Paper is patient - but the warehouse is not. Anyone who still works with printed pick lists, pens and slips of paper knows that there is always a problem somewhere.
We have 10 typical errors that regularly occur in paper-based warehouse processes - short, to the point and painfully honest. And we show: This is not an isolated case, but a reality in many medium-sized companies.
1. Picking the wrong items
According to a study by Zebra Technologies (2022), over 60% of all errors in the warehouse occur during the picking process - mostly due to incorrect picks. The cause is almost always human error: Transposed numbers, confusing lists or mix-ups. According to Interroll, the follow-up costs average €25 per incorrect pick - excluding customer dissatisfaction. You can read more about zero error picking here.
2. Position forgotten
Without digital guidance, it is easy to skip a line - especially with complex orders. A Fraunhofer IML analysis shows: Just one forgotten pick position per day and employee adds up to around 6,000 errors per year for 20 warehouse staff. Not to mention the effort involved in reworking.
3. Illegible handwriting
A classic case in the warehouse: the note "41C-87" becomes "A1G-87" - the pick ends up incorrectly, the booking is incorrect. In an internal survey of logistics managers (source: Logistik Heute), 74% stated that illegible notes regularly lead to queries and correction work.
4. No real-time feedback to the system
Without digital feedback, there is no current inventory, no prioritization and no transparency. According to the Deloitte Supply Chain Survey (2023), the error rate for stock levels in paper-based warehouses is 5-15% higher than in digitally managed processes. This not only slows things down, but makes planning almost impossible.
5. Unnecessary routes
Paper does not provide a route. Studies by the EffizienzCluster LogistikRuhr research association show that warehouse workers cover up to 30 % more distance per shift when using unplanned routes. A wearable-supported system with pick optimization reduces these distances by up to 40 % - according to McKinsey Operations.
6. Confusion due to parallel work
Two pickers, one order - double the work, double the risk of errors. Especially at peak times, a lack of digital coordination leads to errors and rework. According to a study by GS1 Germany (2021), over 50% of paper-based processes lack a clear distribution of tasks.
7. No control in case of missing items
Paper cannot check whether the item is correct. In digital processes, on the other hand, scans, displays or light signals provide immediate feedback. Results from a test operation with pick-by-light systems (Fraunhofer IML): The error rate fell from 1.6% to less than 0.1% - a significant difference.
8. Queries cost time
Paper does not allow for queries - if anything is unclear, it must be discussed by telephone. According to the Zebra Global Warehouse Vision Study (2023), employees in paper-based processes lose an average of 46 minutes per shift due to queries and waiting times for clarification.
9. Back postings are prone to errors
One forgotten back entry and the item no longer appears in the system. In an intralogistics study conducted by Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 68% of the companies surveyed stated that chargeback errors lead to repeated stock shortages and severely impact their inventory quality.
10. No evaluation, no overview
No process optimization without digital data. No benchmark, no bottleneck tracking, no performance comparison. In a Bitkom study on the digitalization of logistics (2022), 83% of companies said that they were only able to identify weak points through data-based evaluation.
Conclusion: paper costs, and not just time
Error rates, routes, queries and corrections all add up. Digital tools such as wearables and smart watches demonstrably reduce the error rate while improving ergonomics, speed and transparency.
The changeover is feasible. With NIMMSTA, even without integration into existing systems. CSV data can simply be uploaded to the Productivity Cloud and work can begin immediately. Without any connection to the WMS. Today it was all about the reality of the paper-based warehouse.
Honestly. To the point. And with figures that show: There is another way.