Picking a good one
December 1st 2009 Steve Richmond, gm of Jungheinrich UK's
Systems & Projects Division, looks at
some of the key areas to be taken into
account when specifying and designing
the optimum picking solution
The nature of order picking has changed significantly in
recent years. Driven by a host of factors including the ever
present desire to reduce inventories, the demand for justin-
time deliveries and, of course, the on-line shopping explosion,
companies increasingly find that they are required to pick items
more frequently and in smaller quantities per pick.
Factors such as the value of the goods being picked, how the
product has to be handled, the frequency of the pick and the
packaging and labelling requirements for onward distribution,
operational shift patterns, the geographic location of the
operation – not to mention Health & Safety and manual handling
legislation – all contribute to costs and must be considered when
identifying the best methodologies for optimising the picking
process.
Therefore, to give themselves the best possible chance of
creating a cost-efficient picking process, it is essential companies
choose the right blend of order picking strategies and techniques.
Although each picking operation will have its own unique set
of requirements, all aspects of the project must be considered
from the outset. That includes the physical design characteristics
of the building as well as the interface of the key materials
handling equipment components within the system. Time should
also be spent producing an analysis of the typical SKU profile.
As the range of SKUs held by suppliers and retailers continues
to expand, in many cases warehouses and distribution centres
need to operate a multi disciplined approach to storage and
picking operations.
No one size fits all
Of course, there is no 'one-size-fits-all' panacea to designing an
order picking system and if the optimum order picking layout
and material flow throughout the warehouse or distribution
centre is to be achieved it is necessary to take a holistic approach
to a project and consider all the variables in detail.
In the initial phases of a design, areas to be considered include:
The type and nature of the storage system - from block
stacking through pallet racking, shelving to small parts storage
etc;
The general material flow and picking strategies - such as
batch picking, wave picking, order consolidation etc;
Packing, kitting,marshalling and preparation for dispatch.
Speed is key but don't compromise accuracy
Of course, speed of throughput is a pre-requisite, but so too are
high levels of accuracy and safety. This means that man and
machine must work as one – utilising technology as appropriate –
to achieve the optimum partnership and, therefore, results.
Not surprisingly, the demands made of the modern forklift
operator are growing all the time. Today's operators not only have
to negotiate their way around the warehouse, check pick lists, scan
items etc, but they must do so in a safe and productive manner.
Any technology that removes some of the pressure on the
forklift operator by making his or her day to day operational
procedures more straightforward can only bring efficiency,
productivity and safety benefits and many of the technological
developments in the fork truck market are driven by these aims.
For example, early in 2009 Jungheinrich launched a new
automated pallet scanning and identification solution that is an
integral part of the forklift truck and brings considerable time
and efficiency advantages to the supply chain.
The new fork-based scanning process not only results in
significant time savings compared with manual scanning, but
reduces the forklift driver's workload and ensures low picking
error rates. The system won the recent United Kingdom
Warehousing Associoation (UKWA) Technology and Innovation
Award in the warehousing industry.
New order pickers with RFID
This year Jungheinrich also launched two new order pickers that
are equipped with state-of-the-art RFID technology that enables a
warehouse management system to automatically guide the forklift
to the right location in the right aisle at all times. Tests have
shown that this feature can potentially boost productivity within
the warehouse by some 25%.
When it comes to the safety of the truck operator and order
picking staff working at ground level, Personnel Protection
Systems (PPS) are increasingly used throughout mainland Europe
and with so many warehouse operators striving to demonstrate
that they embrace best practice when it comes to the safety of the
workforce, we are seeing increased take up of such systems in the
UK.
Utilised in areas, mainly VNA applications, where there is
potential interaction between personnel and forklift traffic, these
systems, integrated into the design of the truck, automatically
detect people or obstructions in the path of the vehicle.
Depending on the nature of the obstacle detected the truck will
automatically slow down or stop preventing damage to products,
trucks or most importantly injury to personnel.
In summary, for any logistics operation to be considered
efficient it is crucial that the order picking function is well
planned. A poorly designed or executed picking system will see
overheads spiral while the cost of dealing with goods returned as
a result of inaccurate picking
can be crippling. More articles from Jungheinrich UK Ltd: | 
