Multi-Order-Picking, combined with a picking cart and mobile devices, describes an advanced and efficient approach in warehouse logistics, where an employee uses a mobile data collection device (such as an MDE device or a smartphone with a barcode scanner) to pick multiple orders simultaneously in one pass. The employee uses a picking cart, which allows for the organized collection and transportation of items for different orders.
When you receive an order through your shop system, a marketplace, manually, or via imports from third-party systems, it is seamlessly integrated into the shipping process. You can transfer orders to logistics individually or in batches, automatically, and based on pre-defined rules. You then navigate through an optimized pick route using a mobile app and a picking cart to efficiently gather your products. At the packing station, you pack the items, create the necessary documents and shipping labels, and prepare the shipments for handover to service providers like DHL, UPS, or for Click&Collect pickup.
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Multi-Order Picking: This method allows you to collect items for multiple orders simultaneously during a single pass through your warehouse. The goal is to maximize your efficiency by minimizing travel distances in the warehouse.
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Use of Picklist Profiles: With the Picklist Profiles feature, you can effectively sort all your incoming orders. You have the option to organize orders by maximum order or item quantity, by sales channels like B2B, B2C, or Amazon, or to define the number of items per order. Additionally, you can set priorities in terms of time and intervals for the automatic creation of picklists.
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Optimizing the Warehouse Route: By assigning sorting numbers to storage locations, you can optimize the path through the warehouse. For example, you can strategically process B2B orders with pallet goods in a specific corner of the warehouse, while B2C items are distributed across shelves throughout the warehouse. Fast movers, ideal for 1-pick orders, are placed near the packing station, and returned goods are stored in a designated area close to the packing station.
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Picking Cart: Use a mobile cart that carries different containers or boxes where items for different orders are sorted. The cart acts as a mobile station that allows you to work in an organized and systematic way, helping to avoid order mix-ups.
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Mobile Devices: The Mobile Multi-Order Picking app works completely paperless and is perfect for use with MDE devices, which function like smartphones and come with a powerful barcode scanner. This app is an extension of Xentral’s existing web application, meaning that as long as you have a device that can display the mobile-optimized application, you're ready to start right away.
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Here's how to proceed: Equip the picking cart with bins clearly labeled to avoid any confusion. As you follow your optimized pick route, place the items directly into the corresponding bins. This not only makes it easier to find the items but also ensures their proper allocation to individual orders. Once all items are collected, push the cart to the packing station, where the orders can either be packed by you or a colleague.
This method helps reduce errors, saves time, and increases the efficiency of your picking and packing process. It also gives you the flexibility to either distribute the picking and packing tasks among multiple employees or handle everything yourself in one step per picking run.
The shipping handover is the step where you ensure that all verified orders are handed over to logistics and have a green light, such as confirmed inventory, completed payments, correctly calculated shipping costs, and adhered credit limits.
You can hand over these orders individually or in batches, either manually with a click of a button or automatically through pre-set processes. For high order volumes, you also have the option to create pick lists on a timed schedule and automatically forward the orders to logistics.
For more information about the shipping handover and automation options, check out the article: Handover of Customer Orders to Logistics.
Once you initiate the shipping handover, the selected orders are transferred to Xentral Logistics. This means that the orders are systematically processed in the background according to the criteria you have set. Orders are sorted into batches, pick lists are generated, and they are handed over to the 'Shipping Center,' ready for logistics to start the picking process.
For the Multi-Order-Picking Process: The orders are divided into one or more picking runs and made available in the Multi-Order-Picking app, ready to be processed. The pick process can now begin.
Login, start the app, begin a picking run:
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Log in to Xentral on your mobile device (MDE view) and navigate from the homepage to the Multi-Order-Picking app.
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When you open the Multi-Order-Picking app, you will see three buttons: 'Picking run by FIFO,' 'Overview,' and 'To the shipping center.'
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'Picking run by FIFO' is the interface your packing team will use. It always shows the oldest, unprocessed run at the top. If no older runs exist, the most recently created run is displayed. This ensures that the orders waiting the longest or those first prioritized for logistics are handled first.
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'Overview' shows you all current runs. You can select a different run from the list if you need a different priority than “oldest runs first.” For instance, if you have urgent orders like express shipments that need immediate attention, you can prioritize and select that run first.
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'To the Shipping Center' shows you the Xentral Shipping Center view with all individual orders and additional actions. You can use this page if you want to check something without logging into a packing station computer, finish an order quickly on your mobile device, or view any issues.
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Click on 'Picking run by FIFO.' You will now see the oldest, unstarted picking run and its related information:
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Picking run: Displays the number of the picking run, in this example, it's number 54.
You can also view this number for verification in the desktop view of the shipping center.
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Number of items: Shows you the total number of items in this picking run, in this example, there are 6 items.
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Number of boxes: Displays the number of customer orders and how many shipping cartons will be packed at the shipping station and leave the facility.
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Click on 'Next' to start this picking run.
Assign picking boxes to delivery note numbers:
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In the next step, you will receive the first delivery note number to pair it with a picking box.
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Scan the picking box that you want to use for this delivery note. The delivery note number will be linked to the picking box.
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A physical delivery note is not necessary. The pairing is maintained until the shipping station, where you can scan the picking box and retrieve the associated customer order.
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Scan additional boxes on your cart until you receive the pick for your first item in this picking run.
Picking the first item on the pick route
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Note
Note
The central starting point is Auto Shipping (Sales > Sales order), in which the orders are collected and transferred to multi-order picking as delivery notes once they have been started.
Subsequently, the delivery notes can be found under Fulfillment > Multi Order Picking in the overview of the picking runs. Via the arrow icon you can go to the respective picking run. There the first step is the setup of the picking run. By pressing the button continue the setup is continued.
The delivery note number should be shown on the labels in the form of a barcode. It would be conceivable to stick the label directly on the shipping carton and to create an error-free assignment by entering the individual delivery note items and the corresponding entry of the delivery note number as follows. Here, the product number and the quantity of the delivery note item are posted first.
If only a partial quantity of the article has been picked, the difference can either be added to the clarification list or processed further in the form of a partial order. Subsequently, the delivery note number is counter-posted to complete the assignment. As soon as the picking run is done by counter-posting the last delivery note, xentral jumps to package mark printing.
In the Clarification cases tab, the picking runs are listed in which not the entire item quantity has been picked. Here, the person responsible can view all clarification cases and carry out corrections by clicking on the button Correction.
In the Settings tab, the use of the box number instead of the delivery note number can be activated and the box labels can be generated instead of the delivery note labels.
The following checkmarks must be set:
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Use box number: If box numbers are to be used instead of delivery note numbers, the check mark must be set
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Scan boxes: By setting the checkmark, the box labels will be generated instead of the delivery note labels
In the minidetail of the respective run, you will find the box number to be used for picking.