What is a Pickface in a Warehouse Management System (WMS)?

clementyou
Jan 19, 2021
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Part 7 Back to Basic - Pickface and Replenishment

A pickface (also known as a forward-picking location) is a designated warehouse location optimized for loose picking activities. Loose picking refers to picking quantities less than one (1) full pallet, such as:

Carton picks
Inner pack picks
Each (EA) picks

Pickfaces are designed to support high-frequency, small-quantity order fulfillment efficiently.

Pickface Location and Equipment Considerations

Pickfaces are typically located:

At ground level of racking systems, or
One to two levels above ground, depending on warehouse design and space constraints

Ground-level pickfaces are preferred, as they allow operators to perform loose picking quickly and safely by hand, without the need for specialized equipment.

For higher-level pickfaces, additional material handling equipment (MHE) is required:

A forklift or reach truck to bring pallets down for picking and return them afterward, or
A man-up MHE (Order Picker) that allows operators to pick directly at elevated levels

Higher-level pickfaces generally reduce picking efficiency due to increased handling time and equipment dependency.

Pickface Replenishment

As picking continues, inventory in the pickface will eventually be depleted. When this happens, stock from another location, and typically a reserve or upper-level storage location, must be moved to the pickface. This process is known as replenishment.

Replenishment Strategy

Replenishment is not a one-size-fits-all process; it requires a well-defined replenishment strategy. Common approaches include:

Time-based replenishment (e.g., only in the morning to align with manpower planning)
On-demand replenishment (triggered immediately when stock runs low)
Threshold-based replenishment (e.g., replenish when pickface quantity falls below 20% of a pallet)
Wave-based replenishment (over-replenishing in advance to support large picking waves)

The right strategy depends on operational priorities such as labor availability, order profiles, and throughput requirements.

To support smooth and uninterrupted picking operations, a flexible and highly configurable WMS is essential. Advanced systems such as AC2 WAVE WMS allow replenishment rules and parameters to be mixed and matched, making them both easy to configure and adaptable to different operational scenarios.

(See Replenishment section for more details)

Advanced Pickface Capabilities in Modern WMS

Leading Warehouse Management Systems, such as Infor WMS, Blue Yonder WMS, and AC2’s WAVE WMS, offer advanced capabilities, including Dynamic Pickface and Slotting.

Dynamic Pickface

Pickface locations are shared across multiple items, rather than being permanently assigned.
The system intelligently slots items into pickfaces when needed and un-slots them when demand subsides.
This process is fully automated, requiring no manual intervention.

Slotting

The WMS continuously evaluates demand, order waves, and inventory movement.
When items are un-slotted, the system automatically generates tasks to move inventory back to reserve or higher-level locations.
As demand changes, the system dynamically reassigns pickfaces to optimize space utilization and picking efficiency.