Key information:
Paper and pencil method...
Depending on the type of products that are stored in a given warehouse, system and equipment solutions should be selected that will bring us closer to achieving the aforementioned goals.
Still, and unfortunately, quite often there are warehouses in which order picking is carried out using the method of… “paper and pencil”.
In order to meet the demands of today’s trade, companies need to invest in new IT solutions, automating their processes and strengthening their reliability.
The business case for voice systems
Is a voice solution in a warehouse with a smaller footprint an idea that will work?
Until a few years ago, the answer to this question could only be in the negative, but changes in recent years have changed our approach.
Voice technology is nothing more than a voice recognition and synthesis system that improves communication between the user and theWMS-class warehouse management system. The system learns the type of pronunciation or accent characteristic of each operator.
It is also available in more than a few dozen language verses.
Through the use of this intuitive method of message exchange, each operator in the warehouse can work freely, without burdening his hand with a data collector or a paper and pen.
Using a voice system, it is possible to achieve up to 50% better picking results than with traction solutions. The investment in a voice picking system from Honeywell pays for itself very often in the first year of use.
This is happening not only through a great improvement in the functioning of internal logistics processes, but also through the spread of such solutions, which reduces their price.
Honeywell voice picking system vs. traditional warehouse workflows
The most traditional method of performing tasks in a warehouse is work supported by the aforementioned paper and pen. Warehouse operators equipped with picking lists printed from the system perform their work without any support in the form of a computer system.
This type of operation is prone to generating a large number of errors mainly related to picking the wrong goods or the wrong quantities.
When the “paper” operation is replaced by a voice-based operation, operators performing work in the picking area can work up to 30% faster, reducing errors by 80% and increasing the transparency of the entire supply chain.
Replacing the "paper and pencil" method with a voice system , this means 30% faster work for operators, an 80% reduction in errors made, and increased transparency throughout the supply chain.
Voice Picking vs. data collector-based work
A warehouse management system supported by data collectors and barcode or 2D code scanners is the next step in the development of warehouse logistics.
Scanners are becoming an indispensable tool in the hand of the warehouseman to communicate with the WMS. The use of scanners and collectors generates, of course, in some circumstances some difficulties related to the dimensions or weight of the device itself, as well as the specifics of the goods in a given warehouse.
The use of voice technology, instead of data collectors, can generate up to 25% savings from speeding up warehouse operations (hands free), dramatically reducing picking errors.
This type of alternative to the manual scanning process also reduces equipment maintenance expenses, due to the relatively lower failure rate of equipment based on voice picking technology.
Voice Picking, or perhaps Put To Light?
Put to light, is a system that speeds up picking through the use of light messages emitted on special displays mounted on warehouse racks (a single display is integrated with each storage location). The operator is guided according to the defined picking path, picking an assumed quantity of a specific commodity (information about the quantity of the commodity is also available on the display).
Put to light is a group work system.
Each operator handles only a certain zone of the warehouse, and completed products move between zones using conveyors or autonomous robots.
The limitations of put-to-light systems are mainly due to the uneven distribution of work between zones, which greatly hinders the smooth operation of the warehouse. Voice picking does not generate such problems, is burdened with a much lower barrier to entry (lower investment cost), and its efficiency is higher by up to 25%.
We optimize logistics processes
We are a direct Partner of Honeywell – the market leader in Voice Picking systems.
Our company has implemented several projects supporting this type of picking, mainly based on the BlueYonder WMS system.
