Grocery wholesaler James Hall has cut costs and
administration time by investing a six-figure sum in a voice
technology system to help staff pick out orders.
The Preston-based company which services 460 retailers including
Spar stores, is using the Business Computer Projects 80-user
voice-directed picking system, Accord, to help cut errors by its
warehouse staff.
Voice recognition technology is used to connect staff to the main
warehouse management system that runs on a Progress database.
The technology involves staff using a wireless computer worn as a
belt with a headset and microphone. Workers in the warehouse
receive details of an order via the headset. The staff can verbally
confirm they have fulfilled an order, ask questions and report
shortages back to the system.
Technical services director Dominic Hall said there has been a
significant improvement in the accuracy of orders since the system
was implemented.
In the first 12 weeks picking errors fell by 90% to 0.01%. In the
past four weeks errors have been almost eliminated, with only one
error in 60,000 cases,.
"This is way beyond our expectations and is generating enormous
savings, as rectifying incorrect deliveries to retailers is both
expensive and time consuming," said Hall.
The project took four months to implement and was completed in July
2004. BCP supplied all hardware, software and services and worked
with James Hall's in-house IT team to roll out the system.
The technology operates with Vocollect Talkman T2 terminals on a
Symbol Technologies Spread Spectrum 24 radio frequency
network.
Hall opted for expensive voice recognition technology instead of
handheld devices to enable staff to have both hands free when
picking goods. In the past staff would manually label the goods
with the order number, but now the voice system asks staff for the
last four digits of the barcode on the product. The system
recognises the product and records it against the order.
The wholesaler expects the investment to pay for itself within 18
months. "The majority of the payback will be generated by
reductions in the cost of errors, fewer financial claims, lower
return handling costs and improved wholesale and retail stock
accuracy," said Hall.
Other benefits include improved stock accuracy, stationery savings
from the elimination of labels, and administration savings. Hall
estimated the firm had saved two and a half man-days a week since
the introduction of the voice recognition technology in the frozen
foods department.