4 ways packing stations have evolved

Behold the packing station, an aspect of the fulfillment process that historically hasn’t gotten a whole lot of consideration or respect. Distribution centers that once thought a couple of 8- to 10-foot-long folding tables were up to the job of packaging picked orders for shipping have now re-evaluated the importance of these areas. This is especially true for operations focused on high-volume, small parcel e-commerce and omni-channel order fulfillment—where poor packing station design is most likely to cause a bottleneck in the outbound shipping process.

“Packing stations used to be an afterthought,” says Mike Kirby, director of corporate sales and marketing for BostonTec. “But now we’re being brought in by materials handling integrators far earlier in the design process to ensure that these workstations are properly integrated into the facility and its flow plan.”

No longer are DCs just setting up a few tables between picking and shipping zones, he adds, but rather examining their entire flow process at a much more granular level. That’s because increasing competition in the e-tail marketplace has ratcheted up the pressure for same-day order fulfillment.

With that new emphasis on maximizing throughput, packing stations have evolved. Here, Modern takes a look at four of the newest productivity-boosting features and configurations offered on today’s packing stations.

1. Customizable features improve ergonomics, organization
Most packing station manufacturers have developed a broad range of modular components that can be assembled in a variety of ways to organize packaging supplies and equipment. By conducting a thorough analysis of the current (or planned) packing processes, suppliers like BostonTec can help an operation achieve a balance between efficiency and ergonomics—since a physically comfortable worker is also a more productive one, explains Kirby.

“The most forward-thinking companies are looking to not only eliminate stressful, repetitive motion injuries, but also to increase productivity and efficiency through a design that requires less overall movement within the work cell,” he says. In fact, operations are taking that concept even further, requesting different packing station configurations that match different functions within the same facility.

“All of the jobs aren’t the same, so why should all the workstations look the same?” asks Kirby, noting that some stations might be designated and stocked for packaging small items and others for large items.

To accommodate different height operators in multi-shift operations, the latest packing station models include electric-powered height adjustments with programmable pre-sets for different workers. This feature allows an operator to effortlessly adjust the station so all necessary items (such as bar code scanner, keyboard, touchscreen or tablet computer, boxes, collateral material, polybags, labels, tape and more) are easy to reach regardless of the worker’s stature.

A packing station should also be configured to limit footsteps, says Kirby, recalling a DC that used a 6-foot-long table for packaging because they had a large desktop printer located at the end of it. The operator walked several feet from the work surface to retrieve the labels coming out of the printer.

“We designed a sliding shelf mounted to the floor underneath the packing station to position the printer at hip level, yet make it easy to slide out for accessibility in loading paper or toner,” he says. “Having the labels right there saved five to six steps per package, which could save as much as 10 to 15 seconds.”

2. Automation increases accuracy, speed
For even higher throughput gains, packing stations can be equipped with varying levels of automation to enhance operator productivity when integrated with a warehouse management system (WMS) and warehouse control system (WCS), says Mike Clemens, senior consultant at Bastian Solutions.

The WMS and WCS can pre-cube orders that fit in a certain size or type of carton, or can batch orders with identical line items together, he explains. This advanced user interface can display carton size and placement instructions and embedded labor reporting. It can also provide real-time feedback, such as engineered standards and an item pick image display.

“When the picker delivers the items to a packing station, they can be quickly sorted. That sorting might be supported with a wide flat-screen monitor with pictures of each item and work instructions about which item goes in which box,” Clemens says. “Alternately, a light beam might be employed to illuminate the source bin of the picked item or the destination carton.”

Likewise, pick-to-light modules at a packing station can be used either to organize outbound order cartons for picked item distribution, or for picking of select collateral items—such as packing lists, catalogs, literature, coupons or other special offers—required by certain parcels.

Full automation is even an option for packaging as much as 80% to 90% of a high-volume shipper’s orders, says John Panunto, president of PSI Engineering, which recently released the Rapid Flow automated pack station. The system integrates software, conveyors and related in-line equipment (including a checkweigher to validate that the correct item is paired to the order). “Adding product cubing data allows the system to determine the correct packaging carton size or polybag to help reduce shipping costs,” he explains.

Synchronized to print and insert or apply packing slips, shipping labels and marketing collateral at high speeds, Panunto says the system is also equipped to print customized messaging on-demand.

“The e-commerce space is so competitive, retailers are trying to draw repeat purchases with special offers,” he says. “But without automation, it adds time to the process to verify that the right customer gets the right offer—and for DCs trying to get an order shipped the same day, doing that manually takes too much time.”

The system can process up to 25 cartons per minute and minimizes errors to 99.99% accuracy, he says.

3. Mobility enables simultaneous picking, packing
Another way to further cut time from the packing process is by adding mobility to a packing station. Constructed of lightweight aluminum, mobile pick/pack carts ride atop wheels and can house battery-powered wireless computing, scanning, printing and light-directed picking modules.

“A DC might set up a picking zone ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 square feet for their fastest moving items, then send pickers with a mobile pick/pack cart out to fill orders as directed by a tablet or laptop,” says Kevin Ledversis, sales director at Newcastle Systems. “Instead of picking into reusable totes, the cart is instead pre-staged with shipping cartons, so the required items are picked directly into the box.”

The on-board printer generates the associated label, which the picker affixes to the appropriate order. Upon completion of all picks, the cart is wheeled to shipping where a waiting associate seals the boxes and routes them to the designated carrier. Within that same area, additional pick/pack carts might already be staged, allowing the picker to grab the next cart and repeat the process.

“Having the ability to pick and pack on the go eliminates bottlenecks at stationary packing stations because it’s simply not possible to pack items as fast as they are picked,” continues Ledversis. “With the mobile packing station, we’ve found pickers can pack anywhere from 25% to 40% more product than at fixed stations. With roughly half the labor cost in a warehouse dedicated to picking, this can positively impact the bottom line.”

That’s not to say that fixed packing stations don’t have their place. “Depending on the variety and size of items handled in a facility, you probably can’t eliminate all of your traditional packing stations. The carts are ideal for smaller items; you still need an area to package larger items,” he says.

4. Omni-channel fulfillment support at store level
With the growth of omni-channel retail fulfillment, stores are being leveraged to support e-commerce orders—meaning they also need a dedicated order packing area. Thanks to the square footage limitations of most retailers’ backrooms, however, effective packing station design has become essential, says Jeff Dehnert, president of Dehnco Equipment & Supply Co.

“When omni-channel first started, retailers thought they could just stick a table in the back and it would be fine, but they aren’t getting the throughput they’re looking for—particularly at peak times,” he explains. “Like packing stations in the DC, proper design requires a good understanding of how things move in and out of the area, as well as of the step-by-step process of movements and touches required to fill an order.”

The placement of every piece of packing support equipment, including scanner, keyboard, printer, tape, label stock and more, must be carefully considered. Not only for accessibility to promote productivity, but also to eliminate wasted space, he says.

As stores expand the number of items available for shipment, the number and variety of packing supplies expands as well.

“Eventually the stores have to stock the same selection of carton sizes as the warehouse, but in much less space. That’s led to more sophisticated, modular packing station designs that use every vertical inch and components that allow for easy modification to adapt to changing supply inventory,” Dehnert explains.

Take polybags, for example, he says. Just as DCs are increasingly using polybags for parcel shipping in response to dimensional (DIM) weight carrier charges, so too have stores.

“Historically, polybags were stored in a box that sat horizontally on a shelf,” Dehnert says. “Now, they come wicketed, meaning a stack of the bags bound together at the top with holes that allow them to be suspended vertically, and perforations so they tear off the stack. They way they are presented, they can be filled and removed simultaneously, saving both time and utilizing the space better.”

Companies mentioned in this article
Bastian Solutions
BostonTec
Dehnco Equipment & Supply Co.
Newcastle Systems
PSI Engineering