During the last years the trend of e-commerce has grown and has remained in positive numbers. According to the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO), at the end of 2022. Mexico had an annual rebound of 23% in retail electronic commerce. The study shows that this factor reached a market value of 528,000 million pesos.
And of course, in this growth, it is normal for operational crises to also be generated, which must be addressed with quality and agility. For this reason, today we are going to analyze how an operation with picking technologies is visualized and its benefits, in addition, we will talk about the most recommended solutions according to your flow of SKUs. Take note!
What challenges do companies face in order fulfillment?
The assortment of orders is one of the biggest pain points for companies, and although it has represented a challenge before, it has become more acute with e-commerce processes and consumer behavior.
Let us see below the main challenges faced by companies that do not have picking and automation technologies for order fulfillment, especially in this positive wave, where according to Google and Euromonitor, ecommerce in Mexico will grow 226%. in the next 5 years.
- Loss or theft of products. Ant theft happens, and being on a smaller scale it is not noticeable. When you have 100% manual processes, losses or thefts occur constantly, harming profitability, but also the commitment to your end customer, who may receive less than what was agreed.
- Assortment of errors. When there are no automated processes, it is common for there to be errors. However, the precision and accuracy of the operation are 2 pillars that must be safeguarded, and an operational culture of avoiding them at all costs must be created. Ignoring a minimal error is opening the door for more to exist and to normalize.
- High delivery times. What are your quality protocols in manual assortment processes? Hard to answer, right? Consider that time is money because the operation continues, and expenses such as energy, personnel, rents continue to count, and if we add uncertainty due to precision to that, a bunch of dissatisfactions and vulnerabilities are generated.
- Use of a large space to store. By not having technologies that allow rapid assortment management, a bottleneck is created that requires constant storage. This variable requires considerable space to store the products, and as a consequence, decreases the ergonomics of the operation.
Promising picking technologies for order fulfillment
Picking systems have positioned themselves as the best ally for order fulfillment operations, since they provide the peace of mind of having control and information in real time, as well as greater traceability, speed, flexibility, precision, and productivity.
However, before recommending one or the other, we prefer to start from the true need, which is determined after knowing the real needs.
1.- Operations with small number of SKU´s:
Pick to Light. The Pick to Light (PTL) or light-guided order selection system allows orders to arrive from a server to the assortment line, where the quantity of an item to be supplied is indicated in each position by means of luminous displays.
Put to Light. It works by means of luminous displays. It is characterized because the number of orders to fill will always be fixed, but the quantity of products can be infinite and very varied; since it can work with various types of products.
Pick to voice. Voice-guided order fulfillment system. Those companies that handle single units with medium and high volumes, or a large number of SKUs, can greatly benefit from
this technology.
2.- Medium number of SKU´s:
Horizontal and Vertical Carrousels. This technology is one of the best solutions for multiple needs such as: parts storage, ensuring the quality of the assortment, assembling sub-assemblies (kitting), among other functions.
Vertical Buffer. It is ideal for high demand in the picking process as it optimizes performance in picking small parts and light materials. Guarantees high precision and high energy efficiency.
3.-High number of SKU´s:
Autonomous Mobile Robots. Its main function is to present the different products in stock according to the orders to be filled at the consolidation stations, where they are complemented by Pick to Light and Put to Light systems, among others.
Miniload. Its function is to fill orders from boxes that can be an independent autonomous system, or to complete parts of orders that have to be filled by pallet, more layers or individually.
Shuttle. The multiple shuttle system allows handling orders to fill boxes or picking items, where it has an extremely high productivity, avoiding human movements that add time and low productivity.
Do you have doubts about how picking solutions would be implemented in your operation?
Remember that the assortment of orders represents one of the highest operating costs of the Distribution Center, so it will be necessary to have systems that meet the demand, while being productive
Book an appointment here, our specialized advisors will be able to visit your company and
guide you on this path that will only provide you with certainty and precision.
