Today’s Warehouses are completely-depended upon picking systems to retrieve items from shelves and move those items to the appropriate packing and shipping areas. In Warehouse Management System, Picking system(pick to light) is an essential function in the overall warehouse and logistic operation, But it’s also can contain a great deal of inefficiency. Some warehouses are taking the help of advanced systems for streamlining the picking process with a picking system called the pick to the light system.
What is Pick To Light?
Pick to light is a system or can be said as warehouse automation used for picking items from Racks and bins using lights to direct workers. As compared to other warehouse picking systems, pick to light allows for fast picking without carrying item lists or pick tickets. A typical light-based picking system uses different coloured LED lights along with a series of letters and numbers. These components help to track inventory and allow for faster accumulation while maintaining inventory accuracy.
There are various methods for picking SKUs from warehouse shelves which include paper lists or software programs. For instance, lists of products from sales orders may print out every hour to be pulled for dispatch from the warehouse. In the case of software technology (i.e., Handheld Terminals, barcode scanners) are updated regularly and used to find products that need to be picked. Pick to light acts different in that, it does not require a list but is solely dependent on the lighting, numbers, and letters.
How to Pick to Light System Works?
Depending on the Pick to light technology there may be slight differences, but a few common things make the picking system’s in and out of common.
Lights are fixed on every storage location. These units can be reused or can be relocated to other storage locations. Each Location has lights with a different-coloured LED acknowledgement button. All of the lights will be the same colour (typically red) when there are no orders for picking from those locations. When the order comes into the system and is processed for picking, the red light starts blinking at the appropriate location.
If there is more than one type of item at the location, there may be different coloured lights. If more than one item is needed, then there may be a different colour combination for light. The Colour combination of lightning can be configured according to organization needs. Once the picker reaches the right location, the picker presses the blinking acknowledgement button to confirm the picking after the item is removed to update the system to know that the appropriate item has been picked.
Is Pick to Light Right for Your Organization?
- Increasing Labours: During peak periods or based on seasonality many warehouses start hiring temporary workers and on regular turnover. Getting new employees trained is quite a time consuming and effort taking, and it costs money. A Pick to the light system is easier for practically anyone to teach and learn.
- Number Of SKUs: Sometimes too few items and pick to light may not be necessary. Many large warehouses with multiple SKUs may need different techniques to improve their performances.
- Performance of the Current system: If the current system is accurate and not wasting money, then the changes may not be required.
- Current Storage Units suitable: For switching to pick to light needs a large amount of equipment to change, so before the change, it should be evaluated.
Benefits of Pick to Light System.
Automating your warehouse with a pick to light inventory can yield multiple benefits to businesses in terms of cost savings and productivity.
Let’s Take a look at a few of the key benefits of swapping to pick to light
Improved Performance-
If the picking system is connected to the storage location then that enables faster picking and real-time updates. Whenever an item is requested, immediately the light start blinking, instead of waiting till a new list of picks to create.
Technology Integrations-
Many picking systems are separate from the warehouse inventory software, as it makes it difficult to track progress and it also improves over time. Pick to light is ensuring accuracy as it is directly connected to the inventory. It also gives valuable insight to improve the performance of warehouse operations over time.
Decreased Time Loss-
Employees can have a walk back and forth through the warehouse shelves only to take the print out of the new list and can start fresh lead to idle time, instead of unnecessary spending the time which adds into the waste and possible health concerns the overtime. With the help of pick to light, workers can be separated into zones. Employees work through their zones, once the items are ready to pick. When completed, they begin again.
Easier Training-
Warehouses always have a peak season and time at that time labours can be periodical. Temporary hiring and training will cost the employees. If the picking system and inventory software are easy to learn, then mistakes are avoidable. Pick to light’s steep easiness gives the advantage to train for the temporary help.
Pick to light is practicable to the struggling warehouses where the picking process will be able to streamline. It’s the fastest picking system for the operators who want to keep their goal to improve productivity with the help of Pick to Light.