Order Picking, Sorting & Handling
Of all warehouse processes, order picking usually gets the most attention – whether due to the nature of distribution and fulfillment which has more outbound transactions than inbound transactions, or due to the high level of importance placed on order picking operations in connection with customer satisfaction.
A logistic solution may require material handling devices and systems that fully or partially automate order picking, sorting, packing or palletizing tasks.
Order picking solutions include computer assisted manual, semi-automated or fully automated solutions. These solutions are managed and coordinated by a Warehouse Management System (the
WMS).
Manual Order Picking Solutions Manual order picking computer assisted technologies can be applied:
Semi-Automatic Order Picking Solutions
The technologies used for manual order picking may be used when applying the "Person-To-Goods" principle, however when implementing the "Goods-To-Person" principle, dynamic conveying systems and dynamic storage systems can be used to bring goods to predefined picking positions. These are referred to as Semi-Automatic order picking solutions.
Fully-Automated Picking Solutions
Fully-automated picking solutions where appropriate, depend on the items being picked, pallets, cases or small items, and can include:
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Tilt-tray sorters, crossbelt conveyors, sweeping-arm sorters, can all provide high-speed, accurate, reliable, and efficient sorting for automated order fulfillment, returns processing or loose receipts.
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Order picking robots can be used for flexible high-speed item picking, palletizing or de-palletizing tasks.
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For piece-picking, fully automated picking machines (such as A-frames or A-Machines) can be used. This is practical where very high volumes of similar products are picked, such as pharmaceutical applications.
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Automated handling of items requires automatic item identification. This can be accomplished using technologies such as:
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Barcodes (1D, 2D)
- RFID
- Video Image Recognition