Task interleaving is not a new concept; the practice of combining multiple tasks into a single round trip has been around for a long time.
When referring to task interleaving, the term is most commonly used in warehouse management systems (WMS) to describe a functionality that organizes tasks to reduce travel time. Task interleaving keeps workers and equipment constantly busy by combining tasks into a single trip, instead of having them make one-way trips. This avoids situations where, for example, a forklift travels to complete a task and then returns empty, which is called deadheading.
Task Interleaving in Practice
Task interleaving is the practice of combining multiple tasks or activities in a single workflow. An example of this would be a warehouse worker combining picking and restocking in a single trip instead of making separate trips for each task. The approach helps reduce overall processing time for both replenishment and order fulfillment tasks by combining tasks such as picking, replenishment, putaway, and consolidation.
Task interleaving is typically practiced in warehouses that handle pallet storage and use a manual workforce for operations instead of automated technologies.
Benefits of Task Interleaving
- Maximizing resource utilization
- Maximizing operational travel time
- Time savings
- Cost savings
- Reduction in wear & tear of machinery & equipment
Bottom Line
Currently, task interleaving is managed with the help of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), which handle the data required to calculate and assign tasks. However, many WMS solutions either lack this functionality or do not provide an optimal approach to task interleaving.