Which order-picking technologies really work?

Researchers say pick-to-light and other technologies really do improve order-picking speed and accuracy, helping to reduce labor costs.

By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/28/2007

Automated picking technologies are supposed to improve picking accuracy, reduce labor costs and improve order turn-around times. But which picking technologies actually work?

Researchers at Aberdeen Group surveyed 134 companies looking for the answer to that question. They discovered three technologies strongly correlated to success in all three measurements:

• pick-to-light
• cart-based picking
• bar coding

Pick-to-light
Pick-to-light technology, according to the report, reduces labor costs by boosting lines picked per hour per worker. It improves accuracy by allowing workers to keep their eyes on their work rather than on written instructions. And the technology increases on-time shipments by increasing overall system throughput.

“Product moves through this building a whole day faster than in our old facility,” one pick-to-light user told Aberdeen. “Once it hits inbound, it is like greased lightning.”

Jack Kuchta of consulting firm Gross & Associates adds that pick-to-light is best suited for piece-pick operations where workers are picking small items stored close together.

Cart-based picking
Cart-based picking allows workers to pick multiple orders while making just one pass through the pick zone, increasing throughput and reducing labor. Carts are often coupled with bar code scanning, pick-to-light or voice-picking technology, which contribute to improved accuracy.

Cart-picking, says the report, also has “the all-important aspect of flexibility. There is no conveyor bolted to the floor, and no power and data cables to be strung across the warehouse.”

Bar code scanning
Bar code scanning is the most widely used form of warehouse automation. Companies not already using bar codes should consider adopting them, says the report, because most industry leaders have moved beyond bar codes and are using them in conjunction with other advanced picking technologies.

Bar code scanners alone may not yield much in labor savings, says Kuchta. In case-picking operations where workers need two hands to pick products, they often lose time juggling products and their hand-held scanners.

Consider voice-directed picking, too
In these situations, he says, voice-directed picking can be a good option. Aberdeen’s study found strong correlations between voice technology and improved accuracy. Kuchta was surprised voice picking didn’t also correlate with labor savings and turn-around times.

In his experience, voice technology produces similar benefits to pick-to-light, he says, and voice is usually a superior choice in case-picking operations.