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by Staci Americas on Mar 4, 2022 10:00:00 AM
Warehouse picking involves retrieving items from a shelf or bin and moving them to a packing area before shipment. Choosing the right method for your business can easily drive a 6-figure annual labor savings.
This infographic summarizes the PROs and CONs of various warehouse picking strategies, allowing you to make a more informed choice about the best method for your operation.
PROs and CONs of the most common warehouse picking strategies
Single-Order/Discrete Picking
Warehouse associate picks all order items from start to finish, no matter where the item sits in the warehouse. Small sellers often start out using this picking method.
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Easy to learn/train |
Labor-intensive |
|
Low error rate |
High travel times for picker |
|
Good for low order volumes with high number of SKUs per order |
Doesn’t scale well |
Batch Picking
Associate goes to SKU locations to grab cases used to build multiple, identical/similar orders at pack-out stations.
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Great for orders with high similarity |
Not flexible enough for hot orders |
|
Pairs well with voice/light picking solutions |
Requires extra touchpoints |
|
Reduces travel time |
Hard to optimize without a WMS |
|
Low labor time per order |
Not ideal for large-sized items or orders with high SKU volumes |
|
Ideal for high volumes of small-sized items and/or orders with low SKU counts |
May require dedicated prep area |
Cluster Picking
Warehouse associates push a cart through the warehouse and pick SKUs across multiple orders as they go.
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Efficient for multi-order picking |
Limited orders per trip (based on cart size) |
|
Minimizes touches compared to batch picking |
Long-travel paths when order contains less popular items |
|
Good for small/medium items |
Not ideal for large items |
Zone Picking
Also known as “pick and pass,” picker retrieves all items from assigned zone before passing the order to another associate in next zone.
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Pickers gain strong knowledge in one product/picking area |
Often needs additional conveyance to improve effectiveness |
|
Minimizes travel time |
Inflexible on minimum staffing |
|
Order only travels through zones containing SKUs in the order |
Siloed picker knowledge can create scheduling challenges |
Wave Picking
Another form of zone-based picking where multiple wave pickers simultaneously pick all order SKUs at once from respective zones and send them to single point for consolidation/shipping.
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Pickers gain familiarity in one area |
Additional labor for consolidation step |
|
Minimizes picker travel time |
Needs extra staging space to consolidate/sort |
|
Reduces warehouse floor congestion |
Sorting requirements may extend lead times |
|
Separate picking/sorting provides additional built-in accuracy check |
Zone-based knowledge limits pickers from covering other zones |
Many fulfillment providers rely on a single warehouse picking strategy, and that strategy may not be right for your specific requirements. The team at Staci Americas will help you identify the best warehouse picking strategies for your needs. Get in touch to see how we can boost your fulfillment capabilities with optimized picking.
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