In plain English
Orders are grouped in advance and then released for picking at specific times. Each group is handled as its own wave. This means picking follows scheduled group releases instead of starting each order as soon as it arrives.
In context
Here, "wave picking" names picking that is organized by releasing planned groups of warehouse orders together at scheduled times as separate waves.
- Situation
- Managing warehouse receiving, inventory, picking, packing, and dispatch
- What it communicates
- names picking organized by scheduled order-release waves.
Meaning limits
The term alone does not establish how the order groups are planned or what exact release times are used.
Examples
“Instead of starting each order as it arrived, the warehouse used wave picking at fixed times during the day.”
“In wave picking, the afternoon crew waited for the next release before taking that group of orders.”