Different Warehouse Picking Methods

Despite the amount of research invested in warehouse management, many will testify how cumbersome a task finding an efficient strategy in order picking can be. The general overview of order picking is that a business receives its products, which are then distributed to various locations throughout the warehouse. Pickers are then assigned to fulfil these orders, albeit using a different strategy depending on the business.

The above is a very general overview and there can be a number of factors involved when trying to instil an efficient fault-free process. While the processes and equipment detailed below can be applied to many warehouses, a business that uses the wrong strategy could find that they use up a lot more time, which itself could affect productivity.

Zone Picking
Zone picking sees the warehouse divided into different zones, with different pickers assigned to each zone. Pickers within these zones will only fulfil orders that fall within their demographic. The machinery used could depend on a number of different factors. For example, products on higher shelves may require the use of a crane, whereas larger warehouse could require carts to improve productivity.

Piece Picking
Piece picking sees the pickers fulfil an order rather than dealing with a specific area. This means that a greater area of the warehouse will be covered when trying to fulfil an order, which means more time will be required. Depending on the type of business, machinery such as fork-lift trucks and lifting cranes would be used to help pickers fulfil orders.

Wave Picking
Wave picking uses the piece picking strategy as its inspiration, but takes it to the next level by having pickers fulfil a series of orders in one journey. Again, machinery can be instilled to help aid the pickers in fulfilling the order. Palettes would normally be used when using the wave picking strategy.

Solutions for Order Picking
While the above solutions give an idea of how different strategies can be instilled within a warehouse, the equipment being used needs to complement this strategy. There’s also a number of factors to consider, such as how the stock is recorded within the warehouse, and what measures have been taken to ensure products can be found easily and quickly.

As such, you should look into how modernised your current operations are, and decide whether it’s time to update your current setup, or instil a completely new solution. There have been a number of advancements in both warehouse solutions, and the software that drives it. As such, a business could make a number of cumbersome tasks automated, which means more time can be invested into streamlining the order proves.

Companies such as KEYMAS have invested a deal of time into researching and developing a plethora of solutions for all your warehouse needs. As well as offering conveyor systems for automated picking, KEYMAS is also able to offer solutions that help you to easily keep up to date with your business’s stock rotation.

The right kind of warehouse strategy partnered with reliable and robust equipment means your business can stay on top of its orders and surpass customer expectations.