DC Velocity - August 2015

t ec h n ol o g yr ev i ew VO I C E

feature screens and built-in scanners. This advancement allows users to incorporate scanning into activities prompted by the voice system, allowing them to, say, scan a bar code on an incoming pallet rather than read

16 digits into the system.

Food and pharmaceutical distributors are taking things a step further, combining voice with scanning to gather data on their products-in-process to comply with pedigree laws and to establish chain-of-custody documentation. Lot numbers, expiration dates, and product weights are among the data that can either be scanned or “voiced” into the record.

The trend toward incorporating voice technology into screen-based devices has also helped streamline DC operations. For instance, the screen might display additional instructions or information about the product, including a photo to assure the right item is picked. In some cases, the device might be an electronic tablet that can be mounted onto a lift truck and used with a wireless headset, which allows the worker to hop off the truck to perform a task directed by voice software that’s either resident on or relayed through the tablet.

Voice is also being used in conjunction with pick-to-light and put-to-light technologies. As Ken Ruehrdanz, manager of distribution systems market at solutions supplier and integrator Dematic, explains, a put-wall technology can be combined with voice for effective picking of multiple orders. The put-wall consists of stacked cubbies, similar to large mail slots, where products for specific customers can be gathered. “A user can deploy voice-directed technology to batch pick all needed orders and then use the light-directed put-wall to separate the items into individual customer orders,” he says.

NEW VOICES BEING HEARD

While the expansion of voice to other hardware devices has undoubtedly boosted the technology’s flexibility and value, the real breakthroughs have come on the software end. The newest software offerings take data collected from various warehouse functions and process it through analytic algorithms to optimize warehouse workflows and improve labor management.

“What we are seeing now is that voice systems are
becoming an information source that can be combined
with a warehouse management system (WMS) that
then becomes a productivity hub,” says Jason Franklin,
product manager, labor and business intelligence at
Intelligrated, a manufacturer of automated material
handling systems. In addition to being integrated with
the WMS, voice data can also be exchanged with ware-
house control systems and other software to optimize
warehouse processes. That means that if, say, a bottle-
neck develops in packing, the software could redirect
workers from picking to the pack area to improve down-
stream flow. “Voice is a piece of the puzzle that when
combined with data from these other systems, can take
things to a whole new level,” Franklin adds.

One company that now offers optimization tools is Lucas, which includes these capabilities in the latest version of its Mobile Work Execution software suite. Among other capabilities, the software can perform smart batching. Typically, a voice system receives pick assignments from a WMS. But if the facility isn’t using a WMS or if it’s using a WMS that cannot batch, the voice software can “look” at the items needed for orders and perform batching on the fly.

Another capability available in many of today’s voice software suites is the ability to interleave tasks.

With interleaving, an employee who is picking items for orders might be asked to replenish a location before selecting items from that slot. Or he/she could be prompted to count the items at that location for inventory purposes once a pick is completed. Or a worker who has finished picking cartons might be directed to stack them on a pallet and load them onto an outbound trailer. As with batching, these interleaving tasks can also be done independently of a warehouse management system.

Performance management is quickly becoming a “must have” feature in voice systems as well. Supervisors can now dial in and listen to the voice system’s prompts to see how a worker is responding. “That allows coaching to build up that individual’s performance,” Franklin says.

The labor management capabilities also include dashboards that allow supervisors to view individual performance in real time. This monitoring capability can be relayed to a manager’s mobile device for on-the-floor adjustments. Key performance indicators (KPIs) and other performance benchmarks can be loaded into the system to provide performance comparisons to establish standards.

Jay Blinderman, director of product marketing for Honeywell’s Vocollect Solutions division, says the newest version of his company’s Workflow Performance