Pick waves, trolley slots and walking-order pick lists, explained
How batch picking works: when a singles wave beats a trolley wave, how a walking-order pick list combines units per location, and what to do with stock that has no location.
Stokrio Team · · 7 min read
Picking is where small warehouses lose most of their time. Walking is the cost, and picking one order at a time multiplies it. Batching orders into waves lets one walk serve many orders. This guide explains the two common wave types and how a good pick list is built.
Key takeaways
- Group single-item orders into a singles wave and multi-item orders into a trolley wave.
- A pick list should be in walking order, with the units for several orders combined per location.
- Sort the trolley's slots to orders so the picker can split items as they go.
- Never drop stock that has no location: list it last and prompt someone to assign one.
Singles and trolley waves
Singles wave. Orders with one unit of one product need no sorting. Pick the total for each product in one pass and send them straight to packing. In Stokrio a singles wave can take up to 50 such orders.
Trolley wave. Orders with several lines need to stay separate. The picker walks the aisle with a trolley that has numbered slots, one per order, and puts each item in the slot of the order it belongs to. A Stokrio trolley wave defaults to 12 orders and can hold up to 24.
The pick list
A useful pick list does three things.
- Orders locations by walking sequence, so the picker moves in one direction through the warehouse instead of doubling back. Each bin carries a pick sequence number set when the rack is built.
- Combines units per location. If three orders need the same product from the same bin, the line says "pick 5" and then shows which slot gets how many.
- Names the lot to take first where expiry matters: the earliest-expiring batch at that location.
Stock with no location
It is tempting to hide products that have no bin. Do not. A product missing a location is exactly the one that will cause a stall. Stokrio lists it last under "No location" with a prompt to assign one, rather than dropping the line.
Measuring a wave
Two numbers tell you if batching is helping: lines picked per hour and mis-picks per thousand. Trolley waves usually raise the first and, without scan verification at the bench, can raise the second. Pair them with verified packing.
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