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Development of an Advanced Picking Station Considering Human Factors

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Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries

Published online on

Abstract

Goods to destination consists of racks, shuttles, conveyors, and picking stations. Racks are used for storing tots, shuttles and conveyors are used for transferring totes, and picking stations are used for order picking. Picking activities are typically repetitive and physically demanding. Awkward postures can result in muscle fatigue and injuries. To understand picking activities and human factors, we performed picking tests and descriptive surveys with participants. Different postures with different picking desk configurations were tested and analyzed with 30 participants. Among the participants, 10 people participated in an electromyograph test and provided subjective results. In case of the LED indicator location of the digital picking station (DPS), 66% of participants felt comfortable when the LED was located between waist level and eye level. In case of the button location of the DPS, 70% of participants felt comfortable when the button was located at waist level. The result shows different views of the DPS application in the warehouse. Last, most participants felt comfortable when totes were placed 5–10 cm higher than the height of the average workstation. This study shows various options for designing picking stations. We believe that this research will provide good guidelines for picking station design which could lead to increases in productivity and workers’ convenience.