In this article, we explain how pick-by-light works best in a warehouse or production facility.
How exactly does pick-by-light order picking work?
Pick-by-Light picking is a picking method that provides visual guidance for retrieving items from a storage bin. A bin indicator featuring an LED, a display, and a confirmation button is installed at each picking location. The picker follows the LED indicator and reads the quantity from the display. The LED light color is adjustable. In Pick-by-Light picking, the removal is confirmed at the confirmation button, which triggers a paperless inventory update in the warehouse management system. Once everything has been picked, a notification is sent. The picker can immediately start the next order.
How fast is order picking with Pick-by-Light?
Pick-by-Light picking is a manual picking method and is very fast. Once the order is activated by the warehouse management system, the lights on the storage bins turn on in real time within a few milliseconds.
The picker can quickly identify the light signals, read the quantity, and confirm the picks. The training time is minimal. Depending on the layout of the picking zones, a picker can make up to 400 picks per hour . The quality of the picks is also very high.
Quality in Order Picking with Pick-by-Light
The quality of order picking using this picking method is very high. The exact definition of picking errors depends on various factors and averages between 0.03% and 0.1%.
One of the biggest mistakes is when an employee incorrectly counts the number of items to be picked at the storage location. For this reason, counting scales are used to assist in the process when large quantities are being picked. In this case, the Pick-by-Weight is referred to as a Pick-by-Weight .
Conclusion
Pick-by-Light picking is one of the best picking methods available. Confirmation via the confirmation button can also be replaced by an automatic sensor, making the process very fast. This further reduces the operator’s workload. Search time is minimized.
We offer Pick-by-Light solutions with professional software and hardware. The LUCA communication server handles the rapid control of the systems and their integration with the warehouse management system. Be sure to check out the other LUCA systems for paperless operations on our other web pages.
If you have any questions about choosing the right system, we would be happy to assist you.