Order picking

General definition

The order picking or order preparation operation is one of a logistic warehouse's process. It consists in taking and collecting articles in a specified quantity before shipment to satisfy customers orders. It is a basic warehousing process and has an important influence on supply chain's productivity. This makes order picking one of the most controlled logistic processes. It is one of the warehouse management system functionalities.

Different types of order picking

We can identify the following main types of order picking:

• piece picking or picker to part method: the order picker(s) move(s) to collect the products necessary for one order
• zone picking method: each order picker is assigned to one specific zone and will only realize order picking within this zone
• wave picking method: the order picker(s) move(s) to collect the products necessary for several orders
• sorting systems method: no movement of the order picker(s), the products are brought to him by an automatic system (conveyor system, automatic storage ...).
• pick to box method: no movement of the order picker(s), the picking area is organized so that there are a number of picking stations connected by a conveyor. The order picker fills the box with the products from his station and the box moves to the other picking stations until the customer order is complete.

Technologies

There are various ways in which a pick may be communicated to a picker:

• a simple paper pick list,
• an RF terminal
• a list of labels that list an item's location -one per item being picked
• voice picking equipment
• pick to light equipment

Some of these technologies can also be used to make sure the picker picked from the proper location using barcode or RFID terminal or voice picking.

See also

• Warehouse
• Warehouse Management System
• Distribution center