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Order Picking Hives

Having an efficient storage solution is the top priority for any business that deals with physical items. You may think of products and raw materials when you hear the term physical items. However, for businesses, physical items also include paperwork, files, and folders, among many other things.
While businesses typically rely on ordinary shelves or cabinets, such solutions will likely not hold up to the rising storage demands once the organization evolves or scales. That is where space saver solutions like picking hives take center stage.
Let us find out how this innovative mobile picking can reduce footprint and offer more space to store, organize, and access physical items of different shapes and sizes.

What is an Order Picking Hive?

Space saver shelves are a concept of maximizing storage area within shelves concerning the given storage area. The storage area can be a real challenge for businesses if they do not plan their inventory from the very start.
Without proper management, the business may end up wasting floor space instead of using it. Also, scenarios like misplaced documents and parts become a daily routine. The staff often requires searching multiple points to locate the items and waste unnecessary time in the process.

How Space Savers like Picking Hives Can Help

An order-picking hive is a space saver shelf that is capable of high-density storage. It is an end-to-end closed-loop storage solution that comes with dual side access.
These file saver shelves are designed to have the footprint of a pallet. Within that footprint, it houses storage boxes of various sizes. A typical picking hive consists of a compartment box with the following sizes.
Extra-Small Boxes: A picking hive can house 60 extra-small boxes. An individual extra-small box measures 14.5 inches in width, 19.5 inches in depth, and 6 inches in height.
The extra-small box arrangement is useful in several applications. It is an optimum solution for storing objects that have a small footprint. Users can also label individual boxes to ensure organized storage space and quick access to items they need.
Small Boxes: A picking hive is capable of accommodating 30 small boxes. Individually, a small box has the same depth as an extra-small box and measures 14.5 inches in width and 12 inches in height.
The extra height of the small boxes allows storing items such as files, folders, or even large books. In industries, very small to small parts can be categorized and stored in this setup.
Medium Boxes: The picking hive houses 18 medium boxes. An individual medium box has a width of 14.5 inches, 19.5 inches of depth, and a height of 18 inches.
Medium boxes are spacious. With this setup, the user gets nine storage boxes on each side, providing 18 storage containers. A medium box setup is capable of holding objects that small or extra-small containers cannot accommodate.
These mobile picking storage systems are also forklift-friendly. Moving these storage cabinets around is also easy as the entire structure sits on castors.

Applications of Picking Hives

Order picking hives are highly effective in storing materials that are constantly being accessed or restocked. These storing units essentially serve as buffer storage or ad hoc storage solutions.
Let us explore the use of picking hives in different settings.

Retail Stock Management

Retail businesses deal with a variety of products. Often, they also have different variants of the same product type. Retail stock management also requires some degree of inventory tracking for an efficient and fast supply chain. A retail business must have a storage solution that can handle these different products and their variants.
An order-picking hive fits best in such a scenario because of the flexibility it provides. Each container is a unit that users can label or categorize. A single pallet-sized structure can provide 30 different containers for storage.
The different storage options offered by picking hive add to its attractiveness and can be used as a makeshift storage solution for retail stock management.

Temporary Pick Lines

A temporary pick line is a storage facility that stores products that are used frequently. For example, if a process in an organization requires certain parts at certain intervals, it is wise to have them near the process to facilitate easy part picking and low wait times.
A temporary pick line is a temporary storage space for parts. There are different ways in which companies implement temporary pick lines. Usually, businesses employ makeshift storage structures that resemble storage cabinets. However, these storage systems need to be built and rebuilt for different storage processes.
A picking hive offers an easier solution since the structure is already storage-ready. Companies can use one or more picking hives to create a series of storage solutions customized to their needs. Also, there is no need to rebuild the structure after serving its purpose in a process. The compartments within an order-picking hive can be customized and moved around with ease.

In-Store Displays/Storage

Picking hives don’t have to be all about managing the backend storage needs. You can also use it as in-store displays. Let each compartment be its own product storage box. Customers can then try out the items directly from the storage boxes.
Having a picking hive as an in-store display store has several other advantages too. With the customizability it offers, it can accommodate different types of products. The same facility is not possible with a typical in-store display because they are designed to host one product type. Another key benefit of a picking hive is its portability. Since the structure stands on castors, you can move the structure around the store and place it anywhere.

Backroom Storage

Picking hives are excellent solutions for backroom storage. Backroom storages can get messy, and the condition may escalate to a state where the staff cannot make sense of the items and their locations.
A picking hive is an instant solution. Instead of building new storage structures or cabins, these mobile storage racks can store all the items in an organized way so that they don’t get in each other’s way.

BOPIS/BOPAC: Where Picking Hives Shines the Best

While we’ve already explored different applications of picking hives, one area that requires special attention is BOPIS or Buy Online Pickup In-Store/BOPAC (Buy Online, Pickup Curbside).
Many brick-and-mortar stores are now adopting this new feature or service to serve their online customers.
BOPIS has numerous advantages when you compare it with a system like a doorstep delivery. For example, BOPIS offers great speed for customers as the user can get the product much faster than have it travel all the way to their home. The next is security, where the instances of the product being stolen from the customers’ doorstep get eliminated.
Some of the customers also prefer the idea of BOPIS so that they can visit the store physically to pick up their products and eliminate the high shipping costs. A 2019 survey shows that 61% of retailers consider BOPIS and BORIS (buy online, return in-store) at the top of their omnichannel plans and investments.

Facilitating BOPIS with the Right Inventory Management

BOPIS gives brick-and-mortar stores an added advantage and the possibility of driving more sales. However, there are some challenges to address, and among the most critical ones include storage.
To have an effective BOPIS strategy, the store must have a cohesive online and offline system. The first of which is inventory tracking, and the second being the right storage solution. With the online orders coming in, the store must have the orders ready to go so that there is no delay when customers visit the store for their product.
Besides, the store cannot rely on unprofessional methods like stacking the orders one over another or arranging them on a flat surface. They simply won’t be able to keep up with high order rates.
A picking hive is a perfect solution for such a challenge. The store doesn’t have to build any storage compartments since picking hives comprises interchangeable compartments that can be modified based on the storage requirement.
The vertical stacking further helps with space-saving. Since each compartment has its boundaries, there is no chance of the products overlapping or shifting. Labeling each compartment can also boost productivity as the staff will know which product goes where.
With the rise in BOPIS, stores have to find intuitive storage solutions that don’t burn through their investments. Picking hives server their purpose with BOPIS and make stores ready to welcome customers for their orders.

Pick the Right Picking Hive for Your Unique Storage Needs

Not sure which storage solution can work best for the unique storage needs of your business? Let our team of experts help you! At Southwest Solutions Group, we believe that better organization can promote greater productivity. That’s why we’ve spent over 50 years creating storage solutions for our customers. Call us at 1-866-443-5670 to speak with a specialist, or for more information, send us a message today.