28 Oct

Design Your Picking System with Purpose: 10 Decisions That Prevent Bottlenecks

At Electrotec, we’ve developed a KPI-driven decision framework (accuracy, lines/hour, OTIF, cost per order) to design your picking system from the ground up. In this article, we outline 10 key starting points to analyze before making changes.

 

1) Define your service level before moving a single shelf

• Decide the promise per channel and realistic cut-offs. Establish delivery windows (24/48h, same-day), picking slots, and tolerances by B2C, B2B, and marketplace. Without this clarity, every design choice creates conflict later.
• Prioritize explicitly: quality, speed, or cost. Your order of priority guides layout, staffing, and method: if speed > cost, you’ll accept more resources to maintain OTIF; if cost > speed, you’ll design for percentiles and tolerate occasional queues.
• Quantify control objectives. Set measurable targets for OTIF, Order-to-Ship P50/P90, and accuracy (e.g., ≥99.5%), including calculation rules and ownership. What isn’t expressed in numbers can’t be managed.

 

2) Design for the reasonable peak, not the average day

• Model Base/Peak/High Peak using percentiles. Use P50/P90 to size labor, carts, and packing capacity by time slot — avoid overdimensioning based on anecdotes.
• Segment by mix and schedule. Differentiate B2C/B2B, order size, and hot time slots; each segment requires distinct resources and priority rules.
• Plan elasticity. Define how reinforcement is activated (internal/external) and what tasks shift per role during peaks — a clear “who does what” prevents crisis mode.

 

3) Make your catalog work for you

• Classify by rotation and confusion risk. ABC/XYZ and “confusable pairs” (nearly identical SKUs) dictate where to locate, how to label, and what to validate.
• Define picking unit by family. Units, boxes, packs, assortments — each changes routes and consolidation rules. Document them.
• Slot with intention. Top-sellers near dispatch, coherent families without inducing confusion; review slotting seasonally.

 

4) Build quality and compliance into the design

• Operational traceability. Batch/lot/FEFO where applicable, captured directly at the pick point to avoid rework later.
• Validation at source. Article/quantity confirmations at the point of pick (scanner/PTL/put-to-wall) reduce picking-error returns.
• Regulation and environment. Pharma, food, ESD, or cold storage require specific materials, checks, and records — integrate them into the flow, not as afterthoughts.

 

5) Increase lines per hour by shortening distance, not just adding hands

• Place dispatch near top-sellers. Minimize distance per order with U-shaped or “snake” routes, avoiding backtracking.
• Separate incompatible flows. Replenishment and picking shouldn’t share aisles: fewer crossings, fewer delays, fewer accidents.
• Measure before and after. Use meters per order or picks/min as layout KPIs; if it doesn’t improve, revisit route or slotting.

 

6) Choose the picking method based on data, not trends

• Match pain point to method. If the problem is walking distance → batch/multi-order picking; if it’s errors → visual guidance with confirmation; if it’s multi-zone → focus on balance and transitions.
• Quantify the choice. Build a simple matrix (line density, average distance, error rate) → candidate method and pilot zone.
• Accept hybrids. One warehouse can use single-order picking for slow movers, batch for fast movers, and put-to-wall for consolidation.

 

7) Synchronize picking and shipping so peaks don’t break the day

• Align waves with cut-offs. Work in dispatch windows by carrier/channel; reduce “last-minute” chaos and rework.
• Right-size buffers and packing. Define finite capacity (people/tables) and make queues visible; if packing collapses, picking becomes useless.
• Manage urgencies with clear rules. Late orders and VIPs need a defined lane that doesn’t disrupt the entire operation.

 

8) Design for people to execute it every day

• Standardize the work. Visual guides per role and zone with expected times and checkpoints; less variability, more predictability.
• Onboarding in days, not weeks. Defined ramp-up, mentoring, and competency checks; measure time to productivity.
• Versatility and ergonomics. Skills matrix for peaks and rotations; reduce fatigue to maintain pace without chronic overtime.

 

9) Measure little, consistently, and on time: the dashboard that really leads

• Define five core KPIs: Accuracy, LPH, Order-to-Ship, OTIF, and Warehouse Error Returns; add Cost per Order once operations stabilize.
• One formula per KPI. Document calculation and data source; without consistency, comparisons are meaningless.
• Short and useful ritual. Visible board and 10-minute daily review with one improvement action; weekly Pareto by SKU/family.

 

10) Add technology as a layer — and scale by proven impact

• Multi-order carts when distance is the pain. Several orders in one pass increase LPH/OPH and reduce meters per order with the same team.
• Pick-to-Light/Put-to-Light when accuracy or speed is the issue. Visual guidance with local confirmation boosts pace and cuts returns, even in cold or frozen areas.
• Integrate and scale in phases. Connect as a lightweight layer over WMS/ERP (APIs/CSV), start in a critical zone, compare before/after with the same KPIs, and deploy gradually.

 

How Electrotec Helps (Diagnosis and Tailored Recommendation)

• Needs analysis using your data. Volume, mix, catalog, peaks, layout, and current KPIs — we identify where your investment brings the most impact.
• Compared alternatives. Two or three scenarios (process/layout/method) evaluated against your SLA and real constraints.
• Technology layer only when it adds value. Carts and/or Pick-to-Light integrated with your system; controlled pilot, clear acceptance criteria, and phased rollout.

 

Want to compare your own numbers? Write to us — we’ll return a serious, data-based design, ready for decision-making.