This JSC White Paper explores the benifits of implementing Dynamic Zone Picking in your order fulfillment process. Don’t make a significant investment in material handling equipment for order fulfillment until you explore the potential of Dynamic Zone Picking.  Johnson Stephens Consulting can quickly implement this technique for your operation.

Excerpts from the White Paper are as follows:

“Totes stacked between pick zones? Pickers waiting for the next order? Pick zones not balanced? Pickers crossing paths? Pickers at the same pick location? These are common occurrences for order fulfillment and store replenishment operations when demand is unpredictable, and forecasts are unreliable. Solutions offered by the experts often include slotting analysis, automation, additional accumulation conveyor, and more space. Before any major investment is considered to alleviate the problems of inconsistent work flow in a picking, pick/pack, or put to store operation, consider Dynamic Zone Picking.

Dynamic is defined as “characterized by energy or effective action” according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Characterized by energy and effective action – that is exactly the goal of the distribution center and very specifically for picking, the constraining operation of most fulfillment facilities. Most supply chain operations managers are familiar with zone picking, or pick and pass, order filling. An order is divided among two or more product zones. The product zones are slotted to optimize one or more facility metrics, usually total production volume or throughput. This concept works very well for predictable demand commodities such as office supplies, hardware, and pharmaceuticals. The demand for tape, bolts, and aspirin for a given month can be forecast well in advance. The order profile across multiple zones will remain consistent for extended periods of time during a particular season each year. Items can be assigned to certain zones and to certain locations within each zone each season or each year and the zones will remain predominantly balanced and productive."

About Johnson Stephens Consulting

Johnson Stephens Consulting is a supply chain operations consulting and integration firm that provides practical, interactive, consulting assistance to retailers, wholesalers, e-commerce/direct to consumer companies, 3PLs, and consumer products distributors. Our focus is to provide our clients with the most cost-effective, service focused solutions for supply chain operations. Services include supply chain strategy, supply chain execution systems, facility design and implementation, and operations improvement.

Founded in 2003, JSC professionals have completed over 400 projects and served over 200 different organizations.

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For more information about the Dynamic Zone Picking subject matter, contact:

Sandy Stephens
Managing Pricipal
770.635.5792
SandyStephens@JohnsonStephens.com

For general inquiries, contact:

Nick DeMelfi
Director of Marketing
678.842.9114
info@JohnsonStephens.com