The shelf pick option was designed to expedite the picking process when items in Pio are stored both in bins within the grid and larger products are stored on shelves or hanging racks.
Suppose the orders in the picking queue contain products from other locations than the Pio grid. In that case, it will ease the picking flow for the port worker if these products are collected and prepared first, and placed on designated trolley locations next to the workstation.
Step-by-step intro to shelf picking in Pio
This video will guide you through the process of shelf picking and consolidation in Pio. Watch the video first, and then explore additional step-by-step information below for more clarification.
Pick options
When starting the filtered picking flow in the Port, you can choose between different picking options:
- Everything: pick all orders within the selected order filter
- Grid only: pick all orders within the selected order filter where all items are available in bins
- Shelf pick: pick and prepare the shelf items
- Consolidate: consolidate orders with prepared shelf items and grid items (prepared orders with only shelf items must be packed and shipped in the consolidation flow)
More details on order filters can be found here: Order Filters
Follow these steps for shelf picking in Pio
Preparations and recommended tools
Select the orders to pick
Pick items from the shelves
Skip items
Complete the shelf pick
Start picking in port
Consolidating grid and shelf orders
Exit during picking
Preparations and recommended tools
Before starting the shelf picking flow in Pio, there are a few things to prepare:
- Name the shelf locations in alphabetical order, with aisle+shelf+level. Ex. 1.1.A - 2.10.E
- Use barcodes for location names/IDs for easy storing (scan the location for storing items on a shelf location):
- Connect a scanner to the iPad to use on the shelf picking round
- Prepare a trolley to move the items picked from the shelves to the port or workstation
- Add barcode locations on the trolley to keep the items sorted and enable fast consolidation
Contact Pio Support if you need help creating barcode labels for shelf locations.
NOTE
Pio will sort the orders alphabetically/numerically by shelf locations to minimize the walking distance. So make sure your locations are sorted orderly, preferably in a snake pattern to avoid unnecessary travel distance.
How to pick and complete orders with shelf items
Select the orders to pick
Navigate to Pick > Shelf pick to view the list of available orders with one or more shelf items.
Select the orders to add to the picking queue by using the 'Add +'/'Added'-buttons on each order line.
If all orders should be added to the picking queue, select the 'Add all orders' button from the top menu.
To view more details for a specific order, click the order line, and all items in the order will be listed, sorted by shelf items and grid items.
There are 4 tabs in the list view of shelf pick orders. Click the tabs to switch between shelf pick orders in status 'Available', 'In progress', 'Completed', and 'Added'.
Pick items from the shelves
When you have selected the orders to pick from the shelves, select the green button to 'Start shelf picking'.
Pio will organize the most optimized picking route, based on an alphabetical order of shelf locations.
Bring an iPad and a trolley to use for temporary storage of items picked from the shelves.
Here is an example of a trolley with multiple storage locations for the shelf pick orders:
Use the scanner to scan the item's barcode when picking, or select 'Confirm pick' on the iPad.
If the order has more than one item, you must select 'Next' or 'Confirm pick' for each pick from the specified shelf location. It is recommended to use a scanner and scan out each of the picked items.
Place the item on the trolley, and scan or enter the location ID on the trolley:
If the order contains multiple shelf items, Pio will suggest to put all items to the same order location on the trolley. This is to keep the products for one order gathered together.
View Order details
Select the 'Order details' button to view products and details for the order during picking:
Skip items
If, for some reason, you have to skip an item during the shelf pick round, use the arrow icon in the top row to skip the next item.
Confirm in the pop-up dialog that you want to 'Skip items':
Skipped items will be removed from the shelf pick list, and the order will be made available for the next shelf pick round.
Complete the shelf pick
When you have picked all the items for the selected orders, follow the instructions on the success screen. The trolley with the picked items can now be moved back to a Port workstation.
The next step is to start the consolidation flow under 'Filtered pick' to pick and pack items from both bins and trolley locations.
Start picking in port
When picking from the shelves is completed, bring the trolley back to the Port. Now, everything should be ready to start picking items from the grid and consolidating with the shelf items located on the trolley.
You have two options for picking the orders that are ready for consolidation:
1. Consolidate the prepared shelf pick orders
The first option is to finish the shelf pick orders in a separate process. Select 'Pick' > 'Consolidate'. The button indicates the number of orders ready for picking and packing from the trolley. In the example below, 3 orders are ready to 'Consolidate':
2. Pick Everything
The second option is to start the normal picking flow in the Port by selecting 'Pick' > 'Everything'.
This will include all available orders in the picking queue. Use this option when all shelf pick orders are ready for consolidation, and nothing is left in the 'Shelf pick' option.
Consolidating grid and shelf orders
When a shelf-pick order is next in the Port, Pio will tell you which location on the trolley to pick the item from.
Pick the item from the trolley location and select 'Next' or 'Complete order'.
Exit during picking
If you have to exit in the middle of the picking round, you can use the 'Exit' button in the upper left corner.
Follow the instructions in the dialogue box and move the picked items to the workstation and mark them with the order number.
The remaining items should be kept on the trolley as they are ready to be consolidated with orders from the grid or to be packed and shipped.
NOTE
If you decide to exit mid-picking a shelf order, the order will remain in the 'In Progress' status. Orders in progress must be resumed by the same user who started them.
You will be asked to resume this incomplete order when you return to shelf picking.