What Is an Order Picking System?
“Picking” is the process of picking up and collecting specified products, mainly in a warehouse. “Sorting” is the process of taking out one by one from pallets stacked with many cardboard boxes containing products and sorting them into shelves in a factory or warehouse in the previous process.
An order picking system is one of the indispensable tasks in a logistics warehouse. It requires accuracy and high speed to pick up products without fail, because any mistake in the sorting process may lead to wrong shipments unless the person in charge of picking can detect it.
Uses of Order Picking Systems
The general flow of logistics is to sort products ordered from Internet shopping sites, etc., in a warehouse, pick the products, inspect them from packaging in the subsequent process, and finally ship them, and order picking systems are relatively front-end process of logistics.
However, it is an important process that directly leads to incorrect shipment if the wrong items are picked up, so it is necessary to have the accuracy to pick up items correctly and the skills to sort and pick up items speedily for prompt shipment. Therefore, it is necessary to have the accuracy to pick up the wrong items accurately, and the skill to sort and pick up the items quickly for prompt delivery.
Principles of Order Picking Systems
There are two main types of picking, each of which is used depending on the size of the warehouse.
Single Picking (Picking Method)
In this method, products are picked up for each order, and the products to be packed are grouped together so that the packing can proceed smoothly.
This method is suitable for items with a relatively small number of shipments, but has the disadvantage of requiring long travel time to pick up each order when the number of shipments increases, as well as the time required to search for the items.
Total Picking (Seeding Method)
In this method, multiple items that have been ordered are picked together and collected at the loading dock, and then sorted and transported to the shipping destination from there.
Compared to single picking, this method reduces travel time, but requires space for a separate loading dock, so it is mainly used in large warehouses with a large area.