What are Pick and Pack Services?

What are Pick and Pack Services?

WHAT IS PICK AND PACK?

Pick and Pack is the process of selecting items currently being stored by the fulfillment company to prep for shipping. Companies have employees known as “pickers” that will receive an order manifest. These “pickers” will then wander the warehouse to the location, known as a BIN or Internal SKU, of the individual items, and pull them from the warehouse shelves to prep for shipping. This is when Pick and Pack becomes Pack and ship.  The “picker” then takes the items in the order manifest back to the packing station, where another employee known as a “packer” will then check to make sure all items in the order manifest are present and then begin the packaging process. Packaging of the product according to its type is then performed.  Optionally, a packaging slip may be attached, and the product is labeled with address identification of where the item is to be shipped.  A packaging slip may not always be required to accurately pick the contents of an order. Other methods of product identification exist, such as Pick to Light, and BINQTY strings, that allow for accurate picking of items. Such newer methods, allow for an increase in productivity. However, systems of picking items for shipping will vary based on variables such as the number of items, and sku diversity of the goods that are being shipped.  Once packed, the item is ready for shipping.  It is rare for a fulfillment company to provide its own courier services due to the size of outside courier companies. In most cases, the shipping is outsourced to courier or delivery companies. However, often a Product Fulfillment House is able to provide larger shipping discounts than smaller retailers.  Since they do so much more business with a courier because of the high volume of orders every day, there is the opportunity to negotiate on their own merit. Because of this volume, small parcel carriers such as UPS, DHL, FedEx and USPS will negotiate a better discount.

pick and pack