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MAKING THE CASE FOR
CONTENT CREATIONPEERLESS
How the modern warehouse or DC can use voice to improve accuracy, enhance productivity, and keep workers engaged in the
fast-paced e-commerce fulfillment environment.
Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions
2 • Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice
W ith global e-commerce sales expanding
by 20.7% to $3.535 trillion in 2019 and
on track to hit $5 trillion by 2021, the push to
implement technologies that help shippers fulfill
smaller orders faster than ever is on. As both
e-commerce and traditional warehouses and
distribution centers (DCs) gain in complexity, their
technology must not only keep pace, but also
anticipate and meet future needs.
Balancing productivity with performance has
become very difficult for warehouses and DCs,
which average about 134 mispicks per week and
lose roughly $400,000 annually due those these
errors (based on an industry average of $35 per
mispick). These numbers don’t even factor in the
cost of losing unhappy customers, something
that no company can afford to have happen in
today’s competitive business environment.
With roughly 25% of North American DCs
still using paper-based or analog solutions
to manage their daily workflows, errors have
become a way of life. Not only do these
approaches introduce errors, they also impair
receiving, inventory counting, picking, and
Using Next-Generation Wearables to Future-Proof
Fulfillment
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice 3
packing workflows. In a world where it can
cost 10 times as much money to receive an
incorrect order back than to send it, companies
need technology tools that not only enhance
productivity, but also introduce higher levels of
fulfillment accuracy.
THE RULES ARE
CHANGING
As the rules of fulfillment
continue to evolve,
warehouse and DC operators
are struggling to keep up.
“In a traditional DC, shipments
arrived at a certain time, got
processed internally, and
then were shipped at
a certain time. It was all
pretty predictable,” says
Jon Danzak, product offering
manager, Honeywell Voice.
That predictability went
out the window with
e-commerce and omni-
channel commandeering the modern-day DC,
where daily replenishmenwt cycles have been
reduced to hours or even minutes.
“Customers can go online and make demands
at all hours, and that’s introduced high levels of
uncertainty into the fulfillment process,” says
Danzak. “Not only do warehouses have to respond
to regular restock orders on a schedule, employees
need to be able to fulfill orders on the fly and get
them delivered to store or even direct ship to end-
customer. These and other pressures are creating
a need for speed and flexibility in the warehouse
and DC. Some stores are now acting more like
mini-DCs and now need to implement a more
standard systems approach to meet end-store
fulfillment demands created by on-demand/on-line
ordering. Of course, this puts more stress on the DC
to meet this variety of fulfillment demands.”
HELP WANTED
The national unemployment rate is hovering
at 50-year lows right now, making the task of
finding and retaining warehouse and DC workers
extremely difficult in all areas
of the country. In a business
segment where seasonal
demands can fluctuate wildly,
and where onboarding and
training both need to happen
quickly, next-generation
wearable voice solutions
are proving themselves
as a great enabler of both
productivity and accuracy.
Incorporating an ergonomic
headset, a wearable mobile
device, and advanced
software that utilizes “text-to-
speech” and “speech-to-text”
technology (currently available
in over 40 languages), Honeywell Voice systems
convert warehouse management system (WMS)
information to speech.
It then speaks instructions to warehouse
operators—directing them to the next location and
guiding them through the required tasks or steps
to complete processes, such as picking, inventory
replenishment, maintenance, and repairs. At any
point, workers can flexibly query the voice interface
or give it commands to get more information
about goods; change working speed or style; and
customize it to their own working needs (which the
system remembers as their preferences).
Enabled by advanced technology solutions,
these workers become true assets for the
organization. Customized for their individual needs,
“Not only do warehouses have to respond to regular restock
orders on a schedule, employees need to be able to fulfill orders on the fly and get
them delivered to store or even direct ship to
end-customer. These and other pressures are creating a need for speed and flexibility in the warehouse and DC.”
— Jon Danzak, product offering manager, Honeywell Voice
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Honeywell Voice system directs the worker to
perform the final pick from the items presented.
Honeywell Voice systems can also interface with
other robotic selection and delivery vehicles,
making it easy to use voice—rather than complex
command systems—to direct these systems in
the warehouse.
Vehicle mounting voice devices has become
extremely popular and adds another boost to
warehouse and worker productivity. Workers
simply don a Bluetooth® headset and go to
a vehicle where the voice device is mounted,
ready and powered. Key benefits of this voice-
enabled vehicle include reduced startup time,
battery cost and equipment damage. Plus, most
workers enjoy not having to select and wear a
device, making the solution easier for them and
more economical for management.
If a worker requires both visual and auditory
cues to perform an inspection, Honeywell’s next-
generation technology can supplement auditory
with visual cues on a single device. Finally, the
devices are being developed with a “platform-
agnostic” approach, which puts the power of
next-generation wearable voice solutions into a
broader base of users.
In this Making the Case, we dig deeper into the
challenges of running a modern-day warehouse
or DC and show how next-generation wearable
voice solutions, such as Honeywell Voice, are
helping companies overcome these obstacles
while infusing more accuracy, reliability, and
ergonomics into their operations.
the system matches their style for maximum
productivity. Put simply, when you can energize
and enliven people by matching them with
technology that helps them do their jobs better,
you end up with a more engaged, productive
workforce. By making next-generation voice
solutions part of their DNA, companies can
leverage one of the simplest communication
methods available: interacting with voice.
Because voice systems are aware of every
operation and interaction, these next-generation
voice solutions provide even more feedback,
online data, and performance metrics than their
predecessors. At any time, a warehouse manager
can pull up a dashboard and quickly see how his or
her operators are performing, where the bottlenecks
are, and where the pipeline is moving swiftly.
EXTENDING INTO NEW AREAS
OF THE WAREHOUSE
Integrating different types of headsets and
peripherals (i.e., scanning and printing for
applications like serial number tracking, high
value goods or lot tracking) has been used for
many years with voice. Now, new functionalities
like touch-pairing (for multi-platform devices like
Android) with headsets and peripherals makes it
easier to connect and use other devices.
As more automated systems are introduced into
the warehouse, voice system can easily integrate
with and complement these systems. For example,
customers can use an automatic selection
machine to present goods to a worker while a
Balancing productivity with performance has become very difficult for warehouses and DCs, which average about 134 mispicks per week
and lose roughly $400,000 annually due those these errors (based on an industry average of $35 per mispick).
4 • Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice
Geoffrey Anderson, product offering manager,
Honeywell Voice, says the solution is operator-
centric and includes a body-worn computer
(about the size of a closed hand) that’s attached
to the individual using a specialized belt. The
user also has a headset (which is connected
to the computer). Linked to an enterprise-class
management software package, the wearable
technology uses that software to manage
communications.
Here’s how it works: an operator comes in
for a shift, grabs the device, and then waits as it
downloads a list of tasks scheduled for the day
ahead. In the typical warehouse, for example,
those instructions are divvied up across numerous
employees, each of whom has his or her own “to
Running a warehouse or DC in today’s business
environment requires speed, accuracy, and
flexibility. Constantly on the move and under
extreme pressure, these operations must meet
the fulfillment expectations of ever-expanding
inventories while also making faster, more
accurate deliveries.
The same warehouses must also find, train, and
retain an increasingly-scarce and diverse workforce.
To hit all these targets, warehouses need flexible
solutions that help them keep pace while also
delivering ongoing productivity improvements.
Honeywell delivers these capabilities and more
by continuing to push the limits of advanced
technology, and next-generation wearable voice
solutions are just one example of this innovation.
Running the Modern “Wearhouse”
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice 5
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
to assume management of existing processes and
introduce new, optimized workflows — all of which
are captured into the warehouse’s preferred data
management platform.
Honeywell’s next-generation wearable voice solution
collects and analyzes data on worker performance,
throughput targets, and inventory in real-time. The
software leverages this data to deliver insights about
workplace efficiency improvements and provides
predictive analytics recommendations about workload
distribution — all of which warehouse managers can
use to make informed decisions and meet anticipated
demands.
WORK IS NEVER HANDICAPPED
Whether picking products, repairing equipment, or
learning a new job, warehouse workers often have their
hands full of scanners, devices, checklists, procedures,
and other impediments that compete for their attention —
instead of focusing on the task at hand. With Honeywell
Voice, their hands and eyes are kept free, letting them
work more safely, efficiently, and accurately. On average,
companies can typically expect productivity increases of
more than 30%, accuracy rates of up to 99.99%, and a
safer, more satisfied workforce with higher retention rates.
These next-generation voice systems differ from
their predecessors in that they’re more user-centric,
and factor in issues like device weight, comfort, and
ergonomics. Early iterations of voice technology
overlooked these important elements. “Our technology
is right on the users’ heads and within inches of their
faces,” says Jon Danzak, product offering manager,
Honeywell Voice, “so we have to be sensitive to worker
comfort and ergonomics.”
Along the way, Honeywell Voice has also made design
tweaks that have helped increase reliability levels. “We’ve
taken advantage of updated standards to make the
technology more reliable, mainly in terms of radio and
Bluetooth® technology,” Danzak explains. “Users who
are working in real-time are always connected, have the
data they need, and are ready to receive the next set of
instructions and not tethered by cables. Work is never
limited by the technology. Here the technology truly
significantly speeds up productivity.”
do” list. Using voice commands, the system directs the
employee to pick items, pack them into boxes, load those
boxes onto pallets, and then deliver them to a shipping area.
EYES-FREE, HANDS-FREE
Built to guide mobile workers throughout facilities, wearable
voice solutions enable mobility while also ensuring that
employees operate in a safe, productive, ergonomic manner.
As each step is completed, the worker speaks a verbal
confirmation into the microphone.
The Honeywell Voice software converts this spoken
information into data and communicates it back to a host
system to provide real-time productivity (and inventory)
updates. If the worker needs to capture a serial or lot
number, for example, a hands-free wearable scanner
can be used to quickly scan and capture the additional
information without the worker needing to pick up an
additional device.
“This system manages the entire process from the
DC shelf to the truck,” says Anderson, noting that the
solution’s biggest selling points are its “eyes-free, hands-
free” capabilities. “There’s no computer screen; workers
just wear it on their bodies and talk to it.” This frees up
workers from having to look at and interact with computer
screens, and to confidently respond to commands like
“pick four items from Bin #9.”
AN ADAPTABLE SOLUTION
Designed for operations of all sizes, Honeywell Voice
software integrates with host systems of all types
— from legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP)
software, major warehouse execution systems (WES),
and warehouse management software (WMS) platforms
to customized systems, SAP, or Microsoft Dynamics
365. This seamless integration allows Honeywell Voice
“This system manages the entire process from the DC shelf to the truck…There’s no computer screen; workers just wear it on
their bodies and talk to it.”
— Geoffrey Anderson, product offering manager, Honeywell Voice
6 • Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice
For the warehouse or DC manager: Focused on keeping mispicks to a minimum, ensuring that
everyone shows up for their shifts, and all customer orders are shipped as promised, warehouse
and DC managers have a lot on their plates right now. As e-commerce continues to impact their
operations, these managers need technology tools that help them work smarter and faster. By
enabling workforces to operate in an “eyes-free, hands-free” environment with no learning curve, the
technology puts the power into the warehouse manager’s hands in any business condition—even
when seasonal activity is at its very peak.
“Today’s wearable voice technology gives workers a feeling of control and empowerment,” says
Jon Danzak, product offering manager, Honeywell Voice. Those empowerment tools start right at the
device and headset, which the workers don before heading off onto the DC floor for their shifts. The
directions flow right into their headsets, which the individual worker can manipulate with commands
When next-generation wearable voice solutions are deployed in the warehouse or DC, everyone wins.
Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions
MAKING THE CASE FOR
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice 7
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Danzak notes: “It also doesn’t hurt that Honeywell’s
Voice technology has provided a transparent growth
path for customers for decades. The compatibility
and investment protection that we provide allows
customers to run software engineered for our original
voice devices to be used on our latest generation
devices with no modification. That type of protection is
invaluable when you’re talking about systems that keep
huge warehouses in 24 x 7 operation.”
For the CFO: Concerned
about balancing productivity
with performance, CFOs are
keenly aware of the fact that
mispicks are costly. With
companies averaging about 134
mispicks per week and losing
roughly $400,000 annually due
to these errors, CFOs benefit
when those errors are reduced,
fewer shipments are returned,
and customers are happy.
By guiding mobile workers
throughout facilities, Honeywell’s
next-generation wearable voice
solutions enable mobility while
also ensuring very high levels of accuracy.
As each step is completed, the worker speaks a
verbal confirmation into the microphone. The Honeywell
Voice software converts this spoken information into
data and communicates it back to a host system to
provide real-time productivity (and inventory) updates.
The software also leverages data to deliver insights
about workplace efficiency improvements and provides
predictive analytics recommendations about workload
distribution. As an added benefit, voice solutions
are user-friendly and easy to learn, thus removing
the financial strain of having to train transient and/or
temporary workforces.
“People will come and go in this labor market but
having a consistent voice platform helps support high
levels of business continuity,” says Geoffrey Anderson,
product offering manager, Honeywell Voice. “Even
if you’re dealing with high employee turnover, your
operation can still continue running smoothly.”
like “stop,” “go back,” or “go faster.”
Workers optimize their devices to their individual
workstyles, essentially making the technology a
natural part of their workflows. This translates into
direct benefits for warehouse and DC managers.
“When your workers are happy and doing their work,
that makes everyone’s jobs easier,” Danzak points out,
“and significantly decreases the management burden
at the DC level.”
For the CEO or COO: As two of
the highest-ranking executives
at any company, the CEO and
COO may not be “boots on the
ground” in the warehouse daily,
but they both keep close tabs
on what’s going on within its four
walls. Charged with overseeing
the overall operations of their
companies, they both want
to see good consistency and
repeatability of processes in their
operations. They also want to
build out processes that allow
high levels of flexibility and agility
which are vital in the modern-day
fulfillment environment.
Next-generation wearable voice technology helps
them meet all of these goals and more. “Everything
is changing so quickly,” says director of product and
offering management, Honeywell Voice. “CEOs are
worried that they’ll invest in a 2-million-square-foot
warehouse facility, only to have the whole industry
shift over to using small DCs in urban areas literally
overnight.”
By providing a scalable platform, voice helps these
executives future-proof their fulfillment operations, all
while leveraging high levels of visibility and flexibility that
all C-level executives want. Cognizant of the capital
outlays associated with these technology investments,
CEOs need to know that they’ll see quick payback
from investments in warehouse technology. Danzak
says voice has been proven as a great enabler of better
operational efficiencies, lower operating costs, better
labor usage, and improved fulfillment accuracy.
“Everything is changing so quickly…CEOs are worried
that they’ll invest in a 2-million-square-foot
warehouse facility, only to have the whole industry shift over to using small
DCs in urban areas literally overnight.”
— James Hendrickson, director of product and offering management, Honeywell Voice
8 • Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice
F rom an employee’s perspective, there’s nothing worse than being given an assignment that you’re not
able to complete because you don’t have the tools. If workers are either directly or indirectly paid by
performance, and if they can’t hit those goals because they’re lacking the tools, it’s downright dehumanizing.
“As voice technology has evolved,” says James Hendrickson, director of product and offering management,
Honeywell Voice, “it’s remained a great way to solve these and other problems on the warehouse floor.”
In the fulfillment environment, companies must be able to hire and onboard workers quickly, and they need
systems that help them do that. “We believe that voice is one of the technologies that allows organizations to
do both of those things very quickly,” says Hendrickson, noting that the usual ramp-up time for a new voice
All the Tools They Need to Get the Job Done
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice 9
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
Voice, which identifies ancillary technologies
(e.g., wearable printers and scanners) that
complement the voice’s hands-free/eyes-free
workstyle. “If someone needs a scanner-
printer display, that can be easily paired with
a voice device to give workers all of the tools
they need to get the job done.”
According to Geoffrey Anderson, product
offering manager, Honeywell Voice, next-
generation wearable voice technology provides
fast ROI while also improving individual worker
performance. “It increases their speed and
accuracy, both of which are table stakes in
the current distribution environment,” says
Anderson. “In most cases, companies see
a 20%-30% return on their voice investment
just through better worker efficiency, not to
mention the benefits of a faster, more accurate
operation overall.”
user is a couple of hours (versus a couple of
weeks for an RF system). With voice, there
are also no function keys or menus to learn
because the user sees only the next set
of instructions.
These and other user-friendly features
have employees literally fighting to keep their
next-generation voice technology. “When
the technology is implemented well, the
typical response from employees is, ‘Don’t
you dare take this away from us!’” says Jon
Danzak, product offering manager, Honeywell
“In most cases, companies see a 20%-30% return on their voice investment just through better worker efficiency, not
to mention the benefits of a faster, more accurate
operation overall.”
— Geoffrey Anderson, product offering manager, Honeywell Voice
10 • Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice
MAKING THE CASENEXT-GENERATION WEARABLE VOICE SOLUTIONS
3 Wearable solutions. More compa-nies are using hands-free computing solutions to streamline operations and improve productivity. All Honeywell Voice devices are designed to free mobile workers’ hands and eyes in order to maximize productivity and accuracy rates. Both the SRX3 and A700x Series raise the standard in mobile workforce ergonomics, productivity and accuracy while enabling voice-directed workflow efficiencies. Need integration? Honey-well Voice software integrates with host systems of all types allowing Honeywell Voice to assume management of existing processes and introduce new, optimized workflows-all of which are captured in real time.
4 Vehicle-mounted computer solu-tions. These solutions transform forklift-and vehicle-based workflows into infor-mation technology platforms. On aver-age, 25% of warehouse labor hours are spent on receiving and put-away tasks. The Honeywell A700x series canbe mounted and includes a continuouspower source. In addition, the A730x comes with a built-in scanner. By equip-ping forklifts with computers, barcode scanners, printers, radio- frequency identification (RFID), voice, and software, shippers can reduce material handling costs, optimize order fulfillment rates, and increase inventory accuracy with real-time tracking.
o two warehouses are alike, but most share two common goals: the need for
accurate delivery and zero mispicks. By using Honeywell Voice to direct workers in every part of their fulfillment operations, companies are realizing more accurate picking, result-ing in significant improvements in customer satisfaction. Here are four voice centric applications that are helping shippers meet and exceed goals.
1 Voice-directed solutions. Proven to increase productivity by more than 35% and increase accuracy to 99.99%+ in a variety of tasks throughout the warehouse, voice-di-rected solutions also support workforce productivity increases of up to 50% overall. Voice is available in over 40 languages and has been proven to dramatically reduce train-ing and onboarding time, especially in peak seasons with highly-transient workforces.
2 Mobile computing. It provides the flexibility, extended secured lifecycle, and ruggedness for organizations to effectively manage critical warehousing tasks. For example, Honeywell’s mobile and vehi-cle-mounted solutions feature advanced imaging technologies that capture data quickly on the first scan, thereby increasing speed, accuracy, productivity, and visibility to help reduce dock-to-stock cycle times. Honeywell Voice is a wearable that pairs with ring scanners. The A730x’s built-in scanner gives the DC the best of both world—voice and scanning.
Too Many Mispicks Got You Down? Four Ways to Improve DC Accuracy
with Honeywell Voice
N
Making the Case for Next-Generation Wearable Voice Solutions • honeywellaidc.com/voice 11
TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION,
VISIT HONEYWELLAIDC.COM/VOICE
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