Voice also directs the loading process.
When an order is ready to ship, a loading
person logs onto the voice terminal. He
then reads a delivery docket number found
on the dispatch sheet (similar to a packing
slip) that is later given to the driver and
accompanies the order in transit. The
worker is then directed to load the truck in
reverse delivery sequence, according to the
unit carrier label attached to each trolley.
The worker must read back the last four
digits of this number to confirm that the
correct trolley is being loaded onto the
truck in the proper sequence. The process
continues until the entire truck is loaded.
Vocollect’s voice system is also used in
Glanbia’s food warehouse, where cases of
products are picked from 1,000 positions
in pallet racks onto order pallets. As in the
other facilities, the voice system provides
workers with instructions on which products to pick and confirms that all order
requirements are being met.
MILKING THE BENEFITS OF VOICE
Voice has had a tremendous effect on productivity in the food warehouse, including a 60-percent increase since moving to
the technology. Even greater increases
have been realized in the central milk distribution center. In that facility, productivity has nearly doubled, with a 95-per-
cent increase.
“Eliminating the paper means workers
do not have to stop and mark their sheets.
They instead keep moving,” says Mee. “We
also eliminated the dead time going back
to the office to get additional paperwork.
We have better locating now, so workers
do not have to look for products. And we
have less time spent rectifying errors.
Overall, it is a much more fluid process.”
These improvements in productivity
have resulted in substantial labor savings.
Work is also more flexible, as workers can
be moved to whichever operation needs
them the most. Once they are trained on
voice, they merely have to follow the
prompts for the new area, whether they’re
performing receiving, putaway, picking,
or loading tasks. Soon, workers will also
do inventory counts. Glanbia is hoping to
interleave the counting process within
putaway and picking operations for better
overall inventory control and efficiencies.
Accuracy has also improved since
moving to voice, with a 600-percent
decrease in errors. This has resulted
in a 45-percent drop in credit
claims.
“The error rate reduction has
been very noticeable by our cus-
tomers,” notes Mee. “We have
reduced our claims, as we now know
when a product was picked, who
picked it, and what truck it went out
on. It has brought us marketplace
credibility and has lowered our sup-
ply chain costs, allowing us to
remain competitive during a diffi-
cult economic environment.” ;
Hogging
the Spotlight!
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