The success of supply chain management depends on the coordination, cooperation, and operation of all logistics facilities within its scope. Such facilities are typically used for storage, buffering, and transformation of material flows (in terms of location and form), as well as the associated information and financial flows. Each of them must also permanently improve and optimize its operations (the processes carried out) so that goods or services provided can be delivered to customers quickly and reliably, while maintaining appropriately low costs.
Due to the high diversity of customer demand and the constantly developing e-commerce and retail market, handling heterogeneous assortment load units is a frequent task that supply chains must face. This, in turn, means that more and more time and resources are devoted to issues of improving and increasing the efficiency of picking processes carried out in logistics facilities.
Research conducted by Coyle J., Bardi E. J., and Langley C. J. also indicates that picking processes can generate nearly 65% of the total operating costs of logistics facilities (mainly warehouse facilities). Additionally, they are considered highly time-consuming and labor-intensive, as they can consume up to 60% of the time spent on all warehouse operations. Therefore, it can be concluded that the operational efficiency of logistics facilities, as well as the supply chains that unite them, is strongly correlated with the efficiency of the picking processes carried out within them. Thus, maintaining a high level of performance and efficiency in picking processes is a key task for many logistics enterprises.
Problems related to increasing the efficiency of picking and order fulfillment processes can be classified and assigned to thematic areas related to the design and shaping of picking systems, planning and preparation of the picking process, as well as its appropriate management and control.
Shaping picking systems
The problem of picking process efficiency can and should be considered as early as the design stage of picking systems. Then, based on an analysis of the logistics task that the picking system must perform, it is possible to appropriately shape the system structure, link its elements, and select technologies and methods for executing the picking process. Appropriate shaping in this case is understood as that which allows for obtaining the highest (or possibly at the desired level) value of picking process efficiency.
Shaping, designing, and analyzing picking systems is a complex and time-consuming task. It requires considering and taking into account a large number of factors, parameters, and approaches, as well as solving a series of problems related to the shaping and organization of such systems.
The article contains 43,660 characters.
Source: Logistyka Magazine