Navigator Solutions

Alternative Picking Methods

Navigator WMS is capable of directing workers to pick and deliver stock in a variety of ways - all dependent upon how your business runs, the type of customers you have and the type of products flowing through the facility. It is likely that to use all but simple picking methods, you will need to work closely with your Navigator integrator.

Order at a Time

This is the basic model of picking utilised in many warehouses. In this scenario, a single worker starts and completes a picking slip in a single session. The items they are requested to pick are displayed in location picking sequence order followed by part number order. Each time the operator successfully confirms an item, they are immediately directed to the next location in sequence for the same order.

Key points about this model are as follows:

Simplicity - the picking workflow is identical to that used in a paper based system except barcode scanning or voice entry is used to double check the items picked.
Accountability - a single worker completes the entire order. If items are missing from the order, these can easily be tracked down.
Accuracy - picking of the correct item is confirmed by either scanning a barcode or reading a checkdigit. Goods are not likely to be sent to the wrong customer because the picker carries a single order with them at a time.
Order Volume - this method is best suited for warehouses in which the cubic volume or weight of the order is relatively small (as the goods are typically carried around the entire pick route)
Speed - if two similar orders are processed through the system at the same time, workers will walk twice through the warehouse. In large distribution centres, this can be a substantial time penalty.

Batch Picking

During batch picking, multiple orders are picked at the same time in a single pass through the warehouse. The operator will typically print off several carton labels (e.g 6) and place the empty cartons on a trolley. Navigator then directs the operator to pick all six orders at the same time in a single pass through the warehouse. Key points about this model are as follows:

Accountability - a single worker completes multiple orders. If items are missing, there is only a single staff member to consult with.
Accuracy - picking the correct item is confirmed by either reading a checkdigit or scanning a barcode. There is a small risk that when an item is picked it is placed into an incorrect carton (i.e. with stock for a different order)
Order Volume - this method is most successful for warehouses in which pick slips are typically between 1 and 10 items and can be physically picked into small cartons or envelopes (e.g CDs / DVDs / jewellery)
Speed - this pick process is fast as the system reduces the amount of walking to be performed by the picker.
Forklifts with the capacity for two or more pallets allow this process to scale up to larger warehouses including grocery/FMCG.

Pick to Label

Pick-to-label works in a similar way to batch picking. A single label is produced for each carton to be picked across a group of pickslips. The labels are sorted by picking location in the warehouse (not by order). A single pass through the warehouse will result in multiple orders being picked very quickly.

Accountability - the system records the worker who scan picked each individual label. Multiple pickers may work on a single order.
Accuracy - picking the correct item is confirmed by scanning the pick label and the product barcode. If the product linked to the pick label does not match the scanned product, the user is given an error message.
Order Volume - this method works well for large items which can be picked and shipped without re-packing, e.g. full cartons.
Speed - this pick process is fast as the system picks multiple orders in a single warehouse pass, however the labels must be collected and sorted (consuming time), and individual picks may need to be re-consolidated before dispatch (if this process is not performed by the courier).

Zone Picking

Zone picking works by bringing the order to the picker. Each picker is allocated a series of locations (called a zone) from which they should pick stock. When an order is started, a carton is labelled for each order. The carton is passed by trolley or conveyor to the first zone. The picker scans the carton received and the system tells them which items are to be picked in the worker's current zone. Once all items from the zone are picked, the picker is told to pass the cartons on to the next zone for processing.

Features of this picking model are as follows:

Accountability - the system records the worker who confirmed individual items against an order. Multiple pickers may work on a single order.
Accuracy - picking the correct item is confirmed by scanning the product barcode or by reading a check digit.
Order Volume - this method works well for warehouses in which there are a small number of products with fixed locations.
Speed - this picking process is as fast as the slowest member of the team. Bottlenecks may result from one zone having too many items to be picked or if a worker is on a break etc. Some workers may not be busy at all (their zone does not have enough work to do).
The types and quantity of products in each zone must be carefully analysed and continuously adjusted.

Lot Number Picking

Lot number picking works by allowing the user to pick item at a time, providing the user with information about pallets which are suitable for the current item. Navigator tells the picker the lot number and the current location of the pallet, allowing the picker to pick in a FIFO manner, or to pick pallets which are easy to access. As each item is picked, Navigator updates inventory records stored against each pallet. If a pallet is broken (partially picked), Navigator automatically reprints a new pallet sticker to replace the old label removed with the stretch wrap, and allows the picker to print new 'destination' pallet labels. Finally, Navigator gives the operator the ability to stage pallets into a location or load pallets directly on to a waiting truck.