Jan 2011 – Pick to Light vs. Voice Picking Webinar Recap

Click to Download Pick to Light vs. Voice Picking White Paper

Questions & Answers

1. Is good SKU slotting more important in voice or lights?
Good SKU slotting is the key to operational efficiency in any DC. Without proper slotting you cannot maximize payback from any order fulfillment technology. Especially with voice and lights, it is important to understand if the product is a slow or a fast mover as well as understand the volumes and reach density.

2. How do you handle cluster picking with voice?
Using voice commands, you can build a train of multiple orders including orders with multiple cartons and voice will then guide you with the appropriate carton to put the items into.

3. How do you handle pick and pass with a voice picking system?
In single carton or tote picking, the picker can either say “Pass” or “Done Picking” to release ownership of the carton/tote. The next picker simply speaks the last five digits of the Carton/Tote ID.  The same process can be applied to Multi-Carton, Cart or Train Picking. Additionally, since we can prioritize orders, it can also be configured to send a signal to a conveyor system to divert the carton/tote to the next zone where picks are required and the picker in that zone speaks the last five digits of the carton/tote and continues picking for the order.  

4. What is a “typical” Return-On-Investment (ROI) for either implementation?
Our most recent implementation had a 10 month return, but typical return on investment is in the 12-16 month range.

5. What industries are best served by a voice or lights solution?
Any industry that picks product by eaches, cases or mix cases and/or where an operator must use their hands to pick the item because of how heavy or cumbersome the product is. Some of the key industries include:
Specialty retail (including apparel) and general merchandising, Publishing, Auto parts, Foodservice, Grocery and Cold Storage, Restaurant chains and convenience stores, and Healthcare and Pharmaceutical.

6. What are the components of a voice or lights solution?
Two components are central to both lights and voice:
1. DynaPro Order Management
• Batch or real-time download of orders and prioritization
• Single connection to your host or WMS
• Bi-directional Real-time system communications

2. DynaPick, Picking software
• Converts order data into picking instructions
• Manages different picking methodologies: Single Order Picking, Bucket Brigade, Cluster Picking, Zone picking etc.
• Exception Handling
• Productivity Management, Reporting & Load Balancing

For Voice solution, you also need
• Voice recognizer, which we have embedded in our picking software.  It is imperative that the Voice Recognizer performs well in a high variable noisy warehouse environment and works at 100% recognition rate
• Rugged, wearable computer with a headset and optional ring scanner for added accuracy
• Connection to a 802.11 network
• Server computer to host the software and control the solution

For Lights, you also need
• Multi-digit Light Display Modules with push buttons for each SKU location. These display pick quantity, error messages, provide ability to confirm and handle exceptions, and collect Employee ID for productivity and accuracy tracking.
• Bay Display modules at each zone or bay to display order number and status messages
• Tethered scanner to induct orders into the pick-line
• Server computer to host the software and control the solution

7. I do not have the time to analyze my SKU velocity and pick densities.  How do I determine the right fit for my DC?
We can do an Operations Assessment.  Our assessment includes a detailed onsite review and analysis of your distribution center including process and workflow from door to door, existing technology and material handling systems, interviews with key personnel, data gathering for SKU, Inventory and Order profiling, key performance benchmarking, and gap analysis.

The deliverable is a set of actionable recommendations to give you a thorough understanding of where the opportunities for optimization exist.

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