View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

An investigation into picking norm times and well-being: fatigue-aware order picking planning.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: An investigation into picking norm times and well-being: fatigue-aware order picking planning.
Authors: Giacomelli, Marco1 (AUTHOR) marco.giacomelli-2@unitn.it, Rijal, Arpan2 (AUTHOR), Pilati, Francesco1 (AUTHOR), Roodbergen, Kees Jan2 (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Production Research. Feb2026, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p1079-1103. 25p.
Subjects: Well-being, Fatigue (Physiology), Order picking systems, Employee empowerment, Units of time, Warehouse management, Process optimization, Logistics
Abstract: High turnover and shortage of order pickers are great concerns in the logistics industry. Manual order picking is physically demanding and impacts workers' well-being. Recently, employers have agreed to adjust picking norm times to improve pickers′ well-being. However, the literature lacks understanding about the impact of picking times on pickers' well-being. We propose a novel approach to order picker planning that considers physical fatigue of workers as a measure of concern for well-being. The model we develop generates batches of orders, assigns and sequences them while considering the impact of picking time on physical fatigue. Crucially, we consider the behaviour of pickers and assume that workers are empowered to take spontaneous breaks when they reach critical fatigue levels. An adaptive large neighbourhood search algorithm is proposed to address the problem and conduct extensive experiments to generate managerial insights. The results of traditional retail scenarios show that imposing strict time targets can harm well-being and hurt picking efficiency. Increasing picking norm times by only 1% can reduce picker fatigue by 10% on average. Furthermore, warehouse design decisions can have an impact on physical fatigue of workers. This research demonstrates the critical need to reevaluate operational strategies and prioritise worker empowerment to achieve sustainable order picking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Production Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 191102361
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: An investigation into picking norm times and well-being: fatigue-aware order picking planning.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Giacomelli%2C+Marco%22">Giacomelli, Marco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> marco.giacomelli-2@unitn.it</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rijal%2C+Arpan%22">Rijal, Arpan</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pilati%2C+Francesco%22">Pilati, Francesco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Roodbergen%2C+Kees+Jan%22">Roodbergen, Kees Jan</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Production+Research%22">International Journal of Production Research</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p1079-1103. 25p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well-being%22">Well-being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fatigue+%28Physiology%29%22">Fatigue (Physiology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Order+picking+systems%22">Order picking systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employee+empowerment%22">Employee empowerment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Units+of+time%22">Units of time</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Warehouse+management%22">Warehouse management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Process+optimization%22">Process optimization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Logistics%22">Logistics</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: High turnover and shortage of order pickers are great concerns in the logistics industry. Manual order picking is physically demanding and impacts workers' well-being. Recently, employers have agreed to adjust picking norm times to improve pickers′ well-being. However, the literature lacks understanding about the impact of picking times on pickers' well-being. We propose a novel approach to order picker planning that considers physical fatigue of workers as a measure of concern for well-being. The model we develop generates batches of orders, assigns and sequences them while considering the impact of picking time on physical fatigue. Crucially, we consider the behaviour of pickers and assume that workers are empowered to take spontaneous breaks when they reach critical fatigue levels. An adaptive large neighbourhood search algorithm is proposed to address the problem and conduct extensive experiments to generate managerial insights. The results of traditional retail scenarios show that imposing strict time targets can harm well-being and hurt picking efficiency. Increasing picking norm times by only 1% can reduce picker fatigue by 10% on average. Furthermore, warehouse design decisions can have an impact on physical fatigue of workers. This research demonstrates the critical need to reevaluate operational strategies and prioritise worker empowerment to achieve sustainable order picking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Production Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=191102361
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00207543.2025.2564269
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 25
        StartPage: 1079
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Well-being
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fatigue (Physiology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Order picking systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Employee empowerment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Units of time
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Warehouse management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Process optimization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Logistics
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: An investigation into picking norm times and well-being: fatigue-aware order picking planning.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Giacomelli, Marco
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rijal, Arpan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Pilati, Francesco
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Roodbergen, Kees Jan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00207543
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 64
            – Type: issue
              Value: 3
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: International Journal of Production Research
              Type: main
ResultId 1