The Impact of the Design Decisions of an Order Picking System on Human Factors Aspects of the Order Pickers

Abstract

Warehouses are crucial for supply chain management and the success of businesses in production and logistics systems. The order picking (OP) system plays a vital role in achieving short lead times and high customer satisfaction and order pickers are essential to achieve flexibility in the OP system due to their cognitive and motor skills.

However, manual order picking is time-consuming and accounts for approximately 50% of overall operating costs in warehousing. It is important to consider the human factors (HF) aspects of the order picker to avoid deviations from expected performance outcomes and reduce the risk of errors that could cause delays and financial losses. Negligence of HF could also lead to musculoskeletal disorders in the order picker.

This study aims to empirically show the impact of such decisions on the HF aspects of order pickers. The study uses case studies and survey-based empirical data to analyze the impact of decisions on the HF aspects of order pickers. The findings suggest that consideration of HF is crucial for the success of the OP system and the wellbeing of order pickers. The study highlights the need for further research on HF aspects in the OP system and provides insights for decision-makers to optimize the performance of the system.