For all the talk about warehouse technologies, more than 60 percent of DC’s still use paper picking systems, according to a 2015 survey by Peerless Research Group. Admittedly, about half of those paper users also supplement their processes with select scan verification technologies or automation systems, and most of them are also running a Warehouse Management System (WMS). But, really, considering that 60-70 percent of warehouse labor costs come from the order-fulfillment process, why on earth would a DC operation stick with such an old-school, labor-intensive pick method?
The Evolution of Paper-Based Picking
Typically, it begins at the beginning. Most business’s fulfillment operations start out small, with a fairly limited SKU base and a small staff of pickers. At this early stage, paper-based picking of single orders makes sense because it’s simple. And as pickers gain experience and grow more familiar with product characteristics and SKU placement, their pick rates improve, making paper-based picking appear to be a productive, sustainable solution.
Over time, though, as the business grows, orders increase, SKUs proliferate, the warehouse footprint expands, pick paths grow longer, and workers are added or replaced, the situation reverses: travel time increases, labor costs mount, and productivity drops. ECommerce exacerbates all of these trends. At this increasingly complex stage, each paper pick ticket is simply sending the picker into a repetitive chain of redundant processes to pick a single order.
Often, an experienced picker will pick up several pick tickets at once, in a sincere effort to boost pick rates by picking multiple orders on a single trip. At a glance, that seems like batch picking, but that’s just an illusion – it’s actually multiple-order picking, which sounds like the same thing but isn’t. In fact, randomly grouping several pick tickets into a single pick trip can actually increase travel time because the slowest order holds up the entire group. Because the picker must pick all the items on each ticket during a single pass, he is forced to transport all the picks along his entire pick path. Basically, individual – and potentially unrelated – orders become inseparable from the group, bound to travel together start to finish. That’s no more – and often less – efficient than single-order picking.
The Benefits of True Batch Picking
"Actual" batch picking (as opposed to the grouped paper picking described in the previous paragraph) groups orders into a logical pick set, which is based on factors the orders have in common, such as SKU location or order size. Batch picking – with the aid of inventory optimization software and systems – decreases touch requirements, shortens the pick path, reduces travel time, improves pick accuracy, and optimizes labor efficiency.
The bottom line is that improving your order picking operation improves your bottom line. Whether you are running a traditional paper picking system or a customized combination of computer-directed methods, adding appropriate products and technologies to your picking processes can improve inventory visibility and accessibility, boost pick speed and accuracy, and eliminate the glitches and holdups that shortchange operational productivity and rob you of profitability.
UNEX Solutions for Order Picking Efficiency
Order picking is a crucial process in warehouses and fulfillment centers, where efficiency and accuracy can significantly impact overall productivity and customer satisfaction. UNEX offers a range of solutions specifically designed to enhance order picking operations:
SpanTrack
SpanTrack is an innovative carton flow solution that maximizes productivity and space utilization in order picking environments. By integrating SpanTrack into your existing pallet rack systems, you can create a robust and efficient flow system for both case and each picking operations.
Benefits:
- Versatility: Easily added to new or existing pallet racks without the need for shelves or intermediate support.
- Superior Flexibility: SpanTrack provides the flexibility to store products with a wide variation in size and weight.
- Unrivaled Flow: Provides maximum carton support and up to 300% more product contact than plastic wheel rails, resulting in better flow, fewer hang-ups, and increased throughput.
FlowCell
FlowCell workstations are modular dynamic storage units designed to support lean principles by keeping inventory organized and maximizing pick efficiency.
Benefits:
- Increased Space Utilization: Maximizes storage space by keeping inventory properly organized.
- Boosted Production Efficiency: Angles parts towards the worker for easy access, minimizing reaching and improving ergonomics.
- Reconfigurability: Flexible design allows for easy adjustment to accommodate line and process changes.
- Durability: Made of heavy gauge steel with a powder-coated finish, FlowCell units are built to last.
SpeedCell
SpeedCell is a dynamic high-density storage solution that compresses 200' of rack or shelving into 40' of highly organized space. This dramatically increases pick faces, helping operations to increase storage density, improve pick speed, reduce travel time, and enhance accuracy.
Benefits:
- Increased Storage Density: Compresses space to hold more SKUs in a smaller footprint.
- Reduced Labor Costs: Improves pick speed and accuracy, reducing overall labor costs.
- Ergonomic Design: Designed to reduce the need for deep bending, stretching, or step stools, making picking safer and more efficient.
Enhance Your Order Picking Solutions with UNEX
If you need help picking and choosing the best solution, our experienced team can help you explore which options best suited to your inventory and industry. For example, to recover lost time and effort, one of customers recently utilized our recently updated SKUBE slotting analysis service, which allowed them to optimize their pick paths and store SKUs in their ideal locations. This resulted in increased productivity in their order picking operation while they continue to transition over to new picking processes and technologies.
UNEX boasts a full line of innovative order-picking solutions, including SpeedCell, SpanTrack, and FlowCell systems, all designed to optimize and speed picking operations. UNEX helps pickers quickly and easily find and retrieve items- even when using paper picking methods. Contact the UNEX team today to explore our wide variety of order-picking solutions. 
