Introduction The first incarnations of voice directed warehousing were implemented in distribution operations in the early 90s. Since then, Voice has changed dramatically. Most notably, the technology was originally limited to picking, whereas now all warehouse functions (picking, receiving/put-away, replenishment, shipping) can be coordinated by voice systems. These other functions are only now coming into their own, and despite considerable accuracy and efficiency gains that can be made in these areas, most companies still justify voice implementation on picking gains alone. Benefits Primary benefits of implementing voice systems in the warehouse include: – Increased picking accuracy – Increased inventory accuracy – Increased employee productivity – Reduced new worker training time – Increases job satisfaction for warehouse associates How it works Each operator is given electronic store a voice-enabled RF device. These devices need not have screens or keypads ? operators communicate with the system via headset. Managers use the WMS or middleware (more on this later) to assign operators work ? jobs such as picking, put-away, replenishment, and shipping. How this assignment process takes place is largely implementation specific. For example, operators might be assigned to pick specific orders or load specific trucks – or they might simply be assigned to picking, and be automatically placed on the highest-priority job. Picking With voice picking, the voice system directs the operator to perform each pick, giving them directions to the pick location. Depending on system configuration, the operator may be prompted for a location check-digit or a container check-digit as well as a count-back. Following is an example picking dialog: Computer: Go to building one.
