A new warehouse can design the placement of shelves according to the picking route, while changing the shelves in a warehouse that has already placed goods would require too much labor. So the low-cost improvement method for old warehouses is to change the picking route and picking method, while gradually adjusting the placement of goods.
Generally speaking, a warehouse is divided into a receiving area, a shipping area, a storage area, a packaging area, and a shipping area (some warehouses have the same receiving and shipping areas). The warehouse area of small and medium-sized sellers is generally not large, even only a few dozen square meters, and it seems unnecessary to divide it into so many details;
But these functional zones can still be easily divided, and there is no need to plan them specifically. They will naturally be divided during the work process, but the positions of the functional zones overlap.
Generally speaking, a new warehouse can design the placement of shelves according to the picking route, while changing the shelves in a warehouse that has already placed goods would require too much labor. So the low-cost improvement method for old warehouses is to change the picking route and picking method, while gradually adjusting the placement of goods.
The appropriate shelf, the placement of goods in the appropriate position on the shelf, first needs to choose a suitable shelf for products of different sales scales. The position of this shelf in the warehouse is relatively fixed, but the products on top are not fixed and need to be adjusted by the seller according to different sales conditions.
The placement of goods should follow several principles
1. Products with high sales volume or promotional items should be placed on shelves near the exit or entrance of the warehouse;
2. High sales or promotional products should be placed in the golden position in the middle of the golden shelf.
The reason why high sales products are not placed on the shelves near the warehouse exit is because the goods in the middle of the shelves do not require pickers to bend down and step on them, which is conducive to quick picking and shipment. Products with low sales are placed at the bottom or top of the shelves.
But in the specific implementation process, it needs to be handled according to the specific situation of the shelf. For example, if the golden position of the golden shelf has been occupied by other products, then the promotional products should be placed on the secondary golden shelf. In addition, it is up to the seller to decide who occupies the golden position between promotional products and long-term sales products based on their own situation. However, the general principle is the same: place products with large shipments and volumes near the export location.
Picking route
There is no optimal option for picking routes and methods, only the most suitable option. The design of picking routes and methods relies on the placement and labeling of shelves and products.
The storage of goods in the small warehouse is limited, and the shipment volume is also limited, so there is no need for too complicated picking routes and methods. Larger warehouses store more goods and have higher shipment volumes, resulting in greater labor for pickers. Reasonable and scientific picking routes and methods can greatly improve picking efficiency and reduce the workload of pickers.
Taking the Beijing warehouse of Wuzhou Online as an example, its picking route and picking method are designed according to four nested "S" shapes. These four "S" shapes are shelf S-shaped placement, picking S-shaped route, item number S-shaped design, and search line of sight S-shaped. The relationship between these four S-shapes is that the shelf S-shape determines the picking route S-shape, and the location number S-shape determines the search line S-shape.
The S-shaped route is the most efficient route for pickers. In this warehouse, the entrance and exit are on one side, and the picker starts and ends each operation without taking a repetitive route, making it the most labor-saving route in this warehouse.
The placement of shelves should be arranged according to the brand number, with the left single and right double, to ensure that the picker's route is also S-shaped.
Each shelf is a multi-layered structure, and the location numbers are arranged in an S-shape from top to bottom.
This four S-shaped design not only ensures that the route taken by the picker is the most economical, but also ensures that the route searched by the picker's line of sight is also the most economical.
Picking method
How to pick goods when the shelves, storage locations, and routes have been planned? There are two options here, one is to pick by order, and the other is to pick by summary. The so-called picking by order refers to placing the goods in different baskets according to the order during picking, and then sending them to the packaging area; Summary picking refers to the process of not dividing items into baskets during the picking process, and directly delivering them to the packaging area for the packers to pack according to the order.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the two picking methods: picking by order makes it convenient for packers and saves time on summary calculations, but it may increase the number of pickers' operations and the time required for each operation. Summarizing picking compresses the work time of the pickers, dividing the sorting process from picking to packaging into two steps. The pickers first screen the goods from the warehouse, and then the packers perform the final screening, dividing the workload of picking into two steps.
Generally speaking, when the number of orders is relatively small, the method of picking by order can be used. Although it will increase the number of pickers' operations, due to the small total quantity, the workload will not be very large; When there are a large number of orders, it is recommended to use a summary picking method, where the picking workload is borne separately by the pickers and packers.
However, sellers with large warehouses and long picking routes can also combine the two methods: consolidating multiple order items, extracting items from multiple orders at once, but placing them in different containers according to orders during the picking process. Of course, this requires two employees to complete. One employee is responsible for simple picking based on the summary sheet, while the other employee is responsible for the second step of sorting simultaneously.
Details and Enhancements
When there are enough packages and employees, it is best to use assembly line operations to complete the packaging work. The assembly line operation is to decompose the entire packaging process, which can generally be divided into four steps: packing, inspection and sealing, labeling, and stacking.
Some online stores do not have as many people, so they can combine posting and stacking, or assign inspection, sealing, and posting to one person. If a conveyor belt is used to complete these steps, the efficiency will be even higher.
Implementation of 5S management
As the foundation of warehouse management, 5S management is recommended for e-commerce enterprises to implement 5S management, make the site orderly, reduce the error rate of picking, and improve the efficiency of picking and shipping.
Principles for Placing Warehouse Goods
01 homework area
1. Beneficial for homework optimization. Warehouse operation optimization refers to improving the continuity of operations, achieving one-time operations, reducing loading and unloading times, shortening handling distances, and minimizing handling distances; Minimal handling steps; Minimize the amount of loading and unloading required to complete a certain task in the warehouse, while also paying attention to business connections and information transmission to ensure warehouse safety;
2. Emphasize the unique logistics exit and entry point for easy monitoring and management;
3. Maximizing the use of planes and space;
4. Easy to store and preserve. Improve the quality of item storage;
5. Goods stored in the same area must have correlation, and the method of regional planning
02 Rest Area
1. Tool area. Centralized management for easy maintenance and upkeep; Specify the location for storing fire-fighting facilities.
2. Acceptance area. The area for receiving suppliers.
3. Whole cargo area. The main storage area.
4. Bulk cargo area. Large scale enterprises can set up separate areas for unpacked whole goods, with corresponding storage locations to facilitate sorting and stocking management. The planning of this area plays a crucial role in efficient operations and customer service.
5. Stocking area. Prepare goods in advance according to orders, arrange them neatly, and have clear separation for different customer orders. Visualize the management of kanban, such as setting up distribution area signs and planning a fixed rolling distribution area every day to prevent loss of goods due to cross selling; The stocking area is an area with many problems and must be strictly managed.
6. Review area. Final control of inbound and outbound inventory, handover area with customers.
7. Return area. Accept customer returns.
8. Waste area. Waiting for scrapping and verification.
9. Defective product area. There is a possibility of repairing or returning to the supplier.
According to the different physical and chemical properties of inventory goods, divide them into zones and determine that the types of materials stored in the same warehouse have the same physical and chemical properties, which facilitates the adoption of maintenance measures; For example: metal area, plastic area, textile area, refrigeration area, hazardous materials area, etc. Different product usage directions are divided into zones, and different product suppliers are divided into zones for project management convenience.
03 Warehouse Floor Plan
Display the location of various items in the warehouse, including emergency, safety exits, and other safety facilities.
04 Location Planning
Principle of cargo placement
1. The closest principle to logistics export. On the basis of specifying fixed and mobile cargo locations, it is required that materials be placed in the closest position to the logistics outlet.
2. The principle of sorting based on inventory turnover rate. Products with high frequency of frequent inbound and outbound and large volume of inbound and outbound are placed in the fixed cargo location closest to the logistics export.
3. Principle of association. Due to table or habit, two or more related materials are often used simultaneously. If placed in adjacent positions, it can shorten the movement distance of sorting personnel and improve work efficiency.
4. The only principle. The same qualified material is required to be centrally stored in a single storage area for unified management and to avoid picking up from multiple storage locations; Of course, automated warehouses do not need to strictly adhere to this principle.
5. Series principles. Set up a large area for materials of the same series.
6. Principle of isolating easily mixed materials. For materials with similar appearance that are difficult to identify with the naked eye, on the basis of clear labeling, they should be separated by more than 2 storage locations to prevent mixing and difficulty in distinguishing.
7. Through first in, first out and strict management, if products of the same batch number fail inspection or are delivered prematurely, they are not allowed to be released. A red card warning should be set up to avoid confusion.
8. Facing the principle of channels. That is, the labeling of the products should face the channel, not only the outer layer facing the channel, but also all product labels should face the channel in the same direction, so that the sorting personnel can always work smoothly without interrupting their work to confirm the labeling. No encirclement, no blockage.
9. Principle of reasonable combination. Consider the shape and size of the materials, and match the space reasonably according to the actual warehouse conditions; Avoid insufficient space for storing goods in multiple locations, and avoid using too much space for insufficient use.
10. The principle of prioritizing the top over the bottom. Place lightweight materials in the upper or upper storage areas, and heavier materials in the lower or lower storage areas to reduce handling intensity and ensure the safety of shelves, buildings, and personnel.
11. Visual Kanban principle. Draw a 'Location Plan' to clearly indicate the location of the goods, so that even temporary personnel can accurately sort out the correct goods
