Finding the Right Picking Solution to Boost Your Fulfillment Throughput
Lessons from ProMat 2025: How Modern Warehouse Picking Technologies Coordinate Robots and People to Eliminate Downtime and Achieve 2-3x Throughput Improvements
BY ONWARD ROBOTICS | March 27, 2025
In today’s fast-paced warehouse logistics and e-commerce environment, businesses are under constant pressure to improve efficiency and meet growing customer demands. One of the most significant challenges facing companies is optimizing the picking process. This critical stage of the fulfillment cycle—warehouse picking items from inventory and packing them for shipment—can often become a bottleneck, slowing down warehouse operations and increasing operational costs.
In this first blog of our three-part series, we’ll explore why increasing pick throughput is so important and how Onward Robotics is helping businesses achieve 2-3x improvements in throughput with Meet Me® automation and modern warehouse picking solutions.
The Growing Challenge of Picking Throughput
In the fast-paced world of modern logistics, speed is everything. As e-commerce grows and customers expect faster delivery, businesses are continually seeking ways to streamline their warehouse operation.
The picking process involves selecting items from inventory management systems (picking) and preparing them for shipment (packing). This stage can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to errors, especially in high-volume environments with increasing order volume and multiple orders being processed simultaneously.
Traditional approaches like manual picking, batch picking, wave picking, zone picking, and cluster picking each offer different advantages depending on the warehouse layout, but they can also introduce inefficiencies such as excessive travel time and workflow complexity.
As companies scale, reliance on outdated picking systems and inefficient retrieval systems can slow down the warehouse order flow. This is why many organizations are turning to warehouse automation, including automated warehouse technologies and advanced automated picking system solutions, to improve operational efficiency.
The Benefits of Increased Picking Throughput
By adopting advanced automated warehouse picking systems, businesses can unlock a variety of powerful benefits that drive performance across warehouse management and fulfillment operations
Here are just a few of the key advantages businesses can expect from implementing automation for picking:
Faster Order Fulfillment
By utilizing automated picking for time-consuming tasks like piece picking and transporting goods, businesses can significantly reduce fulfillment time. This is especially impactful in high-volume environments where order picking systems must handle large numbers of multiple orders efficiently. Automation also enables technologies like piece picking robots, reducing reliance on manual workflows and improving speed across the entire picking system.
Higher Accuracy
Modern picking solutions integrated with a warehouse management system improve accuracy and reduce errors. By syncing with inventory management platforms, these systems ensure real-time visibility and higher precision when fulfilling each warehouse order.
Improved Labor Efficiency
Automation reduces reliance on manual picking and tools like a traditional picking cart, allowing each order picker to focus on higher-value activities. This shift improves productivity while reducing fatigue and repetitive strain.
Scalable Growth
As order volume increases, automated systems and automated storage solutions can scale without major infrastructure changes. These systems support growing demand while maintaining high levels of operational efficiency across all warehouse operations.
What to Look for in an Automated Picking Solution
We understand the challenges of increasing throughput while maintaining accuracy and reducing operational costs. That’s why we’ve developed Lumabot powered by Pyxis—a cutting-edge picking solution designed to accelerate the picking process.
Here’s how Lumabot can help companies achieve 2-3x improvements in throughput:
1. Enhanced Mobility for Speedier Operations
Lumabot is a highly versatile AMR designed for warehouse logistics environments. It enables faster movement of goods, reducing unnecessary travel time and improving the efficiency of the overall operation. By supporting flexible workflows across different picking methods, Lumabot helps warehouses adapt to changing demand while improving throughput.
2. Smart Integration with Existing Systems
Lumabot integrates seamlessly with your existing warehouse management system, enabling real-time updates and coordination across systems. By connecting with your order picking system, Lumabot can intelligently execute picking tasks, optimize routes, and reduce inefficiencies across warehouse processes. This reduces bottlenecks and enhances the performance of your overall picking system.
3. Scalability and Flexibility
Whether operating a small facility or a complex distribution center, Lumabot supports scalable warehouse automation without requiring major layout changes. Its flexibility allows it to work within existing warehouse layout constraints while improving flow across warehouse operations. This makes it easier to expand capacity while maintaining strong performance.
Warehouses can achieve 2-3x improvements in throughput without the headaches of major infrastructure investments. The future of picking is here—efficient, scalable, and ready to deploy.
The Power of Pyxis: Bringing It All Together
One of the standout concepts discussed at ProMat 2025 was the need for integrated solutions that unify robotics, software, and human workflows.
At the center of this approach is Pyxis, Onward Robotics’ intelligent orchestration platform, which acts as the brain behind the operation—coordinating data, workflows, and system-wide decision-making across the warehouse.
Powered by Pyxis, Meet Me automation dynamically coordinates interactions between Lumabots, workers, and existing systems, ensuring that each component of the operation is working in sync. Lumabots serve as the execution layer, autonomously handling material movement and supporting picking workflows while humans focus on higher-value tasks.
By reducing reliance on fragmented retrieval systems and improving synchronization, this unified approach enhances throughput, minimizes delays, and eliminates inefficiencies across the picking process.
This integrated system allows businesses to optimize every warehouse operation, ensuring smoother workflows, better resource utilization, and stronger overall performance across all fulfillment activities.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Picking Automation?
As businesses continue to adapt to the evolving demands of e-commerce, warehouse automation and advanced picking systems will play a critical role in driving efficiency.
The insights from ProMat 2025 reinforce that selecting the right warehouse picking solutions is essential for improving throughput, reducing inefficiencies, and staying competitive in modern warehouse logistics.
With innovative solutions like Lumabot powered by Pyxis and Meet Me automation, Onward Robotics is helping companies transform their warehouse operations, improve operational efficiency, and scale their fulfillment capabilities for the future.
Warehouse Automated Picking Solutions Frequently Asked Questions
What are warehouse automated picking solutions?
Warehouse automated picking solutions use robotics, software, and intelligent systems to streamline the picking process. These solutions reduce manual effort by automating tasks like item retrieval, transport, and sorting, helping warehouses improve speed, accuracy, and overall efficiency.
How do automated picking systems improve warehouse efficiency?
Automated picking systems reduce travel time, minimize errors, and optimize workflows across warehouse operations. By automating repetitive tasks and coordinating movement between systems and workers, they significantly increase operational efficiency and throughput.
What types of automated picking methods are used in warehouses?
Common methods include batch picking, zone picking, wave picking, and piece picking, each suited for different order volumes and warehouse layouts. Advanced solutions may also incorporate piece picking robots and AMRs to further enhance performance and flexibility.
How do automated warehouse picking solutions integrate with existing systems?
Modern automated warehouse picking systems integrate with a warehouse management system (WMS) to provide real-time data, optimize picking routes, and improve inventory management. This integration ensures better coordination across systems and helps maintain high accuracy and fulfillment speed.
