GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 22, 2026

Order picking

A fulfilment centre operative receives a customer order – two boxes of 50 units, three rolls of film, one specialty pack – and heads into the racks.

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Last updated: 22 June 2026Published: 19 June 2025

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kommissionieren

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Logistics Concept

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Definition & Explanation

A fulfilment centre operative receives a customer order – two boxes of 50 units, three rolls of film, one specialty pack – and heads into the racks. That process is order picking: the targeted retrieval of individual items from stock and their assembly into a shipment-ready consignment. Picking sits at the boundary between warehousing and outbound logistics and typically accounts for the largest share of labour cost in a distribution centre. Errors – wrong quantity, mixed-up SKU – translate directly into returns and complaints, which is why many operations rely on barcode scanners, pick-by-light, or pick-by-voice systems to maintain accuracy. Unlike putaway, order picking is demand-driven rather than stock-driven.

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Order picking

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