The order-picking process is one of the most important and complex steps in a warehouse. Different steps are implemented to improve overall productivity and facilitate inventory management.
What is order picking?
Order picking involves several stages:
- Picking items from stock (factory or warehouse),
- Article grouping
- Shipment of items to their respective customers in the quantities requested
Order picking is an essential step in the supply chain. It is the key to customer satisfaction, so it must not be neglected, and picking errors must be kept to a minimum. So, while the speed of an order picker is of prime importance, the reliability of the order handling process and packaging are also decisive factors.
Step 1: Planning
Planning is an essential step in simplifying inventory management. Warehouse management software allows you to record orders in order of priority, while assigning tasks to pickers.
Step 2: The sampling route
In a Man to Goods system, they follow a route to pick the goods they need. This route includes :
- The operator's starting point,
- Location of products to be sampled,
- Back to the packaging area.
This stage is crucial to time management, so it's important to optimize warehouse design to remove obstacles that would slow down order picking. Material handling equipment can speed up movement. At the same time, the use of software facilitates picking. It is also possible to modify the picking mode of the warehouse with a Goods to Man system.
Step 3: Stock picking
Order pickers need more or less time to pick products, depending on their height in the warehouse. In addition, your stock must be picked with care and precision, for the safety of both pickers and orders. It should be noted that it is at this stage of order picking that the majority of errors are made.
To avoid this, the inventory must correspond to the goods stored on the shelves. Pickers must also respect picking rules. It is also possible to turn to automated systems for goods at height.
Step 4: Order preparation
The order picking stage itself is based on several steps:
- Check collected products by quantity and reference,
- Packaging (weighing, wrapping, labeling),
- Transfer of the order to the shipping zone, depending on the destination,
- Printing of packing list and delivery note for carriers.
Our tips for organizing order picking
For greater simplicity, it is advisable to standardize the different types of packaging to suit the products. You can also use shipping preparation and management software to facilitate order management.
