eCommerce
February 3, 2023

What are Goods to Person Order Fulfillment? Complete Guide

Every business wants to provide quality service to their customers to receive appreciation. To complete the e-commerce fulfillment on time & to receive valuable recognition, ensure the order fulfillment process you followed goes well. The order fulfillment process, like Goods to person, is a crucial decision regarding customer satisfaction. Therefore, you should build a robust order fulfillment strategy. With the advancement in robotics technology, there are many advancements in the industry. 

There is no need to pick goods and travel to each SKU one by one. Yes, Goods to person system is a new term that is growing popular in the industry, which makes the order fulfillment procedure quick. Do you know what it is and how to implement this in your business? Don't worry; in this blog, we'll cover every ins and outs of the order fulfillment process with the best strategies. Let's take a deeper look at this term and try to understand every little pro and con.

About Goods To Person Fulfillment

In the process of Goods Order fulfillment, the picker has to stay in one place, and the goods/SKU will come to them through the system. The goods/ SKU will be picked up and returned to the storage location. The Goods to person system works behind this and consists of the storage medium for product inventory, a conveyance method, an ergonomic workstation, and multiple configuration systems. It is configured with the systems like one SKU for one order container & one SKU for the multi-order container. 

This order fulfillment procedure is an automated technology that delivers the suitable SKU to its ideal place. This technology is highly used in industries because it improves productivity and lowers search time. This system also enhances time accuracy and the ergonomics levels for floor space requirements.

Finding the ideal Goods to person technology is a tedious process that depends on the SKU, order profiles, labor utilization & business growth. In the below section, we have outlined some benefits that leverage this technology. 

Related: What is a Fulfillment Center: Pros, Cons and Difference with a Warehouse


Types Of Goods To Person Technology

Several technologies are used in Goods to person order fulfillment procedures. The Goods to person system can be specified into two groups: Robotic solutions and AS/RS.

Autonomous mobile robots

Stacker bot tote: This AMR type is explicitly designed for retrieving products and inventory. In this procedure, the bot returns the product to its SKU location once the pick is completed.

Go-Fer Bot Rack: This is another AMR designed to transport items. This technique is relied upon by Amazon. It offers pick-to-light, & integrated scanning & software, which improves productivity. 

Exotec Skypod AMR: This was designed specifically with the goods-to-person applications. The system relies upon the 3 dimensional skyped robots. Once the operator picks the SKU/goods, it returns the bin to storage.

AS/RS (Automatic storage & retrieval)

Shuttles goods-to-person system: This technique work by retrieving the required carton that contains the products which are needed to pick. After that, it delivers the carton or SKU to the workstation, and the task will be completed.

Mini load goods to person system: The mini-load AS/RS relies upon the automatic crane. The crane retrieves the cases for picking and then returns them to storage. The mini-load is an effective operation that can take up space compared to the traditional order fulfillment technique.

Horizontal/vertical Modules Goods-to-person system: The horizontal carousels consist of a series of bins that moves along with the track. Each container contains multiple shelves of inventory. When it comes to vertical lift modules, it performs just the opposite.

Related: Types of Warehouse Management Systems


Benefits Of Implementing The Goods To Person Order Fulfillment Technique

Goods-to-order fulfillment techniques are configured in multiple ways, but they offer the following benefits.

Reduce Picker Travel Time And Labor Costs

Order pickers should no longer walk the warehouse and to the dedicated pick faces. In a "person to goods" arrangement, travel time is the most significant time aspect of a traditional order picker. Reducing this time component increases efficiency while the labor to perform the facility falls.

Remove The Dedicated Pick Face

Goods-to-person automation typically involves staging inventory in an electronic device, such as an automatic retrieval and storage system. Consider it a black box in which all SKUs are stored; an SKU is obtained when needed. This eliminates the requirement for SKU slotting and ongoing re-slotting management, which is typical of a "person to the machine" system.

Improve Product Security

When the product inventory depends on a high-density automated system like this, it becomes more secure. Product security is essential for maintaining the accuracy of the stock. Apart from this, it minimizes the chances of theft & assures the best strategies.

Ergonomic Workstations

This goods-to-person automation technology is designed for the comfort of employees. The environment, working heights, and motions can be measured with this. Get universal access & strong support for your employees.

Minimizing The System Footprint

The space required to cover the Goods to person takes less space than the person-to-good order fulfillment technique. If the storage medium is of high density, then a significant amount of space can be achieved—a typical footprint maybe 30 to 50% less than the conventional system.

Order Selection Speed

The pick station layout allows for high worker productivity. Because it is minimal or no travel time and the product to be selected is ergonomically continued to serve the worker, order selection rates are high. Pick rates of 500 to 1000 lines per 60 minutes per operator are typical in most operations.

Precision

Order picking with a goods-to-person station is more accurate because operators can easily handle one SKU, reducing the possibility of errors. Most goods-to-person stations employ put-to-light technology to display the quantity and location of the item, further improving accuracy. The picking method is carried out by a single person, which enhances traceability.

De-Coupled Workstations

With the goods-to-person automation order fulfillment technique, staff can work most similarly. In this technique, stations can be opened & closed based on the business volume. There is a redundancy in the configuration because the SKU/goods can be processed at any location.

High Utilization Of Workstations

The workflows into the pick station can consistently work the smooth way! The order pickers can be highly utilized because they don't need to wait for work. In the whole process, worker productivity isn't affected based on the structure of the traditional pick way.

Correct Sequencing

Every eCommerce store dream of offering satisfactory services, which is why they look for advanced techniques. When it comes to building customer order sequencing, precise SKUs are required. This procedure can sequence items based on their weight and type.

Questions To Ask Before Choosing The Goods Person Order Fulfillment Technique

The phrase "goods to person" has become relatively common, especially with the increased emphasis on supply chain logistics and warehouse efficiencies. At this point, it is well understood that goods-to-person technologies are viable for distribution facilities seeking to serve customers more quickly, optimize warehouse space, and improve order fulfillment accuracy.

With significant advancements in technology from various suppliers, there is now a diverse range of options, ranging from large, modular structures to smaller, easy-to-access options. The modernized strategy for retrieval and storage operations significantly increases customer satisfaction, employee retention, and the bottom line.

On the other hand, choosing the most suitable solution can be overwhelming and intimidating, even for those with prior experience in this field. Before deciding on a goods-to-person solution, consider the following four questions.

1. What do you desire to receive by utilizing this technology?

Understanding what your primary goals are will deliver you the best solution. A potential consumer trying to reduce their storage footprint by 40%, for example, would likely use a different solution than a looking forward to having to automate highly sequenced picking.

2. How do your order, and product profiles appear?

It is always a good idea to have an experienced professional analyze the data and crunch the numbers to assist you in making decisions. Are you looking to improve fast-moving product fulfillment, long-term storage of small items, or both? 

Will you be assembling product kits with the solution? Every consumer-to-consumer technology and customer product profile is unique. These differences can be beneficial or non-beneficial based on how the goods-to-person technology is implemented.

3. Is the solution appropriate for your business model?

If your business model has the potential to change every few years, consider goods-to-person technologies that can easily adjust to meet your changing needs.

4. What is your product, and where will it go once it leaves the goods-to-person system?

A solution created for the pickers and packing of specific products into a storage container is unlikely to accommodate an operation requiring buffering and product sequencing. 

Conclusion

An experienced professional can assist you in analyzing your operation, order profiles, and SKU distribution to ensure that the goods-to-person solution chosen is the best route to achieving your goals. There are numerous technologies available, and taking the time to compare them ahead of time will save you a lot of headaches later on, positioning your company for long-term success.

Recommended: Order Management System: The Secret To A Successful Business

Our newsletter

Get great curated articles every week.

Combine sections from Ollie's vast component library and create beautiful, detailed pages.