Comparative Study of Selected Order-Picking Methods: Efficiency, Ergonomics, and Adaptation Rate of New Employees

The human manual order-picking process in the warehouse is still the leading method despite increasing automation. This manual process is supported by indicating and receipt systems to reduce the order-picking time and the number of errors. Many studies in the literature compare the Pick-by-Light system with the Pick-by-Paper and other systems, and it is more challenging to study the Pick-by-Point system. This paper presents the results of laboratory comparative studies of the most straightforward Pick-by-Paper system with Pick-by-Light and Pick-by-Point systems supported by receipt systems. In the case of the Pick-by-Light system, the receipt system is a button on the module that the picker presses to confirm the pick-up of an item. In the case of Pick-by-Point, the receipt system is a wrist scanner that the picker uses to confirm the pick-up of an item. A total of 71 people participated in the study. Participants completed five orders with five items per system. Comparisons were made of the time it took to pick the orders with the support of these systems, the number of errors made, ergonomics, and the speed of adaptation for new employees without experience. A person with nine years of experience in the picking process took part in the study, whose order-picking times were compared with those of the others. In the study, the Pick-by-Light system proved to be the fastest regarding order picking and the adaptation of new employees. On the other hand, the Pick-by-Point system was the most error-proof.