Food Storage / CPG
Reduce “Startup Cost” in Picking
A food storage facility had too much “winging it” built into the pick process. A supervisor was manually adjusting pick sheets and pick locations while pickers were forced to figure out custom pallet builds throughout the day.
The Problem
Picking relied on manual supervisor intervention to stay functional.
Operators burned time searching, deciding, and re-deciding before they could start work.
Custom pallet requirements turned normal picking into constant problem-solving.
What “Startup Cost” Meant Here
Startup cost was the thinking + decision making + searching required before an operator could even start executing an order.
Our Approach
Redesigned the pick path to reduce decision points and backtracking
Updated staging practices to make work more “set up” before pickers touched it
Improved slotting practices to reduce search time and custom workarounds
What Changed
Less on-the-fly adjusting by supervision
Operators started work faster and with fewer decisions per order
Flow became repeatable enough to handle higher volume without staffing spikes
Results
Handled ~20% more pick volume with the same staff (from redesigned pick path + staging/slotting changes)