Will Voice Picking Give You The Competitive Edge

by Neil Jones on 2010-07-28 23:07:36

Businesses across the globe are struggling to stay competitive and profitable.

Profitability increases not merely by selling higher volumes but also by cutting costs incurred at every step of the manufacturing process. Thus every effort is being made to find ways of reducing labor costs but simultaneously improving productivity and regulating operational costs by adopting the latest efficient technologies. Automation of business processes helps to accomplish both cost efficiency and greater productivity, by ensuring greater accuracy that comes with reduced possibility of errors. Companies are constantly challenged with a highly competitive business environment and customer expectations for even better service irrespective of the high service quality presently provided. This is increasingly evident in warehouse operations and in the supply chain. One of the most labor intensive operations is order-picking.

Order picking is one of the critical steps in the distribution chain. It is at this point that basic functions like receiving, storing, packing and shipping of orders take place. Hence it requires sufficient manpower and resources to ensure that this highly customer sensitive operation is successfully completed. Labor costs for this alone account for 40-60 percent of the total wage bill of the warehouse.

The high attrition rate of warehouse employees necessitates constant funding of training programs for new employees, and compromises in efficiency levels when they do not perform at expected efficiency levels. Companies have constantly endeavored to find solutions where efficiency is not compromised and costs are maintained at current levels if not reduced. Thus order picking solutions moved from human processes to the use of barcodes, paper labels, RF scanning and pick-to-light. This brought greater accuracy than before, but labor participation at every step remains critical for each of these solutions. The ideal alternative would be some type of mechanized or automated processes where human participation is minimized.

Voice technology was invented in the 1940s, and combines speech recognition methods and speech synthesis on computers. Voice systems permit direct communication to pick orders accurately with the aid of a lightweight head set a microphone and small voice computer that is powered by batteries, and can be worn on a belt. Hands and eyes remain free for physically picking products and moving from one location to another.

Order tracking can be made error free by using this combination on wearable wirelessly connected computers that have real time links to the Warehouse Management System. This will help to remove the possibility of errors taking place due to mispicks which will contribute to additional costs. The order picking process requires human effort for filling orders, and handheld equipment to scan paper labels. Productivity in this segment then, is dependent on the quality of labor employed, the turnover of employees and the availability of seasonal labor, besides employee productivity that may be compromised due to language barriers or communication problems. Compromises made in the level of efficiency in the picking operation would affect the entire warehouse operation. Voice technology can help enhance efficiency through a direct communication with the Warehouse Management System, the Labor Management System or the host system. Voice technology is helpful in simplifying the communication process between the order pickers and the host system, thereby providing accurate order fulfillment at a much faster pace.

Organizations using voice technology for warehousing activities have found costs sliding downwards and a higher level of operational efficiency due to better order picking than before. This reflects in an improved bottom line for the company. Voice technology has gained popularity in the automobile industry for vehicle navigation, is deployed in safety systems, for automated customer service, for placing of orders, dissemination of information and bank transactions. Labor intensive industries have adopted voice technology in their manufacturing and distribution segments, and ensured higher productivity, accuracy and error free effective order picking. This has therefore led to the work force to be better engaged in other activities.

The benefits of using voice technology can be summarized as follows:

  - Provides greater accuracy in order picking
  - Actively directs the work force
  - Increased speed of order picking
  - Provides real time feedback of inventory
  - Higher productivity levels
  - Reduced labor expenses
  - Leaves less scope for error
  - No peripherals like scanners etc required
  - Leaves eyes and hands free to pick up products and move from one location to another
  - Works equally effectively in cold, freezer environments
  - Reduced training time for newly deployed order picking staff
  - Cost effective and yields higher returns on investments
  - Offers flexibility, safety and ergonomics
  - Perfectly suited for high volume order picking

These benefits make voice technology the ideal application for supply chain and warehouse management in all types of industries and must form an essential part of all improvement strategies.

Data capture is now an essential part of many industries, the focus of any AIDC industry is to offer their customers a solution that will help their customers reduce production costs and increase their staffs productivity, at eMobileScan this is no different, focusing  on what our customers want has allowed us to becoming a leading provider in this AIDC industry, Specializing in Barcode Scanners Data Terminals and label Printers, talking to us will ensure we ensure you will have the best solution the Data Capture industry can offer

Neil Jones
neil@emobilescan.co.uk