• PICKING ORDERS
  For some warehouses, "Order Picking" represents 60% to 70% of labor. FastFetch attacks order picking labor head on for both manufacturers and distributors.
  
  
• REVERSE LOGISTICS
  After receiving inventory, some warehouse operations must sort through boxes containing multiple SKUs (e.g. electronic parts, sporting goods, craft suppliers, etc.), separating SKUs by warehouse location and consolidating inventory prior to putting it away. Others must sort returned inventory for the same reason. FastFetch provides fast and accurate "Reverse Logistics" for both.
  

NOTE: Even though manufacturing is not represented in this diagram, kitting, Kanban and other production supply activities are FastFetch applications.

How Does FastFetch technology work?

FastFetch combines three highly effective and proven technologies (1) voice, (2) wireless barcode scanning, and (3) next generation "pick-to-light" providing the order picker verbal and visual instructions. FastFetch's patented light directed picking technology optimizes batch picking, reduces total walk time, and by grouping orders with common SKUs, enables efficient cluster picking.

Unlike most pick-to-light hardware, there are no buttons to push with FastFetch. Instead, when ready for "task complete", the picker waves a hand or the picked product in front of a flashing LED.

FastFetch is fully configurable with bluetooth technology for both voice and scanning. With ring scanners, for example, there are no cables to catch — and no heavy scan guns to carry. Simply click and scan.

FastFetch is —Voice Pick

FastFetch is — Next Generation Pick-to-Light


FastFetch is — Barcode Scanning

With WMS, ERP and home grown warehouse management systems, you may be asking, "Why does a distribution center need FastFetch?"

FastFetch's focus is on Reverse Logistics and on order fulfillment. We understand that all warehouse management systems have an order picking component. Some provide scanning capabilities when picking, others provide a batch picking feature, all vary substantially. We believe you will agree that none address the wide diversity of warehouse applications as well as FastFetch does. Our objective is to be the best solution available for the widest variety of picking applications, all utilizing the same software and all interfacing with WMS, ERP and home grown warehouse systems.

Therefore, whether your distribution center has 120 SKUs and an 18 foot pick path — or 500,000 SKUs and a pick path that covers thousands of feet, FastFetch has a picking solution that fits your application.

Single Phase Cart Picking
The heart of our patent, that separates our technology from others, is the coupling of lights on a cart with those on a bay. Single Phase Cart Picking takes advantage of a number of technologies that give order pickers the opportunity to double, sometimes triple their productivity rate. Some of these technologies include:

• Order batching - reduce the number of pick path trips by picking more than one order at a time (e.g. 12, 20 up to 255).
• Pick items in clusters - cluster picking from "many pick slots to one box" or from "one pick slot to many boxes".
• Order batch optimization - setup carts with orders containing SKU's with close proximity, effectively minimizing the distance walked.
• Combine barcode scanning technology with light directed (next generation pick-to-light) technology and... so moving SKUs need not have lights, but can be picked-confirmed with barcode scanning.
  

Pick items in Clusters (One to Many)

Two Phase Put-Wall Pick/Sort
Two Phase Put-Wall Pick/Sort debunks the old adage, "Reduce touches to increase productivity" because, in the right applications, productivity actually increases dramatically with additional touches. The "secret" is in the definition of the word touch, described with the following:

• Bulk pick - pick inventory for dozens, possibly hundreds of orders, at the same time, sorting them by put-wall (e.g. first sort) into totes on the cart as they're picked.
• Dynamic warehouse zoning - assign pickers to sub-sections of the warehouse based upon workload demand, all picking inventory for the same group of orders (e.g. dozens or hundreds).
• Deliver inventory - when a picker completes their warehouse zone, deliver the totes to the appropriate put-wall.
• Put-wall sort - scan the item, the lights (possibly many) on the put-wall indicate the quantity and the position to put the item.
• Pack - when the last item for an order is put, a light on the back side of the put-wall indicates that the position is ready to be emptied and packed.
• Dynamic put-wall assignments - when the items are removed, the position is available for a new order.
  
  
  

Two Phase Dynamic Slotting
Slotting is sometimes used by progressive companies to reduce picking time by grouping commonly ordered products (high velocity SKUs), consequently reducing walk time during picking. Due to the labor intensive nature of re-slotting, most companies seldom, if ever, re-slot SKUs according to changing velocities. Using its patented, light directed hardware that simultaneously uses light modules on both picking racks and large, batch carts with tablet PCs, FastFetch has developed a picking method that slots products for each wave without relocating inventory.

This picking method works best for one of two types of workloads:
A limited number of fast moving SKus, or
Segregated high volume SKUs (e.g. "fast movers") and low volume SKUs (e.g "slow movers") where fast movers are picked with "Single Phase" carts and slow movers are picked with "Two Phase Dynamic Slotting."

Two Phase Dynamic Slotting" looks a lot like "Two Phase Put-Wall Pick/Sort". The following comparisons illustrate both the similarities and the differences:

When the flow diagrams for "Two Phase Put-Wall Pick/Sort" and "Two Phase Dynamic Slotting" are illustrated side-by-side, the similarities and differences are much easier to grasp.

Similarities

DIFFERENCES

Conventional Pick-to-Light
Sometimes, conventional pick-to-light is the optimal solution. For example:

• Wash down environments - FastFetch light modules can be fully enclosed and fully functional when installed in harsh environments. The light sensitive proximity switches, completely envclosed and with no exposed mechanical parts, are immune to harsh, corrosive environments. Chemicals, for example will not damage the light modules or the electronic components.
• Pick and pass applications - if the number of SKUs is limited and they're almost all fast movers, the walking distance between pick slots is nominal, yielding high picking productivity with a reasonable investment.

Continuous (Waveless) Picking
Continuous Picking looks a lot like Single Phase Cart Picking during the initial picking activities. That's where the similarities end. For example:

Similarities to Single Phase Cart Picking

DIFFERENCES to Single Phase Cart Picking

Reverse Logistics
Reverse Logistics is applicable to companies who receive multiple SKUs in the same box that must be put away into the warehouse. This experience is most common with (1) returns merchandise amd (2) a host of companies who stock small parts such as electronics, sporting goods, craft supplies and so on. In essence, inventory must be consolidated at receiving in order to minimize the number of trips into the warehouse for put-away.