Outbound: picking, packing and shipping
Outbound covers everything between an order reaching the warehouse and the parcel leaving it. Picking collects the items, and the methods differ in how they organise the work: wave picking releases orders in timed groups, zone picking divides the floor between pickers, and batch picking collects several orders in one trip. Pick and pack names the whole sequence from picking to packing.
Kitting assembles sets of items before dispatch, the cut-off time is the last moment an order can still ship the same day, and despatch is the handover to the carrier. Equipment that guides picking, such as pick-to-light, is described under Warehouse automation.
Terms in this topic
Batch picking
Batch picking explained simply: one picker collects the items for several orders in a single round, then sorts them. When it saves walking, with an example.
Cut-off time
Cut-off time explained simply: the time of day before which an order ships today. How to work it out from the courier's collection, with an example.
Despatch — dispatch
Despatch explained simply: the last step, handing packed parcels to the carrier and recording that they have gone. Where errors creep in, with an example.
Golden zone
Golden zone definition: the easy-reach band of a rack, between waist and shoulder height, where the most frequently picked articles are stored.
Kitting
Kitting explained simply: putting several products together into one ready-to-sell set. How to count the stock, and when it pays off, with an example.
Pick and pack
Pick and pack explained simply: collecting the items on an order from the shelves, then packing them with the right label. How to keep it accurate.
Wave picking
Wave picking explained simply: releasing orders to the shop floor in timed groups so each group is ready for the courier's collection. With an example.
Zone picking
Zone picking explained simply: each picker covers one part of the warehouse and only picks what is stored there. When it pays off, with an example.
Also relevant to this topic
Cross-docking
Cross-docking explained simply: goods arrive and leave again straight away, without being shelved. When it works, when it doesn't, with an example.
FEFO — First Expired, First Out
FEFO explained simply: ship the stock that expires first, not the stock that arrived first. Less waste and a faster recall, with an example.
FIFO — First In, First Out
FIFO explained simply: your oldest stock goes out first. When the rule works, when it doesn't, and how it differs from FEFO. With an example.
Goods-to-person — G2P
Goods-to-person explained simply: the stock is brought to the picker at a station instead of the picker walking to it. When it pays off.
Pick-to-light
Pick-to-light explained simply: lights at each shelf location show the picker where to pick and how many. Where it pays off, with an example.
Put-to-light
Put-to-light explained simply: a light at each slot shows where an item goes when a batch is sorted into orders. When it pays off, with an example.
Slotting — warehouse slotting
Slotting explained simply: deciding where each product lives in the warehouse so that picking takes the least walking. A simple start, with an example.
Sorter — automated sortation system
Sorter explained simply: a machine that reads each parcel's label and sends it to the right lane by itself. When it pays off, with an example.
Voice picking
Voice picking explained simply: a headset tells the picker where to go and how many to take, hands and eyes stay free. When it pays off.
Other topics
- Inventory and stock controlKnowing what you hold and where: SKUs, lots, stock takes, safety stock.23 terms
- Inbound: receiving and putawayFrom dock to shelf: receiving, putaway, slotting and cross-docking.6 terms
- Warehouse automation (MHE)Machines that store, move and sort goods, and the technologies that guide the work.19 terms
- Systems and integrationWMS, OMS, WCS, WES, EDI and how warehouse software connects.10 terms
- Retail and supply-chain standardsGS1 identifiers, barcodes and the messages trading partners exchange.9 terms
- Metrics and KPIsThe numbers that show how stock and warehouse work are performing.5 terms
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Two questions about your own operation
How many of your articles sit in a pick location they empty less than once a month?
Part one: Laying out a warehouse does not start with the racking
After your last integration, how many systems hold a stock quantity for the same item? Name them.