Order Management
Picking technology
Picking technology should solve a defined warehouse problem: excessive travel, wrong items, slow confirmation or poor visibility of exceptions.
Picking technology should solve a defined warehouse problem: excessive travel, wrong items, slow confirmation or poor visibility of exceptions. A device demonstration cannot establish which method fits an operation; map the work first, then test a workflow against actual order and product patterns.
Workflow Assessment for Picking Technology Selection
- Map the current warehouse work patternsDocument travel distances, order types, SKU mix, and peak demand times
- Identify key pain pointsExcessive walking, wrong items, slow confirmation, poor exception visibility
- Match technology to activity profileUse factors like velocity, lines per order, and delivery timing to assess options
- Test workflow with real dataDemonstrate software workflows using actual orders and product patterns
- Validate exception handling and quality controlEnsure the system supports error detection and correction at point of pick
Match technology to the activity profile
Assess a picking system against the warehouse’s activity profile, not just a device specification. Dematic identifies SKU velocity, lines per order, sales channel, delivery or pickup timing and return on investment as factors for selecting a pick system and configuration.
Use those factors to compare the options available to the operation. Dematic says its application engineers consider the mix of fast- and slow-moving products and the number of lines in an order when determining an appropriate system.
The choices span manual operations and fully automated distribution centres. Dematic describes modular order management and processing software as providing control across that range, so include software and picking equipment in the assessment rather than treating them as unrelated purchases.
Picking Technology Options by Activity Profile Factors
- SKU VelocityHigh: Goods-to-person, AMRs, vertical lift machines; Low: Manual pick-to-light, paper lists
- Lines per OrderHigh: Cluster picking, batch picking, system-directed cluster picking; Low: Single-order picking
- Delivery TimingSame-day: Fast systems like voice picking, pick-to-light; Standard: Batch or wave picking
- Return on Investment (ROI)High ROI: Automated systems with high throughput; Lower ROI: Manual systems in low-volume operations
Check the software workflow
Warehouse software can present different work through configured mobile-device menu items. Microsoft documents options for inquiries and activities, creating work for another process, and performing existing work, such as picking work related to a sales order.
In Microsoft’s Warehouse Management mobile app, a menu item set to Indirect is for an activity or inquiry that does not create work. A menu item set to Work can generate warehouse work; setting Use existing work to Yes lets it process work another process has already created.
Consider whether operators need to look up information as well as complete picks. Microsoft gives location inquiry as an example of a mobile-device activity, displaying items and quantities for a location. This capability can be part of the selection when workers need warehouse information at the point of work.
Check how the system’s menu configuration represents the tasks workers actually perform. Microsoft notes that the available fields depend on the selected mode and whether the menu item is used for existing work. Include the relevant workflow in a demonstration, not only a general device tour.
Mobile-device barcode scanning is another option to consider for warehouse work. Microsoft documents barcode scanning as a way to confirm pieces during picking, with manual entry also available.
Assess goods-to-person and automation
Goods-to-person changes where the picker works: the person stays in one place while the system brings the goods or SKUs to them. Dematic describes the picked SKU as then being sent back to a storage location, with an automated storage medium for product inventory among the basic system components.
Ask whether a goods-to-person arrangement suits the operation’s product and order profile. Use the activity-profile factors discussed above rather than assuming automation suits every warehouse.
Dematic distinguishes collaborative picking, which incorporates warehouse employees into the pick-system operation, from fully automated picking solutions, which do not require labour to operate. Compare those operating models against the intended application and the system configuration being considered.
Other technology categories include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), robotic pick-and-place and vertical lift machines. Automate-X describes AMRs as using onboard intelligence, sensor arrays and dynamic navigation to perceive their environment, plan routes and adapt in real time.
Robotic pick-and-place systems are another category of automated handling, while vertical lift machines are described as reducing picking travel and waiting. Assess these options against the same activity profile; they are not default choices.
Top Picking Technologies by Operational Fit (Australia Context)
- Vertical Lift MachinesBest for high-density, fast-moving SKUs in Australian distribution centres (e.g., Melbourne, Sydney)
- Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)Ideal for dynamic environments with mixed SKUs and growing e-commerce volumes (e.g., Brisbane, Perth)
- Pick-to-Light SystemsEffective in high-velocity, less-than-case picking zones (common in retail and pharmaceutical warehousing)
- Robotic Pick-and-PlaceSuitable for high-volume, repetitive tasks in automated fulfilment centres (e.g., Amazon-like hubs in NSW and VIC)
- Mobile-Device Barcode ScanningCost-effective for small to mid-sized warehouses with moderate throughput
Separate the picking method from the device
Pick-to-light uses LED displays at storage bins to indicate the pick location and quantity, with the worker confirming the pick using a button or sensor. LUCA describes a system made up of displays, controllers and software, with confirmations and inventory changes reported to WMS or ERP systems in real time.
Lucas Systems describes pick-to-light as using lights or LEDs on racks or shelves to indicate locations and guide workers. It is used for less-than-case quantities in high-density, high-velocity pick modules; voice picking is another popular technology for improving picking productivity.
RF picking and paper pick lists are also options to include in the technology landscape. Mobile-device barcode scanning is another technology choice, and Microsoft documents its use in warehouse work.
Picking workflows also include batch and discrete picking, waves and system-directed cluster picking. See the sibling articles for detailed comparisons of batch or cluster picking with single-order picking, and of pick-to-light with handheld scanning.
Test the exception path
For verification steps and exception handling that reduce wrong-item picks, see the sibling article on that topic. It covers this part of the picking workflow in detail.
Measure speed with quality
For guidance on measuring picking productivity without hiding errors, see the sibling article on that topic. It covers how to assess productivity alongside quality.
In this guide
- Batch picking versus single-order pickingBatch picking groups multiple orders into one route; single-order picking keeps each order separate from the start.
- Reducing wrong-item picks with verification stepsReducing wrong-item picks with verification steps: practical criteria and a clear evaluation process for marketing teams.
- Measuring picking productivity without hiding errors“Picks per hour” is tempting because it is easy to chart.
