When we think of the pick and pack process, we often imagine warehouse workers with paper lists, randomly wandering aisles, and guessing which items to take from shelves. However, this association is tied to how things actually worked literally a century ago. A lot of order fulfillment processes have changed since then.
Plus, with today’s order volumes, a warehouse with manual picking and packing processes would quickly become overwhelmed with delays, errors, and unhappy customers.
In brief, picking and packing do deserve their fair share of digital-led optimization. As of now, technology and recently generated practices in inventory management allow businesses to improve quite a lot here. However, there are a few key points to be aware of.
We’ll walk you through the essentials of pick and pack fulfillment and reveal the best methods and strategies to optimize this process at a warehouse.
What is pick and pack fulfillment?
Picking and packing, also known as “pick, pack, and ship,” is the process of fulfilling customer orders in a warehouse. It starts when a customer places an order. This moment, warehouse workers get a list of what’s needed. Then, they walk through the warehouse, finding each item on the list (How do they know where to go? We’ll explain). This is the “pick” part.
Next on the way comes the packing area. Here, the warehouse employees check to make sure all items are correct and not damaged. This is where the “pack” part truly begins: putting the items into boxes or bags, and adding padding if needed to keep things safe.
The package is then sealed and put on a shipping label telling where the package is supposed to be going. From there, the packed order then goes to a shipping area to finally be picked by the delivery services provider.
That’s pretty much it. At first glance, the process seems simple. Yet it requires careful warehouse organization and expertise in proven picking and packing techniques, in order to make it work smooth.
What can go wrong?
In fact, many things can go downhill in the picking and packing process. For example, if products look similar or are stored close together, workers might grab the wrong item.
Sometimes, they might miss an item entirely, especially if the order is large.
The same with packing. When items are packed carelessly or not wrapped well, fragile things could break. Sometimes, a wrong size box is used, which can cause items to shift and get damaged during shipping.
Orders can be mixed up too. Parts of one order might end up in another customer’s package. This means at least two customers get the wrong items.
A package might also get the wrong shipping label, sending it to the wrong address. Or, special instructions might be overlooked, like “handle with care” for delicate items.
Yet probably the majority of mistakes in picking and packing happen due to poor inventory management at a warehouse. When your sales aren’t updated in real-time, the system might say an item is in stock when it’s not. As a result, orders can be delayed and even canceled.
The probability of these mistakes rising during busy times like holidays, when workers trying to go fast might not check orders as carefully as they should.
Pick and Pack Methods Used In Warehouses
For various order volumes and types of products, different picking and packing methods exist. These structured approaches allow workers to complete tasks faster and with fewer errors. They also help to optimize warehouse resources like space, worker time, and labor.
These proven methods are effective and can be adapted to different warehouse layouts and storage arrangements.
Picking methods
- Single Order Picking: One worker picks all items for one order at a time. While enabling high accuracy for individual orders, this method works only for small businesses with low order volume, or complex/customized orders.
- Batch Picking: The worker collects items for several orders in one trip through the warehouse, sorting them into individual orders later. However, it comes with a potential drawback: the risk of mixing up items between different orders. Thus, it requires an extra sorting step and a system that could guide staff on when to pick items and from where.
- Zone Picking: The warehouse is divided into zones. Each worker is assigned to specific zones and passes orders between zones as needed. This approach reduces warehouse congestion, for works perfect for large warehouses, high volume of similar orders. Yet, there comes a risk of uneven workloads between different areas, which can slow down the entire process. Also proper communication between zones is important as only this way you can keep track of partial orders and make sure they’re combined correctly.
- Wave Picking: Orders are released in timed waves throughout the day. This method balances workload throughout the day, and combines the efficiency of batch picking with scheduled organization. However, this approach can be challenging when order volumes change unexpectedly making it unsuitable for businesses with inconsistent daily order patterns and wide product variety. It is also hard to implement as it requires careful planning of staff and resources. Otherwise, idle time between waves can occur if one wave finishes early and workers may wait for the next wave to start.
Packing methods
- Box Optimization: This process finds the best box size for each order to reduce shipping costs and protect items during transit. It helps meet carrier rules and lowers the chance of shipping damage. Companies like ShipTop use technologies to choose optimal box size automatically, making order processing faster and shipping more affordable.
- Kitting: The kitting approach is where the warehouse chooses to group related items into a “kit” (i.e. a single package) before shipping to speed up the process. This also saves up costs, since everything is already bundled together, and fewer trips are needed along the way. The additional bonus is that it’s easier to keep track of inventory.
- Customized Packaging: On the one hand, this approach is commonly viewed as a way to reinforce brand identity and provide extra value to the customers (read: a social media-share-worthy unboxing experience). On the other, through marketing and brand loyalty, this allows to facilitate warehouse operations, since combined offers are easier to pick and pack. The arsenal includes company-specific elements like boxes featuring logos and brand book colors, tapes, tissue papers, etc. – or customer-specific ones like thank-you cards and tailored messages.
5 Best Practiсes to Optimize Pick and Pack Warehouse
Along with picking and packing methods used in warehouses, a number of best practices are used to improve the process. They include the best ways to collect items, keeping stock counts accurate, and making packing and shipping quicker.
These practices help companies send orders faster, make fewer mistakes, and save money.
1. Plan picking routes to save time and reduce congestion
This strategy means creating a smart path which the warehouse workers can follow when collecting items. Specialized software is often used to plan these routes. It starts with mapping the warehouse layout. Then, managers input the location of each item into a system and it finds the shortest path to get all needed items and thereby saves workers steps and time. As a result workers can pick and pack more orders in less time while the possibility of errors gets reduced.
2. Use barcode scanning to avoid errors
In busy warehouses with a large volume of orders, barcode scanning technology is an efficient solution to common picking errors. The scarer instantly reads barcodes assigned to each product and compares it to the order details. If there’s a mismatch, the scanner alerts the worker immediately and significantly speeds up the picking process. The whole process is much faster than manually checking product codes or descriptions.
3. Optimize warehouse layout
When items are easy to find, the picking process is naturally faster, which is already awesome for the workflows. The immediate results are a reduction in walking distances, as well as minimizing errors (since you can address the commonly confused goods problem at this point). Techniques include placing high-demand items near shipping areas, using vertical space, organizing zones, creating a logical flow, and designing adaptable areas for seasonal changes.
Read also: Warehouse Layout Optimization – How To Do It and Why Is It Important?
4. Keep your inventory updated
Keeping your inventory updated is super important for smooth picking and packing. Using a good inventory management system can make this process much easier. It stores all information about your current stock, including product details, quantities, and locations. Having this information ready and accurate, workers can quickly find the right items without wasting time searching or discovering stock discrepancies. The system can also suggest optimal picking routes, reducing travel time in the warehouse.
Read also: How to Measure Inventory Health for a Successful eCommerce Business?
5. Automate as much as you can
The fact that there are countless possibilities of automation in warehouses is not just a fad. First of all, robotic pickers, conveyors, and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) help accelerate the process dramatically. There is also the factor of human mistake, which, if unaddressed, leads to delays and disruptions, and which is reduced with automation. Additionally, we humans are notorious for being bad at solving space optimization problems, while machines aren’t (while we still retain the lead for decision-making). Another benefit is that automation makes data capturing easier, meaning you gain real-time tracking as a bonus.
Read also: Why Choose Technology-Enabled 3PL for Order Fulfillment
ShipTop’s Pick and Pack Fulfillment Services
ShipTop is a tech-enabled 3PL partner, utilizing advanced technology and a customer-focused approach to help businesses grow.
Along with a fast and accurate picking and packing process in the warehouse, ShipTop offers other well-established fulfillment processes; and a system with omnichannel order and inventory management capabilities. Regardless of the chosen channel, all of the orders that ShipTop processes are updated in real-time on our dashboards.
Our pick and pack fulfillment services include:
- Real-time inventory management and order processing.
- Strategic warehouse layouts.
- Customized packaging tailored to each order (unique boxes, branded materials, and tailored sizes).
- Kitting and assembly of multiple items into single packages or custom sets.
- Product quality control checks.
- Choosing the most suitable shipping method for each individual order.
Looking for a pick and pack fulfillment center? At ShipTop, we can help you optimize your eCommerce pick and pack, as well as other fulfillment operations. Reach out to start a conversation.
