Put Walls
Lightning Pick
Lightning Pick’s put-to-light solution optimizes batch picking and high-speed sortation operations with a process sometimes called pick-to-light in reverse. With put-to-light, operators scan an item and the locations representing a store or customer needing that item illuminate.
Put-to-Light
Ecommerce order sortation at lightspeed
From straightforward scan-and-put workstations and put walls, to more complex sortation applications, put walls offer advantages and options that maximize speed and accuracy.
Scan & Sort to Light
Upon arrival at the put-to-light sorting area, each item is scanned. This triggers the light-directed picking modules to illuminate at every put location where the item is required to complete the order. Pickers distribute the items accordingly, and extinguish the light once the task is complete. After an order is filled, the light-directed picking module indicates that the order is complete and ready to ship.
Manage Large Numbers of SKUs
Unlike systems that require lights at every pick face, the light modules on a put wall are associated with sort locations (bins, totes or shelves) that correspond to individual customer orders. Lightning Pick’s unique put solution also offers lights on the opposite side of the put wall or station. When individual orders are completed, a light illuminates to alert packing personnel.
The Lightning Pick Advantage
Light-directed put walls are a space-efficient and economical method for fast, high-quality order sortation. For businesses with a large number of SKUs, Lightning Pick put systems are available in a wide variety of configurations to immediately boost operational efficiency, capacity and visibility into order progress and productivity rates.
Applications
- E-commerce order fulfillment
- Returns processing
- Secondary batch pick sortation
- Secondary wave pick sortation
- Store order fulfillment
- Putaway and replenishment
- Kitting processes
- Order consolidation
How it works
Often referred to as “pick-to-light in reverse,” a put-to-light system uses light modules that direct operators to the correct location to sort, or “put,” items into.
Scan Batch
Scan batch wave label on tote or on batch order paperwork in tote of mixed SKU merchandise.
Select & Scan
Select and scan individual items from the tote. A light will illuminate for the unique order requiring that product.
Confirm Sort
Put the item to the directed location and press the dome light to confirm completion of the task. Repeat the process with all items in the tote until the batch wave has been fully sorted.
Pack Orders
Optional pack-out lights will illuminate on the opposite side of the workstation for each completed order that can be pulled for packing.
Put-To-Light Process
One of the most popular applications for put-to-light systems is sorting of batch picked products into individual orders. Batch picking is the process of picking multiple orders simultaneously during each pass through the warehouse. This optimizes fulfillment operations with a high number of SKUs and long pick paths. Batch picking works best in environments where products and orders are smaller, enabling pickers to pick into several boxes traveling together on a single cart.
Downstream from the picking process, the picked products must be sorted and matched to their appropriate order. Traditional batch processes utilize carts that travel to pack stations. There, items are manually sorted by reading pick tickets, shipping or other paper lists. This approach is slow and prone to mistakes.
If your products feature bar code labels, then a put-to-light system delivers a faster and more accurate way to execute this sortation. With put-to-light, the operator simply grabs an item and scans the label with an radio-frequency (RF) terminal. Lights illuminate at the put locations requiring that item, and indicate the quantities needed to fill the order. Items are moved from the carts to a dedicated space in the put station and presses a button on the light module to indicate the action is complete. The process repeats until the orders are completed.
Benefits
- Increased productivity
- Improved and sustained accuracy levels
- Higher throughput
- Additional capacity
- Reduced labor costs
- Economical management of large SKU bases without a light per shelf/rack location
Industries
- Retail & E-commerce
- Third party fulfillment providers (3PLS)
- Pharmaceuticals, vitamins, nutraceuticals
- Apparel & accessories
- Electronics
- Cosmetics & beauty products
How put-to-light integrates with your host system
In a light-directed sortation process, there is an interface between the put-to-light software and the user’s host enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management system (WMS), manufacturing execution system (MES) or other software. The put-to-light system will download orders from the host; this data can often be shared in a variety of file formats.
From there, the put-to-light software tools manage the process, from creating operator work plans to configuring different modes and methods of sorting batches. The put-to-light software also addresses exceptions, such as when a scanned stock keeping unit (SKU) is not found in the order, shorting a SKU or custom order completion is necessary to complete the process.
During daily operations operators scan themselves into to their assigned put work station to track their daily productivity. During the sortation process operators press a confirmation button on the light module when puts for the scanned, active product to that location are complete. This transactional data is stored in a database, and the software provides advanced reporting tools enabling granular views of a facility, area/station or employee.
Brochures
Videos
We are Pyramid Automation
MW Series Video
After 35 years of providing automated fulfillment systems and material handling technologies, Lightning Pick’s new MW Series light module family is the quintessential pick-to-light hardware. See it used in a classic zone picking, pick-and-pass application.
Case Studies
Pack-to-Light Case Study
Tuesday Morning specializes in discounted, closeout upscale home accessories and gifts. Tuesday installed a new material handling system from Worldsource and a pack-to-light from Lighting Pick to manage a growing number of stock keeping units (SKUs), a 15% increase in store locations and to turnover their close-out SKUs with greater speed.
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MORE THAN JUST EQUIPMENT. BUILT FOR EXCELLENCE.
As your end-to-end automation partner, we listen and solve, innovate and support – so that nothing stands in your way.
MORE THAN JUST EQUIPMENT. BUILT FOR EXCELLENCE.
As your end-to-end automation partner, we listen and solve, innovate and support – so that nothing stands in your way.