In a picking process, picking orders are transmitted to the workers as pick lists or electronically. The subsequent process is divided into various sub-processes. The central basic services include
- the removal of the required article quantities,
- their transfer to containers, conveyor lines or a transport vehicle and
- the merging of order quantities.
VDI Guideline 3590 Sheet 1 names possible sub-processes in detail as follows:
- Specification of the transport information
- Transportation of the goods to the staging location
- Provision of goods
- Movement of the order picker to the staging area
- Specification of the removal information
- Removal of the articles by the order picker
- Delivery of the withdrawal
- Confirmation of the removal process
- Transportation of the collection unit(s) for delivery
- Specification of the transport information for the opened staging unit(s)
- Transportation of the opened staging units
Possible additional services in the course of order picking include labeling, price marking and packaging, the compilation of containers and the marking and labeling of shipping units.