One of the top ten picking strategies is to use information to strengthen management and provide necessary information to support accurate business decisions. The vast majority of enterprises, regardless of size, will use some software for inventory management, logistics control and equipment control. Modern warehouse management system (WMS) and warehouse control system (WCS) are designed so that all order task information can be displayed on a single user interface through the host computer, usually using WMS or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
After using well-designed software to organize information, enterprises will be able to realize huge supply chain benefits.
2. Real-time logistics solutions to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
The efficiency of manual work in traditional shelf storage can be improved by adding devices that can activate data interaction. This equipment can send instructions to cargo production vehicles in real time, thus improving throughput, productivity and accuracy.
Wireless terminal, voice system and mobile data terminal constitute a paperless environment, which is beneficial to the real-time transmission of information in the whole supply chain. This equipment can not only improve efficiency, accuracy and productivity, but also improve the visibility and traceability of the supply chain, and also enable companies of all sizes to find a highly flexible business model that can cope with changes. Third-party logistics providers who have short-term contracts and want to adjust their business quickly according to future changes often adopt this strategy.
3. Compress the picking surface, speed up walking and reduce time waste.
The results of many studies prove that walking is the most time-wasting link in the process of order fulfillment. Pickers often need to keep moving between different cargo holds. In a small manual distribution center, there are two ways to easily solve the problem of walking too much, thus greatly improving productivity.
Using pallet trucks, forklifts, pickup trucks, cranes or laser guided vehicles can speed up the walking speed of pickers, and with the intelligent storage system, the picking time of pickers can be prolonged and the walking time can be shortened, thus improving productivity.
The second way to reduce walking time is to compress the picking surface, which can be achieved by using pallets or cartons to smooth the shelves. The above scheme realizes the purpose of compressing the picking surface by storing the goods in the slideway behind the picking surface. Therefore, the distance between picking surfaces can be reduced by as much as 80%, thus greatly shortening the time spent in the walking process when picking orders.
4. Intelligent cargo management and transportation system is adopted, so that orders can actively find pickers and improve efficiency.
Strategy 4 goes further in solving the walking problem. By adopting intelligent logistics control and picking position control transportation system, the ordered goods will flow between different working areas, and the pickers do not need to move their positions. The solution of picking location management is especially suitable for large and medium-sized companies that want to pick orders and introduce basic automation technology.
Many enterprises find that this concept is actually applicable to the whole process. By adopting different levels of automation strategies, the picking efficiency of goods in the whole momentum curve is optimized. Such as A-type sorting machine, smooth storage space of cartons, common storage area of cabinets, electronic label sorting, voice sorting, etc., can improve the sorting efficiency and accuracy of goods with high material momentum and low material momentum. Intelligent software can assign order boxes to work areas as needed, thus improving the overall efficiency of the system and eliminating the bottleneck of material flow.
5. Multiple orders are picked at the same time, which improves the picking efficiency.
The design purpose of strategy 5 is to solve the efficiency problem in the picking process. Pickers can combine the orders of multiple customers into a batch, and realize multi-order picking operation in each picking location. If the picker can pick goods in batches at each picking location, the work efficiency and system throughput can be greatly improved. The whole container application includes walking-picking -t0- belt, which can be used to transport goods picked in batches, and the intelligent conveying and sorting system can be used to automatically sort according to different order requirements.
In the application of disassembled parts, centralized picking technology can realize single-station multi-order picking. Pickers generally use wireless or voice picking trucks and electronic tag picking systems to issue batch disassembly orders to pickers.
6. Using intelligent software to achieve the picking efficiency of "killing two birds with one stone"
Many companies simply don't realize that in fact, the whole container selection of some pallets can be completely independent, which is exactly the concept to be interpreted in strategy 6 and the concept that Dematech enjoys patents. Intelligent order fulfillment software can be used to identify opportunities without picking up the goods. Through the analysis and cross-matching of customer needs, we can select a customer's goods and complete another selection operation at the same time.
The purpose of this concept can be achieved by manual selection or machine selection. This technology can be used for both mixed container picking and whole-floor picking, and the picking efficiency of both can be improved to more than 1400 boxes per hour.
7. Using caching and sorting technology to avoid volume is helpful to give full play to the advantages of goods-to-people selection.
This latest and most unique concept of distribution logistics is to completely avoid walking. The technology of goods-to-people sorting has been applied for many years, but what really makes it practical now lies in the powerful ability of computers and the brand-new caching and sorting system. Modern access engine and sorting technology have brought a revolution. High-density and high-efficiency automated three-dimensional warehouse (ASRS) now handles a large number of goods on demand, and the goods can be delivered to the pick-up point or stacking point through boxes or pallets.
In the operation of large-flow unpacking and full-container picking, new technology can be used to pre-pick, cache and sort the ordered goods, and send them to the picking station on time for picking as needed. This is a new distribution solution with higher cost performance.
8. Take the solution of goods-to-people split picking to realize the flow of goods-to-single, rather than people-to-people walking.
The eighth strategy is the application of goods-to-people picking technology in the high-flow picking environment, which completely avoids the goods.
Pickers stay in the same place at the ergonomically designed picking station without walking, which can greatly improve efficiency and meet the safety requirements of the workplace. In the cargo-to-person system, the raw materials that need to be fulfilled are completely transferred to the position of the picker as needed. According to the requirements of order processing, the picking station and stacking station can be designed as discrete picking or batch picking.
In addition, various scanning technologies, electronic tag sorting or voice technology can be used to further improve the efficiency of the sorting station.
9. Adopt the scheme of full container palletizing when the goods arrive, so as to speed up palletizing and improve safety.
The content of strategy 9 is aimed at whole container picking. Full container picking is very similar to unpacking picking, and a workstation designed by intelligent ergonomics is also adopted, which can be used for container mixing. Because the pre-selected and sorted mixing boxes can be coded in sequence at the coding station, the picker at the coding station only needs to slide the cartons into place, so the selection operation is easier, faster and safer.
Each station is usually built on a shelf platform, and the whole box of goods is continuously sent to the station through integrated transportation. After each pallet is completed, the pallet will automatically descend to assemble the previous one, which can greatly save labor and improve the safety, speed and quality of palletizing the ordered goods.
When the tray descends, the tray can be kept stable by wrapping the packaging film.
10, adopt automatic picking and palletizing solution to improve work efficiency.
Before, all levels used manual labor, and its idea was to improve the efficiency of manual labor by avoiding non-value-added labor. But in some cases, if the goods are particularly heavy or the flow is particularly large, a fully automatic solution can be adopted.
The advanced achievements in many fields such as integrated software, product storage, caching, sorting and identification, and the adoption of high-speed multi-joint robots and multifunctional fixtures have greatly promoted the development of automatic picking and palletizing systems, which can handle various product specifications, including different specifications of packaging boxes, pallets, open or closed cartons, bagged goods and sacks.
The above system is extremely accurate, fast and reliable, and can stack higher, denser and more stable pallets. At the same time, it is excellent in palletizing speed, accuracy and flexibility, and can even handle a variety of mixed container specifications. For zero picking, A-type sorter can realize automatic sorting, but it still needs manual replenishment.