Three Picking Methods That 3PL Warehouses Should Consider

Order picking is a key component of a 3PL warehouse operation and must be set up properly to ensure a smooth flow in your warehouse operation. Order picking is the process of pulling out the right products from a warehouse for an order or for a batch. When choosing a Warehouse Management Software (WMS) system, it is critical that the software chosen can accommodate the picking functions noted below.

Wave Picking

Wave Picking is a concept whereby a picking sequence is created that targets individual line items to fill an order in one trip through the warehouse.
Example: Walking down the aisle collecting items on one side then returning back up the aisle and picking from the other side. If aisles are close together, pickers may move in one direction picking from the right and left and then continuing to a 2nd aisle.

Batch Picking

Batch picking is similar to Wave Picking, but is used for picking more than one order at a time. There are two approaches for batch picking. The first method is used where the entire batch of orders has been picked and the picker delivers them to a staging area. Once this step has been completed the picked items are sorted into individual orders and prepared for packing and shipping.

The second method is to build the orders along the way. The cart or truck used by the picker has bins that are used to store individual specific orders. As they move along the pick patch, picked items are sorted into the appropriate bins and completed orders are moved to the packing area.

Zone Picking

The Zone Picking concept is based on a program where workers are assigned to a specific area or zone in the warehouse. They pick products only in their designated zone even though they may include line items from more than one zone. Once picking at a zone is complete, the products are delivered to a staging area combined with products from other zones. Zone Picking is often used by warehouses storing food products where it critical to segregate products by zones

Zone Picking is also very helpful when a warehouse is very large or when products are vastly different from one another. As an example, there may be a zone for dry goods (food items) that is separate from a zone that stores refrigerated products

Core eBusiness Solutions and its CoreWarehouse 3PL WMS Software includes a comprehensive group of cloud-based functions that can manage all different warehouses picking options. Core eBusiness Solutions is headquartered in Fairfield, NJ and can be reached at 201 836-8900 www.core-warehouse.com