Some Of The Intricacies Of Order Picking In A Warehouse

By Author: Nik Vorfi
Total Articles: 12
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When you operate a large warehouse, an effective order picking system is vital, especially at this time of the year as we approach the festive season. Order picking is the process of selecting products from a huge range in the warehouse in order to supply the requirements of multiple different customers at the same time and it needs to be carried out efficiently and quickly.

As a part of the supply chain process, order picking is also the most labour-intensive activity in a any warehouse. It actually accounts for 55% of all operating expenses in a warehouse and has to be done correctly because it is critical to see to it that every customer gets exactly what they have ordered.

With Christmas approaching there is always a massive increase in warehouse activity as retailers put in larger orders and then return for more as they find that some lines are selling faster than others. According to the Bank of England, consumers spend about £19 billion on Christmas presents at this time of year and there are huge increases in certain sectors. For example, 116% more is spent on DVDs and music, and 68% more on computers ...
... than at any other time of year. Spending on books increases by 85% (yes, apparently, we do still read books), while spending on clothing is up by 43% and on alcohol up 39%. Spending on food overall goes up by 20%.

With all that extra spending taking place, it is never more critical to have an effective order picking system than it is right now. The most common method of order picking is the single order system where the picker goes about the warehouse and selects the correct items on the list to complete one order at a time.

Zone picking is another method where the warehouse is divided into sections and has staff who stay in a specific section. Each one has its own storage system, and orders can be picked from zone to zone and delivered to a point in the warehouse before despatch.

Another system is batch picking where the picker completes multiple orders at a time, and this can be done using an automated system with vertical and horizontal carousels, or it can be done manually. This works very well in a warehouse where many small orders need to be picked, and it reduces the time taken to complete an order since the picker is completing several orders at the same time.

Of course, whatever type of system you use, it has to be accurate and it has to be quick. This is why many warehouses use colour coded order picking bins to help with speeding up the process. It is best if these are Euro sizes since it will help to speed the process, and everything can fit on to standard euro size pallets or UK size pallets. In addition to colour coding, ventilated Euro containers allow the picker to see what is inside each container which can confirm that it is indeed the right product.

Another method is the use of coloured clips which can be attached to each bin and help to identify the contents in the same ways as coloured bins. Of course, Euro size containers can also be moved around the warehouse on a dolly which can carry them to a despatch point for checking. If goods are also being delivered to the customer in Euro containers, they can have lids fitted for transport so that the goods don’t get wet if it is raining. These can then be loaded on to the van and stacked individually, or they can, of course, be loaded on to a pallet, either Euro size or UK size, which can then be loaded on to the van.

Whatever type of system you are using in your warehouse, ventilated Euro containers can make life a lot simpler. They are also available not just in the standard 600mm x 400mm standard size, but in half size, quarter size, and double size as well so that they can be used for small products or larger ones as required. They will all fit perfectly on to the Euro pallets and dollys.

Caterbox is the leading UK supplier of ventilated Euro containers and can provide them in a range of different sizes, heights, and colours as required.