Put to Light Overview.
Put to Light is often referred to as Pick to Light in reverse. In a Pick to Light system, lights guide operators to SKU locations where they select or 'pick' items from. A Put system uses light modules direct operators to the correct location to sort or 'put' items into.
Classic Put to Light Process
One of the most popular applications for Put systems is sort batch picked products into individual orders. Batch picking is when multiple orders are picked during each pass through the warehouse, optimizing fulfillment operations where there are a high number of SKUs and long pick paths. This works best in environments where products and orders are smaller, enabling pickers to carry several boxes on a cart at the same time.
Downstream these products must be sorted into the appropriate orders. Traditionally carts travel to pack stations where items are manually sorted by reading pick tickets, shipping or other paper lists. This approach is slow and prone to mistakes.
If your products feature bar code labels, then a Put to Light system is a faster and more accurate way to execute this sortation. With Put to Light, the operator simply grabs an item and scans the labe with an RF unit. Lights illuminate at locations requiring that item, and the quantities needed to fill the order. The process is repeated until the orders are completed.
The Put to Light approach is extremely fast and accurate. The RF scan and lights increase sort rates and reduce reading errors.