In our latest Shoptalk installment, employee-owner Amanda of our Systems Integration Group discusses how EDC upgraded and expanded its pick module operations.
Shoptalk: EDC Pick Module Expansion
March 14, 2023
Tags: Mezzanines, Order Picking & Fulfillment, ecommerce, Shoptalk, warehousing, order fulfillment
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
How to Add Carton Flow to Pallet Racks
May 21, 2020
by Scott Stone
Above: flow storage installed on pallet rack beams in a distribution center
To increase warehouse productivity, reducing the time it takes for people to execute a task is always going to pay off. One way to do that is to concentrate on picking areas so that people are able to get what they need faster and more efficiently. A common gravity flow application is to mount shelves of flow storage on pallet rack so you can mix & match gravity flow and bulk pallet storage in the same structure for both existing and new rack systems.
Whether you’re adding flow storage to an existing rack system or building it from new, this guide should help you get started.
Tags: order fulfillment, picking
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
How to Convey Poly Bags & Envelopes
October 18, 2018
by Scott Stone
The shift from traditional retail to ecommerce is accelerating, and with that growth there are both challenges and opportunities for order fulfillment operations. Companies that spent decades perfecting retail distribution (large, bulk orders to a network of stores) are shifting toward direct-to-consumer shipments that are orders of magnitude more difficult to manage.
Among other things, this means that ecommerce companies must focus on optimal packaging. At Modex 2018, an industry expert panel including Hytrol’s Boyce Bonham discussed these issues.
Tags: order fulfillment, Order Picking & Fulfillment, ecommerce
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Improving Ergonomics in the Warehouse
November 28, 2017
With the rising costs of workers’ compensation insurance and global pressures to increase productivity, warehouse and distribution center managers are taking a much closer look at improving ergonomics. With as many as 65% of worker’s compensation claims associated with manual materials handling, insurance companies are raising their rates—or mandating ergonomic improvements for continued coverage.
Equipment suppliers are responding to the need, engineering and designing features into their products to help workers minimize the strains associated with lifting, reaching, twisting, pulling and pushing. These new product features can also help address the demand for increased productivity as well.
Tags: Order Picking & Fulfillment, Safety & Ergonomics, Material Handling, order fulfillment, warehouse safety, ergonomics, plant safety
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
10 Ways to Set up Warehouse Workers for Success
November 29, 2016
by Scott Stone
Companies spend lots of time trying to understand the best ways to increase efficiency in their operations. How do I increase pick rates? Why do we spend more time on things that add no value than we should? Why do we make so many mistakes, and how do I stop it? Why is there so much waste in the system? How can this be better organized?
These are all good questions, and the answer to solving these problems usually lies in developing people to work their best.
In this day and age of increasing industrial productivity, tough global competition, and tight labor, integrating personnel development with best practices facility design, automation, processes and management is key to reducing labor costs, increasing margins, and becoming a more profitable operation. People thrive in good environments where they are set up to succeed. What can you do to build the right situation for your people?
Tags: 3PL, order fulfillment, labor, Third Party Logistics, employee development, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Hiring and Developing Outstanding Order Pickers
October 12, 2016
by Scott Stone
Order fulfillment operations come in all sizes, shapes and types, including a basket of challenges that diversity creates. One of the most difficult challenges in this industry is developing order picking talent. It’s competitive these days, as you know, for distribution facilities and e-commerce fulfillment centers. One of the best ways to enhance those operations is to develop your labor force more fully. What can you do?
Tags: labor, Third Party Logistics, picking, ecommerce, 3PL, order fulfillment, distribution systems
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
10 Ways to Keep Orders Moving During Your Busiest Season
December 23, 2014
by Scott Stone
I received a newsletter the other day that really hit home during this busy Christmas season. It was about keeping warehouse order pickers motivated in their work and I thought, “That’s really key during peak seasons when highly stressed workers can get burned out quickly.” So, how do you keep order pickers moving when they’re already under the gun?
Tags: warehousing, order fulfillment, worker safety, worker satisfaction, motivation, performance improvement
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Order Picking: Optimizing and Storing Slow Movers
June 18, 2014
by Scott Stone
The focus when it comes to order picking is usually (and justifiably) on the fastest-moving product. You slot your warehouse for fast movers. You pareto-focus on the 20% of the product that generates 80% of the business, as you should. But it’s also useful to consider the slow-moving inventory and pick locations. Simply putting the slowest movers in the least accessible area may make them consume more order picking time and storage space than necessary.
Tags: order fulfillment, Industrial Shelving, carton flow racks
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Innovations in High Density Storage
June 13, 2014
by Scott Stone
Ever find yourself wondering how you can get more out of your pallet rack? Do you have goods that take up very little space, but your pick operations don’t call for entire pallets full of the product? Then you might need to look at ways to achieve more density in your storage, and we’ve recently found a gem of a product that can help you out. It’s called Dynamic High Density Storage and it’s made by SpeedCell.
Tags: storage, industrial storage, distribution center, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Pallet Rack, order fulfillment, warehouse storage, space savings
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Excess Walking Makes “Zombies” of Order Pickers
July 10, 2013
by Scott Stone
Studies indicate that order pickers spend too much time walking. Distribution center employees routinely spend more than  half their day walking, not picking orders, packing orders, or replenishing stock. They’re going from point to point, burning man hours getting where they need to be, not working. And that’s the average — for really poorly designed operations, it’s worse.
As they tire, workers pick slower, pick less accurately, and work more dangerously — almost a zombie like situation! Every bad thing that can happen in a warehouse operation is amplified, the more time employees spend walking.
Check out our most recent Info-graphic, “Walking is the Walking Death of Order Picking Productivity” for more information on ways you can combat this issue.
More information:
Tags: order fulfillment, lean warehousing, ergonomics
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|