Order pickers

There is a wide range of industrial tmcks available. Going from simple to sophisticated and from wide-aisle to narrow-aisle tmcks, a possible list would be as follows (1) hand truck/cart, (2) pallet jack, (3) walkie stacker, (4) pallet/platform tmck, (5) counterbalanced lift tmck, (6) straddle truck, (7) reach truck, (8) sideloader, (9) turret tmck, (10) storage/retrieval tmck, and (11) order picker tmck, among others. Examples of 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11 are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and... 

Another truck that raises the operator with the load is the order picker truck. However, unlike the above trucks which are designed primarily for unit load in and unit load out, an order picker track allows the operator to start with an empty pallet (or magazine) and stack various containers or parts on it as he/she picks the appropriate parts/products from unit loads stored in the rack. 

Figure 7 Order Picker Truck. (Courtesy of Yale Industrial Trucks)...

Material flows can be classified as order and replenishment flows. For replenishment the relevant flows are from receiving to pallet reserve, carton pick, and item pick areas from pallet reserve to carton pick area from carton pick to item pick area. The other flows, for customer orders, are relatively more frequent. Consider the flow of a typical high-activity product, which is received in pallets and stored in the pallet reserve area (e.g., the upper levels of pallet rack). It is then moved to the carton pick area (e.g., the lower levels of pallet rack). Individual cartons are removed from the carton pick area and placed in the item pick area (e.g., a gravity flow rack holding cartons). The order pickers selectively retrieve items from the flow racks and place them on conveyors, which carry the items to the sorting area. There the items of each order are sorted into totes, which are then sent to the consolidation area and then to shipping. Some customers may order this product in carton quantities, which may be retrieved directly from the carton pick area. If an order requests a quantity equivalent to 4.2 cartons, then 4 cartons may be retrieved from the carton pick area and the remaining... 

Zone a part of a distribution center to which an order picker is restricted an example is a 40-aisle system divided into four zones of 10 aisles each, or an aisle-captive person-ab rd system with 6 aisles and thus six zones. 

Batch a set of suborders in a zone assigned to an order picker. 

Empl 31 Method 2 Order Picker Packin g Lane 7 Package Total Quantity Standa rd Time 30 Customer ... 

Standards are the baseline from which all continuous improvement activities can be measured. An example I often use is that of an order picker in a Toyota distribution center. I am not sure if the facts I use are correct, but that is inconsequential because what is important is the concept. Standard work for order pickers is 12 picks every 15 minutes. If in any 15-minute period they do not make their standard, they have to signal their supervisor. The supervisor immediately responds and approaches the order picker not to ask why he did not work to standard, but instead to ask what process problem, or problems, prevented him from making standard. Was the inventory count incorrect Was the inventory in the wrong location These and other questions will be asked until the problem is solved. This short, simple example demonstrates three distinct principles of lean respect for people, standard work, and a continuous improvement culture. Having defined standards that everyone understands enables the other two principles. Unlike this example, the actual workday of many supervisors is one spent firefighting rather than focusing on continual Improvement. Moving from one problem to the next fills their days because standards are unknown or not communicated. 

In the storage process, items are place in storage locations. The storage area may consist of two parts The reserve area, where products are stored in the most economical way (bulk storage), and the forward area, where products are stored for easy retrieval by an order picker. Products in the forward area are often stored in smaller amounts in easily to access storage modules. 

Figure 36.2 Driving cycle of a horizontal order picker. Reproduced from [7].

The injuries may occur, for instance, in order pickers in retailers warehouses, youths employed in supermarket trolley collecting, and in office workers moving files or books. 

Order-Picker Trucks. Order-picker trucks have an elevated platform forward of the mast from which the truck and the platform can be operated.Typically, the trucks are used for picking partial loads in narrow aisles to heights of 36 ft, allowing for significant labor and space saving. 

Gravity-flow pallet racks and smaller versions for individual cartons and containers are commonly employed in order-picking operations. A continuous supply of an item is presented to the order picker without replenishment interference. Gravity-flow racks are also useful in maintaining first-in-first-out inventory control. 

The height of gravity-flow racks seldom exceeds 24 ft (7 m).The height of the rack is often limited to that conveniently reached by the order picker. In some cases two-level picking on the inside by personnel on foot is replenished by lift vehicles from the back side. See Fig. 4.54. 

Shelf, bin, and drawer arrangements can be obtained as separate units or in customized combinations. Customized combinations are more costly but may be justified in situations where stock may be advantageously stored in some picking order. Order-picking efficiency is maximized by reducing search and travel time on the part of the order picker. 

Not necessarily, but employers have to train on each type of truck. By type, OSHA is talking about basic differences - a sit-down rider truck vs. a stand-up truck. Or, an order-picker vs. a pallet jack. OSHA doesn t intend that employers provide refresher training because someone starts using the same type of truck made by a different manufacturer. But, keep in mind that the operator will need instruction on any topics, such as the truck s controls, that are different. 

Never modify or misuse a lift truck. Figure 10-9 identifies a serious misuse of a forklift. An order-picker broke down and the lift truck driver began pushing it. One of the forks went under a metal barrier and struck the operator on the ankle. This resulted in a serious injury. 

Pedestrian injuries occur as a result of being involved in incidents from a variety of pieces of equipment. Counterbalanced forklifts, narrow-aisle units, powered pallet trucks, stock-chasers, and order-pickers all play their parts in contributing to pedestrian injury. The individual can be struck by the counterweight, the forks, a falling load from the vehicle, loads which were knocked off racking or knocked over, and moving loads. 

---