Single-Zone vs. Multi-Zone Picking
Order picking systems are often organized in a single zone. This means that goods or items can be picked and put together by all order pickers throughout the warehouse. A customer order can be completely assigned to and handled by one person. There are no organizational boundaries and the same picking principles are applied to all product groups. In large warehouses, however, this organizational structure can result in long transport routes and walking times. To counteract this, the work area can also be divided into several zones. This is known as multi-zone picking. In this case, each picker is assigned exclusively to one subarea of the warehouse (warehouse zone). This organizational separation allows the pickers to handle several partial orders at the same time. The zones can, for example, be assigned to different product groups. In addition, different picking principles and storage techniques can be used in the different zones, depending on the product range.