Order pickers are an essential part of the process of picking, packing and dispatching orders. Whether in a gigantic Amazon warehouse or a smaller independent clothing store’s one, it is important that they have the best equipment, including a picking trolley designed to make the job easier.
What is an order picker?
An order picker selects items from warehouse storage racks or shelves. Usually, this is a human, but some advanced warehouses have robot order pickers. The words ‘order picker’ are also used for the equipment that helps workers take orders from shelves.
The most common item of equipment used by order pickers is a picking trolley. This can be a simple flatbed trolley that can have shelves or sides. The type of trolley used depends on the variety of goods, and whether they are small, large, light or heavy.
Sometimes an order picker both picks and packs items but often there are separate pickers and packers. Order pickers need basic literacy and have to be physically fit as they may be required to walk a few miles each day in large warehouses. They need to be able to work under pressure and fulfil order picking targets. They must be accurate and have computer literacy skills so they are able to work with technology that controls the order picking and packing process.
The importance of the picking trolley
Picking orders can be a physically demanding job, especially when picking large or heavy items. The picking trolley is the most used item of equipment the picker uses. A basic trolley is simply a flatbed trolley on wheels. Every day the trolley may have to travel several miles. This means that the most important requirement of a picking trolley is durability. The last thing that an order picker needs is for the trolley to break down mid-journey. This can be a safety issue as well as delaying the time-sensitive order process
Those picking trolley manufacturers that use cheap materials and shoddy workmanship end up producing poor quality equipment that can let order pickers down. The best British-made trolleys are fabricated using strong tubular steel and have solid swivel casters that make the trolley easy to push and steer.
A well-made trolley can be relied on for many years of trouble-free service, and can be adapted to particular goods. For example, sofas and mattresses are difficult to transport with standard flatbed trolleys, so require specialised types of trolleys. The advantage of using a British manufacturer is that they can make bespoke trolleys from custom sizes, or add items such as tote boxes and tablet stands.
A professional and flexible picking trolley manufacturer is therefore a valuable partner to have. At Steely Products, we can supply other warehouse equipment such as packing tables, shelving and garment rails. A business that knows it has reliable storing and manual handling equipment can then concentrate on the systems that make picking and packing more organised and efficient.
The key to warehouse efficiency is reliability, both with staff and equipment, and picking trolleys need to be at the forefront.
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