Complete Guide to Goods-to-Person Automation

Walking shouldn’t be a warehouse worker’s full-time job—but in many facilities, it still is. Endless aisles, manual carts, and time lost in transit. But that’s changing fast. Goods-to-person automation is flipping the script, not just to speed things up, but to completely redefine how distribution gets done.

Traditional warehousing rely heavily on manual picking processes, with workers spending up to 60% of their time walking between locations, consulting pick lists, and searching for items. This approach, while functional, imposed significant limitations on throughput and accuracy while subjecting workers to physical strain and repetitive stress injuries.

Goods-to-person automation flips this paradigm on its head. Instead of sending workers to traverse vast warehouse spaces, these systems bring ordered goods directly to pickers at stationary workstations. This fundamental shift doesn’t just incrementally improve efficiency—it completely transforms the warehouse workflow.

These systems are usually housed in a secure, fenced-off area and include several key components:

• Inbound entry point: where items, either in cases or pre-sorted into bins, enter the system
• Storage racks: used to organize and hold the inventory
• Picking stations: where workers retrieve items for outbound orders
• Robots and conveyance: that move goods between the entry point, storage, and picking stations
• Outbound point: Where completed orders are sent out of the system and to the next phase of processing (labeling, document insertion, etc.)

At the heart of goods-to-person systems are ergonomic picking stations, designed to maximize efficiency and reduce physical strain on workers. Rather than walking miles through a warehouse, employees stay in one place while the system brings the needed inventory directly to them. These stations often include:

• Touchscreen interfaces that provide real-time instructions, confirmations, and error alerts
• Pick-to-light systems to simplify multi-order or multi-item fulfillment
• Barcode or RFID scanners to verify items and maintain inventory accuracy
• Ergonomic work surfaces with adjustable heights and layouts to reduce strain and repetitive motion injuries
• Integrated weighing scales to confirm quantities and catch any discrepancies during the pick process

Thanks to these features, goods-to-person systems can improve picking productivity by 5x or more compared to manual picking, while maintaining over 99.9% order accuracy.

Massive Gains in Picking Throughput

When examining throughput capabilities, the numbers tell a compelling story. While traditional picking methods typically achieve 50-100 lines per hour per operator, many modern goods-to-person systems deliver 400+ lines per hour at each picking station. This dramatic improvement stems from eliminating walking time searching for ordered goods among a sea of storage racks.

Optimized Order Flow

Goods-to-person robots can travel up to 12 miles per hour, guided by advanced software that optimizes their routes in real time. System-wide, these installations can handle up to thousands of lines per hour, with the ability to process multiple orders simultaneously.

Enhanced Accuracy, Reduced Errors

Goods-to-person systems remove the guesswork from picking by automating nearly the entire process. Operators follow intuitive prompts for order placement, often guided by pick-to-light and put-to-light systems. Integrated scales at workstations ensure that orders meet the correct weight before robots proceed, adding an extra layer of verification. With automated handling and real-time inventory tracking, these systems significantly reduce errors and improve overall order accuracy.

Smarter Use of Warehouse Space

Another advantage is the transformation of space utilization. By optimizing both horizontal and vertical space, these systems improve floor space utilization by 60-85%. This efficiency gain comes from eliminating wide aisles required for traditional picking, with many systems providing the ability to have racks that reach the full height of the warehouse ceiling.

High-Density Storage and Space Optimization

Bins can be divided into multiple compartments, allowing for high-density, multi-SKU storage that maximizes space utilization and improves picking efficiency. As a result, warehouses can operate in smaller, more cost-effective buildings, reducing real estate expenses while increasing overall throughput. Additionally, space that would have been dedicated to manual storage can now be repurposed for value-added activities like quality control, kitting, or returns processing, further enhancing operational flexibility.

Implementing goods-to-person automation requires careful planning and a clear understanding of operational requirements. The process begins with a comprehensive assessment of current operations, examining everything from throughput requirements across different product categories to peak handling needs and growth projections. This detailed analysis ensures the final system design aligns with current needs and future expansion plans.

Ensuring Internal Readiness

Before implementing goods-to-person automation, organizations must assess their internal capabilities. Key considerations include existing warehouse management systems (WMS), resource availability, and operational structure (in-house vs. third-party logistics). Clear scope definition and alignment with company strategy prevent disjointed execution and ensure long-term success.

System Integration

System integration represents a critical phase of implementation. Modern goods-to-person systems must work seamlessly with existing warehouse management systems and enterprise resource planning platforms. This integration involves developing robust APIs, establishing data synchronization protocols, and ensuring real-time system communication. The goal is to create a unified ecosystem where information flows smoothly between all components, enabling optimal decision-making and resource allocation.

Managing the Transition

A successful automation rollout requires careful coordination across multiple stakeholders. Suppliers may need new portals, labels, and interfaces, while inventory and data migration strategies must be established to minimize disruption. Leadership provides vision, operations teams contribute expertise, and HR ensures a smooth workforce transition through incentives and training. A structured communication plan—built around a detailed timeline—keeps all parties aligned and accountable.

Workforce Integration & Training

Automation directly impacts people. Addressing employee concerns about job disruption is crucial, emphasizing that automation primarily drives revenue by meeting demand rather than simply reducing costs. Training should go beyond standard operating procedures, including reporting tools and performance metrics. Superusers—employees with firsthand system experience—are vital in mentoring colleagues and ensuring a seamless transition.

Defining Success & Continuous Optimization

Once operational, these systems enter a phase of continuous optimization. The success of an automation project should be measured in its performance over 1, 3, and 6 months. Key metrics—such as cost per unit handled (CPH) and throughput improvements—should be monitored and publicly shared to maintain transparency. Real-time monitoring enables immediate adjustment of pick paths and workload distribution, while predictive maintenance scheduling minimizes downtime. The system’s ability to learn from operational patterns allows for ongoing efficiency improvements, with performance analytics guiding adjustments to storage locations and picking strategies.

When executed well, goods-to-person automation doesn’t just solve immediate capacity challenges—it becomes a long-term strategic advantage, contributing to company growth and even earning recognition in quarterly earnings calls.

Goods-to-person automation transforms warehouse operations by reducing reliance on manual labor, improving order accuracy, and creating greater operational efficiency. By streamlining movement patterns and utilizing high-density storage, these systems enhance space efficiency and lower operational costs. Additionally, they improve overall workflow, contributing to long-term cost savings and increased return on investment.

Beyond direct financial returns, these systems significantly improve the workforce experience. Traditional pickers often walk several miles per day, but with a goods-to-person system, walking is nearly eliminated, reducing physical strain and fatigue. Additionally, intuitive user interfaces and standardized processes cut training time from several hours to less than one hour, enabling faster onboarding and operational efficiency. These enhancements lead to improved working conditions, higher job satisfaction, and increased productivity, ultimately contributing to better workforce retention.

The Exotec Skypod system is a goods-to-person AS/RS that goes beyond traditional storage and picking by also handling packing, buffering, sorting, and sequencing in one solution. This simplifies order fulfillment by eliminating the need for separate subsystems like staging zones for buffered orders or sorters, saving time and space while increasing fulfillment speed.

Want to see the Skypod system in action?

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