Picking strategy

Picking strategy sets the order in which Putaway WMS prioritizes storage locations when preparing picking work for the selected warehouse.

The strategy is configured per warehouse. If you use multiple warehouses, check the strategy separately for each one.

Where It Is Used

Open Warehouse -> Picking strategy.

The page shows the current warehouse, the active strategy, and the available choices. The option marked with the check icon is the order used when new pick lists are prepared.

The strategy influences which storage locations are prioritized. The actual work remains under Warehouse operations -> Picking, where the operator scans the displayed location, product, lot, serial number, and handling unit.

Which Locations Are Included

The strategy works with storage locations from the current warehouse.

A location can be used for picking only when:

• it is a storage location;
• it is not deleted;
• it has a level, bay, aisle, and zone in the warehouse structure;
• the level is marked as available for picking;
• the location, level, bay, aisle, or zone is not blocked;
• the product in the location has the condition required by the order, usually Good.

Putaway WMS does not use receiving, returns, quarantine, inventory, or picking cart locations as sources for order picking.

Available Strategies

The page lets you choose one of these strategies:

Strategy	How it orders locations
Vertical	Goes through zone, aisle, and bay, then works column by column inside the bay: the first bin through the available levels, then the next bin. Use it when the operator should finish a vertical column before moving to the next one.
Horizontal	Goes through zone, aisle, and bay, then works level by level: all bins on the first level, then the next level. Use it when the operator should stay on the same level before moving up or down.
Custom	Lets you manually arrange storage locations in the desired order. Use it when the real warehouse route does not fully match vertical or horizontal movement.

The base order is: zone, aisle, bay, then the selected rule for level and bin. Numeric values from the zone, aisle, bay, level, and bin are used to calculate priority. If a value cannot be read as a number, that location is placed at the end for that step.

Vertical Strategy

Use Vertical when the bay should be worked by columns.

Simple example inside one bay:

1. bin 1, level 1;
2. bin 1, level 2;
3. bin 1, level 3;
4. bin 2, level 1;
5. bin 2, level 2;
6. bin 2, level 3.

Putaway WMS first keeps the zone, aisle, and bay order. It applies the vertical rule only inside the bay.

Horizontal Strategy

Use Horizontal when the bay should be worked by levels.

Simple example inside one bay:

1. level 1, bin 1;
2. level 1, bin 2;
3. level 1, bin 3;
4. level 2, bin 1;
5. level 2, bin 2;
6. level 2, bin 3.

Putaway WMS first keeps the zone, aisle, and bay order. It applies the horizontal rule only inside the bay.

Custom Strategy

When you choose Custom, Putaway WMS prepares the list of storage locations and displays it in the current order. You can drag locations into a different position, then save the order.

On first activation, the custom order starts from the last standard strategy used: vertical or horizontal. If no other base was set, it starts from vertical.

For locations added after custom strategy is active, use Refresh custom order. This brings new locations into the list and normalizes the current order numbering without moving stock.

Use custom strategy when the real warehouse route has its own rules, for example:

• an aisle is worked in one direction only;
• some locations must be visited earlier;
• the physical route avoids unnecessary backtracking;
• cold, fragile, or heavy areas must be handled in a fixed operational order.

Applying A Strategy

1. Open Warehouse -> Picking strategy.
2. Check the warehouse shown in the title.
3. Choose Vertical, Horizontal, or Custom.
4. Check the visual representation.
5. Press Apply strategy or, for custom, rearrange locations and press Save.

For vertical and horizontal, Putaway WMS recalculates the order of storage locations in the warehouse. For custom, the saved manual order becomes the order used from that point forward.

How It Affects Picking

When a pick list is created, Putaway WMS first chooses available orders by age, from oldest to newest. It then chooses eligible stock for the products in those orders.

Stock selection follows these rules:

• for perishable products, lots with the earliest expiry date have priority;
• for non-perishable products, stock that entered the warehouse earlier has priority;
• if an order requires a specific lot or serial number, only matching stock is used;
• after these rules, location order follows the picking strategy;
• if the list is started with a zone, aisle, or SKU filter, the strategy applies only inside that chosen filter.

The strategy does not force use of a location that is not available. If the location is blocked, the level is not available for picking, or stock no longer exists, Putaway WMS looks for another eligible option or stops the list with the appropriate message.

In the picking screen, the operator follows the displayed location. If several products are in the same location, Putaway WMS can group the work so the operator does not scan the same location unnecessarily several times.

What To Check After A Change

After changing the strategy:

1. create a test pick list;
2. check the first proposed locations;
3. compare the displayed route with the physical route in the warehouse;
4. adjust the strategy before operators work real orders.

If the route is not correct, switch between vertical and horizontal or use custom and arrange the locations manually.

What Picking Strategy Does Not Do

Picking strategy does not:

• move stock;
• create locations;
• unblock zones, aisles, bays, levels, or bins;
• make a level available for picking;
• change lots, serial numbers, or warehouse entry dates;
• correct stock shortages;
• replace the zone, aisle, or SKU filters from the picking page.

For recently received stock, complete Goods receiving and Putaway first. For stock differences, use the appropriate inventory or adjustment flow.