Classification and trends of order picking technics

Systematics and Trends of Order picking Technics. On the way from the place of its production to the place of its consumption every product travels through various types of material flow processes. Specially during the change from "storing" to "transporting" and reverse the functions "order picking" respectively "distributing" are appearing, which both belong to the most complex operations in material flow systems. Because of the multiform general demands made on systems for order picking or distribution, which are increased by the special demands of the certain products, standard solutions for the majority of applications are not available. On the contrary nearly every order picking system specially the an automated one, represents a unique not transferable special solution. In this offered paper a systematic of the differend stages of automation of order picking systems will be evolved. The different stages will be explained in the view of science and illustrated with realized exampl es from industry and research institutes. The focal points will be set up in areas as there are for example "order picking without order forms", high-performance-storage-systems, order picking-automats, order picking robots etc. At the end the main aspects and trends of order picking will be comprised to deduce a picture of order picking in the future.