TITLE:
COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for Order Picking Operations
AUTHORS:
Charles G. Petersen, Xinyan Cao, Gerald R. Aase
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Distribution, Warehousing, Order Picking
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.9 No.6,
November
9,
2021
ABSTRACT: The
deadly global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and the
working environment in most organizations. This paper looks at the safety and
physical distancing implications on order picking operations using routing,
storage and picking strategies. Research has shown that the use of traversal
and in some cases midpoint routing can yield near optimal results and enable
physical distancing. The use of ABC storage does result in less travel for
order picking workers but can potentially result in more congestion. Picking
strategies that utilize picking zones naturally promote physical distancing but
may not be feasible given the picking volume and the layout of the distribution
center. Overall, this paper shows that order picking managers can still provide
safe workspaces for their employees while achieving cost effective results.