Ware-zum-Mann
Also: Ware zum Mann, Waren-zum-Mann, Ware-zu-Person, Goods-to-Person, GTP, G2P, Ware-zur-Person
AI-generated
Goods-to-person is an order picking principle in which storage bins, trays, or containers are automatically transported to a workstation, rather than employees walking to storage locations. It reduces travel distances, increases throughput, and improves workplace ergonomics.
Key facts
- Goods-to-person replaces walking with the automated transport of storage bins to the picking station, thereby reducing physical strain and the time required per pick.
- Typical systems include AS/RS, shuttle systems, tray lifts, carousel storage systems, and cube storage systems such as AutoStore.
- System availability is critical because a system failure halts the entire picking process – redundant components are therefore generally essential.
- Integration into WMS and ERP systems, as well as long-term maintenance and licensing costs, are key decision criteria alongside the purchase price.
What is goods-to-person?
Goods-to-person describes an order picking and replenishment principle in which the storage system automatically brings the required goods to a picking station. The person – or, in increasingly automated environments, a robot – waits at a fixed workstation and retrieves the required quantity without leaving their position. This principle is the counterpart to the classic person-to-goods principle, in which employees travel through warehouse aisles with a picking cart or forklift to locate and retrieve goods themselves.
How does the principle work in practice?
Typical systems that implement goods-to-person include automated small-parts warehouses (AS/RS), shuttle systems, carousel storage systems, tray lifts, and cube storage systems such as AutoStore. The warehouse management system or a higher-level control unit coordinates which bins or trays are delivered to which stations and in what sequence. At the station, retrieval is supported by pick-by-light, screen displays, or other guidance systems to ensure the correct quantity is picked without errors. The system then transports the bin back to the warehouse or directly to the next station.
Several factors are critical for planning:
- Volume framework and order profile: Systems vary considerably in their throughput capacity per hour and per station. Order volume, the number of lines per order, and the number of SKUs determine which technology is appropriate.
- Building height and structural conditions: Shuttle systems and AS/RS require sufficient ceiling height; cube systems such as AutoStore make very efficient use of available height.
- Redundancy and availability: Since the entire picking process depends on the system, a failure is critical. Redundant lifts, vehicles, or stations are necessary when high availability requirements must be met.
- Scalability: Capacity expansion through additional aisles, levels, or stations is not equally straightforward across all systems.
What matters when making a selection?
Choosing a goods-to-person system is a long-term investment with high initial costs and extended payback periods. In addition to the system price itself, you should evaluate maintenance contracts, software licenses, service level agreements, and the availability of spare parts. Integration into existing ERP or WMS landscapes is often complex and should be considered early in the planning process. Ergonomics and occupational health are further arguments in favor: fixed workstations at appropriate heights reduce physical strain. Depending on the vendor, flexibility with regard to item size and container format also varies – not every system can handle every type of goods.
Related terms
- AKL
An Automated Small Parts Warehouse (AKL) is a fully mechanized storage system for bins, trays, or cartons that automates the goods-to-person process using aisle-captive storage and retrieval machines or shuttles.
- Akustische Kommissionierung
Acoustic order picking is a paperless picking method in which warehouse employees receive pick instructions via voice and confirm each step using spoken responses. Both hands remain free throughout the actual picking process.
- AutoStore
AutoStore is a cube-based automated storage system in which driverless robots traverse an aluminum grid to stack plastic bins and retrieve them on demand for delivery to picking ports. The system is considered one of the most space-efficient automated small-parts warehouses available for standardized bin-compatible goods.
- AutoStore-Lagersystem
The AutoStore storage system is a fully automated cube storage system in which robots stack, retrieve, and transport plastic bins across a three-dimensional grid structure to stationary picking stations.
- Automatiklager
An automated warehouse is a fully or partially automated storage system in which the receipt, retrieval, transport and management of storage units are carried out without manual intervention, using conveyor technology, storage and retrieval machines, and a higher-level control software.
- Automatisches Kleinteilelager (AKL)
The Automated Small Parts Warehouse (AKL) is a fully automated storage system for totes, trays and small parts, in which storage and retrieval operations are performed without manual intervention by stacker cranes or shuttle systems.
- Automatisierung
Automation refers to the use of technologies and systems to execute processes fully or partially without human intervention. In intralogistics, the spectrum ranges from simple conveyor systems to fully automated high-bay warehouses with autonomous vehicles.
- Batch-Kommissionierung
Batch picking is a method in which multiple customer orders are consolidated into a single pick run. This allows the picker to travel one route while simultaneously covering positions from different orders.
- Beleglose Kommissionierung
Paperless picking refers to the assembly of orders in the warehouse without paper pick lists, where all instructions are transmitted digitally via terminals, displays, voice, or optical signals.
- Business Case Automatisierung
The Business Case Automation evaluates, from an economic and operational perspective, whether an investment in warehouse or intralogistics automation is justified. It summarizes costs, benefits, risks, and assumptions in a structured way, forming the basis for management approval decisions.
- Chaotische Lagerhaltung
Chaotic storage is a warehousing principle in which items are not stored in fixed, pre-assigned locations, but are instead dynamically placed in any available, suitable slot in the warehouse. A warehouse management system handles the control and tracking of all storage locations.
- Cube-System
A cube system is a high-density, grid-based storage system in which bins are stacked in a three-dimensional grid and moved by robots. It is particularly suited for small to medium-sized items with high throughput in limited storage space.