Find the right picking method for you!

Order picking is generally defined by (a) the number of pickers working on a single order, (b) the number of warehouse aisles, and also (c) how frequently orders are scheduled into shifts.

Order picking – optimize your warehouse management with Microsoft Dynamics Supply Chain. It's a groundbreaking solution that lets you precisely track and manage inventory, minimize losses, and maximize the efficiency of your supply chain. With advanced analytics tools and intelligent planning, you'll always have an accurate view of your warehouse status and be able to respond quickly and flexibly to demand.

Learn more about Dynamics 365 Supply Chain

Now, on to the individual order-picking methods:

1. Discrete order picking

The advantage of this method is its sheer simplicity — a picker works through a single order line by line.

The advantage of this method is its simplicity, which makes it one of the most basic — and most common — types of order picking. Here, the picker processes one order line by line. During a shift, only one scheduling window is active. Orders therefore aren't scheduled in advance and can be picked at any time during the day.

This picking method lets you work from a paper list, gives you plenty of time, and makes it easy to track a picker's accuracy. At the same time, it's the least efficient approach.

2. Zone picking

Each picker is assigned a specific area where they're responsible for picking all SKUs for every order. If an order requires goods located in other zones too, the order isn't complete until it has passed through all the relevant zones. That's why this method is also called "pick and pass."

There's only one scheduling window per shift, which is the cutoff by which orders must be entered into the picking process. An order received after that cutoff is picked during the following shift.

3. Batch picking

With this method, a picker picks a group of orders one SKU at a time. This is useful when a single SKU appears across multiple orders — the picker only needs to make one trip and can fulfill several orders at once.

The main advantage of this method is less time spent traveling, which leads to higher productivity. Batch picking is often used when a typical order has only a few SKUs (fewer than four) and they're fairly small. Like zone picking, this method also needs only a single scheduling window.

4. Cluster picking

Cluster picking means picking several orders at the same time. Most often, a picker moves through the warehouse with a single cart holding several totes. Each tote corresponds to one order.
There are two main picking systems for which this method works well:

1. Picking into a cart loaded with several totes. The cart operator moves through the warehouse and sorts individual orders as they go, avoiding unproductive back-and-forth movement.
2. Vertical lift modules (VLM) or conveyors using zone-picking techniques. The picker brings up a batch of totes, triggering automated modules that sort individual items into the totes. This technique is used to optimize each batch by reducing the number of machine cycles.

5. Wave picking

This picking system is very similar to discrete order picking, with the main difference between the two being the scheduling window. Discrete picking has none, while wave picking does. Orders can be scheduled to be picked at specific times during the day, which is usually done to coordinate and maximize shipping operations.

6. Zone-batch picking

This is a combination of the two methods described above. Pickers are assigned a zone, but within that zone they also pick goods in batches. And since both zone picking and batch picking use a scheduling window, zone-batch picking does too.

7. Zone-wave picking

In this combination of methods, each picker is assigned their own zone, where they pick all the SKUs for orders. At any given moment, a picker fulfills only one order within a single scheduling window per shift.

Each picker is assigned a specific zone; within one scheduling window, a picker fulfills one order

8. Zone-batch-wave picking

This is the most complex combination of all the order-picking methods. A picker is assigned a zone and then picks all the SKUs for orders within that zone. However, at any given time the picker is picking more than one SKU, across several scheduling windows per shift.

Rough benchmark of items picked per picker per working hour: Unloading a full trailer, sorting onto pallets

Picking TypePick Count120 boxesStacking a full pallet onto a moving conveyor640 boxesUnstacking a full pallet into a location on a pallet rack32 palletsPicking an item from a gravity flow rack with boxes into totes (using a pick list)184 order linesPicking an item from a gravity flow rack with boxes (pick-to-light)260 order linesPicking an item from horizontal conveyors (a group of about 3 items, using a light indicator) into totes300 order linesStacking a full tote using a forklift; stacking from a floor-level pallet rack onto a pallet29 totesStacking a full tote using a rider truck and stacking from all levels of a pallet rack onto pallets134 totesStacking full totes from a sliding pallet rack onto a powered conveyor (pick lists)525 totesStacking full totes from a sliding pallet rack onto a powered conveyor (voice recognition)600 order linesStacking whole pallets using a counterbalance truck from a floor storage area50 palletsStacking whole pallets using a counterbalance truck from a pallet rack65 pallets