With a batched or grouped CO concept, activity in the pick and sortation areas are designed according to the quantity of SKUs that are handled. Methods that are used to determine the number of small items or flatwear per batch are either picker driven or packer driven.

The picker driven method determines customer ordered SKU pieces per batch by the projected picker productivity rate. The method relies on a computer program to separate COs by projected picker productivity rate. The picker productivity rate determines the number of pickers that is required to handle the CO SKUs. If the picker productivity rate cannot handle the quantity of batched CO SKU pieces, management adjusts the number of small items or flatwear per batch and recalculates the projected picker number. Factors that affect the picker driven batch quantity are the number of COs per pack station, number of SKUs or pieces per CO, anticipated pack employee productivity, total daily pieces and COs, work hours per day, projected picker employee productivity, and budgeted sortation rate.

The packer-driven batch quantity projection method uses the number of SKUs that are handled by each sortation and pack station to determine small-item or flatwear pieces per batch. A computer program ensures that there is sufficient SKU quantity and CO quantity to keep each pack station active. CO picked, labeled, and sorted SKUs are evenly distributed to each pack station.

In a catalog or direct mail business, the picker driven method is...