Order Picking

Order picking is the process of collecting items from your warehouse locations to fulfill an order. Beam provides a streamlined picking workflow that supports both scanning and manual selection, with real-time progress tracking to keep you on track.

The picking process

Picking is central to both outbound and rental orders. Here is how the process works step by step:

Step 1: Select an order row

On the Pick tab of an order, you will see a list of items that need to be collected. Click on an item row to expand it and view the available stock locations for that item.

Step 2: View available stock

The system shows where the item is stored and how much is available at each location. Locations are sorted to optimize the picking route, helping you collect items efficiently.

Step 3: Pick from a location

You can pick items from a location in two ways:

• Scanning Use a barcode scanner, RFID reader, or QR code scanner. The system automatically matches the scan to the correct item and location.
• Manual selection Select a location from the list and enter the quantity you want to pick.

Step 4: Review the buffer

Picked items are placed in a temporary buffer before being confirmed. The buffer acts as a holding area where you can review what you have picked, make corrections if needed, and ensure everything is accurate before saving.

Step 5: Save your picks

Click Save to confirm your picks. The items are recorded as picked, stock levels are updated, and the order progress refreshes to reflect the changes.

Scan-to-pick workflow

The scan-to-pick workflow allows you to pick items simply by scanning them. This is the recommended approach for most teams:

1. Open the order and navigate to the Pick tab.
2. Start your barcode or RFID scanner.
3. Scan items as you collect them from the warehouse. Each scanned item is automatically validated against the order lines.
4. If the scanned item matches an order line, it is added to the pick buffer. You will receive audio and visual feedback confirming the successful pick.
5. If the scanned item does not match any order line, a warning is displayed so you can set it aside.
6. Continue scanning until all items are collected.
7. Review the buffer and click Save to confirm.

The buffer concept

The buffer is a temporary holding area for items that have been picked but not yet confirmed. Think of it as a staging area between picking and finalizing:

• Items are added to the buffer As you scan or manually select them.
• You can review All items in the buffer at any time.
• You can modify Quantities or remove items from the buffer if you made a mistake.
• Nothing is committed Until you click Save. This gives you a chance to verify everything before the stock levels are updated.

Progress indicators

The picking interface provides real-time progress tracking so you can see at a glance how the order is progressing:

• Per-line progress Each order line shows how many items have been picked versus how many are required. For example, "3 / 10" means 3 out of 10 items have been picked.
• Progress bar A visual progress bar on each line fills up as items are picked.
• Overall order progress The order header shows the total picking progress across all lines.
• Color coding Lines change color as they are completed. Fully picked lines are highlighted to show they are done.

Real-time updates

The picking interface updates in real time as you work:

• Stock availability Updates instantly when items are picked, so you always see accurate quantities.
• Multiple team members If picking from the same order, their changes are reflected in real time.
• Audio feedback A confirmation beep plays when an item is successfully scanned and matched.
• Visual feedback A highlight or animation confirms each successful pick on screen.

Completing the pick

Once all items on an order have been picked, you can complete the order:

1. Verify that all order lines show 100% progress.
2. Review the order on the Info tab to confirm the details.
3. Click the Complete button to finalize the order.
4. The order status changes to Done and the picked items are permanently removed from stock.

Sorting order rows

On the Pick tab you can change the sort order of the item rows to match your preferred picking workflow. Use the sort button to choose a mode:

EPC mode filter

When an order contains both RFID-tracked (EPC) and amount-only items, you can filter the Pick tab to show only the rows relevant to your current method:

• All Show every order row regardless of tracking mode (default).
• Manual Show only rows for amount-tracked items that are picked by entering a quantity.
• RFID Show only rows for EPC/RFID-tracked items that require scanning individual tags.

This is especially useful in mixed teams: one person handles RFID scanning while another does manual picks for bulk items.

Error state

The Pick tab has three tabs for order rows: Pending, Completed, and Errors. A row moves to the Errors tab when a problem is detected:

• Over-picked More items have been scanned or entered than the required quantity on the order line.
• Over-returned For rental orders, more items were returned than were originally sent out.

To resolve an error, open the row in the Errors tab and reduce the quantity to match the required amount, or remove the extra items from the buffer before saving.

Pending transaction states

After you save your picks, each row briefly enters a pending state while the server processes the transaction. During this time you will see a loading animation on the row card.

• Pending rows are temporarily locked. You cannot pick additional items for that row until the transaction is confirmed.
• Most transactions complete within a few seconds.
• If a transaction remains pending for more than 30 seconds, it is automatically timed out and the row returns to its previous state. You can then try again.
• A timed-out transaction does not affect stock levels. No changes are committed.