An effective order picking process can either save or destroy a warehousing process. The efficiency of the warehouse, customer satisfaction, and ultimately business profitability is greatly affected by the precision and speed of this process with the Warehouse Management System.
However, many Warehouse solutions exist to automate enduring warehouse processes, from barcode scanners to conveyor belts to shuttle and mobile robots. Regardless of the methods chosen, improving order-picking accuracy and efficiency in warehouses is a common goal for all warehouses. Warehouses utilize various best practices to attain those goals:
Best Practices to Improve Order Picking Process
Set up the Warehouse Management System
Implementing warehouse management software can supplement your warehouse and staff while increasing productivity and order fulfillment accuracy. A WMS should generate pick lists automatically, accurately represent product availability, provide real-time visibility into order status, estimate when to replace inventory via reorder point notifications, and even aid with staff labor planning.
Monitor your Warehouse Output
You should monitor the efficiency of your warehouse and learn how you can support your pickers. There should be a constant conversation about ways to enhance distribution KPIs such as inventory turnover, time to ship, total units in storage, average warehouse capacity used, and order picking accuracy.
Examine the Incorrect Data
When noticed, your operational data contains many secrets that can drastically increase your ROI. Collecting and analyzing data on picking faults will help you determine the location at which errors often occur, allowing you to concentrate beneficial activities on the sites of error.
Increase the Accuracy of Order Picking
Maintaining customer satisfaction while decreasing returns and rework requires order-picking accuracy. Consider implementing the following adjustments to your operation to increase order-picking accuracy:
- Make use of emerging technologies.
- Standardization of procedures
- A new quality control measure has been implemented.
- Employee education and engagement
Optimizing Warehouse Space
Optimizing warehouse space, lowering the number of sections, and grouping commonly picked items together, makes inventory easier to locate, reducing picking time. The warehouse management system helps to optimize warehouse space and reduce the wait and walk time of the picker.
For more information and a tailored demonstration contact us today at MetaOption.