Order picking is a key component of internal material flow systems. Within a company, it serves as the interface to the customer in distribution processes or supplies the parts and components needed for subsequent production steps. There are many possible ways to design order picking systems, all of which must be considered during the planning phase. Two of the most important factors in system design are response time and cost.

Cost, in particular, plays a crucial role today, as order picking still involves a high proportion of manual work.

The book expands on existing theories by incorporating new insights into systems, calculations, and methods for determining time data in order picking. It is aimed at students and teachers who have a basic understanding of logistics-related topics. Numerous illustrations and structured overviews support the reader and make it easier to become familiar with the subject matter. Various examples round off the scope of the book and enable readers to reflect on the knowledge they have acquired through these practice-oriented case studies.

Christopher Reining completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Logistics at TU Dortmund University. He then worked as a research associate at the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing, where he earned his Dr.-Ing. with a dissertation on human activity recognition in logistics, particularly in order picking. At 4flow SE, he led international consulting projects in intralogistics and production. He is currently Chief Scientist at the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University and a member of the executive staff at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics.

Friedrich Niemann completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Logistics at TU Dortmund University. He subsequently worked as a research associate at the Chair of Production Organization and Logistics at the University of Rostock as well as at the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University. As part of his teaching activities, he is responsible for the course “Order Picking Systems.” His research focuses on order picking. He is currently pursuing his doctorate on “Context- and Activity-Based Process Recognition in Intralogistics.”