A Sammons Warehouse Solutions Company
When you think of goods-to-person picking, you may envision an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). These systems are popular but there are many other options on the market today that could serve your needs better, and provide more appropriate, cost-effective goods to person solutions for your business. Moving away from traditional picking to G2P technologies drastically improves operational efficiency.
Before you invest in a goods-to-person system, talk to materials handling experts at Precision Warehouse Design. We’re goods-to-person system experts with decades of experience designing and configuring materials handling systems. We will consider your existing equipment, your processes, throughput volume, and warehouse layout, and recommend the ideal solution that will accomplish your goals and pay for itself in cost savings and increased productivity.
Reduce operational expenses by optimizing your workforce efficiency and eliminating manual picking processes.
Minimize human errors to achieve enhanced accuracy and improve customer satisfaction.
Create a safer working environment for your employees by reducing physical strain and dangerous foot traffic.
Easily scale operations up or down based on your business needs and changing order volume.
Goods-to-person systems rely on technologies like automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to locate and transport items within the warehouse, and sophisticated control software to manage the movement and presentation of these goods-to-human pickers at designated workstations. These integrated technologies streamline the entire process in a big way compared to the traditional method.
AS/RS use a combination of shelf structures, storage bins, and robotic systems to automatically store and retrieve items in a warehouse, maximizing space utilization and space efficiency. AS/RS is not a single system but a broad category that includes several types of automation technologies.
Precision Warehouse Design configures and designs complete goods to person solutions that include these technologies:
We offer a variety of goods-to-person systems from top brands.
Goods-to-person systems can utilize two primary order fulfillment methodologies: pick to order and batch picking. There are benefits and drawbacks to each and you will likely choose one or the other, depending on your business, average order variety, number of SKUs in your warehouse, and more. This is a massive leap from person to goods fulfillment, where workers walking to locations limits speed.
In this method, a worker or automated system picks all the items needed for a single customer order at one time. This is often preferred for businesses with a high variety of items per order or when order accuracy is crucial, as it focuses on fulfilling one specific customer’s needs from start to finish. It can be less efficient for operations with many orders containing the same items, as it may involve repeated trips to the same storage locations.
By collecting all required units of a particular item for several orders at once, it significantly saves time within the warehouse and may produce a quicker ROI on your goods-to-person system. However, it typically requires a second touch to separate the picked items into individual customer orders. Businesses with many small, similar orders often find batch picking to be more efficient than pick to order for filling orders.
PWD is very familiar with both methodologies and will work with you and your team to fully explore the processes, rates, and flow through your warehouse to help you determine whether batch picking or a pick-to-order setup is right for you. Then we will help you configure your G2P systems accordingly.
The decision to invest in a goods to person system relies heavily on your operational profile. While automation benefits almost any supply chain, certain industries and facility types see an exponentially faster return on investment by transitioning away from manual picking.
Faced with fluctuating order volumes and high demands for customer satisfaction, e commerce retailers and fulfillment hubs use goods to person picking systems to handle massive spikes without drastically increasing temporary employment.
3PL providers require immense scalability to handle multi-tenant inventory under one roof. Goods to person solutions allow them to easily adapt to different client needs while maximizing footprint utilization.
In cold chain logistics and grocery delivery, speed and density are paramount. A goods to person system can operate in tight spaces, quickly dispensing perishable items to operators for rapid order fulfillment, yielding significant throughput improvements.
Delivering the right component to the assembly line exactly when needed reduces downtime. Autonomous robots and an automated carousel can securely manage parts inventory and optimize the production workflow.
Is your company ready for a G2P upgrade? The ideal candidate facility typically features:
Facilities managing thousands of different Stock Keeping Units (SKU) where walking from aisle to aisle consumes more than 50% of an operator's hour.
Warehouses looking to avoid a costly physical expansion by utilizing their full ceiling height. Solutions like an automated storage and retrieval system or high-density 3D grids (such as those pioneered by AutoStore or Exotec) maximize vertical density.
Facilities struggling with high turnover, where improved ergonomics at a fixed picking station is critical to retaining staff and maintaining high productivity, leading to better workforce retention.
Implementing goods to person robotics completely transforms day-to-day warehouse operations. Here are the most practical use cases driving modern logistics:
Instead of pushing carts through endless aisles, workers remain at an ergonomic workstation. A mobile robot or conveyor system delivers exactly the right bin. This completely eliminates travel time, radically boosting efficiency and speed in order processing.
Managing high weight items safely is a major challenge. G2P systems can transport a heavy pallet or large cases directly to lift-assisted pick stations, drastically reducing the risk of workplace injury and replacing outdated person to goods operations.
For pharmaceuticals or high-end electronics, goods to person G2P technology securely encloses inventory. A robot only retrieves items when directed by the management software, providing strict audit trails, better inventory accuracy, and eliminating shrinkage.
Most operations see a complete ROI within 2 to 5 years. This is calculated through a combination of cost reductions (lower labor reliance and training costs), space savings (up to 60% footprint reduction), and dramatic increases in throughput and productivity. We help you track every key performance indicator to ensure your investment pays off quickly.
A successful deployment relies heavily on seamless data migration and synchronization. The G2P system’s Warehouse Execution System (WES) will integrate directly with your existing Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. This ensures real-time data visibility, accurate inventory management software updates, and optimized network throughput.
Because the system automatically presents the exact bin containing the requested Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) delivered directly to the operator, the chance of a mispick drops to near zero. Pick-to-light indicators at the workstation further guide the operator. This level of accuracy and precision significantly reduces costly returns and boosts overall customer trust.
The biggest risk is designing a system that doesn’t match your actual network throughput needs. To prevent this, Precision Warehouse Design utilizes advanced 3D simulation technology. We model your exact infrastructure and data volumes before any physical installation begins, proving the design works under your peak operational stress.
Modern goods to person robotics are designed with deep redundancy. If one autonomous robot requires maintenance, the rest of the fleet dynamically routes around it to ensure continuous workflow. Furthermore, advanced systems utilize predictive maintenance sensors to alert technicians to wear and tear before a failure occurs, ensuring maximum uptime.
Based in Dallas, Precision Warehouse Design delivers expert goods-to-person systems and end-to-end warehouse solutions. With teams across key logistics hubs in the U.S., we’re ready to support your automation needs wherever you are. Our proven G2P installations have boosted efficiency in warehouses across the U.S. and Canada. Partner with PWD for a seamless, expertly managed automation journey.
