News and Views
 

- September 12, 2007 -

 
   

Supply Chain Tip of the Week: Improving Piece Picking Productivity by Reversing Picks in a Zone

 
 

Technique is Especially Suited to Voice Picking; 10-15% Efficiency Gains?

 
 

 

SCDigest Editorial Staff

SC Digest Says:
The technique could also work with RF picking, though likely would require some WMS modification.

What do you say? Send us your comments here

A simple technique offers distribution managers the chance to improve picking productivity in split case pick modules by eliminating picker “deadheading” back to the start of the zone.

In high and medium volume piece or split case picking areas, many companies use some version of zone picking, in which operators work a specific range of locations for each tote or carton. After the individual picks for a carton or tote are complete within the zone, the container is passed on to the next picker, or sent to shipping if complete, generally using either an unpowered or powered conveyor system. Picking instructions in such a system have typically been delivered to operators via a Radio Frequency (RF) device, or more recently through a voice terminal.

In most zone picking operations, after the set of picks for the zone are complete, the operator will walk back to the beginning of the zone to start working on the next carton or tote. This operator “deadheading” – walking back to the start of the zone – eats up a lot of time over the course of a shift.

If the Warehouse Management System software was configured to simply reverse the sequence of the picks in the zone after each carton is complete, that deadheading could be eliminated.

Steve Belardi, VP of Logistics for sporting goods and apparel retailer Sport Chalet, offered this smart tip at the recent HighJump Software Users Conference in San Diego. He noted that the use of voice technology makes the process especially easy – after identifying the carton or tote to the system, the operator simply speaks “reverse,” and the WMS re-sequences the order of the picks in the zone. In Sport Chalet’s case, this change alone led to an almost 15% gain in split case productivity.

The technique could also work with RF picking, though likely would require some WMS modification. After scanning the next carton or tote, a menu choice on the RF screen would be provided that would allow the operator to select “Reverse Pick Sequence” or something similar to accomplish the same result.

The available savings will depend on several factors, especially the length of the zones. It would seem most effective and be least disruptive to flow if the picker can take two empty cartons or totes at the beginning of the zone, picking one on the way up, and the other on the way back. 

Another technique to improve split case picking efficiency is the concept of “bucket brigades,” in which operators don’t use defined zones at all, and pass work to each other based on the speed each picker operates, as SCDigest detailed earlier this year. (See Bees, Order Picking and Self-Organizing Logistics Systems.)

Please send us your thoughts or comments on this article at the Feedback button below.

 
     
Send an Email
     
     
.