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etail focus Dcs finD A Voice Voice picking technology gives high returns for music and food distributors Zetes, the Auto-ID solution provider, has implemented a voice picking solution at Faber Music Distribution, one of Europe’s largest music distributors and a subsidiary of music publishers, Faber Music Ltd. The voice solution is the final element of a Warehouse Management System, provided by Solarsoft Business Systems, that also includes installing a wireless network, handheld terminals and truck-mounted terminals within the company’s distribution centre, in Harlow, Essex. Faber Music prints under its own imprint and also controls the European print rights to Warner Brothers Publications and EMI music publishing, as well as distributing other music catalogues such as Alfred Publishing, Alfred Lengnick, Barenreiter, Josef Weinberger, Trinity College London, Peters Edition and the Hungarian publisher, EMB. Faber Music Distribution stocks in excess of 100,000 titles — each with its own unique Sku — and ships more than 3500 orders for sheet music and related products, generating in excess of 46,000 order lines per month. The company sells to both music retailers and wholesalers worldwide, together with sales to the end-user through its website (www.expressprintmusic. com). Owing to ever increasing costs and a competitive market, Faber needed to examine ways of cutting costs and making the distribution centre more efficient. Voice picking, with its relatively short-term return on investment, provides a high impact solution by cutting pick times by at least 25% and virtually eliminating picking errors. John Hepworth, Managing Director of Faber Music Distribution, says: “The new voice system has had to be very flexible to make our rather complex business work, with orders being split into three parts — general stock orders, bulk picking and archive items — which are manufactured on demand. But, after careful design, implementation and testing, the system really works well for us. The other important issue in the current climate is efficiency — and switching to voice is even more significant, helping us to create a leaner machine. It means that we can get orders out to customers more quickly, ship stock faster into stores and be in a position to take re-orders more quickly too. Looking ahead, the voice system will also make 28 the warehouse more efficient, enabling us to reduce overtime costs during the year and operate a more flexible workforce to meet our busiest trading periods.” Faber’s picking system illustrates the benefits of voice-directed picking as a warehouse optimization solution for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs). After its eight pickers had used the Zetes/Vocollect voice system for just one week, Faber Music Distribution was able to see an instant increase in picking rates compared with its previous paper-based system. Now, a single picker can complete anything up to 200 order lines per hour compared with a previous average of 50–70 order lines per hour. In addition, owing to a multipick solution, pickers can simultaneously pick 10 orders at a time, providing further productivity improvements. From the onset of the project, Faber’s warehouse operators were involved in the migration to voice and are equally enthusiastic about their new picking system, which has been customized to identify order lines according to their format: ‘copy’ for printed music, ‘CD’, ‘DVD’ or ‘Set’ for music sets and orchestral scores. The system also switches from descriptive identifiers — such as the abbreviated title for the majority of mainstream and English language publications — to item number identifiers that are used for foreign language publications and more obscure, international composers. “The users really love the new system and were very keen to start using it,” adds Hepworth. “It is human nature to avoid change and at the start we had a few, mainly older members of staff, within the team who were quite apprehensive. But once they started working with voice, all their concerns were allayed straight away — and they have said they wouldn’t want to go back to a paperbased system.” James Hannay, Managing Director UK and Ireland for Zetes, says: “Voice picking has traditionally been seen as the preserve of large companies running very high throughput warehouse operations. This implementation for Faber demonstrates the flexibility of voicedirected working, and proves that SMEs too can see an immediate efficiency and productivity return when they make the switch.” Faber Music Distribution is using Vocollect Talkman wireless headset and belt pack devices with the 3iV voice recognition software, supplied by Zetes. The voice system is integrated directly into Solarsoft’s integrated ERP solution and Warehouse Management System. The Co-operative Group, the UK’s largest mutual retailer — and its fifth largest food www.scemagazine.com may/June 2009
the co-op has seen much higher than anticipated returns, particularly for Zetes’ voice system, with pick errors down by as much as 70% and picking rates improved beyond original business case estimations. retailer — is also expanding its use of voice picking technology. Zetes’ British subsidiary is a longstanding supplier to Co-op, and its voice solution will soon be supporting 1200 warehouse users across six distribution centres (DCs) serving more than 4400 retail stores. The Co-operative Group first implemented a voice picking system in its West Thurrock DC, in 2006. Since then, Zetes has implemented voice at three more Co-operative sites, with plans to extend usage to a further two DCs, by mid-2009, at the Thetford, Norfolk DC and a new site, due to be opening at Birtley, Gateshead, which will replace two older DCs. Zetes has worked with The Co-operative Group throughout the project, which included a complete overhaul of the organization’s WMS system and migration to a wireless, real-time infrastructure at each DC. Voice was selected as the right technology to enable faster picking because of the speed and complexity of their warehouse operation and high numbers of product lines stocked. Although The Co-operative’s business case for its WMS overhaul and voice implementation was built around a 3–4 year payback, the organization has seen much higher than anticipated returns, particularly for Zetes’ voice system, with pick errors down by as much as 70% and picking rates improved beyond original business case estimations. Operational and management performance targets are also being continually improved upon — beyond expectations — at live ‘voice’ sites, and training of new users can now be completed in less than 4 hours. Zetes was selected as The Co-operative’s preferred voice technology partner because of its reputation as the Auto-ID system integrator with the most extensive voice expertise and pan-European experience. Tim Edwards, Retail Logistics Business Projects Manager at The Co-operative, says: “Zetes not only matched our requirements regarding availability, cost and other critical criteria, it also understood our issues from the beginning and we were impressed by its proactive approach.” The Group is using Vocollect Talkman hardware and the 3iV Solution, implemented by Zetes. The voice system is used for all picking and marshalling activities across multiple warehouse environments, including ambient, produce, chilled and frozen areas. Alain Wirtz, CEO of Zetes, comments: “We are very pleased that such a highly reputed organization as The Co-operative Group recognizes the added value of our experience and ability to deliver large projects to major European retailers. This project was an important rollout, which perfectly illustrates the advantages a company can get from 3iV Crystal as a voice solution — in particular that our voice solutions are adaptable for use within most warehouse environments. Pickers working in frozen areas will be very appreciative of the positive benefits of using a voice interface.” In addition, the voice system has proved very popular with The Cooperative’s multilingual workforce, who found it both easy to use and convenient to work with, in their native tongues. Edwards adds: “Voice technology allows us to ensure that our customers receive a timely and accurate service, and that’s what is most important to the business.” • More information Zetes Industries is a leading pan-European company in Auto-ID, using both emerging and mature technologies (barcode, voice recognition, RFID, smartcards, biometrics). The Zetes group has its headquarters in Brussels, with subsidiaries in Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK (www.zetes.com). 2009 may/June www.scemagazine.com 29
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