Semi automated and ergonomic picking

The semi-automatic solution for trade unit picking - the ETP (Ergonomic Tray Picking) concept from Witron is designed for a merchandise assortment of up to 4,000 different articles.

It is suitable for grocery retailers' distribution centres, full-liners' regional warehouses and fast-moving items storage, as well as discounters' distribution centres.

The solution can be used for projects in both the dry goods and fresh product sectors. In the past, conventional warehouse systems have often been used for these applications. The mechanisation level of the new ETP solution stands out for its combination of fully automatic replenishment and ergonomic order picking. Using man operated pick shuttles, trade units are picked from a tray mini load pickfront onto pallets or roll containers. An order picking output of up to 500 trade units per employee per hour is possible.

ETP therefore solves a core problem of conventional order picking systems: employees traditionally have to lift and carry more than 15 tonnes per shift - in other words, two full truck loads.

Many logistics experts and operators are convinced that this situation will no longer be tenable in the medium and long term.