The picking process follows a strict plan. The main goal is to deliver picking orders (via pick lists or electronically) to the workers.
Key steps in the picking process include:
- Proper withdrawal of the required quantities
- Combining order quantities
- Transfer to containers, conveyors, or transport vehicles
According to VDI Guideline 3590 Sheet 1, these subprocesses are especially important:
- Transmission of transport information
- Transport of goods to the staging area
- Staging of all goods
- Transmission of picking instructions
- Movement of the picker to the staging area
- Withdrawal of goods by the picker
- Completion of withdrawal
- Proper confirmation of the picking task
- Transport of all collected units to the dispatch area
- Transport of partial units
- Transmission of transport info for partially used stock
Additional services may include packing, labeling, price marking, shipment labeling, and bundling.