The right warehouse management strategy can make the difference between satisfying and delighting each customer. Your chosen picking system is crucial to effective warehouse operations. This guide explores zone picking and why you should use it in your warehouse.
Zone picking refers to the practice of dividing your warehouse into specific areas or “zones.” You assign a team to each zone, and they are only responsible for the inventory within it.
Key Benefits of Zone Picking
The zone picking system is most effective in large warehouses with high order volumes. Assigning a small team to each zone reduces the amount of time your team spends walking around the warehouse to find inventory. People become familiar with what’s in their zone which improves speed and accuracy.
It also reduces congestion in high-traffic areas and improves productivity and order accuracy. Instead of being responsible for a large order, each team member is only responsible for the pieces in their zone.
Zone picking in warehouses also makes them safer by reducing the traffic flow in each area. Fewer people in each zone minimizes the chances of collisions and injuries. Using a zone picking system also lets you manage high-risk inventory and assign specialists to handle it.
Types of Zone Picking Methods
Many warehouse managers use zone picking to improve efficiency and accuracy. There are different zone picking methods. Here are the key differences and tips on how to choose the right one.
Sequential Zone Picking (Pick and Pass)
The reason sequential zone picking is known as the “pick and pass” method is that each person collects the necessary items from their zone and passes the order to the next one. Pick and pass is common in large warehouses with a diverse range of inventory across multiple zones.
It is also good for managing complex orders with specialized needs. For example, if you’re managing a fulfillment center for an online retailer and a customer orders pharmaceutical products, you can put specialists in that zone.
Simultaneous Zone Picking (Pick and Merge)
Under the pick and merge strategy, workers from each zone still collect inventory, but instead of waiting until the previous picker is done, each worker picks items for multiple orders at the same time. Once a worker has finished picking items in their zone, they drop them off at a single location (merge).
This system allows workers to fulfill multiple orders at once. To work effectively, you need a dedicated collection zone with someone to consolidate items for each separate order.
Integrating Zone Picking with Other Picking Methods
While zone picking can make your team more efficient, you might find that integrating it with other common picking methods is better for your needs. Zone picking often results in multiple touchpoints per order, which increases the chances of human error. Try combining methods if this becomes an issue.
Batch Picking
Batch picking refers to the process of grouping similar orders and retrieving multiple items from each area at once. Combine both methods by assigning workers to each zone and having them pick items for multiple orders in each trip through their zone. This method works well in high-volume warehouses with a wide range of inventory.
Wave Picking
Wave picking involves grouping orders by a common factor, such as shipping date or item category, and releasing them to the warehouse at the same time. It is a common strategy when working with time-sensitive orders or when shipping perishables.
You can combine wave picking and zone picking by assigning workers to specific zones and grouping specific orders to release in waves. Combining the two methods helps workers in each zone prioritize orders while improving their accuracy and speed.
Challenges in Zone Picking Implementation
No picking method is perfect. Implementing zone picking as part of warehouse optimization can present challenges. Some zones may have a higher volume, meaning those assigned to these zones are busier throughout their shift.
Keeping workers in specific zones improves their familiarity with specific items, but it can also hinder training and skill development.
Use technology to improve demand forecasting to plan your warehouse and adjust zoning assignments so each member of your team is sharing the workload. Cross-train your pickers and encourage them to share feedback for development.
Role of Technology in Zone Picking
Warehouse management software and other technology have improved zone picking. These systems can help pickers optimize their picking routes to make them more productive. Warehouse management systems also offer real-time inventory data to reduce the risk of errors.
These systems also collect and analyze data that helps you identify common bottlenecks, busy zones, and other factors that help you strategize and allocate resources.
Future Trends in Zone Picking
Technology including robotics and AI are allowing warehouse managers to automate picking activities. Robots can take over the physically demanding and repetitive parts of the picking process to prevent injuries and free up your human warehouse team for more complex tasks, such as quality control, custom packaging, and working with fragile items.
Warehousing automation can also lighten your team’s workload. Automated storage and retrieval systems can unload heavy items or automatically pull items for your pickers in each zone.
Zone picking will likely evolve with customer expectations. This picking system already improves order speed and accuracy. As customer preferences shift toward personalization and communication, for example, zone picking can help pickers customize products and packaging.
The Importance of Zone Picking in Modern Warehouses
Today’s customer expects fast, accurate order fulfillment. A zone picking strategy enables your team to meet and exceed these expectations by improving their productivity. Zone picking reduces travel times, reduces fulfillment errors, and allows you to assign specialists to each zone.
Coupled with the right technology, including warehouse management systems, zone picking helps you create a high-performance team that meets and exceeds customer expectations. Technology that automates parts of the zone picking process also helps your team focus on complex tasks instead of performing repetitive tasks all day.
Surgere’s warehouse management solutions can help you optimize layouts, plan picking pathways, and zone your warehouse for maximum efficiency. Contact us today to learn more.
