Serial order picking

What is serial picking?

Serial picking in intralogistics means that a customer order (a carton or picking container) is picked by several pickers one after the other in several picking zones. At the end of picking, the order is complete and can be packed and dispatched.

Serial picking explained in detail and simply

With the serial picking method, a sales order is created in the warehouse management system after the order-oriented entry (no partial orders). In the picking process, the order should fit completely into a carton or container (volume calculation).

Before the first storage zone, the carton is prepared in the appropriate size and labeled (barcode and picking list at the I-point).

The picking order is started in the first picking zone. The picker removes the goods from the appropriate storage bins. Once all items in his storage zone have been picked, the picker places the order at the transfer point. The picking paths (travel time) and times (picking time, base time and dead time) should be as short as possible during processing.

Another employee takes over the order and processes it in their picking zone. Once he has finished, he then hands the order over to another picker, and so on.

Once all items in the customer order have been fully picked, the order is packed and dispatched.

Serial picking and the right technology

Serial picking can already be supported with simple technology such as MDE. The storage locations are displayed on a terminal and the removal is acknowledged with a barcode scanner (alternative: Pick-by-Watch, Pick-by-Tablet).

The picking time can be optimized through the use of conveyor technology. The cartons are automatically transported to the picking zones. Picking methods such as Pick-to-Light and Pick-by-Point^® are ideal for this. The pick list is scanned. The light shows the order picker the goods on the shelf (including the quantity). Picking performance is optimized. This greatly speeds up the process in the warehouse.

Advantages of serial picking

Depending on the expansion of the technical picking methods, serial picking has the following advantages:

• Relatively low investment costs (MDE)
• Simple system introduction
• Little training
• Expansion options (conveyor technology, Pick-to-Light, Voice Picking, Pick-by-Point^®, etc.)

Disadvantages of serial picking

The disadvantages are defined as follows:

• Long order throughput time
• Complex volume calculation required
• Time lost due to distribution time if no conveyor technology is used

Conclusion

Serial picking is simple and is often used with conveyor technology and other picking methods such as Pick-to-Light, Voice Picking, Pick-by-Point^®. Depending on the size of the warehouse, MDE can be used first and then the other techniques (Pick-by-Watch, Pick-by-Tablet). The relatively long order throughput time (man to goods) is rarely a problem. Serial order picking is ideal for small to medium-sized warehouses with low capacities.

You can find out more about picking in a separate article Picking [2021] - definition, meaning and methods. Further information and definitions can also be found on Wikipedia in the article Picking - Wikipedia.