Supply Chain
Order picking
There are two main categories of order picking:
• "Single order picking"
• "Multi-order picking"
An example based on a supermarket, a trolley and some carrier bags will allow us to explain some key principles underlying order picking.
• Single-order picking:
Manual picking: Following your list, you fill your trolley.
Manual zone picking: You fill your trolley in relation to the location of products in the aisles of the supermarket.
Automated zone picking: The trolley and the shopping list are placed on a conveyor at the supermarket entrance. The conveyor then transports the trolley to the aisles where the products on the shopping list are located. If an aisle does not hold any products on the list, the trolley does not stop there.
• Multi-order picking:
You have "n" shopping lists.
Manual batch picking: In the aisles, you fill your trolley according to the contents of your "n" lists.
Automated batch picking: You send your "n" lists to be processed. All the lists are collected and the orders are picked. The products are then brought to a sorter that selects the proper quantities for each consignee. There is a trolley at each discharge point of the sorter.
Manual picking by batch and zone: You organize your shopping according to the location of the products, thereby avoiding unnecessary visits to aisles. Once you have all the products, you sort them according to their owners. Another approach would be to sort them immediately when you take them from the shelves.
Automated picking by batch and zone: The trolley and your "n" lists are left on a conveyor. The trolley is then transported to the appropriate aisles, where employees fill it with the products indicated on each of the lists. If an aisle does not hold any products on the list, the trolley does not stop there. The products may then be sorted by a sorter, and redistributed among the "n" trolleys.
Actemium's comprehensive range of capabilities
In general, a list "on paper" is no longer directly used in the order picking process. Today, Radio Frequency (RFID), voice recognition and "pick to light" / "put-to-light" technologies are most often used.
Actemium can carry out a comprehensive analysis (packaging, storage, marking, invoicing, security and verification of outbound shipments) to optimize the performance of your warehouse.
