When Warehouses Looked Up

Today, let’s talk about a piece of equipment that, depending on how long you’ve been in the light industrial world, you may remember being a pretty significant part of the daily operation. The order picker. Or, as most of us have called it for years, the cherry picker. 

Now, if you’re picturing the kind of cherry picker the electric company uses to work on power lines, we’re not talking about that one.  I’m talking about the powered industrial truck designed to elevate an operator alongside warehouse racking, allowing that individual to physically select merchandise from elevated storage locations. And I’ve got to say, in my opinion, the cherry picker has an interesting place in the history of modern warehousing.  

Let’s go back a few years. Back when building up made a lot more sense than building out. If you worked in distribution during the late 1990s or early 2000s, you probably remember how important warehouse space was becoming. Real estate wasn’t cheap. Leasing additional square footage wasn’t always an option, and relocating an entire operation could be an expensive undertaking. Companies needed additional storage capacity, but they didn’t necessarily have additional floor space. So, what did we do? We started looking up. Instead of spreading thousands of individual SKUs across additional floor locations, we began utilizing more of the vertical space already available inside our buildings. High-rise shelving and narrow-aisle configurations allowed operations to store merchandise at several levels above the warehouse floor. And the cherry picker became an important part of accessing those locations. You might walk into a distribution center and see entire departments dedicated to high-rise picking. Long, narrow aisles with bin locations reaching well above your head. Automotive parts, hardware, replacement components, retail merchandise, and in my personal experience Food distribution, where these industries allowed for thousands of smaller items to be organized vertically. 

The operator would enter the aisle, identify the pick location, raise the platform to the appropriate level, select the required quantity, and place the merchandise onto a pallet or designated load platform traveling with the machine. Then, on to the next location. 

It was a pretty ingenious use of available space. Instead of paying for additional square footage, we were making better use of the cubic footage we already had. And that distinction is important. Warehouse space isn’t just what’s available from wall to wall. It’s also what’s available from the floor to the ceiling. Of course, whoever came up with the idea of putting that one little replacement part or that dozen pack of silverware on the very top shelf probably wasn’t the person operating the cherry picker! 

For those entering the industry today, let’s spend a minute discussing the equipment itself. A cherry picker, or high-level order picker, is a powered industrial truck designed to raise the operator along with the picking platform. Think about a traditional counterbalance or sit-down forklift. Generally speaking, the operator remains seated while the forks and the load are raised or lowered. With the cherry picker, the operator actually travels upward with the platform to access the merchandise. Depending on the model and application, these trucks can operate at some pretty impressive heights. 

The equipment may incorporate narrow-aisle capabilities, wire guidance, rail guidance, specialized controls, and different load-handling configurations. And remember, the purpose of this equipment is generally to allow an operator to retrieve individual items or cases, rather than simply move an entire pallet from one storage location to another. The cherry picker was designed around the person making the selection. And a good operator needed more than the ability to move or operate a machine. They needed location accuracy, inventory awareness, equipment knowledge, excellent depth perception, and the ability to work productively while elevated. And not everybody is comfortable with that last part! 

Something interesting happened as distribution continued to evolve. We weren’t just asking ourselves how much merchandise we could fit inside the building anymore. We began asking how quickly we could get that merchandise out of the building. Productivity, travel time, touches per case, replenishment, order accuracy, and labor utilization became increasingly important considerations when designing a picking operation. 

Think about a traditional high-rise cherry-picker aisle. An operator might need to raise the platform fifteen or twenty feet for one selection, move to another location, reposition, retrieve another item, and continue repeating the process. Now multiply that activity by hundreds of selections throughout a shift. All those movements take time. The equipment was doing exactly what it was designed to do, but depending on the volume and velocity or movement of the merchandise, there might be a more efficient method. That’s where some other storage and selection systems really began finding their place. 

Let’s talk about a few of those real quick now that I’ve thought about them. Carton flow came to mind so we’ll start there.  With carton-flow racking, merchandise can be replenished from the rear while gravity advances the cartons toward the selection face. The selector doesn’t have to travel twenty feet into the air to retrieve every case. The merchandise is presented at an established picking location. You can have many pick faces per bay. An aisle like that can hold several hundred items. 

Then we have pallet flow, which can help organize and present palletized inventory, supporting different replenishment and case-selection applications. Oh, and how about mezzanines? Rather than elevating an individual operator repeatedly throughout a shift, a mezzanine or multilevel pick module establishes additional working levels within the existing warehouse footprint. Employees can work from designated walking surfaces, often alongside shelving, carton flow, conveyors, and other material-handling systems. We’ve also seen carousel systems, vertical lift modules, and more recently, automated goods-to-person technology become part of the equation. Instead of sending the employee to every storage location, some of these systems bring the required merchandise to the employee. Imagine explaining that to somebody who spent an entire shift going up and down a cherry-picker aisle back in 1998! They’d probably ask where they could sign up. 

Now, none of these technologies automatically makes the others unnecessary. Every system has its advantages, limitations, equipment costs, and application requirements. But collectively, they’ve given warehouse operators more options when deciding how merchandise should be stored and selected. And I think that’s one of the most interesting things about our industry. We’re constantly finding different ways to accomplish the same fundamental responsibility. Getting the correct merchandise to the correct customer, safely, accurately, and on time. 

So does the cherry picker still have a place in the industry? Absolutely. The cherry picker hasn’t disappeared, and I certainly wouldn’t suggest that high-rise order picking is a thing of the past. Plenty of operations still utilize high-level picking as a primary fulfillment method. However, depending on the operation, the equipment may now serve a more specialized purpose. Think about slower-moving inventory. Not every SKU justifies a dedicated, easily accessible ground-level picking location. A distribution center may carry thousands of replacement parts or specialty products that are ordered only occasionally. Utilizing elevated storage for those items can free up valuable floor-level space for faster-moving merchandise.  

The important question isn’t whether the equipment is old-fashioned. It’s whether we’re utilizing the correct piece of equipment for the application. Sometimes a pallet jack is the answer. Sometimes it’s a reach truck, a dockstocker, an order picker, or an automated picking system. And sometimes it’s simply reorganizing the inventory, so we’re not traveling halfway across the building to select three items that probably should have been sitting next to each other! That’s warehouse management, folks. 

Now, I don’t think we can have an episode about cherry pickers without spending some time discussing safety. One of the most important considerations with this particular piece of equipment is that the operator is working from an elevated platform. Fall protection is critical. Operators must utilize the appropriate manufacturer-designated fall-protection system, which generally includes a properly fitted full-body harness connected to an approved anchorage using the specified lanyard or self-retracting device. And let me emphasize something. Having a harness hanging on the back of the machine doesn’t count as wearing it! Operators should be trained in its correct use, inspect their equipment, and understand the facility’s rescue procedures before operating at height. Platform gates and other safety devices must also be properly secured. Never climb the racking, reach excessively outside the platform, bypass a safety device, or step onto a pallet unless the equipment and application have been specifically designed and approved for that activity. 

Another concern is travel. Some order pickers are designed to travel while elevated under specific operating conditions. Others have different restrictions. Know the equipment. Follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and your facility’s established procedures. And, of course, don’t forget the daily pre-operation inspection. Controls, steering, brakes, hydraulic components, warning devices, platform conditions, and the applicable safety systems should all receive the attention they deserve. 

And of course the standard 1910.178(l) also apply. Operators must receive appropriate formal and practical training and have their operating performance evaluated. That includes an evaluation at least once every three years, along with refresher training when required. And as we all know, or better know by now, that being qualified on a sit-down forklift doesn’t automatically qualify somebody to jump onto a cherry picker. Different equipment presents different operating characteristics and hazards. You know I’m going to mention to never ever get on a piece of equipment or operate a machine unless you’ve been trained and certified to operate it.  Oh, there’s something else worth mentioning. 

When you’re elevated twenty or thirty feet, that person walking below you deserves your attention, too. Falling merchandise, protruding product, damaged storage locations, and improperly secured loads can create serious hazards for everyone working in the area. As we’ve discussed many times here on WAOC. Safety doesn’t become less important because we’ve performed the same task a thousand times. If anything, that experience should make us more aware, not more comfortable with taking shortcuts. 

Let me touch on one more thing before we wrap up. If you’re an associate looking to develop your career in warehousing or distribution, learning to safely operate additional types of equipment can create opportunities. We talk quite a bit about cross-training on the show. Knowing how to operate a manual pallet jack is valuable. Learning an electric pallet jack adds another skill. A sit-down forklift, reach truck, and order picker each introduce additional knowledge and responsibilities. That doesn’t mean you need start working on getting certified on every piece of equipment in the building tomorrow. It means remain interested in learning. If your facility has cherry pickers, ask about the training process. Learn what departments use them and why. Understand the inventory and storage systems that support their operation. The more we understand how the entire warehouse works, the more valuable our knowledge becomes. And who knows? That  associate learning to operate a cherry picker today may eventually be the supervisor, operations manager, or facility manager making decisions about tomorrow’s storage configuration. There’s a career hidden in almost every aisle of a warehouse! 

So, the next time you see somebody operating a cherry picker, remember there’s more to that machine than just going up and coming down. It’s part of the continuing story of warehouse efficiency, space utilization, safety, and technology.  

I’m Marty and I appreciate you listening to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. Remember, our industry is full of opportunities. Keep learning, keep growing, and never underestimate the value of another skill. Until next time, stay safe, stay productive, and spend time with your friends and family!