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    load plan time calculator

    Load plan time calculator

    Estimate ready-by time for your loads using orders, pick/pack speed, and dock capacity.

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    Summary

    • Estimates when orders are ready for dispatch
    • Includes pick/pack time plus dock staging capacity
    • Useful for morning wave planning and cutoff times
    • Helps align warehouse output with dispatch schedules

    Definitions

    Pick/pack time
    Average time to pick and pack one order.
    Dock capacity
    How many orders/pallets can be staged and loaded in parallel.
    Ready-by time
    The time when all orders are staged and ready for outbound loading.
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    Estimated ready-by time
    2h 55m
    Pick complete
    2h 40m
    Load complete
    2h 40m
    Orders per hour
    109.7
    Ready-by time uses the slower of picking or loading, plus buffer.

    Ready-by time simulation

    If order count changes

    Worked example

    Inputs

    Orders
    320
    Pick/pack per order
    6 min
    Active pickers
    12
    Dock lanes
    4
    Load time per order
    2 min

    Outputs

    Pick/pack complete
    ≈ 2h 40m
    Ready-by time
    ≈ 3h 00m

    If ready-by time exceeds your dispatch cutoff, increase pick capacity, reduce pick time, or split into waves.

    Benchmarks / ranges

    These are conservative ranges. Your results depend on density, stops, traffic, and service type.

    • Pick/pack time per order
      3–10 minutes
      Depends on SKU count and warehouse layout.
    • Load time per order
      1–4 minutes
      Faster with standardized staging and labels.
    • Morning wave size
      40–200 orders per wave
      Depends on staffing and dock capacity.

    What to do next

    • If ready-by is late, add a wave or pre-pick the highest priority orders.
    • Increase dock lanes or stage areas before adding more pickers.
    • Track actual pick/pack times weekly and tighten your inputs.

    Use Lynxo to run this in real life

    Lynxo is delivery management software: dispatch + driver app + live tracking + proof of delivery + reporting.

    • Plan routes and assign runs in a dispatch dashboard
    • Send live ETA links so customers/sites are ready
    • Use a driver app for stop-by-stop execution and exceptions
    • Capture proof of delivery (photos, signatures, timestamps) per stop
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    Where this helps

    • Warehouse ops planning
    • Dispatch cutoff time decisions
    • Peak-day wave planning

    FAQs

    Should I model pick and pack separately?

    If you have separate teams, yes. Otherwise a single average time per order works well for planning.

    Why include dock capacity?

    Even if picking is fast, staging and loading can bottleneck readiness.

    What’s a good ready-by buffer?

    Add 15–30 minutes so dispatch isn’t waiting on the last pallets.

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