What is multi-order picking?

Multi-order picking (also known as collective picking) involves processing several customer orders at the same time. This reduces travel times and increases efficiency in the warehouse.

In practice, several orders are combined into a collective route. A picker then drives through the warehouse and picks all the items required for these orders. These are then assigned to the respective individual orders.

The advantage of multi-order picking lies in the significant reduction in walking and travel times as well as improved productivity. Bundling orders also reduces the effort required per individual order.

However, for multi-order picking to work efficiently, good control and sorting systems are necessary. A warehouse management system (WMS) must intelligently consolidate orders and enable downstream allocation.

Typical areas of application are e-commerce, mail order, and businesses with many smaller orders and overlapping items.