known, is an order fulfillment system that
uses alphanumeric displays that light up
to guide and expedite the manual picking
process. Such solutions incorporate other
technologies—including bar-code scanning and RFID tools—and are designed
to integrate with a company’s warehouse
management system. But not all companies
will benefit from such solutions.
“There are deltas on both ends, where [a
company] may not have the order volumes
to justify it, and we see that the [return on
investment] won’t be there. On the other
hand, depending on the product, [a com-
pany’s needs] may be beyond what we can
provide,” says Gerbitz. “But there is a very
large group of customers in between that
can benefit from this type of technology.”
Outside of automation—and, often, in
conjunction with it—experts urge DCs
seeking to reduce mispicks to conduct a
detailed review of their picking process to
identify—and address—areas where errors
are prone to occur and evaluate how well
they train and motivate their picking staff
to get orders right. These are areas where
DCs can get creative—but they must be
persistent, Mulaik advises.
“Tuning or redesigning a picking process to produce 0.1-percent errors without
outside help can take multiple quarters, if
not years, and should start with a thorough
review of the kinds of picking mistakes that
occur most commonly in the organization,” he says, adding that managers should
then address those issues one by one.
“It’s more about how we deal with
[errors] so that they don’t happen,” he
says. “Sometimes, I think people just don’t
get creative enough.”
As an example, he points to a bar-code
scanning system that gives the same audi-
tory signal for a pick as it does for a
mispick. Simply programming your system
to use a different sound for each will help
reduce some of the mispicks.
“You need to think through the design
process—within your system’s capability,”
he says, adding that developing training
programs and creating awareness about
how mispicks happen is also a key part of
the process.
Card agrees that solid processes are the
foundation of any good picking solution.
“[Reducing mispicks requires] a com-
bination of technology, pro-
cess, and other things,” he says.
“Implementing new technology like
automation can certainly help, but
if you don’t have good processes
and policies around it, you’re not
going to [achieve] peak accuracy.”
People are the other key element
in the mix.
“You have to buy into how
important the work environment
is, because it plays into being able
to reach that peak accuracy,” Card
adds. “Technology is only going to
get you part way there.”
Training programs for order
pickers become an important piece
of the equation, especially if a DC is
working with system limitations—
in most cases, this means a situa-
tion in which a system upgrade or
replacement is too costly. Mulaik
says developing awareness of where
problems occur and training work-
ers on how to deal with or work
around those problems is vital to
improving accuracy. Card adds that
managers should reinforce training
by rewarding workers for picking
accuracy. This can be done creative-
ly—with bonuses, time off, or some
other form of recognition.
“[DCs] should look at their over-
all processes and say, ‘How can
we incorporate technology?,’” Card
says. “But then you have to say, ‘Are
we doing things the right way? Are
people motivated? Are they being
rewarded for accuracy?’ It’s a com-
bination of all that.”
Successful integration of these
elements helps drive organizations
toward the ultimate goal of pro-
viding the best possible customer
experience.
“Ultimately, it’s about service,”
Mulaik says. “It’s not so much
about the cost of the mispick itself.
Companies get upset about how
[inaccuracy] impacts service.”
