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Quality
pick paths for gathering the orders.
“The interfacing between our two systems was probably the simplest portion
of the project for us,” reports Hellyer. On
top of that, he says, the Plug and Play software is highly customizable, which meant
that KPM didn’t have to make wholesale
changes to its processes. For instance, the
company uses product numbers—rather
than the more traditional check digits
mounted on a storage rack—to confirm
that the right items are being selected.
The topVox system was able to accommodate that.
KPM began picking its parts orders
with the Lydia voice system in April 2014.
The company wanted to give employees
experience working with voice through
its busy spring and summer seasons, and
before moving to the new building. This
will avoid the need for associates to learn
both a new system and the processes used
in a new facility at the same time.
LISTEN, PICK, REPEAT
With the new system in place, order picking is a snap. To begin the process, an
associate reads the invoice number for an
order into his or her headset. The system
then directs the worker to the location of
the first pick. Hellyer notes that one of the
advantages of voice over RF is its ability to
give users instructions on the go—there’s
no need for them to stop walking to read
a screen.
Upon arrival at the appropriate rack
or bin, the worker reads off the last two
digits of the product number to confirm
that the correct part is being picked. The
system then tells him or her how many of
that item to select.
Since associates no longer have to hold
paper, their hands are free to handle the
parts with care—a big plus in an opera-
tion that deals in items like sharp mower
blades and heavy wheels. Warehouse
manager Mark Pobihun says he appreci-
ates that feature. “I really like the hands-
free picking,” he says. “And I like the
call-back of the last two digits. It makes it
impossible to make an error.”
The parts are brought back to order
bins—although in the case of very small
parts, workers first make a detour to a
counter where they put the parts into
plastic bags before placing them in
a bin. Once all of the items for an
order have been gathered, the bin is
pushed along a nonpowered convey-
or to a pack station, where the items
are confirmed against a packing list
and placed in a carton for shipping.
Currently, about 200 orders are
processed each day, with the average
order consisting of six lines. For
now, orders are picked one at a time,
though that will change in the new
building.
GAINING ‘SOUND’ BENEFITS
Since moving to Lydia Plug and
