Blog

New semi-automatic equipment option for N20 SA and N20 C SA order pickers from Linde Material Handling

The rate of productivity when order picking at ground level depends on the operator’s speed and precision. Short walking and driving distances save time and effort and increase the efficiency of the process. Logistics service providers and retail chains can now exploit this optimization potential using the Linde N20 SA and N20 C SA semi-automated order pickers, together with a new equipment option (semi-automated) that offers two drive modes in which the vehicles automatically follow the operator or drive ahead. As a result, employees are relieved of non-value adding activities and order picking performance can be boosted by up to 20 percent.

Whether carried out at a DIY store, a food wholesaler, an automotive supplier or a contract logistics company, order picking is labor-intensive, requiring stamina and alertness of warehouse staff. A substantial part of the process consists of the employees’ walking to the racks and back to the order picker. This is a time- and energy-consuming activity but, unlike picking goods from the rack and placing them on the load carrier, it does not create any added value. “Even a mere a few seconds expended during each handling operation adds up to a lot of time lost over the course of the workday, and just a few steps, repeated over and over again, add to operators’ fatigue and sap energy that would be better directed at completing the picking process without errors,” argues Philipp Stephan, Product Manager Automation & Intralogistics Solutions at Linde Material Handling (MH).