What You Should Know About Order-Oriented Picking
Carolin Puls11/7/2023
After reading this article, you will know how order-oriented picking works and how you can implement it in your operation.
Table of contents
- What does order-oriented picking mean and why is it needed?
- What are the advantages of order-oriented picking?
- What are the disadvantages of order-oriented picking?
- Who is order-oriented picking suitable for?
- There are various methods of picking that you can use in your warehouse. These can either be assigned to single-stage or two-stage picking.
- How can you implement order-oriented picking in your company? In order to keep track of incoming and already processed orders, it is advisable to use a
- The prompt handling of incoming orders and shipping to your customers is a priority for you as a service provider and seller. But of course, you also want to keep operations in your company lean, create clear responsibilities and thus keep the potential for error as low as possible. This makes order-oriented picking particularly suitable for companies with small warehouses. By using an e-commerce shop system or shipping system that suits your company, you create the best conditions for your picking and shipping process to be efficient. Not only will this satisfy your colleagues, but also your customers, as they receive their orders promptly, completely and in the usual quality.
Your online store is flourishing and order after order is coming into your inbox - congratulations! Now it's time to deliver the ordered items to your customers. In order to do this promptly and meet the expectations of the buyers, you can use the method of order-oriented picking. Therefore, in this post, we explain what order-oriented picking is, why you need it and what advantages and disadvantages this picking method brings with it. Additionally, you will learn who this type of picking is suitable for, what picking methods there are and which tools you can use to implement order-oriented picking.
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What does order-oriented picking mean and why is it needed?
Order-oriented, serial picking is defined as a single-stage picking method in your Fulfillment where you process the ordered items in the order they were received. With this form of single-stage picking, a picker either goes through one warehouse zone after the next, or passes along the order including the parts already picked, to the zone of the other pickers, until the order is completely fulfilled. If each storage zone has a different picker working on an order, this is called order-oriented serial picking with transfer points. This allows sources of error to be easily identified, because only once an order has been processed, the next order is accepted.
What are the advantages of order-oriented picking?
Packing your orders with the help of order-oriented picking offers you various advantages. On the one hand, your pickers move in small picking zones, eliminating long paths and shortening the throughput times of incoming orders. On the other hand, you make it easier for your colleagues to get started with clear responsibilities for the different areas. In addition, errors in processing can be quickly identified and transfer points can be easily organised. Since the processed order is not split, but passed on completely from one picking station to the next, consolidation is also eliminated in your goods output.
What are the disadvantages of order-oriented picking?
When we consider the advantages of order-oriented picking, we must also look at the other side. What disadvantages can serial picking bring? In this case, it should be noted that orders are stored temporarily at transfer points before they are taken over into the next storage zone. In addition, depending on the positions in the order, there may be an imbalance in the workload distribution of the individual pickers, as some may have to pick and hand over more items than others.
Who is order-oriented picking suitable for?
Now that you know the advantages and disadvantages of order-oriented, single-stage picking, you will find that its use is mainly worthwhile in smaller warehouses. It is also very suitable when you need to pick orders very quickly and at short notice, for example with rush orders. You can use order-oriented picking in both B2C and B2B shipping.What different picking methods are there?
There are various methods of picking that you can use in your warehouse. These can either be assigned to single-stage or two-stage picking.
In single-stage picking, the orders are always order-oriented, i.e. processed in different storage zones one after the other. You can distinguish between three different picking methods:
You already know
- order-oriented, serial picking without transfer points. In this case, a single picker processes an order, who independently goes through each storage zone in order to complete the order.In
- order-oriented, serial picking with transfer points there are different responsibilities for the different storage zones. Accordingly, orders that have already been picked are passed on at transfer points to other employees in the next picking zone and continued.In
- order-oriented, parallel picking an order is divided into sub-orders according to your storage zones. The picking of these sub-orders is carried out in parallel by several pickers. In the end, all sub-orders are then combined again for shipping. With this method, you can reduce the time it takes to process your orders and avoid idle times. However, a high level of organisation is initially required to split the orders. It is very suitable if your warehouse is very large and the pick-up points are very far apart.In two-stage picking, on the other hand, you compile your articles in a series-oriented manner. This means that you combine several similar orders at the first stage. So, you remove more articles from your warehouse stock at the same time, which you then divide at the collection point according to the different orders. The picking method behind this is also called
series-oriented, parallel picking. Each picker is, as with order-oriented, serial picking with transfer points, responsible for a storage zone. After several orders have been combined and divided by zones, the ordered goods are put together in each zone at the same time. At the collection point, the items are then divided according to the orders and prepared for shipping. By using this picking method, you generate a high picking performance and save travel times by forming series. However, the basic time required for processing a single order increases due to upstream and downstream activities. This includes the high organisational effort required to combine different orders and then distribute them in partial orders. Therefore, the series-oriented, parallel picking is primarily suitable for companies with a high turnover frequency, for example in central warehouses of wholesalers.To help you grasp the different picking methods a little better, you can imagine the compilation of individual orders in the warehouse like shopping in a supermarket. With order-oriented, serial picking without transfer points, you go shopping alone and first get the fruits and vegetables, then the cheese and the sausages and finally the drinks and sweets. But now you can also do the shopping together with your friends. If you split the shopping list like in order-oriented, parallel picking, maybe you get the fruits and vegetables, while a friend gets the cold cuts and another friend gets the rest of the products. If you not only shop for yourself, but also have things for your parents or grandparents on the shopping list and therefore pack an item in a separate shopping bag that you then bring to your loved ones, you have taken advantage of the benefits of series-oriented, parallel picking.
What tools are suitable for order-oriented picking?
How can you implement order-oriented picking in your company? In order to keep track of incoming and already processed orders, it is advisable to use a
shipment software in your logistics. Third Party Logistics Providers like byrd have their own systems to optimise the Pick & Pack processes. From the delivery of the products to the delivery to your customers, it supports you in handling and optimising your shipping processes. In addition to a shipping tool, however, also , that you integrate directly into your online shop, can support you in fulfilling your orders. Such an e-commerce tool creates a seamless process, based on which you can optimise your processes and draw insights for your customer communication. For this, you can use the following software, for example:E-Commerce-Plattformen & ShopsystemeBased on the ratings from our users and their feedback, you can easily find the software that suits your company and processes. When making your decision, you should make sure that all those involved in the fulfilment process are heard and can express their wishes. This way, you can ensure that you choose a solution that best meets your needs.
Shipcloud
Sendcloud
JTL
Pickware
Hive
VCE
PlentyONE
Shopify
commercetoolsSingle-stage, but first-class picking
The prompt handling of incoming orders and shipping to your customers is a priority for you as a service provider and seller. But of course, you also want to keep operations in your company lean, create clear responsibilities and thus keep the potential for error as low as possible. This makes order-oriented picking particularly suitable for companies with small warehouses. By using an e-commerce shop system or shipping system that suits your company, you create the best conditions for your picking and shipping process to be efficient. Not only will this satisfy your colleagues, but also your customers, as they receive their orders promptly, completely and in the usual quality.
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Author
Carolin Puls
Author
Carolin Puls
Carolin ist freie Texterin und Pressereferentin mit einer Leidenschaft für das geschriebene Wort. Als ehemalige Brand Managerin in der FMCG-Branche hat sie umfangreiche Marketing-Erfahrung gesammelt und währenddessen berufsbegleitend ihren Abschluss als Marketing-Betriebswirtin gemacht. Heute erstellt sie PR-Texte, Pressemitteilungen und Social-Media-Inhalte, immer mit viel Kreativität und Herzblut.
