Lecture 5 - Order picking methods

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Content

• What is Picking?
• Objectives of Order Picking
• Picking methods
• Improve order picking efficiency

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 What is Picking?
Quá trình chuyển đổi sản phẩm từ dạng được lưu giữ tại DCs - Distribution Center, sang dạng mà khách hàng
yêu cầu được gọi là lựa chọn đơn hàng.

• The process of converting products from the form in

which they are held in DCs to the form required by
the customer is known as order selection.
mô tả ngắn gọn
• Picking is essentially a short-hand descriptor for the
order selection process.
• There are different methods for picking, and a
combination of these methods can be used within a
single DC.

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 What is Picking?

• The picking process includes selecting goods to fulfill

customer orders.
• Personnel who fulfill orders travel through a facility to pick
goods and pull the requested quantity of each product
identified on a pick list.
• The pick list shows customers’ orders and may take the
form of a paper checklist, labels placed on cartons, a
computer display, or a voice-activated picking system .
• Once picked, the items may be labeled and put on a
conveyor system to be transferred to the shipping area or
assembled on a pallet or cart designated for a customer.
Nhân viên thực hiện đơn đặt hàng sẽ đi qua cơ sở để lấy hàng và lấy số lượng yêu cầu của từng sản phẩm được
xác định trong danh sách chọn hàng.

Danh sách chọn hàng hiển thị các đơn đặt hàng của khách hàng và có thể ở dạng danh sách kiểm tra trên giấy,
nhãn dán trên thùng carton, màn hình máy tính hoặc hệ thống lấy hàng được kích hoạt bằng giọng nói.

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What is Picking?

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What is Picking?

• For many organizations, order picking is the most

labor-intensive and expensive distribution
activity.
• This function requires: Rất nhiều chuyến đi khắp cơ sở phân phối
• A great deal of travel throughout a distribution facility
• A great deal of handling individual cases or units
Rất nhiều việc xử lý các trường hợp riêng lẻ hoặc các đơn vị trong
within cases. các trường hợp.

• It is important for this operation to be:

• productivity
• safety
• accuracy

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What is Picking?

• In general, when an order is received, the locations of the

products required to fill that order are determined, and a list is
generated to direct the picker to locations within the DC where
the products may be found.
• If an automated device is being used, it may bring the item to
the order picker.
• If picking is done using a computer, the software will evaluate
the most efficient route for picking the desired products.
• Replenishment operations is also important to picking
operations, which entails moving product from storage
locations in a distribution facility to designated pick areas.
• In some distribution operations, this might be a separate
picking area. Specialized order picking equipment is often
required to retrieve product. Replenishment equipment
operators keep an adequate supply of product in the pick
positions/areas. Hoạt động bổ sung hàng cũng rất quan trọng đối với hoạt động lấy hàng,
đòi hỏi phải di chuyển sản phẩm từ các vị trí lưu trữ trong cơ sở phân phối
đến các khu vực lấy hàng được chỉ định.
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What is Picking?

Picking area

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 Objectives of Order Picking

When picking customers’ orders, the objective is to

present a full range of stock in as small an area as
possible without unnecessary replenishment and
congestion. The basics of effective order picking
include the following actions:
• Minimize movement
• Reduce order processing time
• Reduce ineffective time
Order picking has two main objectives that directly impact other aspects of warehouse operations:
1. Accuracy: The primary goal of order picking is to ensure that the correct items are selected in the correct
quantities for each customer order. This means fulfilling orders without picking mistakes or missing items. Accurate
picking directly translates to:
- Reduced costs: Minimizes returns, re-picks, and customer service issues associated with picking errors.
- Improved customer satisfaction: Customers receive their orders on time and complete, leading to positive
experiences and repeat business.
2. Efficiency: Order picking aims to fulfill orders as quickly as possible while maintaining accuracy. This translates
to:
- Reduced labor costs: Pickers spend less time traveling and searching for items, maximizing their productivity.
- Faster order fulfillment: Orders are picked and shipped out sooner, improving delivery times and customer
satisfaction.
- Increased order throughput: The warehouse can handle a higher volume of orders efficiently.In essence, order
picking strives to strike a perfect balance between accuracy and speed to ensure a smooth and cost-effective
fulfillment process for the warehouse.
 Objectives of Order Picking

• Reducing Movement Time

– Following are the methods of picking that are used to
reduce movement time.
– One method frequently used to reduce movement when
picking orders is to use popularity storage. In most product
ranges, 20% provides approximately between 60% and
90% of the throughput (most often 20:80). This ratio is
used to concentrate together the fast movers and, thus,
reduce walking/movement as shown below.
The aim of order picking is to ensure that the right goods get to the right customer in a timely fashion.
Warehouse order picking is, thus, an essential cog in the larger warehouse operation, connecting the storage of
goods to the final delivery to customers.

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Objectives of Order Picking

• Reducing Movement Time

– Movement can be reduced in order picking by consolidating
the “fast” movers together.
– One system often used in DCs is to have a separate forward
stock where part or all of a product range is duplicated in a
separate picking area. If there is a separate forward stock,
the advantage is a smaller picking area, thus, less
movement. A smaller forward stock area can be used for
picking in which all or part of a product range is duplicated.
The advantage of this is a smaller picking area resulting in
less movement, but the disadvantage is more difficult control
and double handling in moving stock from reserve to forward
storage.
– The decision to have a separate forward picking area is
based on a tradeoff in cost between the cost of picking from
total stock and the cost of picking from a smaller, but
representative, area, plus the cost of moving items from the
bulk stock to a separate picking area. A reserve stock, which
is separated from a forward stock

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Picking methods

– paper pick lists;

– pick by label;
– pick by voice;
– barcode scanning;
– radio frequency identification;
– pick by light/pick to light;
– put to light;
– automated picking.

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Paper pick lists

– A paper pick list will normally detail the order number,

location, product code, description and quantity to be
picked.
– If utilizing a WMS, each product line will be shown in
sequence, enabling the picker to travel the most efficient
way around the warehouse and ending up as close to the
despatch bay as possible
– The operator is however at liberty to choose a different
route if it is felt that it is more direct.
– The fastest-moving items should be placed close to the
despatch area to minimize travel

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Pick by labels

– In this system, pick lists are a series of labels on a sheet,

which are printed in pick order.
– The picker attaches a label to each item picked and
returns any unused labels to the supervisor’s office.
– Any discrepancies are checked immediately and
additional labels printed if the stock is available elsewhere
in the warehouse.

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Pick by voice

– Operators are issued with a headset and a microphone

together with a small terminal that is attached to a belt or
can be worn on the wrist.
– The WMS sends messages to the computer via radio
frequency (RF) transmissions, utilizing transmitters
installed throughout the warehouse, and these
messages are converted into voice commands.
– The operator also uses voice to communicate back to the
system.

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Pick by voice
– The list of benefits of pick by voice

● increased accuracy;
● increased productivity;
● reduction in paper usage;
● reduction in errors through elimination of re-keying data;
● improved safety through hands- and eyes-free operation;
● reduction in damage;
● real-time stock updates leading to fast and accurate
replenishment;
● real-time updates regarding potential shortages;
● increased operator time on the warehouse floor;
● reduced training times;
● multilingual, accommodating a diverse workforce;
● easy to integrate with other systems;
● potential reduction in employee turnover; and
● normally a quick ROI.

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Pick by barcode scanning
– The list of benefits of pick by voice

● increased accuracy;
● increased productivity;
● reduction in paper usage;
● reduction in errors through elimination of re-keying data;
● improved safety through hands- and eyes-free operation;
● reduction in damage;
● real-time stock updates leading to fast and accurate
replenishment;
● real-time updates regarding potential shortages;
● increased operator time on the warehouse floor;
● reduced training times;
● multilingual, accommodating a diverse workforce;
● easy to integrate with other systems;
● potential reduction in employee turnover; and
● normally a quick ROI.

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Pick by radio frequency
identification
– RFID is a means of uniquely identifying an item using
radio waves.
– Data is exchanged between tags and readers and
depending on the frequency, may or may not require line
of sight.
– Common uses in today’s world include library books, toll
passes and access ID cards.

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Pick by light/pick to light

– Pick to light or pick by light uses light-indicator,

LED or LCD modules mounted to shelving, flow
racks, pallet racks or other storage locations.
– This system tends to be used in conjunction with
zone picking.
– To begin the process an operator scans a barcode
on an arriving pick tote or shipping carton which
denotes the next order number to be picked.
– This communicates to the system that the
operator is ready to pick.
– The system then sends a message to the zone in
which the operator is stationed and all the pick
locations for that particular order light up at once

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Automated picking
• Automated storage and retrieval systems
(ASRS) bringexceptional uptime, improved
safety and multiplied productivity to
warehouses. This technology improves
material handling, order preparation and
dispatch, and can be fully tailored to unique
specifications.

Benefits of automated storage systems:

• Enables high throughput
• Ideal for high density warehouses
• Designed for pallets, boxes and other items
• Economy of labour
• Absolute load safety and security
• Complete warehouse management with
WMS

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Improve order picking efficiency

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Improve order picking efficiency

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Improve order picking efficiency

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 Order Picking Principles

• Task Interleaving & Task Management (combine processes

of picking and storing, etc.)

• Bulk store fast moving items (easy picking & replenishment)

• Combine pick tickets (Batch Processing)

• Item storage as per ABC Analysis

Xen kẽ nhiệm vụ & quản lý nhiệm vụ (kết hợp các quy trình chọn và lưu trữ, v.v.)
Lưu trữ số lượng lớn các mặt hàng di chuyển nhanh (dễ dàng chọn và bổ sung)
Kết hợp vé chọn (Xử lý hàng loạt)
Lưu trữ vật phẩm theo Phân tích ABC

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Picking Paths
• Travel time is a waste
• Reduce total travel time
• Sequence of the picks
• It matters!
• Identify the shortest
route
• Help picker visualize

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The basic problem: Find the shortest
path

A central depot and two possibilities for changing aisles,

at the front and at the rear of the warehouse

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 The General Problem
Lối đi chính chúng ta ám chỉ lối đi giữa mặt trước và mặt sau của kho, đi qua tất cả các dãy nhà
• main aisle we refer to an aisle between the
front and rear end of the warehouse, going
through all blocks
Lối đi phía trước và lối đi phía sau không chứa đồ nhưng có thể dùng để chuyển lối đi.
• front aisle and the rear aisle do not contain
items, but can be used for changing aisles.
Lối đi chéo có thể được sử dụng để đi từ lối đi này sang lối đi khác hoặc từ khối nhà này sang khối nhà tiếp theo.
• cross aisle can be used to go from one aisle
to the next or from one block to the next.
Người lấy hàng được giả định là có thể đi qua các lối đi theo cả hai hướng và thay đổi hướng trong các lối đi
• Order pickers are assumed to be able to
traverse the aisles in both directions and to
change direction within the aisles
• Given that the order picker has to collect a
number of products in specified quantities
at known locations, in what sequence
should the order picker visit these locations
in order to minimize the distance traveled?

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 Bất kỳ lối đi nào chứa ít nhất một mặt hàng đều được đi qua

S-Shape Heuristic toàn bộ chiều dài. Những lối đi không cần phải nhặt gì sẽ bị bỏ
qua.

• any aisle containing at least one item is

traversed through the entire length. Aisles
where nothing has to be picked are skipped.
• The order picking route starts at the depot. It
goes to the front of the main aisle closest to the
depot, that contains at least one item (1). This
main aisle is traversed up to and including the
block farthest from the depot, that contains at
least one item (2).
• If the current block contains at least one item:
Go to the left most aisle containing items or go
to the right most aisle containing items,
whichever is the closest (3); go from one aisle
to the next and traverse any aisle containing
items entirely; after picking the last item,
return to the front of the block (4). If this block
contains no items: Traverse the aisle of this
block, that is closest to the current position.
Repeat this procedure for all blocks until the
block closest to the depot has been considered
(5). Finally, return to the depot.

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 Example
• Find the shortest route of the following warehouse using
the S-shape heuristic

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 Largest Gap Heuristic
• Similar to the S-shape heuristic, the order picking route starts at the depot;
it goes to the front of the main aisle closest to the depot, that contains at
least one item; traverses this main aisle up to and including the block
farthest from the depot that contains at least one item (1).
• On traversing the cross aisle (which is actually the rear aisle in this), each
aisle is entered as far as the ‘largest gap’ and left from the same side that it
was entered (2). A gap represents the distance between any two adjacent
items, or between a cross aisle and the nearest item. Thus, the largest gap is
the part of the aisle that is not traversed.
• The last aisle of the block is traversed entirely, by which we arrive in the
next cross aisle (3). This cross aisle is traversed, while visiting the aisles of
the blocks on both sides of the cross aisle up to the largest gap. First the
aisles on one side of the cross aisle are visited (4) and thereafter the aisles
on the other side (5). One aisle is again traversed entirely to reach the next
cross aisle (6). This may be either the left or the right most aisle containing
items, depending on which of the two gives the shortest travel distance
within the cross aisle.
• This process is repeated for all blocks containing items. If a block does not
contain items, then the aisle of this block, that is closest to the current
position is traversed entirely. After considering the last block, return to the
depot (7).
Tương tự như phương pháp phỏng đoán hình chữ S, lộ trình lấy hàng bắt đầu từ kho hàng; nó đi đến phía trước lối đi chính gần kho
nhất, trong đó có ít nhất một món đồ; đi qua lối đi chính này đến và bao gồm khối xa nhất từ kho chứa ít nhất một mặt hàng (1)

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Example

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 Combined Heuristic
Phương pháp phỏng đoán này tạo ra các tuyến chọn hàng ghé thăm mọi lối đi có chứa vật phẩm, đúng một lần.
Các lối đi của mỗi khối được truy cập tuần tự, từ trái sang phải hoặc từ phải sang trái.
• This heuristic creates order picking
routes that visit every aisle, that
contains items, exactly once. The
aisles of each block are visited
sequentially, either from left to right
or from right to left.
• Similar to the S-shape and largest
gap heuristics, the order picking
route starts at the depot; it goes to
the front of the main aisle closest to
the depot, that contains at least one
item; traverses this main aisle up to
and including the block farthest from
the depot that contains at least one
item.Tương tự như hình chữ S và phương pháp phỏng
đoán khoảng cách lớn nhất, tuyến lấy hàng bắt đầu
từ kho; nó đi đến phía trước lối đi chính gần kho
nhất, trong đó có ít nhất một món đồ; đi qua lối đi
chính này đến và bao gồm cả dãy nhà xa kho hàng
nhất có chứa ít nhất một mặt hàng.
 Combined Heuristic
• For each block we perform a small dynamic programming
algorithm.
• Two states:
✓ the orderpicker is at the front of the block
✓ the orderpicker is at the rear of the block.
• 6 transitions:
1. go from the current aisle to the next aisle along the front of the
block and traverse this aisle entirely, ending up at the rear of
the block,
2. go from the current aisle to the next aisle along the rear of the
block and traverse this aisle entirely, ending up at the front of
the block,
3. go from the current aisle to the next along the front of the
block and do not enter this aisle at all,
4. go from the current aisle to the next along the rear of the block
and do not enter this aisle at all,
5. go from the current aisle to the next aisle along the front of the
block and traverse this aisle up to the item farthest from the
front and return to the front,
6. go from the current aisle to the next aisle along the rear of the
block and traverse this aisle up to the item farthest from the
rear and return to the rear.
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 Combined Heuristic
• Clearly, transitions (3) and (4) are only allowed if the aisle does not
contain any items. The cost of each transition is equal to the travel
time needed for the distance in the transition.
• The following figure depicts the 6 transitions. The current aisle is
aisle j, the next aisle is aisle j+1. The rear end of aisle j is denoted
by aj and the front end by bj.

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 Example
• Find the shortest route of the following warehouse using
the combined heuristic

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 Aisle-by-Aisle Heuristic
• every main aisle is visited once. The
order pickers starts at the depot
and goes to the left most aisle
containing items. All items in this
main aisle are picked and a cross
aisle is chosen to proceed to the
next main aisle. Again all items in
this main aisle are picked and the
order pickers proceeds to the next
main aisle. The aisle-by-aisle
heuristic determines which cross
aisles to use to go from one aisle to
the next in such a way that the
distances traveled are minimized
mỗi lối đi chính được ghé thăm một lần. Người nhận đơn hàng bắt
đầu tại kho hàng và đi đến lối đi bên trái nhất có chứa các mặt hàng.
Tất cả các mặt hàng ở lối đi chính này đều được chọn và một lối đi
chéo được chọn để chuyển sang lối đi chính tiếp theo. Một lần nữa,
tất cả các mặt hàng ở lối đi chính này đều được chọn và người lấy
hàng sẽ tiến tới lối đi chính tiếp theo. Phương pháp phỏng đoán từng
lối đi xác định lối đi ngang nào sẽ được sử dụng để đi từ lối đi này
sang lối đi khác sao cho khoảng cách di chuyển được giảm thiểu
 Optimal Algorithm
Thuật toán này được mô tả để tìm ra các tuyến lấy hàng ngắn nhất trong một nhà kho với ba khả năng thay
đổi lối đi: ở phía trước, ở phía sau và đâu đó ở giữa. Thuật toán này sử dụng quy hoạch động để giải quyết
bài toán

• This algorithm is described

to find shortest order
picking routes in a
warehouse with three
possibilities for changing
aisles: at the front, at the
rear and somewhere in
between. This algorithm
uses dynamic programming
to solve the problem

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 Reference

http://www.roodbergen.com/warehouse/
https://www.erim.eur.nl/material-handling-forum/research-
education/tools/calc-order-picking-time/what-to-do/routing-
strategies/

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