Countback

A technique popularized many years ago in the food and consumer packaged goods industry, in which after a case pick is completed, the RF gun immediately prompts the picker to enter the number of cartons left on the pallet from which the cases were picked from. This is typically accomplished by a simple entry of the number of full layers and loose cases on top, matched against a known pallet configuration.  If the picker count matches the WMS count, the picker moves to the next location.

Though seemingly a hit to productivity, the technique was created because of the conflict between manufacturers and 3PLs running their distribution centers over inventory accuracy and “lost” cartons. The count back process just takes a few seconds, and almost eliminates case picking inventory discrepancies.