Getting Started with Automation: A Guide for Your Warehouse Management Solutions 

Part 3: Order Flow from Pick to Ship 

In the first two parts of this series, we laid out preliminary steps that set the stage for making strategic choices on how best to incorporate automation into order fulfillment to increase accurate throughput, reduce labor costs, and position businesses to accommodate continued growth. First, we went through questions a business should be asking itself about its current operations when it has become apparent that manual processes aren’t keeping up with demand. Then we moved on to looking at numbers—the budget they’re able to invest in automation solutions, their current labor costs (factoring in overtime and expenses for temporary hires), and the expected time frame to realize a full return on investment.  

The next step is to take a closer look at order flow—the steps necessary to select inventory to fulfill an order and prepare it to be handed off to the selected carrier. Order picking and packing methods vary, and understanding how your system works now and where improvements are possible is an essential part of selecting the right equipment to create a truly effective automation solution. Read more >