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For nearly 20 years, the technology of communicating with employes via an interactive computerized voice has been more of a promise than a reality. That is, until a couple of years ago. A combination of improvement in speech recognition capability, more creative scripting and continuous reduction in the relative cost of the technology has propelled voice into the forefront of orderpicking technology. But, maybe more than anything, the popularity of personal music players and hands-free cell phones has made wearing headsets acceptable – even cool.
“Look Ma, no hands!”
It was easy for me to see the obvious advantage of having both hands free to pick and palletize cases at each picking location. This has made the technology very attractive to those in heavy case picking environments, notably, the grocery industry. Additionally, the freedom of moving on to the next task without having to stop and consult a small screen on a hand-held terminal adds to mobility by letting the picker continue to move at a more natural pace.
Focus
I have always thought that a great feature of voice technology is the way that it keeps an operator focused on the task. Although, the operator sets his, or her own pace, the voice response is so fast that it seems to expect immediate action. I have not seen any pickers object to this sense of urgency. On the contrary, they seem eager to move up to the “expert mode,” where they are able to short-cut some of the instructions because they know what the next expected reply is.
Training
There are two types of training to be done. One is to train the operator in the limited vocabulary and dialog required for simple pick direction. The other is to train the computer system to recognize individual operators’ voice and speech patterns. Interestingly, the computer doesn’t really care how distinctly words are spoken, or with what accent. So frequently, voice training is repeated after operators have become more comfortable with the system. Users say that for the first few days, operators think that they are speaking to a computer, but, very quickly, they begin to feel as if they are talking with another person.
Pass it on
At first, I thought that the applications for voice technology would be limited to case picking. However, I recently watched it being used very effectively for piece picking. No specific zones need to be defined. Two operators can work very close to one another without interference. An order can be easily passed from one picker to another with only a couple of simple voice commands.
Accuracy
We have become accustomed to using bar code scanning to confirm that the picker is in the expected location, or is selecting the correct product. Scanning can also be used in conjunction with voice direction. But, I saw operators comfortably read out the last four digits of the UPC code on an item as they were passing it from the pick face to the shipping carton – effectively doing two tasks at the same time.
Equality for all
Traditionally, we have been able to afford light directed picking for only the fastest moving SKUs, typically those whose activity makes them good candidates for picking from carton flow rack. Voice, on the other hand, can be used to direct picking for all of the products, regardless of how many. Costs are driven by the number of pickers, not the number of products.
Other special benefits
In a freezer environment voice eliminates the clumsy task of confirming tasks with a gloved hand on a tiny keyboard. And, when it’s time to re-arrange racks, reconfiguring the system is a breeze.
I’m sure that voice is not right for every application, but I will be looking hard for more places to use its special capabilities.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James M. Apple, Jr. is a Director in The Progress Group. Prior to co-founding The Progress Group in 1991, he was a Partner with Coopers & Lybrand's SysteCon division. During 1992-1995 he served as a Senior Systems Advisor with Vanderlande Industries, a major conveyor and systems provider in Europe.
Jim is an internationally recognized thought leader in the area of facility design and integrated distribution systems. His contributions to the improvement of distribution practices have been recognized by his receipt of the prestigious Reed-Apple Award, which is given for lifetime contributions to the advancement of the material handling profession. Jim has also received the Institute of Industrial Engineers' Facilities Planning and Design Award. He has written numerous articles and handbook chapters on warehousing and logistics operations and is a popular speaker on logistics seminar and conference programs.
Prior to SysteCon, Jim worked as an Industrial Engineer with IBM, was Supervisor of Facilities Planning for the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors and was Executive Vice President for an automotive aftermarket parts supplier. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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