FEATURE ORDER PICKING
NEXT GENERATION VOICE SOLUTION AT UNILEVER
Voice solutions have found their place in logistics, in particular for the optimisation of order picking processes. In today’s market, customers are looking at ‘next generation voice solutions’, which offer more than the traditional advantages such as improved efficiency, increased productivity and reduced error rates
K
ey decisive factors to select a voice solution are now:
• easy adaptation to changing parameters in their operations • more agile workforce planning • changing end-customer requirements, sometimes imposed by law • operational savings • lower total cost of ownership
SPEAKER INDEPENDENT As technology evolves new features and possibilities are becoming available. Next generation voice solutions now offer an ‘untrained’ or ’speaker independent’ approach, which means voice operators no longer need to train the voice system by registering individual commands, but can start immediately with the execution of their tasks. The cornerstone of this flexible and
adaptive approach is phonemes based recognition technology, which allows recognition of complete spoken words in a predefined language, without voice training required. It opens up new markets scenarios where the operator is no longer limited by giving the answer as a single and previously recorded word or
24 NOVEMBER 2019 | IRISH MANUFACTURING
digit only. Now, the operator can ask the system for detailed and complex information, or give sentences as an answer. There is no need for the operators to change their natural way of talking.
PROCESSES OPTIMISED Voice picking remains the killer application for voice solutions, but thanks to more flexible data-input and system- user communication other processes can now benefit from voice as well: • quality control • goods receiving • put away • multiclient picking
A DOUBLE MISSION The challenge then for Unilever faced a double challenge was twofold. Not only did they need a quality logistics solution, able to integrate directly with the new warehouse’s core ERP system SAP, they also had to consider that it would be operated by people with no technology or picking experience. Following an intensive extensive research and selection process, Unilever chose to implement the ZetesMedea voice picking solution.
ZetesMedea, Zetes’ logistics execution solution, allows to optimise all warehouse processes to be optimised
VOICE: BENCHMARK PICKING TECHNOLOGY ZetesMedea, Zetes’ logistics execution solution, allows to optimise all warehouse processes to be optimised. Product movements are registered from goods receiving to truck loading, through picking and replenishment, offering real-time visibility and enabling therefore enhanced critical decision making. Not only does the number of data input errors dramatically decrease, warehouse operators also can work more efficiently, as they are more focused on their tasks. ZetesMedea integrates the latest data capture technologies such as barcode, RFID, voice and ImageID. In Unilever’s case, the choice for voice was justified by the fact that the process requiring to optimise was picking, where voice has proven to offer many advantages. Zetes’ voice picking solution is powered by MCLvoice, developed by MCL Technologies.
RAPID IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE MONTH The solution was implemented in just one month. Using SAP’s standard integration options, an advantage of the solution was that it eliminated the need for any intermediate business logic layer of business logic Direct SAP integration also allowed Unilever to keep all store business critical business data in one location, with the voice devices managed and the individual operator sessions tracked directly by existing SAP tools. Available in 20 languages,
ZetesMedea voice picking adapts to suit all users. It has two voice dialogue levels: a starter level with comprehensive instructions and an experienced level where commands are shortened. Data input can be voice only or combined with touch screen, keyboard or scanner devices. Due to operators inexperience, Unilever opted for voice only and the ‘untrained’ approach, enabling phonetic recognition of complete spoken words. With no need to save voice profiles, workers were operational in no time.
Zetes Ireland Limerick Plassey T: 00353 (0) 61 333 188
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