Optimal picking route (Walking route) throughout warehouse

[Former Member]

Dear Gurus,

Could you please advise. For a customer I have to set up the following picking route (Walking route):

Situation: Each Aisle has 100 storage bins

Aisle A -> Bin 01 till Bin 100

Aisle B -> Bin 01 til Bin 100

etc

For example:

Following Bins are involved for picking

A-01

A-04

A-05

A-47( This is the last BIN in Aisle A and the first location in Aisle B is B-28. So order picker has to start in beginning of Row B)

B-28

B-29

C-01 (Order picker has to start in Beginning of Row C)

D-85 (Order picker has to start at end of row D)

D-70

So S route will not work for this customer. Question, which user exit can I use to set up this picking route?

Br Richard

[Former Member]

Hi

In this example you say that each aisle is number 001 -> 100 and in my experience, most warehouses number the bins in the same direction (i.e. front to back) and then complain when the picker finishes at the back of aisle A and has to start again at the front of aisle B etc. thus loosing productivity.

There are a 3 ways of achieving the optimum pick route (S route) that I know of;

1. Re-label the bins so that the aisles run in alternating directions (yet to be able to persuade any client to take this option ...... for obvious reasons). You can then use the standard TO sort functionality based on the actual bin numbers.
2. Do not re-label the bins and use the standard TO sort functionality based on the actual bin numbers - This usually still involves starting at the front of every aisle but can be a compromise by utilising the operatives knowledge of the physical warehouse layout.
3. Use the standard TO sort functionality based on the sort field pick data within the bin master. - Using this method, you can pick aisle A in ascending order then aisle B in descending order etc., etc.

Hope this helps

Cheers

[Former Member]

Hi Andriod

Thanks for your feed back. Do you know if there is also a user exit to set up a custom made sort field pick strategy?

Maybe user exit MWMTO012?

Richard

[Former Member]

Hi

Never had to use one, so I don't know sorry

Cheers

[former_member245890]

Hi

Before MWMTO012 user exit, i think you need to try solution options given by Android. If these solutions are not sufficient enought, i guess you may use this exit to sort transfer order items according to your requirement.