Picking tower: make the most of your warehouse height and transform your order picking
The picking tower is a storage and order-picking solution that uses the upper levels of the warehouse for picking activities with direct access to multiple products. It provides safe picking aisles for the operator, as well as safe replenishment of every pick position.
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How does a picking tower work?
The structure combines zones: at height, aisles free of forklift traffic for picking operations and, if the design allows, additional levels for reserve storage; typically, a central picking aisle where the operator picks with direct access to the products and no forklift traffic. Different arrangements are possible depending on the design and operational needs. Replenishment can be dynamic (of pallets or cases) to keep the pick point always stocked.
Key features
Vertical space utilization: uses the warehouse height to increase capacity without expanding the footprint.
Safe picking: the operator works in a picking tunnel where forklifts have no access.
Efficient replenishment: enables dynamic case or pallet picking with automatic replenishment through the WMS.
FIFO flow: supports more orderly product rotation.
Greater SKU diversity: it can be integrated with Carton Flow systems and/or static shelving to handle loose, low-volume cases.
Benefits · Impact on your operation
It reduces picking maneuvers, improves order picking efficiency, makes better use of vertical space and helps separate operating zones to increase safety and productivity, with savings in equipment, energy, time and space.
Ideal applications
Warehouses with available height and high picking activity that need to combine reserve storage at height with fast, safe order picking: distribution, e-commerce, consumer goods and multi-SKU distribution centers.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a picking tower?
- It is a solution that combines reserve storage on the upper levels with elevated levels for picking operations, making the most of the warehouse height.
- How is it different from a picking tunnel?
- The picking tunnel is the order-picking aisle at floor level; the picking tower is the complete solution that adds other elevated levels to that tunnel to concentrate picking operations in a single system, with dynamic replenishment at height.
- Does the picking tower improve safety?
- Yes. The operator picks in an area where forklifts have no access, separating picking from equipment traffic.
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