Recent Industry Trade Articles
Warehouses Operating Without A Wire
Brian Schiavo - November / December, 2008
Today's wireless warehouses are or will be using a variety of tools in conjunction with the wireless network, including RFID, voice, barcodes and mobile computing to get the job done.
"Technology shouldn't dictate to you how to do things, because everyone does things a little bit differently," notes Voxware's Yetter.
He and other experts believe that the more convergence there is of wireless technologies in the warehouse, the more choices will available to companies that will allow them to become more productive.
"They can pick a unit that does scanning if they want to do scanning in addition to voice. It should really be up to the customer in terms of how they do things, to pick the types of technologies that work together to create the most efficient workforce."
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Voice Software: Low Costs, High Rewards
Scott Yetter - September, 2008
In today's evolving marketplace, wireless voice technology can help companies that deal with the manual handling of products better manage their warehouse and distribution operations. Voice technology is helping to increase efficiencies and improve bottom-lines, while improving working conditions and retaining workers.
Voice technology is more affordable now than ever before, largely because of the shift from proprietary-based hardware and software, to open, service-oriented, standards-based voice solutions. The big idea behind standards-based software is that customers are not limited by the proprietary nature of any particular solution, including hardware and software. In the warehouse, standards-based software means maximum independence and flexibility. With service-oriented architecture (SOA)-based voice software, the same voice services can be assembled in different ways to voice-enable different processes in the distribution center.
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Plan for a Better Supply Chain
Erin Harris - September, 2008
Industry experts agree that the road to an efficient supply chain is paved with proper inventory and order management techniques at the store and warehouse levels. Retailers have to make intelligent forecasting decisions about inventory and product demand to strengthen and streamline the supply chain. When store-level decisions and increased warehouse productivity drive the entire supply chain, speed to market increases while shrink and waste decrease.
Effective warehouse management aids in the supply chain’s speed to market by increasing productivity. For instance, voice-based applications used in conjunction with inventory applications increase efficiency with picking, put away, loading, and receiving. “Voice-based applications lead to efficient warehouse management because employees don’t have to write anything down or punch in numbers,” explains Scott Yetter, CEO and president of Voxware. “Their hands are free, and more importantly, their eyes are free, which results in increased productivity and fewer errors.”
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Effective Needs Analysis
Craig Settles - July/August, 2008
As organizations introduce or expand mobile applications throughout their workforces, the driving questions should be: Is this really what workers will use? And if they use it, will the application deliver the promised benefits?
Warren Engard, Director of Distribution Operations for Dunkin' Donuts' Mid-Atlantic Distribution Center, helped implement a picking system and warehouse management application using voice recognition and running on Voxware wearable computers. "We formed a team comprised of the General Manager and heads of each major department --accounting, traffic, HR and I.T. -- who collectively documented the business needs and produced an RFP.
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Voxware, Innovation Solutions team up for voice-WMS integration efficiency improvement
Jeff Berman - July, 2008
Voxware and Innovation Solutions said this week they have joined hands in a partnership in which Innovation will leverage Voxware’s Voxware 3 platform to enhance their warehouse management system deployments.
Voxware Inc., a supplier of software for voice-based warehousing operations, and Innovation Solutions, a software integrator specializing in solving supply chain business problems, said this week they have joined hands in a partnership in which Innovation will leverage Voxware’s Voxware 3 platform to enhance their warehouse management system (WMS) deployments.
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Voice Technology Hardware and Software: Have you heard the latest?
Maida Napolitano - July, 2008
The evolution of voice technology hardware over the past 20 years is nothing less than impressive. In that time, voice-directed solutions have evolved from large desktop workstations to small, rugged, wearable devices that are seamlessly connected over a wireless network.
According to voice vendors and users alike, it’s official: Voice in the warehouse and distribution center can no longer be viewed as a science experiment. “The technology has certainly matured,” says Scott Yetter, president and CEO of voice software provider Voxware. “It’s gone beyond the innovation stage and has entered the mainstream.”
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The Choice is Voice
David Maloney - July, 2008
Though many would be surprised to hear it, voice-directed technology is well into its second decade of use in distribution operations. And it's undergone something of a transformation during the past 20 years. For one thing, the technology, which was once used mainly for order picking, has branched out into a variety of other applications. Today it's being used for receiving, put-away, replenishment, cycle counting, shipping, and more.
"The use of Voxware has been significant in increasing our service levels," says Olejniczak. "We don't have customers who are upset, and we don't have to issue them a credit or handle their returns. It has increased our productivity and accuracy, while improving our overall operations."
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Voice technology: A Slam Dunk for Dunkin' Donuts
Corinne Kator - July, 2008
When voice-directed picking raised productivity dramatically at the Dunkin' Donuts Mid-Atlantic DC, facility managers couldn't wait to share the success with the company's other DCs.
The New Jersey DC switched from paper-based systems to voice technology (Voxware, 609-514-4100, www.voxware.com) and a warehouse management system (WMS) several years ago. When the new systems helped the DC rack up double-digit productivity gains, the facility's managers knew they had to share their success.
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Voice Keeps Dunkin' Donuts Rolling
Corinne Kator - July, 2008
An efficient layout combined with voice-directed picking technology keeps operations running smoothly at the company's New Jersey DC.
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Foodservice Distributors Turn To Voice-Directed Picking
Corinne Kator- June, 2008
Performance Food Group (PFG), the nation’s third largest foodservice distributor, announced today that five of its distribution centers are now using voice technology provided by Voxware.
The country’s second largest foodservice distributor, U.S. Foodservice, has been a Voxware customer since 2000, and at least two other top-10 foodservice distributors have rolled out Voxware technology, according to Voxware CEO Scott Yetter.
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The Voice of Efficiency
Per Nordling - May 2008
Technology for the retail distribution market continues to grow and develop, often faster than many companies can keep up with. However,
to take advantage of new technology that offers fast and clear benefits requires a solid, reliable and powerful foundation of supply
chain management solutions.
After the CDC Supply Chain solution was implemented, Albert Heijn also implemented voice picking in all its regional warehouses and is in the process of implementing it in the national warehouses. The voice recognition software and headsets have come from Voxware, with terminals from Motorola connected to the standard version of the warehouse management system. By implementing pick-to-voice, further improvements in the warehouses were achieved. Employees are excited about the new way of working, because it allows both hands to be available for order picking, which leads to more efficiency, faster picking and greater safety in the warehouse.
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RFID: Not Ready For Prime Time
CSD Staff - April 2008
While radio frequency tracking may represent the future for distribution, warehouse inventory management still relies on the tried and true.
7-Eleven Inc. also uses a voice system to move fresh foods and perishable products from warehouses to the stores. Eventually, the system, developed by Voxware, will be used to pick all products in the company’s proprietary distribution network, which includes 25 facilities in the U.S. and Canada.
"It is flexible," Macken said of the Voxware system. "And you can track each picker’s productivity and accuracy. That’s the beauty of it."
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Raising Your Voice-As Well As Productivity
Brian Schiavo - April 2008
Voice technology is heating up.
Why have the prices come down? According to Scott Yetter, CEO and president of Voxware Inc., Lawrenceville, NJ, there are a number of trends that are making it possible for companies of any size to adopt voice.
"Before, everyone thought that everything had to be done as a highly-customized solution-you had people writing their own payroll systems, their own general ledger systems, their own manufacturing systems and the same thing was true with voice," Yetter explains. "However, over time, all those things became pieces of packaged software that you could buy off the shelf. I don't think the voice market is any different."
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The Human Touch
Mary Aichlmayr - April, 2008
We often think in terms of black and white; it’s either technology or people. I wonder if there is another way. Can technology help recruit and retain humans? Let’s consider voice recognition, a technology used for just about everything from picking and putaway to replenishment and receiving. Vendors claim the hands-free, eyesfree technology boasts extremely high accuracy rates.
Scott Yetter, president and chief executive officer of Voxware, sees it the same way. “One of the challenges of implementing technology is a misalignment of benefits,” says Yetter. “Oftentimes, management gets the benefit at the expense of the worker.” Voice seems to benefit employees as well as management. “That sends a different message to workers,” he says.
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Protecting Your Human Assets
Kevin T. Higgins - March, 2008
Of all the continuous-improvement efforts manufacturers can undertake, none is more vital than plant safety. Steady state is not an option when it comes to safeguarding an organization’s human assets.
Handheld scanners and on-board video monitors boosted distribution efficiency, and now leading soft-drink bottlers and other food companies are graduating to voice systems to deliver instructions. One of the early adopters was Dunkin’ Donuts Mid-Atlantic Distribution Center (MADC), a cooperative owned by 7,000 restaurant franchisees in eight states. Since system installation in 2004, payments for worker’s compensation claims are down 71%, reports Warren Engaard, director of operations.
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100 Ways To Rev Up The Food Supply Chain
February, 2008
The FL100 is a resource of software, hardware and IT service providers that focus on the unique needs of companies in the food supply chain, including manufacturers, retailers, grocery wholesalers, convenience and foodservice distributors, and third-party logistics providers.
These companies are selected based on their proven track records and expertise in providing food companies with technology and services to help them meet business objectives.
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Now Hear This: Voice Technology Delivers in the Warehouse
Scott Yetter - January, 2008
IN TODAY'S evolving marketplace, wireless voice technology can help building material companies better manage their warehouse and distribution operations.
Voice technology is becoming an increasingly important part of warehouse operations-and for good reason. Many distribution centers are assessing their warehouse management programs and searching for cohesive methods to help reduce injuries, help increase accuracy rates, and improve working conditions overall. The big idea behind standards-based software is that services can be independent of each other, but can be combined to accomplish a business objective.
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The Multi-modal Warehouse
Bob Trebilcock - January, 2008
Warehouse management and data collection are converging into one system that can scan a bar code, read an RFID tag or communicate instructions using voice technology.
Most often, voice is being adopted as a stand-alone technology that replaces bar code scanning, especially in order picking applications. “The benefit is increased productivity and accuracy,” says Scott Yetter, CEO and president of Voxware. Yetter says productivity improvements of 10 to 25% are not uncommon, as are error reductions of 50%, especially for users moving from paper-based picking to voice.
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Listen Up
Karen M. Kroll - December, 2007
We all know the drill. An order comes in, and the picker has to wade through sheets of labels to know what to pick. It takes time, and he also has to report that it's complete. But there's another way. The worker gets the order through a headset. When he's finished, he says “done.”
How many speech recognition systems are in use? It's hard to say. But experts say they're growing in number — and that they're being applied to more things.
Yes, picking is the most labor-intensive activity. And that's where the greatest savings will result, says Scott Yetter, CEO of voice technology provider Voxware.
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Try these on for Size: Wearable Computers
Lamont Wood - November, 2007
With wearables, "new employees in a warehouse can be got up to speed in a day, since they are continually getting instructions on what to do, as opposed to being trained for a week by following another picker around," added Scott Yetter, CEO of Voxware, Inc., wearable computer vendor in Lawrenceville, N.J. He said that users can typically expect a reduction in their error rate of 30% to 50%, which may by itself justify the system because shipping the wrong product can be expensive. Productivity usually increases 10% to 20%, because the pickers don't have to put aside their clipboards, he added.
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Wireless Solutions Boost Productivity In the Warehouse And on the Road
Jean V. Murphy - November, 2007
Logistics companies were early adopters of wireless applications and they continue to find new ways to use the technology as it evolves and matures. In many instances, voice may be used in conjunction with traditional scanning.
“There may be instances where a worker needs to record product identification numbers or lot numbers that are very long and it actually is faster to scan these than to say them,” says Scott Yetter, president of Voxware, a leading provider of voice systems based in Lawrenceville, N.J. Also, a warehouse that may require scanning in some areas could switch to voice in cold storage to avoid condensation on the screen and the difficulty of operating handhelds with gloves. “I think multiple technologies clearly are converging,” Yetter says. “That is why you see vendors like Motorola and LXE developing devices with both scanning and voice capabilities.”
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European Retailer Albert Heijn Selects Voxware
November, 2007
“The benefits of voice picking are well documented, but for a long time rigid hardware solutions have been a barrier to widespread adoption,” says Scott J. Yetter, President of Voxware. “With our open standards approach, our goal is to enable the seamless conversion and execution of voice regardless of what platform distribution centers are operating with. We’re thrilled Albert Heijn has recognized the value of open, standards-based voice software and we expect a timely, successful transition to voice in all of its distribution centers.”
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Tools That Help Business Prosper
Nick Bragg - August, 2007
“There’s no paper, it’s totally voice driven,” Jurkowski notes. “The system can speak to the pickers in a language they’re comfortable with. It knows multiple languages and they can speak back to the system in their native language. On the picking shift here there’s a lot of Hispanics and some don’t speak English well and they are very comfortable speaking to the system in Spanish.”
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