Warehouse Management

Zone picking.
Specialized pickers, less travel.

Divide your warehouse into zones with dedicated pickers. Reduce travel time, eliminate congestion, and let pickers specialize in their area.

Why large warehouses need zone picking.

01

Excessive travel

In a 50,000+ sqft warehouse, pickers can walk miles per day. Crossing the entire warehouse for each order wastes time.

02

Aisle congestion

Multiple pickers in popular aisles create traffic jams. Workers wait for each other, throughput drops.

03

No specialization

Pickers navigating unfamiliar areas make errors. Knowing your zone means faster picks and fewer mistakes.

Key capabilities.

Define warehouse zones, assign pickers, and automatically split orders for parallel processing.

01

Zone definition

Group bin locations into logical zones. Define by aisle, product category, or physical area.

02

Dedicated zone pickers

Assign workers to specific zones. They learn their area and pick faster over time.

03

Automatic order splitting

Multi-zone orders split automatically. Each zone picks their items in parallel.

04

Consolidation points

Define where zone picks merge. Items from multiple zones combine for packing.

05

Zone productivity metrics

Track picks per hour by zone. Identify bottleneck zones and optimize staffing.

Example zone layout.

Zone Coverage Staffing
Zone A: Fast movers Aisles 1-10, high-velocity SKUs 4 pickers
Zone B: Medium movers Aisles 11-25, standard SKUs 3 pickers
Zone C: Slow movers Aisles 26-40, long-tail SKUs 2 pickers
Zone D: Bulk / oversized Bulk storage area, large items 1 picker

Zone picking strategies.

01

Sequential zone picking

Order moves from zone to zone. Zone A picks, passes to Zone B, then Zone C. Best when zones follow a logical flow.

02

Parallel zone picking

All zones pick simultaneously. Items consolidate at the pack station. Faster for large orders spanning many zones.

FAQ

Common questions.

How big should my warehouse be for zone picking?
Zone picking typically makes sense at 20,000+ square feet or 5,000+ SKUs. Smaller warehouses may not benefit from the added complexity. The key indicator is picker travel time. If pickers spend more than 40% of their time walking, zones can help.
How do single-zone orders work?
Single-zone orders stay in that zone from pick to pack. No consolidation needed. These are your fastest orders. Good slotting strategy means most orders only touch 1-2 zones.
Can zones change based on demand?
Yes. Review zone productivity metrics regularly. If Zone A is constantly backed up while Zone C idles, consider reassigning pickers or moving products. Some operations adjust zone staffing daily based on expected order mix.
How does consolidation work for multi-zone orders?
Each zone places picked items in a tote labeled with the order number. Totes flow to a consolidation area where items from all zones merge. The packer scans each item to verify the complete order before packing.

See how it works
with zone picking.

See how zone picking can reduce travel time and increase throughput.