When a customer purchases something online, they rarely know what goes on behind the scenes in order to make their package arrive on their doorstep a few days later. Order fulfillment operations – the process of an order being received, packaged, and shipped – is comprised of many crucial steps in order for things to flow smoothly and successfully. These processes are made possible through a combination of different technologies and specific step-by-step methods so that packages is shipped quickly and without any errors (this is especially important for high-volume shipments). Discover how the order fulfillment operations procedure is conducted and learn why it is so imperative.
Learn about the Three Types of Order Fulfillment Operations
Pick-to-Light – This particular method involves LED lights placed at different item locations. Once a barcode is scanned, the lights illuminate to guide the operator to the correct item location. This operation is also known as light-directed picking.
Put-to-Light – Put-to-Light technology is similar to Pick-to-Light, but in reverse for processing operations, such as returned goods to stock, or order processing of batch picked items. Illuminated displays at certain locations indicate how many items should be placed in each individual position after the item’s barcode is scanned.
Pick-to-Cart – This method is ideal for picking multiple orders simultaneously to minimize walking and increase efficiency. Multiple “order” positions are assigned to locations on the cart. Picks can be directed by using pick-to-light displays at the order location on the cart, or tablets can be used to graphically display the order positions and show quantities of picked items for each order’s location.
Order fulfillment operations are able to function with the aid of numerous technologies, including conveyors, robotics, automated storage and retrieval systems, and many others. With constantly evolving technologies, these systems will continue to become even faster and more accurate over time.
Order fulfillment operations are implemented in a wide variety of industries to help them improve their accuracy and efficiency as well reduce cost and labor. S&H Systems develops numerous advanced solutions like these to keep order fulfillment processes running efficiently. Contact us today to learn more.