1. TM
WHITE PAPER
THE PROS AND CONS OF PUT WALLS
HOW TO DETERMINE IF A PUT WALL SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOUR DISTRIBUTION CENTER
2. INTRODUCTION
The ever-increasing number of online orders
and heightened customer expectations has
led to the order fulfillment process becoming
increasingly accelerated and complicated. When
it costs nearly six times more to gain a new
customer than to retain a current one, retailers
cannot afford a misstep in the order fulfillment
process. Additionally, rapid stock keeping unit
(SKU) proliferation has led to diversification
in order and product profiles. Challenges in
managing aggressive delivery timelines and
SKU proliferation have companies scrambling
to find effective and flexible solutions that can
keep up with the ever-changing landscape of
order fulfillment. One of these solutions, Put
Walls, has become an important element in
many retailers’ order fulfillment strategies in an
effort to reduce errors, increase efficiency and
speed up order fulfillment time.
WHAT IS A PUT WALL?
Put Wall systems are an integral component
of the goods-to-person (GTP) order fulfillment
methodology. Put Walls act as a centralized,
but flexible, repository for picked goods, order
consolidation and order packing.
To summarize, Put Walls are comprised of
static or mobile walls of shelving which are
subdivided into a series of cubby holes or
bins. Each cubby hole typically represents a
specific order or part of a specific order. These
bin locations are accessible from both the
front and the rear of the shelving wall and
are positioned to maximize ergonomics. The
number and size of the bin locations in a Put
Wall can vary based on order size, the quantity
of orders to be processed, the number of
available associates and the overall footprint
of the Put Wall. Often, Put Walls will also have
adjoining workstations where associates can
process work for their assigned area.
The Basics of the Put Process
In actual practice, items are picked from
forward pick locations, placed into totes
and delivered to the Put Walls where “Put
associates” scan inbound pick totes to confirm
that the tote has been correctly routed to the
correct Put Wall, and then, initiate the “put
process.” Put Wall associates will then remove
a picked item from the inbound tote and scan it
to determine its destination within the Put Wall.
Put Walls have become an important element
in many retailers’ order fulfillment strategies
in an effort to reduce errors, increase efficiency
and speed up order fulfillment time.
DUE TO THE PUT
WALL’S INHERENT
ABILITY TO FULFILL
MULTIPLE ORDERS
SIMULTANEOUSLY,
COMPANIES
CAN INTRODUCE
ALTERNATIVE
PICKING PROCESSES,
SUCH AS BATCH
PICKING, THAT
ARE NOT SUITABLE
IN TRADITIONAL,
DISCRETE ORDER
FULFILLMENT
ENVIRONMENTS.
3. Typically, a Warehouse Control System (WCS) or Warehouse
Execution System (WES) manages the put process by directing
associates to the correct bin location in which to put the picked
item by way of voice-directed instructions (Put to Voice System),
and/or indicator light modules affixed to each of the cubby holes
(Put to Light System).
Items are then placed into the correct locations from the front
of the Put Wall, and the Put is verified via voice confirmation or
physical interaction with the cubby’s Put to Light module. Put
Wall associates will then proceed to the next picked item and
repeat the Put process. Depending on the Put Wall operation
and configuration, picked totes can either be fully decremented
during the Put process or can be routed to another Put Wall for
additional Puts. Once a given pick tote has been exhausted, Put
Wall associates can then proceed to the next inbound tote.
Once all of the required items for an order have been put into
the corresponding cubby, associates stationed at the rear of
the Put Wall will be notified that a completed order is ready for
processing. Associates will then remove all of the product from
the bin location onto their workstation and verify that they pulled
the order from the cubby via voice confirmation or physical
interaction with the bin location’s rear Put to Light module. This
verification will enable the now empty bin location to be assigned
to a new order.
Once pulled from the cubby, associates will select an
appropriately sized carton for packing the order and complete
any required order finishing processes. These processes can
include value-added functions (VAS), auditing, dunnage, carton
sealing and manifesting. Cartons can have labels applied either
manually at the workstations or automatically by conveying order
cartons through an automated “label print and apply” station
(LPA) for shipment.
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS OF PUT WALL SYSTEMS
Batch Picking to Put Wall
Batch picking centers around the concept of instructing picking
associates to select all of a given wave’s required picks for a
single SKU simultaneously. In batch picking environments, only
a single visit per forward pick location is usually required per
SKU per wave. The considerable productivity gains realized by
only visiting a forward pick location once during a wave has
resulted in significant adoption of batch picking in many order
fulfillment environments.
As batch picks are collectively picked, they are placed and married
to a uniquely assigned tote that will allow for transport from the
forward pick location. These completed pick totes can then be
delivered to the Put Wall, either manually via cart or truck, or
automatically via powered conveyor. In automated storage and
retrieval system (AS/RS) environments, SKU containers requiring
picks are automatically retrieved and conveyed to the Put Wall.
Because batch picking inevitably results in a consolidated
quantity of picks, the correct sortation and placement of that
batch picked product into specific order locations is still required.
The Put Wall serves as the central location for all picked item
sortation and order assembly. As mentioned previously, once
at the Put Wall, associates are typically directed via voice and/
or light systems to put the appropriate product and the correct
quantities of that product into the cubbies corresponding to the
order being fulfilled.
Due to the Put Wall’s inherent ability to fulfill multiple orders
simultaneously, companies can introduce alternative picking
processes, such as batch picking, that are not suitable in
traditional, discrete order fulfillment environments. The ability to
combine these alternative picking methodologies with Put Walls
can greatly increase realized pick rates, reduce labor requirements
4. and improve order fill times, making it ideal for direct-to-
consumer and e-commerce order fulfillment applications.
Order Consolidation/Aggregation
Order consolidation or order aggregation refers to the process
of assembling orders picked from multiple areas within a
distribution center (DC) and consolidating those disparate picks
at a single, centralized location. Order consolidation is useful in
environments where inventory is spread across large areas or has
special handling characteristics due to product being flammable,
combustible or hazardous, requiring specialized security
measures or material handling (non-conveyables).
Put Walls are exceptionally effective in functioning as a central
repository for order aggregation. In this application, items picked
from different areas within the DC in either discrete or cluster
fashion arrive at the Put Wall for order aggregation. Picked
product is married to a bin location assigned to a particular order
and is put into the bin. The arrival sequence of the various picks
is not important since Put Walls allow for picked product to be
queued in the bin locations until all of the remaining picks arrive.
Utilizing Put Walls for order consolidation effectively enables
multiple people to work on fulfilling an order simultaneously
and provides an effective order queuing and order building
repository point.
ADVANTAGES OF PUT WALL SYSTEMS
Scalable, Moveable and Flexible
Put Walls can grow or shrink depending on current distribution
center needs. During the peak season, the number of Put Walls
can be expanded to meet the current throughput requirements.
Scaling up the number of Put Walls can be accomplished quickly
and with little to no disruption to ongoing operations. In times
of lower production, the number of Put Walls can easily be
reduced to recapture valuable floor space for other processes
and operational needs.
In addition to scalability, Put Walls can be highly mobile. Put
Walls can be placed on casters allowing for easy relocation
and repositioning within a distribution center. The ease in
scaling and relocating Put Walls offers tremendous flexibility in
modifying order fulfillment operations to cater to current needs
and throughput requirements.
Improved Productivity and Ergonomics
Put Walls can also drive greater associate productivity.
Because Put Wall associates are more stationary, there is
considerably less time wasted on unnecessary movement and
travel, and more time spent on order fulfillment activities. In
addition, the design of the Put Wall and adjoining workstation
minimizes and optimizes process movement, which lends to a
more ergonomic workspace.
Businesses with significant space
constraints can often benefit from the
incorporation and utilization of Put Walls
in their order fulfillment operation.
5. Increased Order Accuracy
Two factors drive increased order accuracy when utilizing Put
Walls: (1) all items are scanned during the put process, which
effectively acts as a 100 percent quality control function; and
(2) the inclusion of software-driven voice and light-directed
technologies integrated into a Put system ensures that the
associates’ work is being directed in an accurate and automated
manner and that personal, subjective decision making is largely
eliminated, thereby reducing errors.
Optimal Space Utilization
When implemented correctly, Put Walls offer excellent physical
density. The design and orientation of Put Walls offers
unmatched cubic foot utilization for manual order staging.
Businesses with significant space constraints can often benefit
from the incorporation and utilization of Put Walls in their order
fulfillment operation.
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS OF PUT WALL SYSTEMS
May Not Be Appropriate for All Businesses
Put Wall systems can be very beneficial for order fulfillment
operations with predominantly multi-line, piece pick orders.
Operations with orders that are primarily comprised of single
lines, full case or pallet quantities will not realize the same
significant productivity and efficiency gains through the use of
Put Walls.
Increased Labor Requirements
Put Walls can be highly productive, but this increase in
productivity may require additional labor to implement. Unlike
traditional pick methodologies, which utilize pickers and packers,
Put Walls typically require pickers, packers, and “putters.” The
labor costs of including these Put associates in the operation
may temper some of the realized production gains.
The Potential for Operational Bottlenecks and Inefficient
Use of Warehouse Space
In stationary Put Wall environments, the total number of
Put Wall bin compartments can dictate the maximum order
throughput. For businesses affected by extreme seasonality and
dramatic order volume peaks, fixed Put Walls may become a
production bottleneck.
Conversely, in times with very low order volume, much of a
stationary Put Wall system may be under-utilized, wasting
valuable distribution center square footage.
Incorrectly designed and implemented Put Wall systems can
limit productivity or waste precious facility space. Correctly
sizing a Put Wall system requires detailed data analysis and
experienced facility design professionals.
Capital Requirements
Considerable capital investment is usually required for
implementing a Put Wall system. While the actual physical
storage media in a Put Wall is relatively inexpensive, the capital
spend for software, voice and light direction hardware, data
collection devices and tote/carton routing automation can be
significant. Careful financial analyses must be performed to
determine the economic feasibility of a Put Wall system.
CONCLUSION
Put Walls can be extremely useful in the right operations. Their
scalability allows for companies to utilize them in different ways
throughout the year depending on the throughput demand
level. Ancillary technologies such as pick to voice, pick to light,
and AS/RS can be used in conjunction with the Put Walls to
add increased productivity and provide significant ROI. Careful
data analysis is always required to determine the suitability
of Put Walls in a distribution environment, which is why many
6. For more information, please contact
877-684-7700 or
info@envistacorp.com
TM
businesses choose to partner with a proven expert to help in
identifying how their order fulfillment operations can benefit
from the implementation of a Put Wall system.
Put Wall systems provide many key benefits for warehousing
and distribution operations:
• High order throughout capacities
• Scalable and reconfigurable as business needs evolve
• 100 percent order auditing
• Ergonomic design, which improves associate productivity
while reducing workplace injuries
• Excellent order density resulting in optimal space utilization
WHY ENVISTA?
enVista’s engineers have developed comprehensive tools for
developing efficient, state-of-the-art distribution centers. Our
flexible, proprietary facility modeling solution in combination
with the use of simulation is used in multiple verticals including:
business-to-business (B2B), direct-to-consumer (D2C) and retail.
Our mechanical, systems and industrial engineering teams
analyze your DC operations and develop process improvements
to support your long-term business goals. Materials handling
equipment recommendations serve as just one design
component supporting a broader supply chain strategy. We
understand it is the synchronization between the physical flow
of inventory through your distribution center combined with the
right balance of technology (WMS and WCS).
We select the most qualified and cost-effective equipment
providers and construction contractors, based on your
specifications, to ensure long-term savings benefits. enVista is
your single point of contact, from design to build.
The end result is a balanced, efficient DC design that meets your
organization’s individual requirements. enVista’s facility design
team enables:
• One point of contact from design through implementation.
• Lower total cost of ownership with direct equipment pricing.
• Seamless integration (equipment, WCS and WMS).
• Shorter project timelines.
