What is wave picking in Fast WMS?

Wave picking groups several released orders into a single picklist so a picker collects stock for many orders in one trip through the warehouse, instead of walking the same aisles once per order. Fast WMS builds the combined picklist and still allocates the correct FIFO or FEFO lot for each line.

Does wave picking still respect FIFO and FEFO?

Yes. Grouping orders into a wave changes the walking route, not the allocation rules. At pick-confirm, Fast WMS still allocates eligible pallets by FIFO or FEFO with expiry as a hard filter, so the right batch is picked for every line in the wave.

When should I use wave picking instead of picking order by order?

Wave picking pays off when you have many small orders sharing the same SKUs or zones — typical of e-commerce and distribution. For a few large orders, order-by-order picking is often simpler. Group by dispatch route, zone, or time slot to get the biggest saving.

Setting Up a Wave Picking Run | Fast WMS Software

Wave picking groups several orders into one picklist so a picker walks the warehouse once for many orders instead of once per order. For operations with lots of small orders sharing the same SKUs — e-commerce, distribution, retail replenishment — it is one of the quickest ways to cut walking time. This guide sets up a wave in Fast WMS.

The key point: a wave changes the route, not the rules. Fast WMS still allocates the correct lot for every line at pick-confirm, so FIFO and FEFO discipline and expiry filters stay intact across the whole wave.

Build and run a wave

Make sure the orders you want to combine are approved and released. Only released orders are eligible for a picklist.
Open Picklist and choose to build across multiple orders. Select the orders that belong in this wave — group them by dispatch route, zone, or time slot.
Generate the wave picklist. Fast WMS consolidates the demand and computes pending quantity per line (ordered minus already picked or dispatched), and prints scannable QR/Code128 codes.
Hand the picklist to the picker. On the handheld they scan each bin and pallet; at pick-confirm Fast WMS allocates eligible pallets by FIFO/FEFO and deducts the picked quantity.
Run checker confirm to verify the wave, then pack. Packing makes no stock change.
Allocate a driver and dispatch each order to raise its challan and invoice and complete the outbound movement.

Tip: group by route or zone, not at randomThe saving comes from grouping orders that share aisles or leave on the same vehicle. Waves built around dispatch route or storage zone shorten the walk most; a random mix of far-flung SKUs saves little.

Keep waves a sensible sizeA wave the picker can carry in one pass is ideal. Oversized waves lead to sorting errors at pack and half-finished picklists. Start modest and grow the wave size once the flow is smooth.

If the scanner refuses a pallet mid-wave, it is enforcing a rule — check what "scan rejected" means. Dispatch and invoicing for each completed order is covered in Dispatch & invoicing.

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