Pharmaceutical distribution Smith Drug Company
goods go in what totes. Then once the data comes back it points out items that need to be picked manually. Some of the areas in the warehouse cannot use automation for legal reasons. For example, we have control cages for narcotics. Data related to these types of goods goes straight to the Voice system.”
McConnell pointed out that the Georgia location is the one site where Vocollect Voice units are not used. “Here, staff pick items using Symbol/Motorola RS409 ring scanners,” he explained. “The software that runs on the RS409 ring scanners allows us to do either scanning or Voice and switch back and forth. These scanners allow staff to be totally hands- free because the scanner actually fits on their finger. They can move merchandise around in the warehouse and scan that to the iSeries ERP. Then, when they want to pick orders they can switch it over to the Voice software. So, we have automation plus Voice.”
The second DC to go live with the new ERP system was the Arkansas site. Here, the iSeries was up and running by early 2010. “In Arkansas we don’t have any picking automation; it’s all pure Vocollect Voice,” said McConnell. At Smith Drug’s South Carolina
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Smith Drug is currently looking to upgrade to the latest version of Vocollect’s VoiceLink software over the next few months. It is also planning to upgrade its Voice hardware units to Vocollect Talkman T5s (pictured) within a similar timeline.
months. I’m extremely satisfied with our results on the distribution side. When you don’t send out errors that means a lot to our customers and to our business.”
Some of the areas in the warehouse cannot use automation for legal
reasons. For example, we have control cages for narcotics. Data related to these types of goods goes straight to the Voice system.”
DC, the Schaefer automation and carousel systems went live during 2010. “And, like our DC in Georgia, the Schaefer automation system undertakes all the cubing, then the manual picking data is sent to the VoiceLink software,” said McConnell.
ROI in just over six months
With regard to some of the key benefits of Voice, McConnell remarked that he wanted a 20 per cent increase in productivity with an accuracy rate of 99.99 per cent. “That was easily obtainable,” he said. “Now we are averaging over 80,000 units a day from our warehouses, and realised ROI in just over six
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McConnell reflected that some employees were initially a little concerned about learning a new system. However, he stressed that any initial misgivings about Voice were soon replaced with excitement. “Our people loved the paper,” he laughed, “but now they would rather have Voice than any other system. They are really enjoying Voice because it’s so easy to use. In a few minutes, you can have somebody trained, and it’s completely hands- free. The transition to Voice from paper was practically flawless, according to McConnell. “With Voice-directed distribution, we’ve reached a whole new level of accuracy and accountability. For example, initially, we had only one case that got on the wrong truck,
and that’s out of 7000 cases a day. You can’t beat that.”
Better employee retention
McConnell also noted that Voice-directed distribution has been effective in helping Smith Drug recruit and retain new employees. “This is another value-add where it’s made a big difference,” he said. “You don’t need any special technical skills to be able to use the system and it makes it easier for us to attract employees and keep them on board.”
As for future IT developments, Smith Drug is currently looking to upgrade to the latest version of Vocollect’s VoiceLink software over the next few months. It is also planning to upgrade its Voice hardware units to Vocollect Talkman T5s within a similar timeline. Additionally, Smith Drug is looking to enhance its disaster recovery regime by running a greater level of backup systems throughout its three DCs.
October 2011
MANUFACTURING &LOGISTICS
IT
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