What phases constitute the picking task in Barcelona?

All logistics companies want to improve their productivity and efficiency. To do this, it is necessary that you, as an entrepreneur, review each and every one of the processes that make up your activity. Next we will talk about the importance of picking in Barcelona and what are the key phases for the good development of this point of the logistics process.

What is picking?

The term picking refers to order preparation actions, which consist of the collection and combination of units of merchandise extracted from containers that bring together several, to conform to the specific orders of a customer. It can practically be carried out in all warehouses, and is done when you need to gather products, parts or materials to proceed, later, to transfer them together. Thus, the handling of unit loads and picking are closely related to the process of sending prepared orders, the retail service and the replenishment of stock.

This activity can be performed in different ways. The simplest way is for an operator to tour the facilities and collect the product units needed to form the order. But there are also slightly more sophisticated ways for logistics companies in Barcelona to develop this activity, as in the case of automated systems.

In other words, the picking process starts when workers who manage a warehouse issue a purchase order, which must identify the product reference and its specific location within the warehouse. The workers will then pick up the item(s) (the quantity ordered from them in the order) and verify that they are in perfect condition. Finally, grouped and collected the items, these are arranged in boxes and proceeded to their packaging. At that time the package will be ready to be transported and received by the customer.

Picking phases

Order preparation is a more complex and costly task for a warehouse than, a priori, you might think. The change in consumption has greatly increased the number of daily orders. Therefore, knowing the phases of this activity is essential to optimize all associated operations and thus achieve greater overall productivity in your warehouse.

1. Planning

It is one of the basic pillars in any company. It is essential that you take time to think and execute good planning, focus on identifying real needs and allocated the appropriate resources. The right thing to do during this process is to find a standardization point. And to do this, you can group certain preparations of similar orders.

2. Travel and travel

This is the phase that is usually spent most of the time. Routes and travel around warehouse facilities and corridors so operators can
locating products in their locations account for a large part of the time spent preparing orders. 

This phase begins when an operator starts from its initial position of work to collect the required products, and ends when it leaves them in the order preparation area, their final destination.

3. Collection of goods or products 

This phase is of great importance when drawing up a planning, because it is the most likely to be optimized in terms of time spent. If the products are in an easily accessible and well-labeled area in specific locations, this task will be easier. 

It will take longer if you have to look for stairs, if you have to look in a complicated access area or if you need forklifts to pick up the products or goods.

4. Verifications and order preparation

This is the final phase. In it, the workers carry out the verification of the order to verify that they have picked up the appropriate product and then take it to the shipping area. There it is packaged, assigned the corresponding tags and passed to the shipping area.

Importance of picking in Barcelona

The importance of this activity lies in its relationship with new forms of consumption and online shopping. All warehouses perform the following actions:

– Reception of products.

– Storage.

– Selection of products according to the order of the customers.

– Order distribution.

Picking is one of the most critical activities, and can account for 30 to 40% of the labor cost depending on the warehouse. Alongside this cost, it should not be forgotten that this activity influences the time between the receipt of the request by a customer and its delivery.

Therefore, it is very important that you have an excellent service and high quality picking in Barcelona that facilitates that all these processes are carried out effectively and with the greatest efficiency. If you are looking for a trusted logistics operator, contact us: in Galyco we will perform all the logistical work that your company needs.