Pick-to-Light System

A pick-to-light system is a paperless order fulfillment technology that replaces a printed pick list with a small illuminated display mounted at each storage location in a warehouse; when an order calls for an item from that location, its light turns on and shows the quantity to take, and the worker confirms the pick with a button before the system advances to the next lit location. The method removes the two steps most likely to cause a picking error on paper, reading the right location off a list and counting out the right quantity, by putting both pieces of information directly at the point where the worker's hand is already reaching. It became a standard fixture of high-volume distribution centers, particularly for fast-moving items picked many times a shift, because it lets an untrained worker pick quickly and accurately with almost no training, and lets a manager see picking activity across the whole floor in real time from the same control system that lights the individual displays.