A solution often associated with Pick-to-light is what we call a Put-to-wall. A put-to-wall is an extremely effective solution for consolidating orders coming from different parts of the warehouse. In short, it works like a framework with lights on both sides.
On one side you put in and on the other side you take out. The put-to-wall solution makes it possible not to pick orders individually, but to focus on larger picking rounds and thus visit the same place fewer times in a day. It is common for many e-retailers to pick their singles just like this. I.e. 1 order = item. The efficiency increase is huge, and thus the potential as well - but problems arise as soon as there is more than one item per order. This is where the put-to-wall solution works very well.
Instead of allocating a picking job by carrier or similar, you can say to your WMS:
- "I want to pick 100 orders at once and not with any uniqueness."
The WMS then spits out a list of all the products contained in these 100 orders. You get your route and start your picking mission.
When all products are picked, you stop at one side of the put-to-wall solution. Only here you scan the products, which in the same second lights up a lamp at the compartment where you will place the product. You repeat this with all the items in your cart while your colleagues do the same. This means you can make fewer but larger picking rounds/day = fewer steps = not visiting the same place over and over again. We call it a "chaos pick".
Once on the other side of the framework aka Put-to-wall, the light will only come on when the order is complete to proceed. Most often this means packing the order, which makes it beneficial to have the packing tables right next to one side of the put-to-wall. This is also a good way to keep track if you are doing cross-docking. Being able to finish picking all of the order's "friends" and then, when the last piece of the puzzle appears, being able to quickly get the order out creates customer satisfaction in the end.
How can a Put to wall help you? Contact Jeff and he can answer any questions or concerns you may have.
