Business case for voice

The Benefits

Accuracy

When comparing paper or label based picking to voice reduction in errors are typically around 85%. When comparing RF terminals to voice, accuracy is similar but with less quantity errors. This allows voice directed systems to achieve up to 50% pick accuracy improvements over RF terminal picking. Click voice picking accuracy improvements to find out more about how voice picking improves accuracy.

Productivity

It is important to remember that productivity gains are very specific to each customer's operation, sometimes even per site within an operation and that these gains are achieved by mix of process and ergonomic streamlining.

Typical productivity improvements are up 25% however some businesses report even higher levels of improvement. For example, JDF Distribution Inc. Publicly cited improvements of 36% to productivity in October 2009 after implementing voice in their distribution Centre. Find out more about how voice picking improves productivity.

Efficiencies

Cut-down on the amount of auditing, checking, stock counting
Remove paper printing, sorting and administration.

Hands & Eyes Free

By using voice directed instructions via a headset, the warehouse pickers communicate much more naturally with the hosts system. This keeps the picker's attention on identifying stock locations, travelling to next pick and on handling materials. There is no need to juggle and RF terminal or paper pick lists. In addition there is no requirement to constantly shift focus from a handheld display/keyboard to the product and back – thereby reducing operator fatigue.

Operator Safety

Hands are free to handle product and ascend ladders or steps increasing operator safety.

Paper and printer media and maintenance cost removed

When replacing paper picking with voice a significant chunk of savings will be achieved by the removal of paper, printer media and printer maintenance costs as well as the labour spent creating, sorting, distributing and re-entering the collected pick data.

System Cost is Related to the Number of Users not the number of SKUs or Locations

This advantage is most relevant when comparing voice with pick to light system. The cost of implementing a voice picking system is based on the number of pickers required to carry out the work in the warehouse/distribution centre, not the number of warehouse bays/locations.

Set and track Picker Productivity KPIs

As each picker is connected ‘one-to-one’ with the business host it is possible to monitor their individual, team and or shift performance. This data can be utilised for training purposes to highlight pickers who need additional training or as part of the picker remuneration mechanism. Since the data is created in real time it can easily be presented graphically by plasma screen on the shop floor to show progress against target or chart each pickers individual performance.

Scalable for business with seasonal peaks in activity

Many businesses experience peaks in activity as part of the natural flow of their annual business. In many case temporary or agency staff are brought in to cover the peaks. A voice system can easily be scaled up simply by adding further terminals this combined with comparatively short training times for voice makes this a compelling solution for those businesses with activity peaks throughout the year. This also true for businesses where the volumes are not seasonal but are scaling up naturally with growth.

Wave or batch picking

In wave picking, multiple orders are grouped into one wave pick and picked as though they were a single order – i.e. one trip around the warehouse. As the picker makes their way around the warehouse the individual items are placed into one or more cartons or totes on a trolley. The voice system tells the picker which items to put into each tote/carton depending on which orders require that particular item. Wave picking as particularly useful in reducing the number of trips around the warehouse and therefore reducing labour time and costs.

Multi modal and multi functional deployment options

Dedicated voice terminals can easily be switched between different tasks for example picking in the morning and receiving in the afternoon. Non dedicated voice devices such as the Psion Workabout Pro 3 or Neo can be used in various flexible ways for example:

• as a multi functional voice terminal for picking in the morning and as a standard RF terminal for bulk replenishment in the afternoon.
• Or, as a multi modal voice terminal for picking by voice with barcode verification or using the multimodal capabilities to display e.g. product description on the device screen to aid voice picking.

Host business system sets the pace

Pickers are continuously fed pick instructions by the voice system: as soon as a line is picked a new location is told to the picker, as soon as an order is complete the next one is automatically retrieved from the 'waiting pool' and sent down the to the picker. The host system therefore sets a pace that the picker gets used to which contributes to the productivity improvements of voice when compared to RF or Paper picking, where there is no mechanism to prompt the picker or where the prompts can easily be ignored.

Unaffected by ambient light

Voice technology does not depend on the picker having to read either a screen or a paper pick list. In environments where light is particularly bright or dim, voice has a benefit over these other methods because the picker never struggles to read instructions – they are received much more naturally as spoken commands.

Anything RF can do Voice can do better!

Well almost anything… Since voice operates on a similar principle of RF picking i.e. real time instruction/response to host computer system. This means that functionality normally associated with the benefits of RF picking can be done by voice. For example, real time replenishment requests, perpetual inventory/cycle counting, product lookup, product queries etc.

Why implement a voice Picking system?

• Increase in “detail picking” : size of orders goes down, but more orders
• Need for constant improvement in quality & productivity
• Fierce competition & low margins
• In many cases labour is 70% of the total Warehouse operation cost.
• Picking activities alone may be 50% of total warehouse operations
• Voice Technology is MATURE & PROVEN
• The integrated, realtime voice solution delivers benefits which are simply not possible with RF, Paper or Pick to Light methods.
• The Integrated Solution has proven its reliability & performance
• Real-time integration into WMS/ERP systems is available and proven
• Technology now also proven on Multi-Modal and multifunctional terminals terminals