Slotting is sometimes used by progressive companies to reduce picking time by moving commonly ordered products (aka “high velocity SKUs”) to a few aisles of the picking area and consequently reduce walking time during picking. The primary drawbacks to traditional slotting are the labor to physically relocate products and the cessation or slowdown of picking while products are being moved. Because of these drawbacks many companies never or rarely slot their inventory.
Dynamic Slotting uses FastFetch’s Batch-Picking Cart Solution combined with bulk-pull methodology to dramatically reduce walk time when picking low velocity SKUs, order profiles that are unpredictable and difficult to slot a warehouse for, and SKUs spread out in very large storage areas.
The large area is divided into pick zones. Bulk picking SKU carts are simultaneously sent (one to each zone) to gather the exact items and quantities necessary to complete a large wave of orders. Once these carts gather the SKUs, the carts are parked in a row and the control program on each changes it from a picking cart to a lighted picking bay that can couple with a lighted order picking cart using FastFetch’s patented technology.
Order picking carts using voice and light direction only have to traverse this single-aisle warehouse to complete each batch of orders, with almost no walk time and extremely fast picking rates due to SKU density and coupled light direct picking technology. While order picking carts are completing the current wave of orders, bulk picking SKU carts can be gathering product for the next wave.
