Pick to Light

Maximize Order Picking Productivity and Gain in Profitability

We are experts in order-fulfilment

As experts in order-fulfilment, Pcdata understands the complexities of a fast-paced warehouse environment. Pcdata has successfully installed Pick to Light (PTL) solutions in a wide variety of industries and applications. Products in these warehouses range from food to cosmetics, from clothing to electronics, and many other product categories.

Pick to Light is the ideal tool to use in environments where fast-moving unit picking takes place. Compared to rival picking technologies such as voice or RF, Pick to Light offers the most significant potential productivity benefits, along with all the expected improvements in order accuracy. Pcdata has invested years of experience into making the company’s Pick To Light system easy to implement and extremely flexible. The results are dramatic improvements in productivity and profitability.

Click & Go Display: Revolutionizing PTL

In the past, a key criticism of Pick to Light was ‘inflexibility’. As a ‘fixed’ technology, old-style tube-mounted picking displays could be difficult to maintain, service, and adjust. Adding additional displays to a rack or pick workstation was a difficult task and often involved dismantling entire racks or display tubes. After extensive design and testing, Pcdata developed the Click & Go display. This revolutionary technology changes and improves the way PTL hardware is installed, managed, and modified. This simple modular approach makes these PTL systems flexible and easy to maintain. They are easy to expand and will therefore not restrict growth or expansion.

PTL Software: Three Levels to Accommodate All Customers

Pcdata modular hardware is supported by three software channels designed to address the full range of clients’ needs. Using these channels, solutions can be implemented on a hardware-only basis or as a full WMS functionality, (when PTL systems are a single component in a wider operation.)

Distrib Pick to Light

Distrib Pick to Light by Pcdata provides the full range of options and is typically installed in more complex warehouse environments. When automation integration is required, Distrib PTL software handles PLC integration, replenishment demands, weight-controlled quality control, and workload balancing.

Pickstar

PickStar by Pcdata is an easy-to-implement Pick to Light system which can be implemented in many different operations and order-picking environments. PickStar provides the traditional Pick to Light benefits including a high level of accuracy, efficiency, and reliability at a much lower investment.

Display Manager

Display Manager is a display hardware driver. The Display Manager application can be used as an easy and direct communication method between your own company software and Pcdata hardware. Display Manager is used by System Integrators to integrate Pcdata PTL hardware into their own solutions. Display Manager is also used by end users, who may already have sophisticated WMS (warehouse management systems) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions capable of completing all required warehouse and business intelligence.

Distrib Pick to Light

Distrib Pick to Light is Pcdata´s full blown Pick to Light solution with the full range of options. Distrib Pick to Light is typically installed in more complex warehouse environments.

Distrib PTL can support and control hybrid solutions with multiple picking technologies like PTL and PickCarts.

Distrib PTL handles PLC integration, if integration with conveyors, sorters or any other, automation is required.

Distrib offers many functionalities like;

(in line) weight control
Volume Calculation
Photo Camera Capture
Dispatch
Performance Dashboard
Color picking
Replenishment
and many others

PickStar

The easy to implement, user friendly, productivity enhancing – pick to light – solution

PickStar Is Pcdata’s easy to implement Pick to Light system which can be deployed in many different warehouse and order pick environments. Traditionally Pick to Light systems ensure a high level of accuracy, efficiency and reliability for the order picking task. You will have all these benefits with PickStar, but for a much lower investment.

PickStar features all basic critical Pick to Light functionality like order barcode scanning , multi zone picking, back side picking and correction buttons to name a few. PickStar differentiates from other Pick to Light systems because it is available as a standard out of the box solution, very easy to implement.

PickStar can be installed in just about any environment with minimal operational impact. PickStar’s software has been designed with ease of use and operational simplicity in mind. PickStar requires nothing more than the most basic of user involvement and our intuitive Graphical User Interface or GUI means a quick training cycle – employees are at full capability in days, not months and you won’t have to rely on IT engineers for support!

Simplicity in design translates directly into speed in deployment and maintenance, meaning that you can start bringing the benefits online fast. The hardware components are modular and user replaceable, minimizing maintenance and support costs.

Immediate increase in productivity

In the right environment, Pick to light systems in general will outperform typical voice, RF scanning or paper based picking and order assembly processes. With its rapid deployment, low cost and ease of use, PickStar becomes an even more attractive proposition in productivity enhancement.

Features

High visibility, robust order pick displays
Flexible mounting method allowing the system to easily adapt / grow with your operation
Simple and intuitive Software
Highly accurate order assembly
Orders can be handled either by barcode scanning or manual selection
Picking data can be interfaced back to ERP/WMS system providing real time visibility
Hassle free user maintenance

Brochure PickStar:

Display Manager

Display Manager is a display hardware driver. The business logic and order picking process remains in your control through use of your own software system (ERP, WMS, WCS, etc). You specify what information should show at each location, then Display Manager makes it happen and lights up the correct displays.

Most common display communication:

Show text on the 4 character LED
Make text blink
Show display logical address
Display color which should show when lit (select one of X)
Display brightness
Receive acknowledge button selection
Refresh display information
Erase all display information
Turn display off

Display feedback (eg pick acknowledge, +’s, -’s) is directly fed back to your software.
Display Manager is easy to integrate with other (current) systems, and configuration is simple.

Who should be interested?

Those who wants to keep all the business logic and intelligence in their own software/IT, as you developed and maintain all of this
Those who are interested in Pick-to-Light hardware that is easy to interface with

Pick to Light

Brochure Pick to Light in a hybrid order picking process:

Pick to Light in Hybrid Solutions

Pick to Light in Hybrid Solutions: One size does NOT fit all

Pcdata has spent many years analysing the picking process in a broad range of environments and deployed a wide range of solutions in various industries. This experience has shown that often a single method of order assembly is not the most efficient – simply deploying voice or RF solutions in many order picking environments risks missing significant efficiency and cost-saving benefits.

When SKU take-up and order line frequency is properly evaluated, many Pcdata clients conclude voice and RF picking solutions are not the most effective in terms of speed and accuracy. PTL is a tool often overlooked in the search for warehouse technology. PTL can be over 30% more effective than rival order-picking methods.
In high density unit picking environments, PTL is the most efficient picking solution available. PTL eliminates walking time and produces the most effective picking environment possible. Using Pick to Light for high density picking area, fast-moving SKUs, brings additional productivity benefits without high investments. In a standard warehouse environment it is typical that 20% of the products represent 80% of the revenues, work, and costs.

PickCarts can also be used with other picking technologies to produce the ultimate picking strategy. PickCart technology significantly reduces walking time when combining orders. Walking distance can be reduced by up to 50%.

In certain cases after a careful and proper critical analysis of warehouse operations, Pcdata may recommend a ‘hybrid’ solution, where the right picking technology is applied to different areas of the picking operation to extract the maximum possible efficiency across the warehouse. Pcdata team members are experts in all aspects of the warehouse process and guarantee the best possible solutions regardless of size or complexity.