, the newest barcode scanners have cutting-edge features that promote automation throughout the supply chain. Today’s best barcode scanners cut down the possibility of human error, eliminate paper and printing costs, give time-saving information on SKU location and are hooked up to software that automatically analyzes your inventory. For even more efficiency, you can use a mobile put-to-light system in conjunction with barcode scanners and mobile robots to inform pickers of inventory location.
• Weight Scales and Software — Yet another way to reduce errors in the form of under- or over-packaging orders is through implementing electronic weight scales in your warehouse. Weighing the package before it goes out for shipment ensures that the correct items are, in fact, a part of the order. Additionally, the data compiled by the smart weight scales software can help predict changing shipping costs.

Best hiring practices for warehouse order pickers

There’s no question that order selecting and picking are tough jobs, especially considering today’s pickers are under more pressure than ever when it comes to efficiency. Over the past several years some companies dealt with a fair amount of blowback from pickers who were overwhelmed by strict picking quotas. Of course, corporations don’t set out to overwhelm its pickers, which means that faulty hiring practices could be to blame for the bad publicity.

Here are some qualifiers and tips to ensure that your pickers can handle the demanding work:

• The pickers are physically and mentally able to perform work in the long-term — Most successful warehouse picking requires the worker to move from task-to-task in the most timely manner possible. It might not be a trying job when it comes to strategy or innovation, but it is one that requires some physical and mental prowess. Make sure that each prospective employee knows exactly what the job entails in terms of physical expectations, walking speed, lifting requirements and efficiency before you move them forward in the hiring process.
• The pickers understand the job’s low margin for error — Picking is not a job for those who cannot follow directions. This might be a hard thing to determine in the hiring process, but their application, previous experience or general behavior might be good indicators as to just how meticulous they will be in the warehouse.
• The pickers are put through adequate training — If your company is at all interested in precision, it’s key that you supply your picker with the most thorough training possible before you put them on the line, and on-the-job, they should be provided with tools that give them constant feedback.

These might be common-sense hiring techniques, but they are all integral in guaranteeing that the right products get into the hands of your customers in the timeliest fashion possible.

Best practices for improving warehouse picking productivity

Order picking is one of the essential functions of a warehouse operation. Utilizing the right picking methodologies, leveraging technology to streamline processes and following sound hiring practices will go a long way in optimizing your workflows and contributing to the bottom line.

To help you further optimize order fulfillment workflows, let’s take a look at best practices for improving warehouse picking productivity.

Design your warehouse for optimal flow

Each functional area of your warehouse should be designed and positioned to flow from one activity to the next. This design is based on how inventory flows through each area, from receiving to outbound shipment. For instance, goods flow through a typical warehouse this way: Receiving – Storage – Replenishment – Order picking – Sorting – Packing – Shipping.

Such a logical flow of inventory eliminates scenarios in which associates have to double back across areas to perform an order fulfillment activity. Also, each area should be designed to accommodate the expected amount of traffic. Aisles should be wide enough to facilitate the smooth flow of associates and equipment without causing congestion — even during periods of high-volume traffic.

Leverage goods-to-person technology

Reducing the number of people and steps it takes to execute a process reduces the number of errors, and this is particularly true in order fulfillment. Errors during picking leads to unsatisfied customers and returns. Or if detected before orders are packaged and shipped, wasted time and resources in packing and repacking orders.

Goods to person technology (such as AS/RS, carousels and flow racking) reduces the need for human involvement in the picking process. It also cuts down overall travel time, human fatigue and the number of steps required to pick orders, thus speeding up the order fulfillment process. Most importantly, it removes the need for personal interaction during picking activities, a significant benefit as warehouses are implementing social distancing measures to keep employees safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zone fast-moving SKUs together

Savvy warehouse managers leverage the 80/20 rule to speed up order fulfillment. Essentially, this rule stipulates that 20% of products account for 80% of customers’ orders. As such, zoning high-volume SKUs (i.e., creating a warehouse within a warehouse) is a great way to optimize order picking activities. For one, it reduces travel times because pickers no longer have to travel through the warehouse to pick frequently ordered items.

Ensure that the zone is properly designed and situated to facilitate high-volume traffic and activity. It’s a good idea to position zones containing high-velocity SKUs closer to shipping and receiving areas.

This idea can also be extended to include SKUs that are frequently ordered together, such as shampoo and conditioner, staples and staplers, etc. Placing such items together helps reduce travel time and speeds up picking activities.

Ensure the safety of pickers

Picking and packing require associates to handle items that have been handled by other employees and may still be handled by others within your warehouse.

Automating order picking activities, deploying goods-to-picker technology, redesigning pick zones and leveraging collaborative robots are best practices for simultaneously optimizing productivity and staying operational during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CDC stipulates that people should maintain a distance of at least 6 feet at all times. While you can reduce the number of pickers operating in close proximity (to meet the CDC’s social distancing requirement), this will slow down high-volume operations and reduce overall productivity.

With the right technology and management strategy, you can ensure the safety of your warehouse employees and still rapidly process orders to meet consumer demands.

Other best practices include:

• Use well-labeled dividers, totes and bins to subdivide inventory for easier and faster picking. It’s ideal for storing and sorting through large quantities of tiny items.
• Prioritize replenishment of fast-moving, frequently picked items.
• Place picked items directly into shipping cartons.

Wrapping up

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” picking strategy or best practice given the variety of products, workforce capabilities, facility sizes and geographical locations of warehouses across the globe. Nonetheless, the above best practices have been proven to improve order fulfillment activities, irrespective of the unique conditions in your facility.

These best practices support greater throughput, increase productivity and drive higher accuracy and faster cycle times, thus boosting customer satisfaction and maximizing overall efficiency. Interested in more? Let’s discuss the solution that’s right for you. Contact us today.

More resources on warehouse order picking

For the latest information on the warehouse order picking process, best practices, methods, equipment and hiring techniques, visit the following resources:

• What Are the Different Types of Order Picking in the Warehouse?
• 5 Ways to Improve Order Picking Productivity
• Order-Picking Methods and Technologies for Greener Warehousing
• Tips for Boosting Picking Speed
• Warehouse Basics: Picking Fundamentals
• Warehouse Picking Best Practices: Top 50 Articles
• Order Pickers Should Be Like Fast Food Workers
• Improve Your Order Picking Procedures
• How Will Covid-19 Change Distribution?
• How Covid-19 redesigned the warehouse layout

Related Posts:

1. How to Manage (and Improve) Warehouse Operations

2. 7 Steps to Improve Your E-Commerce Order-Fulfillment Process

3. What is a Pick-to-Light System?

4. Learn How Autonomous Robots Move in Warehouses

5. Zone Picking vs Wave Picking: Which is Best?

The post The ultimate guide to warehouse order picking appeared first on 6 River Systems.

Ask any pick-and-pack warehouse operator: there are pros and cons for each of the picking methodologies they choose for their fulfillment operations. Zone picking is ideal for very large operations where pickers must travel long distances to complete an order or for smaller sites with very high order volume where congestion is an issue. However, a common challenge associated with zone picking is predicting where your associates will need to be based on inventory slotting and the order pool for the day. Incorrectly predicting zones results in overworking some associates while others wait around with nothing to do.

Armed with knowledge of this challenge, we tackled the question: what if you could reap the benefits of zone picking without the challenge of analyzing inventory slotting, consumer demand and labor availability? Our solution: dynamic zoning.

First, let’s understand the methodology we consider behind using static zones within a warehouse.

Why are zones used?

In order to meet SLAs and maintain profitability, there is a constant pressure to keep a fulfillment operation running efficiently. Enabling associates to spend more time picking products and less time walking from one place to another is an area ripe for optimization. Although collaborative mobile robots eliminate long, unnecessary walks to deliver and receive work, they do not remove walking between picks. One technique to alleviate unnecessary walking is to break the picking area into zones and assign associates to stay within them. This can be especially effective if there are sparse picks over a large area.

What are the challenges of using zones?

There are two interrelated problems that often cause zones to be less effective than operators hope: defining zone areas and labor balancing.

Zone areas are set with the intent to evenly distribute work and ideally put common clusters of work in one area. The problem is that it is extraordinarily difficult to predict commonly clustered SKUs. Order profiles are constantly changing over time – from season to season and even over the course of the day. We often see warehouses that have been broken into zones based on physical size and then never adjusted again.

The second related problem is labor balancing. Over the course of a shift, an operator wants their associates to spend as much time as possible actively picking rather than traveling from one pick to the next or, even worse, idle. So, when utilizing a zone picking method, it’s best when the orders are evenly distributed across all zones so each associate is engaged. Unfortunately, this rarely happens – there are often drastically different work loads across zones. To mitigate this, managers need to constantly monitor order volumes and make adjustments to zone assignments on the fly. Although we have some operations that want to use zones, most of our operations decided that there were too many inefficiencies and overhead managing them to make them beneficial.

The Solution: Dynamic Zones

Analyzing our customers’ needs, we have devised an innovative solution that reaps all of the benefits of traditional zones with none of the drawbacks. We call this dynamic zoning; here’s how it works:

When an associate completes a pick and is preparing to travel to the next, 6 River Systems’ intelligent allocation system calculates how much time it will take for the associate to get to the new pick. It also calculates how long it will take the current associate to meet another robot and a new associate to meet the current robot. If it ever takes less time to do this handoff, it is performed and time is saved. It has exactly the same benefit as if a perfect zone was created for this batch of orders.

Figuring out ideal zone boundaries is no longer a problem; there are no fixed zone boundaries! The 6RS software effectively determines the perfect zone for each robot without any operator intervention.

There is no need for labor balancing – we do that automatically. With dynamic zones, there are never associates waiting for work. As soon as an associate completes work with a robot, it leaves for the new “zone” and the associate can meet the next waiting robot. We have already determined there is one that is available for them.

Summary

Traditional static zones can be an effective technique to increase productivity and it is a methodology that 6 River Systems has supported for years. However, it does have its shortcomings so we designed a superior solution: dynamic zoning, which is just one of many innovations that we offer to our customers.

The post How 6 River Systems is Solving the Challenges of Traditional Zoning Methods appeared first on 6 River Systems.

A question that often arises when teams research warehouse robots is understanding the differences between system-directed and swarm robots. Both of these technologies are types of collaborative mobile robots, ones that work closely alongside your associates. These types of systems attempt to increase productivity rates compared to manual cart picking by reducing unnecessary walking and manual labor, speeding up workflows and reducing training time. Both approaches can provide benefits over cart-based picking, but there are significant differences as well.

Before comparing and contrasting methodologies, let’s define each robotic approach.

System-directed robots

At its simplest, an associate meets a robot and is directed from pick to pick. This can be broken into traditional zones or utilize a more advanced technology like dynamic zoning, but the associates are generally performing a number of sequential picks with the same robot. This technology is typically used for order picks, batch picking, cycle counting and replenishment tasks. For ease of reference, we will refer to this method as “directed picking” throughout this piece.

Swarming robots

Swarming robots generally go to a specific pick location and wait for an associate to perform work. Once the work is completed, the swarm robot travels to the next pick location and the associate finds another swarm robot that has available work. This technology is typically used for order picks, cycle counting and replenishment tasks. For ease of reference, we will refer to this method as “swarming.”

When is it best to use directed picking over swarming?

The two robotic approaches exist because there are different circumstances when one is more effective than the other. Swarming robots can be effective in some operations, particularly in small, dense picking operations or ones with wide-aisle pallet picking. However, as an operation becomes more sophisticated, so do the number of significant advantages of directed picking robots. These include better scaling to large operations, better worker productivity and higher density warehouses.

Operation Scaling

In any operation, there is generally a direct relationship between the square footage of a warehouse and the number of pickers on the floor. So, as warehouses increase in size, you will typically see more pickers. However, the relationship of space to pickers and space to robots are not the same between directed picking and swarming designs.

With directed picking robots, the quantities of robots are indicated by the number of pickers at your operation. Directed picking robots typically use 1.5 robots for each picking associate which ensures that as robots autonomously travel to and from work areas within a warehouse, each picker on the floor is still engaged in work with a different robot. So, for example, a 50k square foot warehouse with 8 pickers might require 12 robots while a 500k square foot warehouse employing 24 pickers might need 36 robots. The robots lead associates through an optimized, directed workflow and manages dynamic zones in real time. This guarantees that the work associates are directed to complete is always in the most efficient way possible.

However, site designs using swarming robots recommend quantities of robots based on the square footage of a site rather than the number of pickers. Why is this?

In order to be efficient, swarming robots need a high density of robots in the picking area. Otherwise, the walking time between robots increases and efficiency rapidly drops. As the warehouse expands, this problem intensifies. For example, a 500k square foot warehouse would need 10x more swarming robots than a 50k square foot warehouse to maintain the same worker efficiency.

For larger operations, the ROI can not usually justify the cost of such large fleets of swarming robots. In response, swarming robotics companies recommend operational changes. One method is to allocate jobs where picks are all within the same area and focus associates there. However, it is highly unlikely that all of the picks within an order contain SKUs located within the same few aisles. So, assuming they are not singles (which are often better picked in batches) a wave of picks that start as a densely-packed swarm of robots will eventually disperse throughout the warehouse, resulting in a drop in time between picks and a corresponding drop in efficiency. There are a number of ways that swarming robot providers try to address this, such as waving data across the warehouse and zone picking, but they don’t fundamentally address the density problem.

Another method is to sweep across the warehouse (pick everything from left to right or some other pattern). This can reduce robot density requirements a little bit, but it requires all of your associates to repeatedly walk the full length of the warehouse, causing inefficiency both in time and mistakes attributed to fatigue. To fix this problem you can organize associates into zones. However, this just leads us back to the original problem: either there are enough robots to maintain pick face density (and the resulting capital cost of that many robots) or the warehouse is split into zones plagued by unpredictable workloads – some zones will be very busy while others are very light – which leads to overworked and/or idle associates. Ultimately, it is very difficult to effectively deploy a very large number of swarming robots within a large operation.

Worker Productivity

One of the biggest advantages of a directed workflow is you can keep track of and directly influence the productivity of your associates. After removing “the long walk,” the next largest point of lost productivity is time between picks. As a result, this time between picks can be closely monitored and potentially mitigated.

In the graph above, the blue line represents associates walking with a robot from the place they met the robot to their first pick, and the yellow line is the associates walking from the last pick going to meet a new robot, which they do without a robot. As we can see in the chart above, when the associates are left to their own devices, they tend to be both less predictable and take a much longer time. In directed workflows, almost all of the associates movements are guided by the robot and keep them on track.

By comparison, with a swarming approach, the associates are never directed between tasks. The robot can indicate on its screen where the associate can find their next task, but much like what is illustrated by the yellow line in the graph above, associates are always left to pace themselves to that location. By being tasked to pace their own work, swarming robots fail to keep unsupervised associates engaged with the pick faces.

Warehouse Density and Aisle Size

In a warehouse, you are generally trying to maximize the use of floor space. Directed picking robots allow for significantly narrower aisles by utilizing one-way aisles when necessary. This is not surprising, as it is the way that most cart pick operations work to leverage floor density. Essentially, an aisle only needs to be slightly wider than the directed picking robot. For 6 River Systems’ Chuck, the minimum aisle width needed is 42 inches, which fits within most typical aisle layouts. Swarming robot vendors like to point out that Chuck needs wider aisles to pass each other, which is true, but this is not a real-world problem. They point this out to mask a significant shortcoming of swarming robots – large minimum aisle sizes.

Swarming robots, by their very nature, must be able to pass each other all the time or they get stuck. The swarming robot goes to a pick location to wait there for interaction with an associate. After the interaction is complete, it autonomously travels to its next task. If two robots end up in an aisle where they cannot pass each other, the system becomes deadlocked. The associate will complete a task on one robot, which will then seek to move in either direction down the aisle. However, its motion in one direction would be blocked by the next robot and in the other direction, the picker. This means that the minimum aisle size has to be much wider to ensure the robots can pass each other. Swarming robot vendors quote 60” as a minimum size, which is significantly wider than most high density picking aisles.

Carrying Capacity

“Can we put less on that robot?” asked no warehouse operator, ever. Although the size of a robot is not inherently linked to directed vs swarming methodologies, in practice it is much harder to make a large swarming robot since they must be able to pass each other in picking aisles. Due to this fact, swarming robots in the industry tend to be small and provide less carrying capacity. Directed picking robots tend to have a much higher carrying capacity. As a result, picking paths and work is much more efficient. 

For example, if a SKU is needed for 6 orders, the directed system will put all 6 of those orders onto the same robot and only visit its location once to retrieve all 6 items. Meanwhile these 6 orders in a swarming system will be allocated to 6 different robots and a picker will visit that same location 6 different times to pick them – increasing congestion on the floor and adding walking time for the associate.

In Conclusion

As volumes spike up and labor gets harder to find, collaborative robots are definitely an important tool for modern fulfillment centers. There are use cases for both Directed Picking and Swarming robots. For small sites that are pallet picking with wide aisles, swarming robots can be very effective. As sites get larger and pick faces density goes up, there are significant advantages of using directed picking robots. If you want more information on how 6 River Systems’ collaborative robots can help your operation, read our latest white paper outlining the business case for collaborative mobile robots.

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How zone picking works

Each picker group is assigned to a zone. They’re responsible for picking all SKUs located within that zone for each order. Sometimes this operation involves moving different SKUs from one zone into another, which is known as “pick and pass.” With this method, there’s one scheduling period per shift.

In some warehouse environments, zones will be sectioned off according to either human or robot-assisted picking. For example, in an electrical component retail warehouse there may be a need to use a powered pallet truck (PPT) for large and bulky items, whereas an unassisted human picker may pick lighter items in another zone. These two item picks may need to be collated and will eventually find each other by transferring to the same zone or to the sorting and packaging area.

In warehouses with robot-assisted picking, dynamic zones can be set and managed without pickers even being aware of it. 6 River Systems’ intelligent work allocation software evaluates the order pool and identifies opportunities to group tasks together within aisles or dynamic zones to minimize walking. 6 River Systems’ artificial intelligence creates dynamic zones for associates, with zones shrinking and expanding in real-time based on the profile of work that needs to be completed. Implementing pick and pass across dynamic zones ensures that warehouse associates and Chucks, 6 River Systems’ collaborative mobile robots, are fully utilized throughout the day.

Benefits of zone picking

As a basic fulfillment process, zone picking in a warehouse has a major impact on supply chain productivity. The picking perimeter is segmented into separate pick zones, and pickers assigned to each zone will only pick items within it. It allows zones to be set up based on distinct criteria, such as fast-moving and slow-moving SKUs or a zone dedicated to high-security SKUs. Another benefit is that each zone can have its own storage strategy, order picking equipment and technology.

Essentially, it operates like a standard assembly line. Cartons or other containers move along a conveyor line or belt or are transported from zone to zone by a manual cart or collaborative mobile robot, where SKUs are then added from each zone. Once the order is fulfilled, picking is complete, and the items are transported to packaging and shipping areas.

This picking method is best suited for large warehouses that deal with a large number of SKUs that have unique characteristics or picking requirements. It vastly reduces travel time as inventory pickers remain in their assigned zones rather than traveling throughout the warehouse, and cartons filled with items needed for each order come to them. By working in a smaller zone, pickers become more familiar with the SKUs in their zone and their pick locations, resulting in faster, more accurate picking.

It is also flexible. It can be combined with other picking methods for a hybrid approach that best suits your business’s needs. Some of these hybrid picking methods include:

• Zone-wave picking
• Zone-batch picking
• Zone-batch-wave picking

In the zone-wave picking method, pickers pick all SKUs that are stocked in their zone for all orders simultaneously, with a single scheduling window per shift. Zone-batch picking has a scheduling window, as well. In this hybrid picking method, pickers pick all SKUs for a group of orders (or batch of orders) at the same time within their zone, one SKU at a time.

Zone-batch-wave picking is the most complex method of the three hybrid methods. In this picking method, pickers pick multiple SKUs at the same time, with multiple scheduling windows for each shift.

Disadvantages

Working with a single scheduling period per shift allows warehouse managers to plan ahead, but it also means there’s a cutoff point for orders to be queued for picking. Orders received after the cutoff point will be processed during the next shift.

Additionally, load balancing zones for proper labor management can be challenging. If orders queued for picking during a particular shift consist of SKUs from just one or two zones, warehouse associates in other zones can take advantage of downtime to replenish forward pick locations.

Best practices

Once the fundamentals have been established, by creating designated groups and zones and setting up workstations, these best practices will take it to the next level.

Organized workstations are an often-overlooked aspect of warehouse management. Leading logistics professionals recommend using the simple “5S” method. That is: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. These techniques help maintain workstation cleanliness while also limiting clutter. Organized workstations help keep associates focused on the tasks at hand, reduce errors and improve overall safety.

Optimize labor efficiency by managing your warehouse layout and storage. High volume items should be placed somewhere near the front of the warehouse to eliminate any unnecessary travel time. Items that are frequently sold together should also be stored in proximity to one another’s zones for the benefit of your pickers.

Analyzing and streamlining your picking processes correctly will jumpstart warehouse efficiency.

Download our white paper, 7 Reasons Why Warehouse Robots Beat Traditional Automation, to learn more about how warehouse robots can benefit your piece picking operations.

For more on zone picking, check out our post on Zone Picking vs Wave Picking: Which is Best?

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This is more than enough incentive for businesses to implement best practices and technologies that will help reduce warehouse picking errors to the barest minimum. To help you get started, here are some proven ways on how to reduce warehouse picking errors.

1. Leverage the right technology

Most warehouse managers believe that adopting warehouse automation and leveraging the right technology can greatly improve profitability. Not only does warehouse automation help to improve productivity but it also helps reduce order fulfillment errors. The following technologies are particularly effective in reducing warehouse picking errors.

Autonomous mobile robots

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) help to improve pick rates by reducing unnecessary walking by warehouse associates. Since tired workers make more mistakes, keeping human workers rested and alert is key to reducing warehouse order picking error rates. Autonomous mobile robots keep associates on task by leading them to pick locations (via optimized routes) and displaying order items and the quantities to pick. Essentially, collaborative mobile robots help to reduce the physical and mental strain on warehouse associates, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Pick-to-light and put-to-light technology

Pick-to-light and put-to-light technologies are great for increasing the speed and accuracy of picking activities. To leverage these technologies, you must first install pick-to-light LEDs on racks and shelves throughout your warehouse. Pickers use barcode scanners to scan the barcodes on a shipping carton (which is intended to hold all the items for a single order). After scanning, the light LEDs for SKUs listed in the order begin to glow. Warehouse associates simply follow these lights to pick the items listed in the order.

2. Review storage strategies regularly

Implementing certain warehouse management best practices helps to reduce warehouse picking errors. Such practices include:

• Regularly reviewing storage strategies
• 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)

Lastly, be careful storing the same SKU in multiple pick locations. While there are benefits to multiple pick locations for high-velocity SKUs, associates may need to pick the same SKU from multiple storage locations if there’s not enough inventory in the first pick location, which can lead to errors.

3. Make sure all items are properly identified and labeled

Proper identification and labeling of items helps to reduce the likelihood of associates picking the wrong items. Use barcode scanners to scan items into locations and optimally place signs, aisle markers and rack labels to help pickers easily identify storage locations. Also, different package sizes should have distinct labeling and a unique SKU.

4. Conduct regular inventory checks

Conducting regular inventory checks enables warehouse associates to discover items stored in wrong locations — one of the leading causes of picking errors. Errors during replenishment or putaway activities can directly lead to picking errors. This is because an item stored in the wrong bin makes it easy for pickers to pick the wrong SKU for a customer order.

As such, inventory checks help you identify problems or opportunities for improvement in your order fulfillment/replenishment process and support better inventory planning. Also, they’re invaluable in keeping stock levels up-to-date, thus ensuring that you don’t run out of stock on fast-moving items or overextend on slow-moving products.

5. Assign IDs to associates to identify problems and track errors

Warehouse associates are susceptible to human errors caused by fatigue, negligence, disengagement or emotional, physical and mental stress. To ensure accountability, you should assign IDs to associates to identify problems and track errors. Not doing so hinders your ability to assess the efficiency of individual team members and identify personnel who require more training. Such IDs also enable warehouse managers to know who is responsible for what, making it easier to track the progress of a customer’s order.

Picking errors can mar order fulfillment operations and negatively impact the reputation of your business. Since order fulfillment is one of the last links in the supply chain, any errors during warehouse picking activities (if not detected) will directly impact customer satisfaction and disrupt revenue streams. To prevent this, you should leverage the best practices outlined above and adopt the right technology. Click here to learn more about how autonomous mobile robots can help reduce picking errors in your warehouse.

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