Order Picking
Smarter picking solutions for modern warehouses
Order Picking Systems
Optimising your order-picking processes is key to maintaining operational efficiency and meeting your customers’ demands.
CSL Automation works with the very best suppliers to pick technologies and has helped many companies improve in this key area. We can offer a range of different solutions, such as:
- Pick to light
- Goods to person
- A Frame
- Put to wall
- Vertical storage systems
- AMR goods to person
Automation For Picking
Our intelligent order-picking solutions, coupled with conveyor technology, will infinitely improve your manual order-picking procedures, not only in throughput but also in accuracy.
Key benefits of combining automation with order-picking solutions:
- Improved throughput, meaning more picks her hour
- Space saving over traditional shelving
- Avoids congestion for pickers and replenishment teams
- Integrates with WMS/WCS/SCADA systems
- Reduces walking distances for operatives
- Significantly improves pick accuracy
- Pick face is constantly being replenished automatically
- Speeds up and automates the movement of completed orders
- Provides accuracy of stock rotation and inventory
Order Picking. Sorted
No matter how your business currently manages order picking, CSL can help you optimise the process. Our automated picking systems are fully customisable and can be implemented as standalone solutions or as part of a wider automation strategy.
We design, supply, and install intelligent picking systems that improve accuracy, increase efficiency, and scale seamlessly with your operation.
Why Choose Our Order Picking Solutions?
- Efficiency: Reduce labour costs and speed up fulfilment.
- Accuracy: Minimise errors and returns.
- Flexibility: Customised for your SKU profile and order volume
Streamline Your Order Picking for Maximum Efficiency
Integrated conveyor systems create a continuous, efficient flow of part orders between multiple picking areas, eliminating manual transport. By automatically moving items from zone to zone, conveyors ensure each order progresses smoothly through the picking process and arrives at packing fully complete and ready to ship.
Orders are routed intelligently, reducing congestion, minimising handling errors, and allowing pickers to stay focused on accuracy and speed.
Key Benefits:
Efficient transfer of part orders between multiple pick zones
Reduced travel time and labor costs
Improved order accuracy through controlled flow
Balanced workloads across picking and packing operation
Order Picking
Pick-To-Light / Assisted Manual Systems
Throughput: ~500 lines/hour (picker-driven guided by light indicators).
Accuracy: ~100% theoretical guided pick accuracy; actual depends on implementation.
Key Strengths: Effective in small item, high volume tasks; quick operator guidance.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) & Mobile Picking Robotics
Throughput: ~30–60 picks per robot/hour.
Accuracy: Typically high visual/AI pick success (often >95%+ in controlled settings).
Key Strengths: Robots pick directly from aisles (no fixed pick station), reducing labour needs and potentially eliminating walking time.
Conveyor Assisted Picking
- Efficient multi‑level material flow for small to high‑volume operations
- Flexible conveyor options including roller, belt, and flexible chain systems
- Zone‑based routing to minimise operator travel and improve workflow
- Goods‑to‑Person compatible, integrating with shuttles, cranes, and automated retrieval systems
- Integrated control systems using WMS and scanning technology for accurate routing and tracking
- Performance benefits across all system sizes
- Increased productivity through continuous, automated product flow
- High picking accuracy when paired with Pick‑to‑Light or Scan‑to‑Verify
- Improved ergonomics by reducing walking, lifting, and bending
- Scalable design allowing additional pick stations or conveyor extensions as demand grows
Discuss your automation Project
Thank you for your interest in CSL Automation. As one of the UK’s leading conveyor and automation integrators, we can help design and install a system to help you take your business to the next level.
Start your automation journey today.
Ready to Optimise Your Picking Process?
Automated Returns
Multi-Floor Handling
Order Packing
Order Picking
Pallet Handling
Product Sortation
Product & Material Transit
Stock Replenishment
Frequently Asked Questions
What industries can benefit from Automated Order Picking Systems?
For operations with high SKU counts, zone picking combined with batch or wave picking is typically the most effective. Zone picking reduces travel time by assigning pickers to specific SKU zones, while batch or wave picking improves efficiency by grouping multiple orders together. When supported by technologies like pick-to-light, voice picking, or automated storage systems, accuracy and throughput can be significantly increased.
Which picking method is best for high SKU counts?
Yes. Our systems are designed to integrate seamlessly with most major WMS platforms via standard APIs, web services, or flat-file exchanges. Integration can be configured to support real-time data exchange for inventory, orders, and picking confirmations, ensuring minimal disruption to your existing workflows.
Can your systems integrate with my existing WMS?
An order picking conveyor system is a type of material handling solution used in warehouses and fulfilment centres to streamline the process of selecting and transporting items for customer orders. These systems use powered conveyors – such as belt, roller, or modular conveyors – to move goods to picking stations or operators, reducing the need for manual handling and walking distances.
By automating part of the picking process, conveyor systems help improve accuracy, speed, and overall efficiency in warehouse operations.
What is an order picking conveyor system?
An order picking conveyor system is a type of material handling solution used in warehouses and fulfilment centres to streamline the process of selecting and transporting items for customer orders. These systems use powered conveyors – such as belt, roller, or modular conveyors – to move goods to picking stations or operators, reducing the need for manual handling and walking distances.
By automating part of the picking process, conveyor systems help improve accuracy, speed, and overall efficiency in warehouse operations.
What types of automation can improve order picking?
- Pick-to-Light Systems: guide operators using light indicators, improving speed and accuracy.
- Goods-to-Person (GTP) Systems: automatically bring items to operators, reducing travel time.
- A-Frame Dispensers: high-speed automated picking for fast-moving products.
- Put Walls: support efficient sorting and consolidation of multiple orders.
- Vertical Storage Systems: save space and increase pick rates with automated shelving.
CSL can integrate any combination of these technologies into a fully tailored order picking system to suit your operational goals.
How can conveyor systems improve picking speed?
Conveyor systems reduce manual travel time and streamline the movement of goods across the warehouse. By automatically transporting products to and from pick zones or packing areas, they eliminate bottlenecks and reduce downtime.
This enables staff to perform more picks per hour with less physical strain, significantly increasing overall picking speed and warehouse throughput.
Can CSL design a custom solution for my warehouse?
Conveyor Systems Ltd specialises in bespoke order picking and automation systems tailored to each client’s warehouse layout, product range, and fulfilment requirements.
Our experienced team will assess your current processes, recommend the most efficient layout and technology, and deliver a fully integrated solution – from design and build to ongoing support and maintenance.
Are order picking systems scalable?
CSL’s order picking systems are designed with scalability in mind. Whether you’re operating a small warehouse or a large distribution centre, our solutions can grow with your business.
Modular conveyor components and flexible automation options mean your system can be expanded or adapted as order volumes, SKUs, and business needs change over time.
How do these systems integrate with existing warehouse management software?
Optimised resource utilisation: Automation reallocates human resources from repetitive manual tasks to value-added activities, such as quality control inspections or order picking and replenishment. By minimising manual intervention in packaging processes, businesses can optimise labour utilisation and focus on strategic initiatives to drive operational performance.
Can these systems handle different types of products and packaging?
An automated packing machine is the actual machinery used to package products whereas the packing conveyor is the conveyor system used to transport the products through each stage of the packing process. This means the automated packing machine is within one of the phases of the packing process.
What level of support and maintenance do you provide for these systems?
How scalable are these systems for growing businesses?
Which picking method is best for high SKU counts?
For operations with a very high number of SKUs, goods‑to‑person (GTP) systems are generally the most effective. These solutions, such as shuttle systems, AMR‑based picking, or automated storage and retrieval systems, bring items directly to the picker, reducing travel time and keeping throughput high even when inventory is extremely diverse. They offer strong scalability, accuracy, and space efficiency, making them ideal for large SKU catalogs.
More Information
What Are Automated Order Picking Systems?
Order picking encompasses the crucial task of selecting items from inventory to fulfil customer orders. It involves the movement of goods and materials through warehouses or distribution centres to locate, retrieve, and package items accurately and efficiently. As the backbone of fulfilment operations, any improvements in the order picking process directly translate to enhanced productivity and customer satisfaction. Some technologies used in automated order picking systems include:
- Robotics and Automation: These systems leverage cutting-edge robotics and automation technology to efficiently navigate warehouse spaces and retrieve items or products required for specific orders.
- Warehouse Management Software (WMS) Integration: Integrated with sophisticated software, these systems communicate and synchronise with warehouse management systems. This integration ensures precise and accurate picking, inventory management, and order tracking.
- Highly Configurable Conveyors and Sorting Technology: Automated order picking systems utilise conveyors and sorting technology, allowing for the smooth movement of items within the warehouse or distribution centre. These systems are highly configurable and can be tailored to suit various product shapes, sizes, and weights.
- Picking Accuracy and Efficiency: By utilising advanced algorithms and smart technologies, these systems ensure optimal picking accuracy, significantly reducing errors and enhancing efficiency in order fulfilment.
- Scalability and Flexibility: The systems are designed with scalability in mind, adapting to the changing needs of businesses, accommodating increased order volumes, and expanding product lines.
How Our Automated Order Picking Systems Work
Our Automated Order Picking Systems at Conveyor Systems streamline the order fulfilment process with precision and efficiency. Upon order initiation, our systems seamlessly integrate with your Warehouse Management Software (WMS), swiftly processing the order details in real-time.
Utilising advanced algorithms and robotics, our systems navigate through the warehouse, identifying and retrieving the required items with pinpoint accuracy. Once picked, items smoothly travel via our configurable conveyor systems to a centralised area for packing or shipping, efficiently managed by sorting technology.
The system conducts quality checks such as check weighers and seamlessly integrates with packaging technology, ensuring accurate and timely order packaging. Real-time tracking and reporting provide insights into order status and inventory levels. Continuously optimised for adaptability, our systems revolutionise order-picking operations, offering businesses a competitive edge with enhanced efficiency and error-free order fulfilment.
Benefits of Implementing Automated Order Picking
Reducing pick times: Conveyor systems operate continuously, eliminating the need for manual transportation of goods between pick locations and packing areas. This constant flow ensures a steady pace of order fulfilment, significantly reducing processing times and increasing throughput.
Improved accuracy: By standardising and automating the movement of items, conveyor systems mitigate the likelihood of errors associated with manual handling. Each product follows a predefined path, minimising the risk of misplacements or incorrect picks, thereby enhancing order accuracy and reducing costly returns.
Optimised space utilisation: Leveraging vertical and horizontal space within the warehouse, conveyor systems, such as spiral conveyors, maximise storage capacity while maintaining accessibility to inventory. This strategic utilisation of space facilitates efficient order picking by minimising the time required to locate and retrieve items, even in high-density storage environments.
Employee safety: Manual handling of heavy or bulky items poses inherent risks to employee well-being. Conveyor systems alleviate physical strain by automating the transport of goods, reducing the need for repetitive lifting and carrying. This not only mitigates the risk of workplace injuries but also fosters a safer and more ergonomic working environment.
Scalability and flexibility: As e-commerce and 3PL companies adapt to evolving market demands, scalability becomes imperative. Conveyor systems offer the flexibility to scale operations seamlessly, accommodating fluctuations in order volumes without compromising efficiency or accuracy.
