Picking the right solution

zoom

INCREASED TURNOVER: Companies have started to combine a variety of picking methods within their warehouse facilities to improve their operational efficiencies.

Another solution that gives operators free use of their hands is pick by light. This gives the operator visual guidance in picking.

Each pick location is equipped with a small LCD panel and a confirmation button. The panel shows the exact number of items that the worker has to pick from the given location. Once all the items are taken, he confirms the pick by pushing the confirmation button.

However, the technology requires massive investment in racks and lights and cannot be reconfigured without a similar investment. Therefore it has attracted criticism for being inflexible. Moreover, pick by light can also be costly for operations where the number of SKUs is high, as the infrastructure required outweighs the potential benefits that can be achieved.

However, the solution comes into its own when applied in operations where a high number of picks are required. It is also best used as a solution for picking small products, typically those used in pharmaceutical operations - whereas pick by voice is more suitable when large, heavy products, like those in the beverage industry need to be picked.

It is also worth noting that these three solutions - RFID, pick by voice and pick by light - only fall within the category of ‘man to goods'. When coupled with pick by light, automation such as conveyor belts can radically increase the number of picks.

"With a fully automated storage system in the background, the worker no longer walks into the shelving but the goods are instead transported to a centralised workstation," says Wheatley. "At this workstation, the goods are ergonomically displayed to the worker by the use of conveyor systems. With the combination of goods to men and pick by light, very high performances of up to 1000 picks an hour, per worker, can be achieved."

So how accurate can picking possibly be? It seems that the answer would depend on who you speak to. According to Wheatley, automation markedly improves the accuracy of the picking up from ‘man to goods' picking. Success rates of "in excess of" 99.9% can be achieved. Similarly, Gerrard claims that voice picking can achieve rates of over 99.5%.

However, it would seem that the success of the solution would depend on the appropriateness of its application. "The value a picking system brings completely depends on how it is applied," says Shah.

In a similar vein, how soon payback can be expected after the system is installed would seem to depend on a variety of factors. "The speed of payback will vary widely, depending upon the cost of labour, the cost of an error or mispick to the operation, and the cost of the voice solution," explains Gerrard. "Payback in less than 12 months is not unusual."

The issue of picking solutions was discussed at length in several seminars during the recent Span Group conference. That such a debate took place speaks volumes about the impact of such technologies in the region after so long in the wilderness.

It has been said that one of the reasons why companies are put off is the time it takes for picking systems to bed down. "Typically, a distribution centre will see a decrease in productivity for a period of two to three weeks, followed by a large increase when compared to operations before the technology was installed," says Gerrard.

However it is clear that many organisations are looking at these technologies as a result of rising labour costs. Moreover, the maturation of the market has also put pressure on companies to gain the edge by improving efficiency.

SSI Schaefer has been a popular provider in the region, especially as the operator already has an established presence. The company recently installed an automated full-pallet picking system into the Gulf Pharma facility in Ras Al Khaimah, and also implemented a semi-automated garment picking system for Paris Fashions in Dubai. However, voice technologies have been slower to catch on, although both Shah and Gerrard believe that companies are starting to look in the right direction.

"The Middle East has not deployed voice technology in any volume, perhaps due to a relatively low cost of labour," says Gerrard. "However, as operational excellence has become more important and even a competitive necessity, numerous organisations have initiated studies of the technology with a view to reducing their error rates to zero."

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM