Best Practices in Fulfillment: On Picking and Packing Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM
, By Kate Vitasek
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Combined shipping label/pick documents.
These work well in single-order pick environments; when the order is
picked, it is immediately placed into its shipping carton and its
packing label is applied at the same time.
Hand-held radio-frequency (RF) terminals and portable label printers.
A pick task is sent to the RF device, and the worker goes about the job
of picking the product, making the process virtually paperless.
Pick-to-light technology.
This also allows for paperless picking. A system of lights throughout
the picking areas is linked to the order management and inventory
system. The worker picks product by following the lighted locations and
then confirms each pick in the system. The system is then able to carry
out inventory transactions, complete order records, and drive
replenishment requirements.
Voice recognition technology.
Voice messages deliver tasks to pickers, who in turn can use common
speech to give commands to the system. The system also helps to direct
the employee to the pick location. Voice recognition systems are
flexible and allow order priorities to be quickly changed.
Many
companies have set up dual systems, using pick-to-light for the 20% of
the components that make up 80% of the product volume and using voice
for the 80% of the parts that make up the final 20% of the product
volume. This combination of technologies underscores that no single
process is best in class. Best-in-class companies select the method or
methods that achieve the best operational efficiency to support their
customers' demands and drive the lowest labor costs.
Peanut
butter and jelly. Reaping and sowing. Picking and packing. It's tough
to discuss the one without segueing to a discussion of the other.
Best
practice in packing is to use the order management system (OMS) to
select the proper size of box and the right type of packaging. The OMS,
which holds product size and weight information and packaging
requirements, automatically analyzes each order and adds any special
packing instructions to the pick documents. System-selected packaging
has the benefit of optimizing freight costs, reducing damage, and
reducing operator time in packing.
Technology
plays a part in a company's ability to perform transactions as a
seamless part of the picking process. It is common practice for
transactions to be performed at the end of the pick process as part of
order consolidation or confirmation. Best-practice companies have
integrated transactions into the process by using RF terminals,
wireless speech systems, or similar WMS-enabled transaction automation.
This allows transactions to take place in real time and in a single
system of record.
Understanding
best practices can be a daunting task for many companies. Professional
conferences such as the National Conference on Operations &
Fulfillment (www.ncof.com)
are a good starting place to learn about what other companies are
doing. There are also many good industry resources publicly available
such as WERC's Best Practices Handbook Series (www.WERC.org).
Taking measure
Improving
performance in the pick and pack areas will help to reduce labor and
increase efficiency; it will also boost customer service levels.
Performance metrics must measure both what the customer sees and what
drives improvement in warehouse processes. Best-in-class companies
strive to link metrics to customer satisfaction and drive improvements
by:
measuring daily activity by major task.
measuring accuracy and performance at the individual level.
displaying
performance metrics on the warehouse floor and using those metrics as
part of a daily “standup” review of performance.
including employees in continuous improvement programs.
gathering feedback, suggestions, and information from pickers and packers.
reporting customer-facing metrics to their customers. — KV
