In the picking process, it is desirable to reduce the picking time. After all, the faster an order can be completed, the cheaper it is to fulfill. A picking process consists of the basic time, the travel time, the picking time, the dead time, and the distribution time.

The distribution time is unproductive time that arises in picking due to personal or material influences.

 

The following are included at the material level:

• Frequent breaks due to lack of work
• Long waiting times for information or means of transport

 

The following are included at the personal level:

• Sham work by unmotivated employees
• Frequent coffee breaks

 

Personal distribution time depends, for example, on the respective working conditions, employee management, and the resulting motivation of the individual employee. If employees have to remove heavy goods from the warehouse, exhaustion and fatigue can be additional influencing factors.

 

For more information, see Picking – Basics.

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