Pick and Pass using Oracle WMS
This questions has been asked a few times and I think it is important enough to receive a blog entry of its own. Pick and Pass is one of the pick strategies that I have covered in detail before (See earlier posts: Pick Strategies in your Warehouse - Part 1 and Pick Strategies in your Warehouse - Part 2 ). So when does a pick and pass strategy makes sense?
Typically a pick and pass strategy is good under the following circumstances:
Warehouse typically fulfills a large number of orders/day with multiple lines of pick for different items. In addition the demand profile in your warehouse follows a fat tail distribution.
Pick area is large and hence requires significant travel time from one end to the other.
In addition the order cube is not significantly high and the cubic volume for a typical order does not exceed the pick container capacity. In other words, each order can be completely picked in a carton or a pick pallet.
If none of these conditions are applicable, you may want to look at zone picking or order picking options.
Pick and pass involves segregating your pick area into pick zones. Pick and pass requires that the pick operators perform picks only in the zones assigned to them. Its the picking container that travels from one zone to another, thereby reducing the travel time for pickers. In high order volume warehouses, conveyors may link the pick zones to make it even more efficient. Alternatively some warehouses use a picking cart to transfer pick containers from one zone to another. In order to implement pick and pass, a picking container needs to be identified for an order. Which means a picking label that identifies the order or shipment is needed. The picking container is could be either the final shipping carton or container or an intermediate container or a tote.
So how does one enable it in Oracle WMS? To enable "Pick and Pass" you need to enable cartonization such that LPN labels for your pick containers are obtained. You also need pick zone defined such that pick operators can sign on to the zones when they sign-on.
Define Pick Zones: You need to define sub-inventories for each pick zone. You also need to identify the flow direction of container from one zone to another. The pick sequence for locators can be assigned to minimize travel direction.
Enable Cartonization: You need to allow cartonization for each pick zone.
Setup Cartonization: Configure cartonization by either doing either "Container Load" relationship or cartonization categories. Please see section on cartonization in WMS implementation guide for more details on how to set up.
Enable Label Printing for "Cartonization" business flow. Please see section on label printing in WMS implementation guide for more details on how to set up label printing. At the very minimum, you should enable LPN or LPN Content labels to print at cartonization. You can also generate a "Shipping" label for the carton. The can have the additional benefit of eliminating the pack station by picking directly into the shipping carton.
Once the setup is done, WMS will generate LPN labels for picking (using cartonization business flow) at pick release. Cartonization will also suggest an appropriately sized carton that can hold the items as content. From this point onwards, "Pick and Pass" execution requires the following:
Task Sign-On: Pick operators need to be assigned to pick zones. Each pick operator need to sign-on to a specific picking zone (sub-inventory). Its also possible to have multiple pick operator in a pick zone.
Pick Label Assignment: The pick labels can be manually assigned to the pick operator working in the first pick zone in the pick path.
Task Execution: The pick operator scans the pick container label and subsequently WMS dispatches all the tasks for the cartonized LPN and the particular pick zone where operator is signed-on.When the operator is finished in his zone, WMS will inform the operator that group of tasks is complete, indicating that the container should be moved to the next pick zone in the path.
The operator in the next pick zone performs the same set of action until the pick container reaches the packing/consolidation area or shipping staging area where a pick drop is done for the LPN.
