Goods to Person Automation

Goods to Person (also known as Goods to Man) technology affords efficiency, speed, and accuracy from order picking to shipping. How is this done in large warehouse distribution centers?

The Goods to Person Concept:

“The goods to person concept is straightforward – associates stay in one location while the items to be picked and packed are presented to them through some type of automation. There are multiple forms of Goods to Person automation, from automated storage and retrieval systems – also referred to as ASRS or AS/RS, to horizontal and vertical carousels, vertical lift modules, or other robotic, electrical and mechanical material handling systems.”

From Guide2MaterialHandling.com

In a Supply Chain Market white paper “Goods to Person Order Fulfillment” Ken Ruehrdanz, Market Development Manager at Dematic Corp, discusses the system, lists the benefits, and provides examples of its use.

“Goods to person means that the order picker stays in one place, and the system brings the "goods" or SKUs (stock keeping units) to the person. The SKU is picked and then sent back to a storage location. The basic system components consist of a storage medium for the product inventory, a conveyance method to bring the SKUs to the pick station, an ergonomic workstation, and software to control the flow.”

You can access Ken’s article here.

Now let’s hear from several companies using this technology.

First, Knipper and Company is one of the nation’s largest 3rd party providers for pharmaceuticals. Their presentation includes how they use Perfect Pick an automated goods to person technology.

You can watch their video here.

Next, we hear from iHerb.com internet retailer for nutritional supplements and health products. They use this technology with Perfect Pick in order to achieve speed and accuracy.

Their video can be accessed here.