ProSKU App – Single Order & Wave Picking

1. Introduction

The ProSKU App picking option allows order picking using different methodologies, some of which need to be activated in the ProSKU WMS system. However to maintain to maintain a consistent user interface within the App the methodologies follow a broadly similar process.

The picking methodologies supported by the App are:

  • Single Order Picking

A single order can consist of one or many product lines.

Wave Order Picking

A ‘wave’ of orders, each with one or many product lines can be made based on selected criteria and issued to the App to allow picking using a mobile device.

  • Cluster Picking

A group of orders which have been ‘clustered’ together for efficient picking can be issued to the App to allow picking using a mobile device.

  • Bulk Pick and Sort

A group of orders consolidated in bulk for efficient picking can be issued to the App to allow picking using a mobile device.

Once picked, the App provides a secondary sortation stage to allow the orders to be individually separated. The sortation stage can also be carried out using the ProSKU WMS desktop version.

These methodologies are explained in more detail below.

The picking option is contained within the main screen Schedules option, as below:

         

Select the Putaway option to display scheduled putaway tasks.

Main Picking Task Display

The App presents picking instructions as a list of selectable tasks like those shown below, which guide the user through the picking process with on-screen instructions. These may be single tasks, e.g. a single line order, or ‘grouped’ tasks which can include several lines on a single order, or several orders consolidated together, as for cluster or bulk picking.

For an order containing one or more tasks with single putaway units e.g. pallets, etc, the tasks will not be grouped, but listed as separate tasks. However an order containing one or more item picking tasks will be shown as a grouped task.

 

2. Single Order Picking

A single order can contain either single or multiple product lines as shown in the screen above.

For an order with a single product line it is possible to display more information about it i.e. product code, description, from-to locations for the pick and the order reference, as shown above.

For orders with multiple product lines screen size limitations mean this information is only displayed after the order is selected. The main display therefore only shows the order number, and confirms the number of lines it contains in the circle to the right.

Circles Used to Identify Task types

The circle at the right of the display is used to indicate different things, depending on the task type.

    Scheduled tasks showing circle colours

A blue circle means any user can access the task, whereas a green circle means that the task is only assigned to you, and only visible on your screen. This can be amended via the WMS>App>Schedules option, or by using the Edit>Release feature on an individual task, via the App in certain cases.

Where the circle contains a number this can mean different things. For a single order it will indicate the number of product lines the order contains.

Selecting and Completing Tasks

The display you see on screen after selecting an order will also depend on the options set up on your system, as follows:

  • the scan validation you wish to include in the picking process, which can include:

options to scan either the location ID or the location check digit if these are identified with bar-coded labels

the option to scan the product you are picking, if this is identified by a barcoded label;

the option to scan the pallet label (if bar-coded) when picking a pallet;

  • other information to be captured at the point of picking, e.g.

product serial numbers to be captured either by scanning or keypad input

  • other handling factors which include:

the option to ‘swap’ a pallet at the point of picking;

the option to use a referenced handling media (pallet etc) in the picking process

         

with cd/product scan                with pallet label scan

In the first example above the format of the screen display shows two of these options in use i.e. the option to scan a location check digit, and the option to scan the product being picked.

In the second example, the screen shows options to scan the pallet label for the pallet being picked.

If none of the options above are required the screen display will appear in the basic format as per the screen example below left.

         

Basic pick screen – no scan        Screen with pick HM, CD scan and product scan

The screen above right shows the option to use a pick handling media, and the one below to use the pallet swap feature.

Screen with CD scan, product and pallet swap

How the Process Works  – Single Order Picking

To use this option select the ‘Picking’ heading, then select the order you want to pick from the screen.  The screen format will vary as described above but is intuitive and similar in operation  whichever options are in use.

Example 1

Picking an order with check digit (CD) scan and product scan enabled.

     Order pick with check digit/product scan

Select the order you wish to pick

At the top of the screen, as above the Pick From’ location is displayed

The cursor blinks on the ‘scan check digit’ field. Here you can either scan the check digit barcode if present, or enter the reference via the device keypad to confirm the pick location.

The screen displays the product, and quantity to pick

The cursor will move to the next field for ‘scan barcode’.  At this point you can scan the product’s barcode label if present, or enter it via the device keypad.

Once you have scanned or entered the product code to confirm the pick, use the appropriate keypad function to confirm completion of the task.  Depending on the set up of your device this may be unnecessary, as the completed scan will automatically confirm completion and take you to the next task.

Where a keypad input is necessary this could be the ‘Submit’ button, the tick symbol on the pop-up keyboard or other keypad (depending on type) command.

If the pick is one of several lines on the order the message ‘Line Processed’ is momentarily displayed.

Example 2

Picking an order with either location code scan or pallet label scan enabled.

         

With location code scan             With pallet label scan

Location Code Scan

Select the order you wish to pick

At the top of the screen the ‘Pick From location’ is displayed

The cursor blinks on the ‘scan location code’ field, and below that displays the product and quantity to pick.  At this point you can either scan the location barcode (if label is barcoded) or enter the location reference via the keypad to confirm the pick location.

Depending on the set up of your device this will automatically confirm the pick as complete.  If not then use the ‘Submit’ button to confirm completion.

If the pick is one of several lines on the order the message ‘Line Processed’ is momentarily displayed.

Pallet label Scan

At the top of the screen the ‘Pick From’ location is displayed, followed by the product and quantity to pick, along with the pallet ID from which to pick.  The cursor blinks on the ‘scan pallet’ field.  At this point you can scan the pallet barcode to identify it or enter the pallet number via the keyboard.

Depending on your device set up this will automatically confirm the pick as complete.  If not then use the ‘Submit’ button to confirm completion.

If the pick is one of several lines on the order the message ‘Line Processed’ is momentarily displayed.

NB The pallet label scan feature can be used for either full pallet or item picks, but is not available when picking from a designated pick face.

Example 3

Picking an order with check digit (CD) scan, product scan and handling media (HM) function enabled.

         

Select the order you wish to pick.

At the top of the screen under ‘Media Instruction’ the cursor blinks on the ‘Scan handling media’ field. The system allows you to identify the handling media (pallet, tote or other) you intend to use for the picking process. This can be entered by scanning the handling media ID (i.e. from permanent or temporary label) or using the keypad.

After entering this the cursor moves to the ‘scan check digit’ field, below the ‘Pick From’ instruction. Here you can either scan the check digit barcode if present, or enter it via the device keypad to confirm the pick location.

The screen displays the product and quantity to pick, above the ‘scan barcode’ field.  At this point you can either scan the product’s barcode label or enter it via the device keypad.

Once you have scanned or entered the product code to confirm the pick, use the appropriate keypad function to confirm completion of the task if required, or continue to the next task as described above.

If the pick is one of several lines on the order the message ‘Line Processed’ is momentarily displayed.

Multiple product lines on order when using HM function

If the order you are picking contains multiple lines the HM reference you enter initially will be retained for each successive line on the order until the order is complete, or until you enter a new HM reference.

Example 4

Picking an order with check digit (CD) scan and pallet swap function enabled.

Select the order you wish to pick

At the top of the screen the ‘Pick From’ location is displayed

The cursor blinks on the ‘scan check digit’ field. Here you can either scan the barcoded check digit label if present, or enter the check digit via the device keypad to confirm the pick location.

The screen displays the product and quantity to pick, and the current ‘assigned’ pallet ID i.e. for the pallet the system has told you to pick. The field below this displays the message: ‘Swap pallet (optional)’.

At this point an alternative pallet reference (see explanatory notes) can be scanned or entered instead of the assigned one. If selected, once you have scanned the pallet barcode label or entered the pallet’s unique ID the line or order is complete.

If you don’t want to swap the pallet you use the ‘Submit’ key to confirm completion of the task, and continue to the next task as required.

If the pick is one of several lines on the order the message ‘Line Processed’ is momentarily displayed.

3. Wave Picking

A wave pick is created using functions in the ProSKU WMS system. It is a group of orders you have selected to be picked together based on chosen criteria but which are still picked as individual orders. Like other scheduled tasks they are transferred automatically by the ProSKU App to the device. There are some minor display differences when the orders shown on screen form part of a wave.

On the scheduled tasks display (see below) each order in the wave is listed individually as with other orders, but showing both the wave reference to which it belongs and the individual order reference. The number of lines on the order is shown in the circle to the right.  The wave orders may be unassigned or assigned, showing green circles as above.

Other than that there is no difference in the screen based instructions for processing ‘wave pick’ orders using the App. The displays are the same as the examples above, varying according to the functions switched on in your system.

Once each order on the wave has been completed the screen reverts back to the main picking task display for the next one to be selected.

         

4. Pick Exceptions

In certain instances it may be necessary to deal with variations in the picking process.  The ‘Edit’ button at the bottom of the pick instruction screen provides four options:

Recalculate – this is used when the quantity available to pick is not the same as the quantity specified on the instruction, i.e. a short pick.  By using the ‘recalculate’ option you can specify the actual picked quantity, so that the order detail can be amended. This does not change the original order quantity, but it will update the ‘quantity picked’ figure, indicating a shortfall.

To use this feature touch the ‘Edit’ button then select ‘Recalculate’ from the list. Enter the actual picked quantity in the field provided and add any comments required to the second field, using ‘OK’ to confirm. The screen will display the message ‘Line recalculated’ and the process can then be completed as normal.

Note: you cannot use ‘Recalculate’ if the requested quantity is 1, as this would constitute a nil pick. If no stock is available you should use the ‘Flag’ option, see below to suspend the task and alert it to the supervisor.

         

Flag – this is used to highlight any issue which affects the stock itself, or prevents the task being completed. This will suspend the task, and remove it from the schedule pending supervisor action.

To use this feature select the ‘Edit’ button then select ‘Flag’ from the list. Using the arrow symbol on the right it is possible to select a reason code, and optionally add notes in the field provided, using ‘OK’ to complete the action.

Reserve – this is used when you wish to reserve a specific unassigned movement for completion by yourself. For that reason the reserve option will not appear on the list if the selected task is already assigned to you.  It is not possible to reserve a task that has already been part completed.

To use this feature select the ‘Edit’ button then select ‘Reserve’ from the list. Once the movement has been reserved it will appear with a green circle on the right hand side on your Scheduled Tasks screen.

Release – this is used to free up a task that you have previously reserved. However it is not possible to release a reserved task that has already been part completed.

Note: Either single or grouped tasks can be assigned to individual App users using the features in WMS>App>Schedules, and can be de-assigned using the same method. This is regardless of whether the tasks are part completed or not.