Welcome,

In this weeks newsletter we will go back to our roots and focus on picking in the warehouse. This is an area ripe with unnecessary costs. We would like to give credit to Susan Lacefield Associate Editor of Logistics Management for this helpful information.

Sincerely,

Paul Hernandez-Cuebas
Editor


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January 10, 2006
Volume 2 Issue 44

 Ten Tips for Faster Picking

When faced with productivity issues sometimes the first instinct is to turn to sophisticated technologies to address those issues. However, sometimes just by making a few simple procedural changes we can discover faster and lower cost ways of effecting productivity.

  1. Watch, listen, and learn.

Find the source of slowdowns by observing over weeks, not days, what is holding the pickers up. Observe all levels of pickers not just the fast or slow ones. How many times is the product not where it should be? How much interruption is caused by another worker? Also ask them for changes they would recommend for more efficiency. A change they recommended is a win-win for both.

  1. Less travel = More productivity.

Look for ways to reduce travel time. Industry experts say 60-80% of a picker’s time spent on an order is with travel. Lower that and pick more orders. Another suggestion is a Forward pick line. That is a warehouse in a warehouse where broken case or whole case items are up front for fast picking. In the long term you will be more productive.

  1. Follow the ABC’s of slotting.

Put fast moving items up front for less travel and accessibility.

  1. Revisit slotting Assignments often.

Slotting or Picking locations are not a one time assignment; they must be looked at as your product mix changes.

  1. Pick in Batches.

Picking bins, which have room for more than one order, allow for greater efficiencies. For those guys with pallet orders try double pallet jacks for double picking.

  1. Keep enough inventory on hand.

Keep a specified minimum on hand. Outages create the longest delays in picking.

  1. Reconsider equipment choices.

Fast moving items might be better picked with carton flow racks instead of traditional pallet bins. Also if you do pick whole pallets then pallet rollers can add a lot of efficiency.

  1. Cut down on confusion.

Keep it simple for the picker. Searching for a broken case can cause delay. Separation of broken case items is preferred if space allows. Also pictures of products allow the picker to visually verify his choice.

  1. Get your customers on board.

Picking eaches is more time consuming and prone to errors especially in the catch weight world. Where possible provide incentive for customers to buy in cases or for that matter quarter or half pallet loads. With most small to medium food distributors who must break cases for service make sure you up the charge for the extra handling if your customer doesn’t pay you will.

  1. Offer rewards for speed and accuracy.

Implement better training and meaningful incentives for fast efficient picking. Communicating goals and tying them to bonuses and incentives leads to huge productivity gains and keeps everybody’s skin in the game.

PICKING EFFICIENCIES BRING REAL $ SAVINGS

 

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