Danish personal care retailer NORMAL has decided to change its picking location system in a new warehouse. After much deliberation, a voice picking system that uses wearable vests was chosen.
NORMAL’s existing picking system uses hand scanners. The disadvantage of hand scanners is that they are put down when lifting an item off storage trolleys or shelves. Occasionally, an item is scanned correctly, then after the scanner is put down, the picker loses focus and the wrong item is picked up.
Logistics Development Manager Mette Margrethe Poulsen and her team looked at several picking systems and decided that voice picking technology is best. She said:
“My colleagues and I had worked with voice before and we didn’t see any technology that was better or more evolved – pick-by-vision was not mature enough yet, for instance, so we decided that voice was a good solution for us.”
The system they chose is called LYDIA, which utilises a wearable picking vest. This system does not use headphones. NORMAL staff that had used headphone systems said that they are restrictive and uncomfortable. The LYDIA system is hands-free and does not rely on hand scanners.
The LYDIA system is easy to use, requiring no training for inexperienced staff. To start using the system, al staff have to do is simply talk to LYDIA.
The system has been tested in the warehouse and minor issues have so far been dealt with. Data gathered in tests show that picking errors were reduced. NORMAL plans to use 400 LYDIA devices in its new warehouse.
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