Gravity Flow vs. Static Shelving

Here's how to tell the difference:

Static Shelving: Pickers spend 15% of their time doing productive work.

Static shelving systems are relatively inexpensive. The big hidden cost factor is labor -- the amount of time workers spend restocking and picking.

In the drawing above, notice how many wasted steps are taken between the items being picked. In the typical static system, pickers actually waste about 85% of their time walking and searching. That means only 15% of the time is left for productive work -- picking and marking order forms.

Gravity Flow: Pickers spend about 85% of their time doing productive work.

A gravity flow system may cost a little more than conventional shelving, but it cuts labor costs dramatically. How? By decreasing the walking distance between items being picked and the time spent looking for them. In fact, about 85% of the picker's time is spent actively picking and marking order forms, and only 15% walking.

Restocking speed is doubled or tripled. Instead of having to remove the contents of each case and stack them on static shelves, gravity flow restockers need only slice off the top of the case and slide it onto the rack. This efficiency often makes it possible to eliminate three out of four workers.

Gravity flow uses floor space more efficiently. Fewer aisles are required -- at least 50% more goods can be stocked in the same amount of floor space. If the item and situation are correct, gravity flow saves money over the long term vs. static shelving.