In many distribution centers, as well as warehouses, there is a constant struggle to meet demands — to boost productivity, to churn up those metrics, to be better and faster than your competition. In order to get truly dramatic increases in levels of efficiency, most businesses need to implement innovations, better tools, stronger tactics, and reevaluate their current infrastructure. One of the biggest game-changers you can implement, which has a huge impact on your productivity levels, is a Full-case picking system — it is the most efficient way to fill orders, and it can save your business time and money. Let’s take a look at what it is and why you need it to stay competitive.
What is a full-case picking system?
A full-case picking is a system that is used in warehouses to pick, select and fulfill orders — They can be implemented in an automated fashion or semi-automated fashion. This type of system is designed to handle high volumes of products. They can be used in any industry where there is a need for high-volume pickings, such as warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores. Where the need for speed is a requirement. And where things are moved in bulk.
The full-case picking system uses a conveyor belt to move the cases around the warehouse and then they are scanned by an operator or by an automatic sortation system such as a Sweeper. The scanner selects the type of product from one of the shelves and places it on the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt transports it to a picker who grabs their hands or by using a fork. Are you looking for a custom conveyor manufacturer? Fluentconveyors.com offers flawless custom systems that not only move products with ease but keep your dealership leagues ahead of the rest.
Types of full-case picking systems
Currently, all industries can enjoy the benefits of these types of systems. If you have to move something in bulk or pallet mode, these types of systems are great ways to boost your productivity.
There are 3 fundamental types of full-case picking systems:
- Direct-to-pallet system: This type of system consists of a conveyor belt that moves the cases past the picker who removes them and places them on a pallet.
- Indirect-to-pallet system: This type of system is similar to the direct-to-pallet system, but it uses a buffer storage area where the cases are placed after being picked. The picker then transfers them to a pallet in batches at their convenience.
- Indirect-to-case picking systems: This type of system is used when there are many different items in inventory and each one needs to be picked individually from its case or box. The picker removes each item from its
This type of system can be used in a wide variety of industries including but not limited to:
- Retail
- Food and beverage
- Automotive
- Medical
- Construction
- Aeronautics
- ECommerce
Advantages of full-case picking systems
A full-case picking solution improves warehouse operations by providing a more efficient way to pick items from the warehouse. It automates the process of picking and packing items for a customer’s order.
This system can be employed for all kinds of products, including food and beverage, retail, electronics, and more.
Let’s dissect some of the advantages.
Increase order accuracy
Reduce errors while also improving your metrics. These types of system work on bulk orders, and are meant to move large or high-volume items en masse. If leveraged against WMS software, along with automated tools such as innovative robot-assisted sortation systems, full-case picking can supercharge your warehouses and even decrease order errors to decimal points.
Reduce labor
Most warehouses bleed a huge amount of cash due to inefficient labor. Not knowing how to properly use or direct their workforce, or because they simply have too many workers, to begin with. By introducing automated services, updated tools, and systems like full-case picking managers can decrease their dependency on human workers — making the warehouse leaner and more cost-effective.
Maximized picking
Full-case picking helps warehouses move items around faster and in bulk. This allows them to make better and faster deliveries and order fulfillment. It also helps them replenish stock so they can always commercialize and have on-hand key products.
Cost-effective
The Return on Investment of these types of systems is staggering — there is an upfront cost but these types of systems practically pay for themselves. In less than 3 months, studies have shown that these kinds of tools can boost productivity by almost 60%. This means that not only can warehouses grow, scale up their business, and even take on new clients, but they can also mitigate their risks and cut back on their operation costs. These classes of systems streamline an operation, making them more cost-effective, less dependent on workers, and incredibly flexible.
Simplification all around
By introducing full-case picking innovations and strategies that super-charge them, managers can ultimately simplify all their processes. Including delivery, shipping, replenishment, inventory control, etc.
Generate real-time reports
An LMS that can generate real-time reports is a valuable tool for tracking progress and identifying areas of improvement. This feature can help you stay on top of your game and ensure your team is on track.
Seeing how employees are progressing in their learning can help you identify any roadblocks they may face. You can also use real-time reporting to monitor
Export data into different formats
One of the LMS features often overlooked is exporting data into different formats. This might not seem like a big deal, but it can be a lifesaver when you need to share data with someone who doesn’t have the same LMS platform.
Exporting data into PDF, Excel, or CSV format means you can share data with anyone, regardless of what LMS they are using. This can be a huge time-saver and make your life a lot easier.
Things to consider when choosing a full case-picking solution
Choosing a full case-picking solution is not an easy task. There are many things that you need to consider before you can make the right decision.
The first thing that you need to think about is the type of cases that your company handles. You also need to analyze how often these cases come in and what their size is. The next thing that you should tackle is how many employees are available for picking these cases and what kind of experience they have. Finally, you need to decide on the type of software that will be used by your company and how it will work with other systems in place.
Implementing a full-case picking system solution might sound overwhelming, but with a bit of help, you can get the best out of your investment and properly customize and configure a somewhat complex system into your already established framework.