Automated order picking systems boost picking performance. They replace the manual handling and handling of goods with machines or robots, increasing efficiency. Automated order picking not only eliminates errors but also increases the productivity of the entire supply chain. This is achieved by improving service and ensuring that products are delivered to customers more quickly.
What is automated order picking?
Automated picking involves incorporating the latest technological advances into order preparation operations. Companies can employ a wide range of solutions, from assistive devices to modern autonomous mobile robots or industrial robotic arms, which adapt to any facility and type of merchandise.
The level of automation in a logistics service depends on multiple factors. These include the level of demand, the type of product, the required flow of goods, and the warehouse layout. A study conducted within the transportation market confirms that combining manual labor with automated systems is an increasingly common solution for addressing the complexities of logistics.
In fact, order picking is considered an intensive and costly process that is mostly performed manually. Recently, picking robots have been developed that can work alongside operators in a shared workspace. This hybrid order picking system can ease the workload of pickers and improve ergonomics.
Automating picking is useful in logistics facilities
With demanding workloads or complex environments like cold storage, picking automation is essential. Incorporating robots into temperature-controlled facilities limits pickers exposure to the cold, as these environments can have adverse health effects.
Advantages of automating picking systems
Automating order picking brings the following benefits to the supply chain.
Increased productivity
Automated systems complement and speed up the work of pickers. Companies can employ solutions that assist and guide operators, such as pick-to-light devices.
They can also install automated transport systems that bring merchandise closer to picking stations, eliminating the need for workers to travel around the warehouse locating each item.
Picking accuracy
Automated systems provide greater reliability and safety in merchandise handling. Automated handling equipment such as stacker cranes and conveyors supply picking stations with the products needed to complete orders.
Control of articles
Automating order fulfillment requires warehouse management software that promotes efficient inventory management and controls product traceability throughout the entire logistics service.
Types of automation in order picking
There are different types of picking, and these can be classified according to their degree of automation:
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Guided picking: Operators use assistance devices such as pick-to-light systems, voice picking, or radio frequency terminals that guide them through each order. Warehouse management software distributes tasks among warehouse operators and, thanks to its instructions, minimizes the risk of errors and increases performance.
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Goods-to-person picking: Orders are prepared using the goods-to-person strategy. The goods are moved from the storage area to the picking stations using automated handling equipment such as stacker cranes, conveyors, monorails, or autonomous mobile robots.
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Automated picking: The consolidation of new technologies enables fully automated order picking from start to finish. Automated merchandise movement with solutions such as stacker cranes, conveyors, and robots is complemented by anthropomorphic arms that handle merchandise completely autonomously.
Examples of automated picking systems
Automated order picking systems adapt to the specific needs of each business and facility. In the case of the agri-food company, they automated order picking with the goal of dispatching between 100 and 150 products per day. In fact, many companies today implement automated ordering with shuttles, and this has been a solution that streamlines the incoming and outgoing of merchandise. This allows the picking station to be supplied with the required products.
The company also installed an anthropomorphic robot, ideal for handling heavy products once the automated warehouse was operational. This new robotic area has been crucial to the supply chain. Manual order picking is a very repetitive and laborious task. Thanks to robotics, operations are much faster and more efficient.
Automated picking systems to improve warehouse performance
Order picking is one of the most complex operations in logistics services. Turning to automated solutions boosts productivity and eliminates errors and inefficiencies. Before choosing an automated picking method for their warehouses, companies must analyze their logistics needs, product demand, and the characteristics of their logistics facilities.
There's a wide range of options on the market to boost picking. If you're interested in increasing the efficiency of your logistics processes, ToolRides is the solution for creating the best platform for automating orders in your supply chain.
