Singles Path Service - Business Capabilities

Overview

The Singles Path Service manages direct pick-to-pack workflows for single-item orders. It handles approximately 40-50% of all warehouse orders through the most streamlined fulfillment path with minimal touches.

Business Capabilities

1. Direct-to-Pack Routing

Purpose: Route single-item orders directly from pick to pack.

Capability	Description
Path Selection	Identify single-item orders for direct routing
Station Assignment	Assign orders to pick/pack stations
Express Handling	Fast-track expedited single-item orders
Worker Matching	Match orders to available workers

2. Single Item Processing

Purpose: Process single-item orders with minimal handling.

Capability	Description
Session Creation	Create processing session per order
Pick Tracking	Track pick completion
Pack Tracking	Track pack completion
End-to-End Visibility	Full lifecycle visibility

Session Workflow

sequenceDiagram
    participant ROUTING as Routing
    participant SINGLES as Singles Service
    participant WORKER as Worker
    participant SLAM as SLAM

    ROUTING->>SINGLES: ShipmentRoutedToPathEvent
    SINGLES->>SINGLES: Create session
    SINGLES-->>SINGLES: SinglesSessionStartedEvent

    SINGLES->>WORKER: Assign pick task
    WORKER->>WORKER: Pick item
    WORKER->>SINGLES: Complete pick
    SINGLES-->>SINGLES: SinglesPickCompletedEvent

    WORKER->>WORKER: Pack item
    WORKER->>SINGLES: Complete pack
    SINGLES-->>SLAM: SinglesPackCompletedEvent

3. Pack Material Selection

Purpose: Select appropriate packing materials for items.

Capability	Description
Box Sizing	Recommend optimal box size
Cushioning Selection	Determine cushioning requirements
Special Handling	Handle fragile/hazmat requirements
Efficiency Optimization	Minimize packing time

4. Worker Management

Purpose: Manage workers assigned to singles processing.

Capability	Description
Assignment Tracking	Track worker assignments
Performance Monitoring	Monitor picks/packs per hour
Workload Balancing	Balance across workers
Station Optimization	Optimize station utilization

5. Quality Control

Purpose: Ensure order accuracy through verification.

Capability	Description
Scan Verification	Verify correct item picked
Order Confirmation	Confirm order completeness
Exception Handling	Handle wrong item/damage
Audit Trail	Maintain verification records

Session States

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> INITIATED
    INITIATED --> PICKING: worker_assigned
    PICKING --> PACKING: pick_completed
    PACKING --> COMPLETED: pack_completed

    INITIATED --> FAILED: error
    PICKING --> FAILED: pick_failed
    PACKING --> FAILED: pack_failed

Integration Points

Upstream

Source	Events	Purpose
Routing Service	ShipmentRoutedToPathEvent	Receive singles-routed shipments
Task Execution	TaskAssignedEvent	Worker task assignments

Downstream

Target	Events	Purpose
SLAM Operations	SinglesPackCompletedEvent	Trigger SLAM processing
Monitoring	SinglesSessionStartedEvent	Track session start
Monitoring	SinglesPickCompletedEvent	Track pick completion

Key Performance Indicators

KPI	Target	Description
Session Cycle Time	< 10 min	Pick to pack completion
Pick Rate	150-200 UPH	Units picked per hour
Pack Rate	150-200 UPH	Units packed per hour
First-Time Pass Rate	> 99.5%	Sessions without exceptions
Worker Utilization	80-90%	Active picking/packing time

Characteristics

Characteristic	Value
Typical Volume	40-50% of orders
Order Type	Single-item orders
Workflow	Direct pick-to-pack
Cycle Time	5-10 minutes
Labor Model	One worker per order
Touches	Minimal (2-3)

Path Comparison

Aspect	Singles	AFE	Batch Flow
Volume	40-50%	30-35%	15-20%
Items/Order	1	Multi	Multi
Cycle Time	5-10 min	30 min	45 min
Labor	1 worker	Shared	Shared
Automation	Manual	Automated	Manual

Technology Stack

Component	Technology
Language	Java 21
Framework	Spring Boot 3.3.3
Database	MongoDB 7.0
Messaging	Apache Kafka 7.5.0
Port	8083