Colour Picking creates ease for picking staff during spikes in demand with Kardex Pick-to-Light Technology

When it comes to eCommerce success, picking speed and accuracy are the key to customer satisfaction.

This can be difficult for eCommerce distribution centers that have fluctuations in order demand. With Colour Picking, Kardex Remstar offers a scalable solution enabling distribution centers to flex labor resources to meet spikes demand − achieving higher picking throughput and maximising labor efficiency without high investment costs.

Frequently fluctuating order volumes and increasing customer requirements make it challenging for online merchants to manage order fulfillment and get their growth under control. The pressure to fill orders faster to meet customer delivery requirements can quickly overload your workforce, increasing the risk of incorrect picks. The result: a higher number of returns and an increase in dissatisfied customers. Implementing scalable and intuitive pick-to-light technology, Colour Picking enables higher picking throughput and maximum labour efficiency to manage demand fluctuation common with eCommerce business.

The functionality is as simple as it is intelligent. Based on the visual combination of orders (batch picking), batches of orders are filled according to a coloured light directed picking process. When the operator starts the batch the system dynamically assigns a colour to the batch cart. All storage devices with order lines for this batch show the matching colour and move to retrieve the stored articles required for the batch. Since the articles required for the batch of orders are stored in several devices, the cart is moved through the aisle after all articles have been removed from each device. As the cart moves past a storage unit, a new batch is created and started behind it. The devices then move to retrieve the articles of the new batch. This allows multiple batches to be picked simultaneously from one work zone. Following the coloured lights on the storage devices, the operators simply pick the articles from the storage device and put them into the batch cart with the matching colour.

Colour Picking is designed to handle spikes in order demand, allowing any number of order pickers and carts to be added into the work zone as required. If labour shortage occurs at one batch cart, other operators can jump in flexibly to support the batch and guarantee a smooth and fast fulfillment process. When the order demand decreases, these additional operators can return to their previously assigned warehouse tasks and the work zone can be managed with less operators. As the technology is intuitive, only minimal training times are required.

Its simple design provides an easy integration of Colour Picking with a Kardex Remstar storage and retrieval system through the Power Pick Global Inventory Management Software. There is no new equipment needed − only an update of the PPG software and the addition of the batch carts. Colour Picking is an efficient and cost-effective solution for eCommerce distribution centers to manage spikes in demand achieving higher throughput and maximizing labour efficiency.

For more information contact Kardex direct on info.remstar.uk@kardex.com for more information.