As described in Order Processing, customer orders are processed on the Enterprise system and transmitted to Access 1000, where actual product in locations is allocated for picking. Before picking begins, the supervisor has the option of adjusting the priority of orders or combining them into waves.

It is not necessary to print labels prior to picking, because all pick data is sent to the hand-held. In the case of waves, however, a string of order number labels is printed to make it easy for the picking person to process multiple orders in a single pick run.

To permit the efficient management of picking operations, any multiple-line-item order may be concurrently picked by more than one user, and the system can limit pick assignment for a given user to a selected zone. All picks of the same order are directed to a single staging or shipping location for packing and consolidation.

The user selects the Pick function on the hand-held menu and can key or scan an order number or let the system select the next order in priority sequence. If the user is to pick a wave, the wave is built by scanning all the order numbers in the wave.

Once the order or wave is selected, the system directs the user through the warehouse or zone in the defined optimum route sequence. If the user cannot finish the order or wave because of lack of space in the picking vehicle, then items picked can be taken to the staging location at any time.

To fill a given line item, if sufficient quantity does not exist in a single location, the user will be automatically directed to multiple locations.

When the user arrives at a directed pick location, if the actual quantity available is less than the pick requirement, the user picks the quantity available. The system asks if inventory is missing. If the operator answers, "Yes," then the system reports the missing inventory to the host and schedules a cycle count for the location. In addition, the user is given the opportunity to pick the remaining product from some other location if product can be found and is available.

If a pick results in inventory at a location falling below a threshold value for the product at the location, a replenishment action will be automatically scheduled for the location. Replenishment actions are either assigned automatically to pickers or made available after a hand-held menu selection, depending on which option a site prefers.

When an order pick is completed, if order checking is not required, the packing slip will print automatically on the laser printer. Since the packing slip prints automatically only when the order is complete, in the event an order must be shipped short, the packing slip can be forced to print from the Administrative PC.