Pick and pass
Advanced capabilities in receiving, storing and shipping loose stock in warehouses with automated internal transport systems
What is Easy WMS’s pick and pass functionality?
The advanced pick and pass capability enables Easy WMS to manage operations related to receiving, storing and shipping loose goods in facilities with automated internal transport systems.
This newly reviewed and improved functionality makes it possible to zone warehouses logically into different areas of activity (i.e., subwarehouses). Operators work in a specific zone while goods arrive and leave the area automatically, reducing the movements required to perform tasks.
The Decision Station (an element located on the conveyor that reads the unit load) determines the destination of each unit load (e.g., box, tote, bin) based on pending tasks. Goods are moved automatically by the box conveyor system, without generating tasks involving travel.
The process is performed with the goods-to-person (GTP) picking method, whereby unit loads are systematically moved to their locations. Additionally, a balancing system places unit loads in subwarehouses with the lightest workload, following these criteria:
- Empty locations in each subwarehouse.
- Number of necessary goods-transport tasks and number of non-customer unit loads (replenishment goods) already in these tasks.
- Distance from receiving station.
In picking and putaway processes, the system prompts the operator to read the highest-priority order pick list among those pending in their subwarehouse. Once the first box is loaded onto the equipment in the automated process, subsequent tasks will be of the same type (either picking or putaway).
In picking and shipping processes, unit loads for customer orders are transported to subwarehouses with pending picking tasks until the shipping order is fully completed.
Use cases
These are some of the multiple use cases where Easy WMS’s pick and pass functionality is typically applied:
| Use case | Description | Hardware requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Items are received and placed in unit loads according to their destination subwarehouse in line with the established putaway strategies. | RF scanner or PC |
| Unit-load closing and generation of transport-related tasks | The system provides the option to close boxes: - When the receiving process is completed. - Through a button on the workstation. Closing the boxes generates the task of transporting the box to the subwarehouse where the stock will be stored. The destination subwarehouse is chosen automatically according to the item’s putaway strategies, along with a balancing system that selects subwarehouses with the lightest workload among the available options. |
RF scanner or PC |
| Picking start point by subwarehouse | A picking start point can be established for each subwarehouse. To do this, each subwarehouse must have an area workstation. | PC |
| Subwarehouse putaway process | The subwarehouse features a new station called the area workstation. When the container arrives, the corresponding putaway tasks are generated. Items will be put away following the general pick path or the subwarehouse pick path, if configured. |
RF |
| Subwarehouse picking process | The system allows setting a start point for a local pick path within each subwarehouse, creating a local pick path. This enables the following:
|
RF scanner |
| Creation of customer unit loads | Via RF scanners, operators in each subwarehouse receive orders to create new customer unit loads and the picking tasks associated with them. Once completed, the unit load will be placed in the area workstation, where the automatic transport equipment will move it to its next destination. | RF scanner |
| Cancellation of shipping order during picking process | If a shipping order is cancelled during the picking process, the operator is informed that there are no more tasks and is instructed to place the box on the automated transport system, which will return the stock to the warehouse. | |
| Closure of a subwarehouse | Blocking a subwarehouse during the picking process prevents tasks from being created for that subwarehouse. If the warehouse has stock in another subwarehouse to fulfil the order, tasks will be generated for that zone. Otherwise, the affected order lines cannot be fulfilled. If the unit load is already in motion, its tasks will be cancelled, and new tasks will be created for another subwarehouse. | PC |
| Closure of an area workstation | Blocking an area workstation prevents transport tasks from being created for it during the receiving process. | PC |