Individual picking is the simplest method for processing orders. You manually select one or more orders you want to ship and click "Execute". All corresponding delivery notes are then printed. The delivery notes can include the storage locations from which the goods are to be retrieved. Alternatively, you can also print a picking slip, which is specifically designed for the picking process. This simple workflow allows you to process each order individually and correctly by walking through the warehouse once and retrieving the items.
-
Order selection: Manually select an order you want to ship.
-
Execution: After selecting, click "Execute".
-
Delivery note printing: The selected delivery note is printed at a selected printer.
-
Shipping transfer order selection (batch): Use the 'Shipping transfer' interface to select multiple orders at once and run the "Batch print".
-
Delivery note printing: All selected delivery notes are printed at a selected printer.
After you have retrieved the items per order or delivery note from the warehouse, the question arises of how to obtain the shipping label. There are essentially two options for this. You can have the shipping labels printed directly via "manual print" or "batch print" together with the delivery notes. Alternatively — and this is the method we recommend — you use a computer with a barcode scanner at the packing table. There, where you pack the goods with filling material into the shipping box, you scan the barcode on the delivery note. This takes you directly to the interface of our "Shipping Center" where you can print the shipping label.
-
Selecting the shipping order: In the Shipping Center, you can select the order manually, find it via search, or capture it directly with the barcode scanner.
-
Quality check scan (optional): In the view of the individual shipping order, you can optionally set up a verification scan for quality control, so that the goods are scanned again before shipment.
-
Label generation (shipping label): After selecting the shipping order or the quality check (optional), you see the view for label generation. You can also configure this screen to be skipped automatically, so that the shipping label is printed directly when the software interface switches.
Tip
Pro tip: At the shipping table in the Shipping Center, you can scan and confirm each item again. This significantly minimizes the error rate. If an item has batches, best-before dates, or serial numbers, you can also capture these here. This is particularly important if you cannot work according to the FIFO principle (First In, First Out) or if you operate in an industry where it is important to know exactly which customer received which batch, which best-before date, or which serial number.
Tip
Automation: You can configure this logistics process so that confirmed orders (order overview, green traffic light) are automatically output at a printer in the warehouse. This allows the warehouse to operate autonomously without requiring manual intervention from you.
With this method, items for multiple orders are collected in a single run through the warehouse: With 'Multi-Pick', you benefit from only having to walk through the warehouse once while picking multiple items for different orders at the same time. You typically collect the goods in a special cart, also known as a picking cart. There are two common methods here: You can use a picking cart on which you can directly assign items to the respective orders in boxes, or you collect all items in a large rolling container and then assign them to the orders in a later step, e.g., at the packing table.
Note
A picking cart is therefore a versatile, rolling cart used in warehouses to collect and transport items safely and systematically for dispatch.
Tip
A practical tip: If you have orders that each contain only one item, you can proceed particularly quickly by simply placing the same item in the cart x times. In the Shipping Center (Xentral), you can scan any item at your packing table, whereupon for single-position orders, the matching shipping label is immediately printed automatically. We will cover further details on this approach in more detail later.
If you want to group multiple orders together in order to walk through your warehouse only once, it is best to manually select which orders are to be processed together. You can control this selection via "Shipping transfer". All orders that you transfer to logistics together via "Batch processing" form a 'picking run'. Optionally, you can assign a name to the 'picking run' that the picker in the warehouse will see, e.g., 'B2B Edeka'.
-
Order selection: Manually select the orders you want to ship.
-
Execution: After selecting 'Auto-shipping (with picking ref.)', click 'Execute'.
-
Name the picking run (optional): Assign a picking label for logistics.
-
Picking run overview: You can view all orders in the "open deliveries" overview and process them from there. Or use the 'Picking runs' overview to get the exact batch from the shipping transfer.
If you want to create picking runs automatically according to specific rules, use the "Picklist Profiles" for this. In this area, you can use various filters and rules to define which orders should be grouped together and also at what time the shipping transfer to logistics takes place.
Use the extensive filter and rule options of the Picklist Profiles to define how and when orders are efficiently grouped. You can automatically group orders once a predefined number is reached, or combine them at a specific time when they meet certain requirements. These settings allow you to seamlessly optimize your logistics workflows in line with your specific requirements.
Here are some best practice examples for creating pick lists:
-
Time-based pick lists:
-
Create pick lists for a minimum of five and a maximum of ten B2B orders by 12:00 noon and transfer them to logistics.
-
Create pick lists for all single-position orders at 11:00 AM for transfer to logistics.
-
-
Item- or customer-specific pick lists:
-
Combine all B2B orders containing 'Chair No. 4 Green' into one pick list.
-
Bundle all orders from Edeka Deutschland in a dedicated pick list.
-
Create a separate pick list for all orders from the 'Amazon' project.
-
-
Prioritized and fast shipping options:
-
Ensure that Amazon FBM orders that must be shipped by 2:00 PM are treated with priority.
-
Prioritize Amazon Prime orders for the fastest processing and dispatch.
-
-
Standardized pick list routines:
-
Systematically generate pick lists only for B2B orders every day at 12 noon.
-
Compile pick lists for exactly 20 orders per day, regardless of the type of orders.
-
Note
Instructions for creating and using Picklist Profiles can be found here. The result of a Picklist Profile is a standard picking run that can be processed using a pick list or picking list. These lists can be formatted and executed either via a specific app (new picking app), as a single print, or in batch print.