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Proponents of waveless picking
say it gives organizations the flexibil-
ity to react more quickly to changes
throughout the day—rush orders
can be inserted into the mix for fast-
order throughput by eliminating the
ramping up and down that occurs
between waves or batches of orders.
What’s more, orders can be inserted into the pick path of an order
picker to reduce travel time, increasing worker productivity. These are
things you can’t do with wave picking once the batches are set.
Waveless technology allows companies that operate in less predictable
environments—particularly e-commerce
retailers—to address today’s shorter
cycle times and respond more quickly to
changing customer demands, says Carlos
Ysasi, president of systems integration
for material handling solutions company
Vargo, which offers waveless fulfillment
through its Continuous Order Fulfillment
Engine (COFE) warehouse execution system (WES). Ysasi adds that advancing
technology is another crucial part of the
equation, as waveless systems automate
the fulfillment process by incorporating
software that analyzes orders in real time,
allowing organizations to adapt the flow
of orders to the DC floor.
“This applies [particularly] to e-commerce, [where] you don’t know when
orders will come in,” he explains. “Having
Apparel and footwear companies were
among the earliest adopters of waveless
fulfillment systems, but experts say the
technology may soon gain acceptance in
other industries where speed plays a crucial role in customer satisfaction.
