Manufacturing & Logistics IT Magazine

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OCTO

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2015

The European magazine promoting the effective use of IT in supply chain applications

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Special Technology Report:VOICE/WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Interview:EMS PHYSIO

Also in this issue:A vision built for the futurePushing back the frontiersVoice and multi-modal technology – the perfect combinationTaking planning and scheduling to the next level

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IN BUSINESS YOU HAVETO BE SINGLE MINDED.

October 2015 3ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS

This edition of Manufacturing & Logistics IT features an in-depth special report on

Voice-directed technology and Warehouse Management Systems. Among the

comments from vendors and analysts related to a wide range of recent

developments and possible future trends within this solutions space, arguably one of

the most interesting and thought-provoking areas is that of augmented reality (AR)

technology.

Steve Wilson, vice president, practice lead – operational excellence at Capgemini, is

already seeing a number of retailers in Europe having started to use augmented

reality solutions for picking. In terms of the enhanced benefits, he explained that, with

Voice, workers have the commands coming into their ear, but there is now software

available that allows the picker to wear augmented reality glasses that include an

earpiece – so it offers the benefits of Voice, but on top of that workers can see the

instructions on a small screen in the eyepiece. They still have two free hands and,

according to Wilson, it can allow workers potentially to pick more quickly than if they

were picking with Voice or handhelds.

Wilson also points out that the camera on the front of the glasses allows barcode

scanning and quality checking, so it can check the accuracy of the pick while the

picker is picking the items. “All the picker has to do is scan the items inside the totes

to check that they have been picked correctly,” he said, adding that Capgemini is

seeing take-up of this technology particularly in automotive spares companies in

Germany at the moment. Wilson believes the warehousing industry is going to see a

growth in augmented reality technology. “The reason for that is with the amount of

pressure on cost people will be looking very aggressively at how to do things that

can reduce operating costs,” he said.

Andreas Finken, president of topVOX US, managing director at topVOX UK, also

believes augmented reality technology in the warehouse had a bright future. He

commented: “…when this technology is embraced it is clear that there is huge

opportunity here and we already have live operations where these technologies are

combined and delivering very real benefits to customers around the globe.” He

added that only a year ago they were not really viable for full-shift operations.

Vuzix Corporation, one of the leading suppliers of video eyewear and smart glasses

products, recently announced that Ubimax, a leading supplier for industrial wearable

computing solutions, has integrated its wearable apps xPick for pick-by-vision and

xAssist for remote service running on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform with direct

support for Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses. With the pick-by-vision solution xPick for

manual order picking, incoming, outgoing and sorting of goods, as well as inventory

processes, Ubimax's customers are reportedly achieving performance improvements

of up to 30 per cent in their productive environments. A number of international

customers such as Daimler and DHL are already using Ubimax's wearable solutions

on smart glasses including Vuzix.

Augmented reality in the warehouse and distribution centre has the potential to be

one of the big technology growth areas over the next year or two. I’m sure this

theme will be revisited many times over the coming editions of this journal as an

increasing number of AR implementation success stories begin to unfold.

Augmenting reality in the warehouse

Ed HoldenEditor

October 2015 ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS


Manufacturing and Logistics IT October 2015The European magazine promoting the effectiveuse of IT in supply chain applications

Editor:

Ed Holden

Contributors:

Philip Jarrett, BEC

Anton du Preez, Voiteq

Darrel Williams, Vocollect Solutions, Honeywell

Publisher:

Dean Taylor

Designer:

First Sight Graphics Ltd,www.firstsightgraphics.com

Production:

Carolyn Pither

Circulation:

Carole Chiesa

IT Manager:

Ian Curtis

Accounts:

Sarah Schofield

Published by:B2B Publishing LtdPO Box 3575,Barnet, Herts, EN5 9QD UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1707 664200Email (publishing):[email protected] (editorial): [email protected]

Printed by: The Magazine Printing Company plc,www.magprint.co.uk

No part of this publication may be reproduced in anyform without written permission from the publishers.No liability is accepted for any action arising fromthe contents of this publication; readers are advisedto check any manufacturer’s or supplier’s claim forproducts. The publishers do not endorse opinionsexpressed in any article by an outside contributor.While every care is taken over photographs andillustrations, which are returned when requested,no liability can be assumed by the publishers forthe loss of such materials.

ISSN:1463-1172

October 2015ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS

CONTENTSInterview

5 EMS Physio

Special Technology Report

8 Voice/Warehouse Management Systems

Warehouse Management

20 2XL says ‘yes’ to customer demands with best-of-breed WMS ‘IBS Dynaman’

The Cotswold Company polishes its warehouse operation with the help of Snapfulfil

Vanderlande: A vision built for the future

Ergonomic Solutions launches SpacePole Essentials for the Warehouse & Distribution sector

Voice

28 topVOX Lydia runs swimmingly at J&K Aquatics

BEC: Pushing back the frontiers

BCP: Creed Foodservice boosts performance with Accord Voice WMS

Zebra Technologies: Voice and multi-modal technology – the perfect combination

Voiteq: Planning and executing for omnichannel success

Vocollect Solutions, Honeywell: Achieving greater productivity and higher morale

in the warehouse

Planning

44 Simatic IT Preactor: Taking planning and scheduling to the next level

Supply Chain

48 DynaSys: Planning has become the cornerstone at G.H. Mumm

October 2015 5ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICSwww.logisticsit.com

EMS Physio Interview

Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with James Greenham, managing director ofEMS Physio, about how its IT estate helps to ensure the company’s sales, manufacture

and support regime runs as efficiently and reliably as possible.

The right treatment

EMS Physio is family-owned

business that manufactures

electronic physiotherapy

equipment. Established some 91

years ago, the company’s 17,000

ft.² headquarters and manufacturing facility is

in Wantage in Oxfordshire, where it employs

28 full-time members of office, factory and

warehouse personnel as well as temporary

staff. As well as enjoying a successful home

market, EMS Physio exports approximately 70

per cent of its products around the world. “In

essence, we are a typical small to medium-

sized manufacturing business with everything

under one roof,” said James Greenham, EMS

Physio’s managing director.

CRM

From an IT perspective, the company’s full

range of administrative, financial, human

resources, manufacturing and field service

activities are fully catered for. Over the past

few years, the company has run two separate

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

databases with the same customer

information; one for the Service team and the

other for Sales & Marketing. However, as

Greenham explained, the past couple of

months have seen the company migrate both

databases from Act into Clik. “The rationale

behind both teams operating from the same

CRM database is they can access customer

information from the same core piece of

data,” said Greenham. “Because the

migration has only very recently taken place

there will naturally be a short period of data

cleansing and de-duping for the next month

or so. However, this will be very minor as both

historic databases have always held

essentially the same information.

Nevertheless, this latest move will be more of

a guarantee of uniform data across both

departments. Staff can now more easily

segment, prioritise, target and identify

different customer groups by categories such

as geography, product order and customer

profile etc.”

Online shop

EMS Physio also operates an online shop. The

main website comprises a Wordpress

ecommerce package, together with a

Wordpress plug-in called WooCommerce.

This manages the company’s product listing,

pricing, sales coupons and offer codes etc.

“Two or three years ago I thought very few

people would order our products on the

Internet,” said Greenham. “These products

retail for around £1000 including VAT and for

something in this price range customers have

historically preferred to have a sales person

visit them and give a demonstration in the

traditional way. However, we are definitely

seeing a gradual move towards people

buying equipment directly from the website.

This mode of sale is still easily managed by

us in the sense that the volumes are not high

when compared with lower-cost products, or

the type of output one might expect from a

tier 1-size company.”

Another major sales advantage for the

company is its global network of distributors.

“We have about 35 dealers around the world,”

explained Greenham. “Many of them are

exclusive to us, so, for example, our dealer in

Canada works solely for us in that territory. If

customers visit the website to buy equipment

from Canada we simply redirect them to our

Canadian dealer. We can manage this

arrangement very well based on our own

knowledge of the market and type of the sales

volumes we have come to expect.”

Manufacturing

On the manufacturing side, EMS Physio’s

MRP system of choice is Uniplan, developed

by Pinnula based in Sheffield. “It’s a package

that is bespoke for our particular

requirements, although the basic solution is

‘off the shelf’,” said Greenham. “Uniplan

James Greenham: “…being able torespond globally to constant demandfrom customers and business partnerswith our relatively small team is critical.”

6 ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS www.logisticsit.com

installed the system for us a number of years

ago and it has proved to be a reliable and

efficient IT resource for us.”

The Uniplan system encompasses both the

business and operational side of the

business. On the business side it helps EMS

Physio to manage customer invoicing,

accounts, sales and purchase ledgers and

salary payments. It is also involved with

goods dispatch. On the manufacturing side

the company can schedule and pre-plan

works orders, and control stock levels in

terms of what needs to be replenished and

what volume of components needs to be

stored in line with anticipated customer

demand. EMS Physio also manages goods

dispatch through Uniplan.

Greenham pointed out that the Uniplan MPR

system is used by most people within the

business at some stage or other; whether in

terms of front-end customer invoicing or

planning or scheduling works orders by

components of equipment from EMS Physio’s

own suppliers. When customers place an order

through the website they pay online. EMS

Physio then takes that order and inputs it

separately into its MRP system to process the

sales order. The MRP system is not directly

linked directly to the company’s online shop.

“Of course, we can also take orders over the

phone, by post or by email – whichever

method is used we then feed this information to

Uniplan in order to fulfil the order and dispatch

the goods to the customer,” said Greenham.

Pinnula sends regular upgrades by email or

remotely updates the system. “Pinnula has a

business-day working help line and as and

when required its staff can make

modifications to the system make

improvements – for example, if there is any

general operation issues or if the functionality

needs to be adjusted,” explained Greenham.

“We simply ring up the helpline and the issue

is resolved within a very short timeframe.”

As well as quickly resolving all MRP issues

remotely, Pinnula also comes on-site to

conduct annual training sessions. “One of our

main IT challenges is when we take on new

staff, because many of them are likely not to

have used Uniplan before,” said Greenham.

“Therefore, we need to make sure they are

adequately trained on the system. However,

because the system is quite intuitive this

process usually doesn’t take long and staff

are actively using the system as effectively as

their longer-serving colleagues after the

training has taken place.”

Like many other businesses in all sectors,

EMS Physio uses Microsoft Office Excel,

Outlook and Word. “These applications are all

fully integrated with the MRP system, allowing

staff to regularly update information into

Uniplan and to migrate data from Uniplan to

Word or Excel,” explained Greenham. “Some

of our newer members of staff are more able

to use an ODBC link whereby we can specify

the data fields from Uniplan. These are then

October 2015

Interview EMS Physio


migrated to, for example, an Excel

spreadsheet.”

Field service

EMS Physio has two full-time salespeople and

four service engineers out on the road.

Greenham explained that they are all

equipped with HTC1 smartphones, which are

used for emailing and to access back-office

CRM or MRP data in the field. “These mobile

devices have proved highly effective for

accessing customer data remotely,” he said.

“As long as our sales and service personnel

can get online through a local Wi-Fi hub they

can access our server. They are now also

required to remotely update the customer

database we have within the Clik CRM

system. For example, after visiting a customer

at a clinic in, say, Bicester, they will update

the system; recording details of the visit such

as what equipment the customer currently

uses and how they plan to manage that

customer moving forward in terms of repair or

replacement of the equipment.” In terms of

accessing data in Uniplan, Greenham

explained the software links through an ODBC

link with Excel to help field service personnel

manage and understand that data.

“We have had a couple of instances where

staff have wanted to bring in their own laptop

and use it for their daily business tasks,”

added Greenham. “However, I’m not entirely

happy with that scenario because of the data

control element. We have to know that the

data they are managing is all part of our

single source of up-to-date information, as

well as be confident that the devices are as

secure as possible.”

Printing technology

In terms of printing technology, three years

ago EMS Physio had several individual

desktop printers situated throughout the

factory and offices linked to people’s

individual computers. “This meant we spent a

small fortune on printer ink each year,”

remembered Greenham. “However, we have

now linked all the computers to one central

high quality photo copier, printer, fax and

scanning machine – an Ineo 224e. The return

on investment in print savings alone has

justified the outlay.”

Cloud Computing

EMS Physio also looks to leverage the

advantages of the Cloud. “Our CRM server was

rebuilt about six months ago, and this is now

backed up daily in the Cloud,” Greenham

pointed out. “The CRM system is managed in

the Cloud so everybody within the office or out

in the field has access to it through the Internet.

When you run a business every minute counts

of course so when you are reliant to some

extent on Cloud-based applications the weak

link could be the broadband speed. Fortunately

for us, BT recently upgraded our business park

to fibre broadband. As soon as this was

installed we really started to appreciate the

value of the Cloud.”

Game-changer

Greenham reflected that current IT

technology has positively changed the way

EMS Physio operates as a business. “From a

front-end point of view we export globally to

customers in Europe, Asia, Australia,

Canada, Africa and the Middle East who

contact us 24 hours a day usually by email.

The challenge for our business is to be able

to respond those emails within 24 hours

because most people now use smart devices

and expect a very swift response to their

emails etc. So, being able to respond

globally to constant demand from customers

and business partners with our relatively

small team is critical. We have been in

business for a long time and, as you would

expect, we have members of staff who

remember relying on Telex and fax machines.

It doesn’t seem so long ago that a fax

machine was the quickest means of sending

a written message around the world.

Nowadays we can all do this on our mobile

phone or on Twitter. So the speed with which

you have to respond has increased

significantly in line with the technological

advances we have seen in recent times.”

The value of face-to-face contact

However, despite the benefits and

expectations that come with modern mobile

technology, Greenham still recognises the

value of meeting people face to face in order

to forge stronger business relationships.

“Meeting dealers face-to-face, often at some

of the big global medical exhibitions, makes

things so much easier when you then

communicate with them via electronic

technology. Non-remote human interaction

can definitely make a difference.”

Moving forward

Are there any plans for additional IT

enhancements within the business? “The next

logical IT step for us is to link the front-end

customer ordering experience with our back-

end manufacturing operations,” said

Greenham. “So, over the next two to three

years we plan to merge these so that orders

that are placed online can be fed directly to

the factory floor.”

Greenham concluded: “Over the past few

years, we’ve seen some major technological

changes, and most of these have been very

positive for our business. However, I believe

first and foremost it is important to remember

that you are dealing with people with their

own specific requirements. Therefore, we see

technology primarily as the facilitator that

makes it easier for us to communicate with

those people and to serve them in the best

and most efficient way possible.” n

EMS Physio Interview

As well as enjoying a successful homemarket, EMS Physio exportsapproximately 70 per cent of itsproducts around the world.


Special Report Voice/Warehouse Management Systems

Some of the most dynamic and

fast-changing technology areas

have to be the ones deployed in

warehouse and distribution centre

operations – helping companies

to better serve increasingly demanding

consumer expectations while also aiming to

improve business profitability. So, what are

some of the key discussion points in terms of

current and ongoing innovations and

developments within this space? Bob Heaney,

research director, principal analyst – retail &

consumer markets at Aberdeen Group,

observes that omni-channel is a major current

trend. “The web is now much more prevalent

as an ordering mechanism,” he said. “If a

customer places an order through an e-

commerce site typically there is now often a

one- to two-day delivery expectation. So, if I

have work that is flowing out into my distribution

centre that has been batched up prior to these

orders coming through I’ve now got to

determine where I’m going to insert those extra

orders into the flow throughout the day.”

Heaney continued: “Typically, any company

handling a reasonably high volume of products

is already going to be using some form of

picking waves and replenishment waves where

the day is broken up into, say, two-hour

sections of work. When one wave completes

the next one queues up etc. With RF and Voice

you have the capability to in some cases insert

new orders directly into the current pick waves,

depending on where the worker is. We call this

task interleaving.”

Heaney explained that there are other advanced

techniques – within the picking process, for

instance – that also demand more interactive

communication with the actual worker. “For

example, there is something we refer to as

cluster picking, whereby workers can pick to a

batch cart or pick to light system,” he said. “It’s

not discrete order picking necessarily; it’s about

picking multiple carts. Therefore there’s a little bit

more interaction as workers pick an item, scan it,

use the Voice mechanism to indicate the pick

has been completed, and as they move through

the instructions the next ones queue up on their

device or they receive a verbal instruction on

their Voice system to proceed to the next. So by

having a way of communicating in near real-time

with workers you are able now to address some

of the more event-driven needs.”

Steve Wilson, vice president, practice lead –

operational excellence at Capgemini, considers

that one key talking point is driving rugged

proactivity from WMS controlled operations.

“That’s really coming about because of price

stagnation or price deflation in retail, which is

putting pressure on cost,” he said. “And now

with the living wage there’s an increased level of

pressure being put on the cost base, which has

meant that there’s a renewed focus on how to

get that cost back under control.”

Wilson explained there are now tools available

that allow productivity management at an

individual level. “These tools are integrated with

the key warehouse management systems,” he

said. “For example JDA RedPrairie has a tool

called Workforce Management which connects

to its WMS, and Manhattan has one called

Labour Management, which also connects to its

WMS. These tools are very good at capturing the

transactional data off of the WMS and allowing it

to be analysed and validated against

productivity standards in quite some detail down

to individuals and groups. That allows many

clients to manage productivity at a different level

to the way they’ve managed it in the past.”

The second main trend Wilson is seeing involves

the integration of store replenishment and e-

commerce into a single operation. He explained:

“The purpose of this is primarily to drive a single

stock pool; i.e. one location that contains all of

the inventory in a logical way so that if it’s

needed for e-commerce it can be sent to e-

commerce customers, or if it’s needed for the

replenishment to store it can be used for

replenishment to store. In the more traditional

model e-commerce stock tends to be separated

logically from retail stock and therefore either you

could end up with

lower availability or

with more

stockholding to cover

the availability. Neither

of these scenarios are

particularly good

business outcomes.”

What it now taking

place, according to

Wilson, is that some

retailers use WMS to

Voice of reasonin the warehouse Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke to a number of key spokespeople from the vendor andanalyst communities about recent developments in the world of Voice-directed software and hardwareand warehouse management systems – including those involving mobility, Cloud/SaaS and Big Data.

Andy Briggs, technicaldirector,

www.logisticsit.com



pick both e-

commerce and store

replenishment at the

same time and from

the same location and

same stock pool. “This

gives them better

availability at lower

overall levels of

inventory,” he said,

“and because of the

huge growth in Click

& Collect that’s

become more and

more important because a lot of Click & Collect

parcels are picked in the warehouse and then

they are put onto the same replenishment

vehicle that is going to the stores because it’s

much more cost-effective than putting them on

the carrier. Consequently, it makes sense to try

to pick them in the same warehouses where

they’ve picked the store replenishment work.”

The third key trend Wilson is seeing is where a

number of retailers in Europe have started to use

augmented reality technology for picking. He

explained: “With Voice, workers have the

commands coming into their ear, but there is

now software available that allows the picker to

wear augmented reality glasses that include an

earpiece – so it offers the benefits of Voice, but

on top of that workers can see the instructions on

a small screen in the eyepiece. They still have

two free hands and it allows workers potentially

to pick more quickly than if they were picking

with Voice or handhelds.

Also, explained Wilson, a camera on the front of

the glasses allows barcode scanning and quality

checking – so it can check the accuracy of the

pick while the picker is picking it. “All the picker

has to do is scan the items inside the totes to

check that they have been picked correctly,” he

said. “We are seeing take-up of this technology

particularly in automotive spares companies in

Germany at the moment. Providers currently

offering this technology include Ubimax and

Vuzix.”

Happy marriageEd Spotts, senior ERP consultant for Panorama,

considers that if ever a need existed to marry

two technologies, it is warehouse management

systems and Voice recognition solutions. “Even

in highly automated warehouses, the warehouse

worker is frequently called on to move objects,

large or small,” he said. “In more manual

warehouses, the typical warehouse worker often

wears heavy gloves and moves heavy boxes.

For that same person to then turn to a computer,

even a rugged handheld device, requires the

worker to stop the work they were doing, focus

on the device, and enter or scan data into the

warehouse management system. The appeal of

Voice recognition systems is that they free the

worker’s hands and arms. If the worker can

communicate to the warehouse management

system through speaking the hands of the

warehouse person can continue to conduct the

warehouse work without the interruption of typing

or scanning information into a computer.”

Bart Riviere, business development director for

speech solutions at Zebra Technologies, points

out that Zebra has seen an increase in multi-

modal Voice picking – both hardware and

software elements. “Devices with easier-to-read

screens and more intuitive interfaces using the

latest operating systems will also make it easier

to support multi-modal devices and provide

greater rewards,” he commented. Riviere added

that Zebra has a large portfolio of Android

devices such as Android versions of the MC92,

MC32 and the all touch TC75. “Going forward,

we will see more capabilities for supporting

Android in the warehouse and linking to Voice

picking from Zebra,” he said.

Riviere also sees a growing interest for non-

proprietary solutions that can be opened up and

more easily managed. Additionally, he sees a

key user need in having Voice solutions that

require zero training. “This is especially important

for seasonal workers but also for reducing re-

training requirements for all workers,” he

explained, adding that a key enabler in this

regard is the growing capabilities of speaker

independent systems.

Anton du Preez, group sales director for Voiteq,

is seeing an increase in the use of Voice beyond

picking. This, he says, is something that has

been talked about for a number of years, but the

rate of uptake has accelerated. “This is being

driven by the maturity and breadth of product

integration and pressure on warehouses to use

their existing assets to drive additional cost

savings,” he remarked.

In terms of other key developments, du Preez

points out that quality ‘screen to Voice’ solutions

– which take the text prompts displayed on

handheld terminal screens to be translated into

Voice and which then enter the user’s spoken

responses back into the screen – have enabled

companies with legacy systems or limited IT

resource to implement Voice into a range of

warehouse processes. du Preez also comments

that new commercial models – including

Subscription and Software as a Service (SaaS) –

are becoming popular with companies that have

Capex constraints but want to get the benefits of

Voice today.

In addition, du Preez explains that retail and

FMCG companies – driven by omni-channel,

convenience retail and changing retailer order

profiles – are having to manage more case and

piece picking to even tighter deadlines.

Business intelligenceBusiness intelligence and predictive analytics

(now often revered to as Big Data) are also

attracting a lot of interest from Voiteq customers,

explains du Preez. “They want clear, actionable

visibility of their operations and want their

systems to predict and manage issues before

they occur,” he said. “Our Voice solutions have

always captured low-level process data and

we’re now using this data to provide higher-level

visibility and control of the operation.”

Vision-based systems are being talked about

and are something that Voiteq has trialled with

customers. However, du Preez considers that

they have a number of challenges still to

overcome before they will be viable alternatives

to current, proven technologies.

Andy Briggs, technical director for BEC,

considers that one of the main current key

discussion points is the spread of Voice

applications, i.e. not just for picking but for doing

every task within the warehouse using Voice to

get the best out of a company’s technological

investment and the solution as a whole. “Door-to-

door Voice applications – as well as picking –

can include dispatch, stock counting, quality

transactions, stock rotation and stock control, i.e.

any movement or transaction which can be done

Gavin Clark,commercial director,

www.logisticsit.comOctober 201510 ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS


should be done with Voice as it has so many

advantages,” he explained.

Andreas Finken, president of topVOX US,

managing director topVOX UK, reflects that there

are always new developments in WMS and

Voice. He commented: “And because of the way

technology is moving forward it is important for

us as a Voice solutions provider to be very

adaptable to these changes in a way that will

maintain performance of the Voice system itself

and also to add real benefit to the end user.”

Finken added that with the ever increasing

speeds and reliability of high-speed Internet

worldwide, the increasing interest in SaaS/Cloud,

topVOX continues to provide and enhance its

Voice as a Service offerings in line with these

trends; something it has continued to do for a

number of years.

Additionally, with the movement to lower-cost

highly flexible mobile OS such as android and

iOS, Finken believes it is essential for both WMS

and Voice providers to not only move with this

technology but also to allow customers flexibility

in transition between platforms. “So for topVOX it

has been a key priority to move with these

developments, and not just to enable our

technology to work on these platforms but also to

allow customers the flexibility to be able to

transition between them at a pace that suits their

needs rather than an overnight transition.” This,

he explains, is why topVOX has developed its

Lydia speech solution to work on all of these

platforms while also being able to mix and match

them in the same operation so that they do not

have to change their hardware overnight but

rather be able to pace their investment.

Finken adds that there is huge growth in the

number of e-commerce operations, many of

which have grown

from small one-person

operations starting a

business in the

person’s house,

growing into the

garage then into a

small business unit

with a small number of

staff. Finken explains

that a key area of

focus for topVOX is to

work and engage with

as many of these growing operations as

possible; many of whom need help to manage

and control their costs and also to improve

efficiency and accuracy in order to grow into

major companies. “We have a few of these types

of operations where growth has been

phenomenal and we are very proud to have

been a part of that growth,” he said.

Finken also points out that there has been a lot of

development regarding augmented reality

technology, such as smart glasses. “This is an

area where there is huge growth potential and

can be seen as a potential threat to Voice

solutions,” he said. “However, when this is

embraced it is clear that there is huge

opportunity here and we already have live

operations where these technologies are

combined and delivering very real benefits to

customers around the globe, which only a year

ago were not really viable for full-shift

operations.”

Darrel Williams, region director, Northern Europe,

Vocollect Solutions, Honeywell, considers that

Voice is now firmly established and recognised

as the optimum work interface for delivering

productivity and accuracy benefits in the

warehouse. The most interesting change he sees

today over previous years is the

acknowledgement of this fact by WMS and ERP

vendors who have adopted Voice as a value-

added mechanism to their offerings.

“Understanding that a seamless delivery of all

types of instructions to the worker is paramount

to achieving today’s warehouse challenges has

led the WMS community to offer Voice-ready

systems in much the same way that barcodes

were adopted over 20 years ago,” he said.

Williams believes the trend and differentiation is

now more about the scope of the Voice offering

rather than the availability. This, he maintains, is

driven into even sharper focus with the need for

business agility driven by surge in omni-channel

and click and collect type operations. “Late

ordering for next-day delivery, for example, relies

heavily on timely execution of work instructions –

doing job right first time in good time to meet

demand and greater visibility of order progress,

whether click and collect, timed or next day

deliveries,” he said.

Bill Tomasi, VP product management at IBS,

comments that because the WMS market in

general has evolved well into the maturation

cycle, the key topics in IBS’s discussions with

customers haven’t changed substantially over

the past 10 years or so – but the focus on the

details behind the questions has. He added: “For

example, customers have long recognised the

need for real-time visibility into operations within

their fulfilment facilities (and indeed no WMS

solutions provider can exist nowadays without

this functionality). However, more recently the

discussions have focused on the format of

retained information, faster and easier retrieval of

this information, and intuitive UI (user interface)

design approaches. All of these drive not only

end user productivity but also are imperative with

the new government regulations being placed on

businesses.”

Gavin Clark, commercial director at Snapfulfil,

observes that Software as a Service (SaaS)

continues to gain traction, not only with the

company’s traditional SMB customer base who

are embracing the Cloud as a competitive

differentiator, but also among Enterprise

companies who have fixed IT budgets and are

adopting SaaS solutions to help subsidiaries

accelerate speed to value.

Real-time managementinformation

What has driven these developments? Martin

Eppert, product manager for Vanderlande,

believes one key driver is the requirement for

real-time management information. “Presenting

the right information to warehouse managers in

an appropriate way, whenever they would like to

see it, is still a hot topic in WMS development,”

he said, adding that this will increase visibility

over warehouse processes. Eppert also

considers that dashboards are becoming more

prevalent, combining WMS and process

information from the system; for example the

lower control levels due to automation. This, he

explains, enables supervisors to make the most

of available resources and reduce costs within

the entire logistical process.

Another key driver for change, according to

Eppert, is the continuous growth of ecommerce.

He commented: “The e-commerce market

continues to influence WMS developments.

Orders are becoming smaller while lead-times

Anton du Preez,group sales director,


are getting shorter. In addition, same-day

deliveries are on the rise. The number of SKUs in

a warehouse is also growing. Distribution centres

need to be able to support multi-channel

processes, which increases the overall

operational complexity. WMS has to support

these developments with suitable planning and

scheduling functionalities to maintain warehouse

efficiency. Consumers expect to be informed in

more detail – and at short notice – about the

delivery status of their order. Therefore, the WMS

of the future has to support increasing track and

trace demands.”

Eppert believes the increasing demand for

ergonomic working environments is also a

pertinent subject. “This can be achieved through

a combination of user-friendly interfaces and

optimised workstations,” he said. “Enhanced

working conditions have a positive impact on

both the motivation of operators and their

performance while reducing absenteeism due to

sickness. An ergonomic and user-friendly

interface also requires shorter learning curves for

employees, which is especially important in

dynamic workforce environments.”

In Eppert’s view, the experience for customers is

also crucial. “Online reviews and easy ordering

procedures mean there are many factors to

consider in ensuring consumer satisfaction,” he

said. “To facilitate this, same-day deliveries, at

the lowest cost, with zero errors in order

fulfilment are essential. Also store-friendly

deliveries can help turn this trend into a solution,

allowing for shelves to be replenished quickly,

while reducing ‘out of stock’ notifications to

customers. This requires distribution centres to

reassess their processes and look for ways of

optimising their supply chain. Important

decisions need to be made relating to the entire

logistical process. For example, in altering the

stacking pattern of a delivery pallet to match the

unpacking sequence of a certain store, the

individual layout of the shop must be taken into

account within the WMS.”

As a result of the factors he cited above, Eppert

maintains there is a trend towards the automation

of more warehouse processes. “This will not only

reduce running costs, but also increase process

quality and facilitate short order throughput

times,” he said. “A state-of-the-art WMS has to

support this in a very efficient way.”

Chris Pass, consultant for BCP, believes some of

the key drivers are transparency and rigorous

fulfilment procedures to accommodate the

demands of the multi/omni-channel market. He

commented: “The warehouse management

system must be able to handle orders of all sizes

– from single items to more substantial orders –

from a myriad of different sources, alongside a

much wider choice of delivery options – plus the

flexibility to mix and match those options in

whatever combination the customer demands.

Key to success is business-wide transparency –

stock availability, stock location, delivery data

and the whole spectrum of orders that are being

placed – through all channels – and using that

information, alongside accurate forecasting,

sophisticated pricing matrices and rigorous

fulfilment operations to deliver a seamless omni-

channel experience for customers at a cost

which is economical for the business. That’s

where truly integrated systems come in.”

Pass also observes that the new Alcohol

Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) is

shining a new light on Bonded warehousing as

alcohol wholesalers of all sizes have to check

compliancy with regulations. He said: “This

process does seem to be raising awareness of

the cash flow and administration benefits that

can flow from setting up a Bonded facility;

benefits which are magnified if they are also

involved in exporting activities. Voice technology

is an ideal tool for running a Bonded warehouse,

with its unmatched traceability capabilities –

provided it has been

thoughtfully designed

into the solution.”

Clark reflects that, in

the past, companies

wanting to streamline

their warehousing

operations had two

choices: a low-cost

solution – often their

ERP’s WMS – at the

expense of the

sophisticated

functionality required

to support a truly

efficient warehousing operation, or an on-premise

Tier 1 WMS with far greater ‘fit for purpose’ but

with a lengthy implementation process and

enormous price tag to match. Clark believes

Cloud computing and SaaS models are bridging

this gap, providing an affordable way for

companies to benefit from a best-in-breed WMS.

Williams believes ecommerce, changing buying

profiles and online availability mean that the

warehouse is increasingly under pressure to

perform in new and varied ways. “Often we find

that a warehouse or warehouse worker is now

the last (or only) touch point before the consumer

and is almost totally responsible for brand image

and customer satisfaction,” he said. “Get an

order wrong and both of these are affected with

the potential to lose a customer forever.”

Riviere considers that increased pressure on

warehouse and logistics in general has been

driven by ecommerce, and the evolving supply

chain means warehouses need to cope with

increasing demands; including more SKUs,

greater returns and stock visibility. “This has

meant that warehouses and DCs need to

continue to evolve to increase accuracy and

efficiency,” he said. As a result, Riviere pointed

out that Zebra customers have very much driven

these changes to meet these underlying needs:

• Non-proprietary hardware to increase

flexibility.

• Speaker independent systems to reduce

training requirements and also grow the

capabilities of these systems, which, claims

Riviere, are now outperforming speaker-

dependent ones.


Andreas Finken,president of topVOX US,managing director UK,

www.logisticsit.com

October 201512 ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS www.logisticsit.com


According to du Preez, key drivers for change

include the omni-channel; the growth of

convenience retail and lean retailer initiatives

have resulted in warehouses having to handle

smaller orders and make more frequent

deliveries. “This, in turn, has increased the need

for handling cases and eaches, which is where

Voice excels at providing an accurate and

efficient process,” he said.

IntegrationHave ways of best integrating WMS and/or

Voice-directed systems with other systems

developed to any notable extent over the past

year or two? Finken believes this question

depends on the customer organisations and

what they want. He commented: “If they want to

have a system that can add functionality then a

database and middleware can do this. If they

want a direct real-time connection to their host

system then there are many ways that this can

happen depending on their host system. A

database, telegram, html or .NET type of

communication can do this. If they want total

freedom to develop their own system changes

then training them to do this and providing a

development kit and support would be

appropriate.”

Riviere considers that integration of Voice and

WMS is quite stable today. “However, Zebra

has added more support for faster and easier

integration over the past few years,” he

pointed out.

Andy Briggs points out that BEC has various

integrations into all the major ERPs (SAP, Oracle,

Infor, Dynamix, IFS & many others). “There is no

need for bespoke

development to add

Voice to a business’s

ERP system – we

have proven

technology

connectors,” he said.

Wilson thinks things

have become

increasingly

standardised in the

sense that most of the

packages now have

standard connectors

to the leading ERP systems. “That makes the

whole process easier, however this is not

something that is in my view plug and play at this

point,” he said. “This is because an ERP

normally is a configured solution, so the specific

way a company has set up its ERP solution can

have an impact on how the interfacing works.

That’s why there has always been a degree of

tailoring required to make the interfaces work.

Nevertheless, it is now a much easier process

than it used to be because a lot of the integration

is more standardised – it’s now more a case of

tailoring rather than building from scratch.”

Eppert has observed a strong trend towards

adopting responsive, near real-time interfaces

such as web services, over the more

conventional and less reactive batch-oriented

communication methods. “This allows for closer

process integration; for example, being able to

automatically print and add a delivery note – or

invoice – and shipping label reflecting the latest

pick results and parcel weights,” he explained.

Eppert added that customers are becoming

more aware of the value of their software

solutions and, moreover, the risks involved if they

do not work as expected. “Therefore, integration

tests of a new system within the customer’s

existing IT network have become more

important,” he said. “To test whether integration

will be effective before the software goes live a

special test environment is established. This

includes remote connections that mimic the

dynamic behaviour of the existing material

handling system. More customers are

participating in this test phase, which gives them

an excellent opportunity to receive training on

their new system and prepare for a smooth

commissioning phase.”

Eppert also makes the point that the world of

logistics still requires a flexible and adaptive

software solution that integrates smoothly into a

customer’s existing IT systems. “Choosing an

application with a set of predefined, best

practice integration scenarios, omits risks and

reduces costs in WMS projects,” he said.

Heaney makes the point that the price-point for

Voice is now lower and integration within WMS

has become simpler over the past few years. “I

am and industrial engineer by training and in the

days when I was looking at Voice versus RF and

other capabilities the price point wasn’t right,” he

remembered. “Also, Voice could be more

disruptive to the ebb and flow of the primary

WMS system and not very easy to interface, and

the devices themselves tended to be more

proprietary. Today, with the advent of the

smartphones and newer ways of engaging with

the worker, Voice systems are much more

integrated and most can plug and play with any

device you might already have. It is now easier

to justify and to leverage Voice across your entire

enterprise.”

According to Tomasi, the current trend in inter-

solution communications is to generate open

and transparent communication layers. “This

trend results in easier, faster, and less expensive

integration as more and more companies adopt

technological standards and publish their

interface requirements,” he remarked.

Spotts considers that in some ways integrating

the Voice-directed system with the WMS is

straightforward. “Because of the real-time nature

of Voice-directed systems, using middleware

may not be effective – a direct integration may

be the best choice,” he remarked. The good

news, according to Spotts, is that if a direct

interface is written between the WMS and the

Voice-directed system, the quantity and variety

of data exchanged will likely be very predictable

and limited in scope. “That is because the

transactions conducted by the Voice-directed

system must be limited in order to maintain its

accuracy and speed,” he said.

Bob Heaney, researchdirector, principalanalyst – retail &

consumer markets,



Pass argues that integrating Voice into WMS

continues to be more challenging than is often

represented by middleware providers “who

simply aim to bolt Voice hardware onto an

existing WMS”. In Pass’s view, a totally

integrated Voice WMS still, in general, offers

more functionality while being more robust and

less risky. “It’s important to appreciate that Voice

is now a mature technology with customers

much more aware of the potential benefits it can

deliver and the need to integrate it fully and

sensitively to other business systems if those

benefits are to be realised,” he said. “This

applies equally, whether it be a Warehouse

Execution System to Voice empowering an

existing WMS or a full Voice WMS interfacing to

other business systems.” The key, says Pass, is

to choose a supplier with a proven pedigree of

implementing Voice and a full understanding of

what is involved so that Voice can be made to

‘work for you’.

According to Clark, the main challenges when

integrating with existing business systems

usually rest with the ERP systems, as they are

often older versions and not configured for

connecting to external systems. He commented:

“The advances the vendors of these systems

have invested in have really made the difference,

allowing the use of real time web services, APIs

and other real-time transport methods. Obviously

the providers of WMS and Voice systems have

had to ensure they can accommodate as many

options as possible, providing flexible methods

for each new client system.”

Williams believes that, undoubtedly, more

business systems have wider ranging integration

to Voice systems than ever before. He adds that

Honeywell Vocollect solutions integrates with

over 200 business systems, often with several at

the same time, with the emphasis on seamless

integration to deliver the best performance

possible. “However, with the ever-changing

demands from the market there still remains the

need for functionally-rich applications or

middleware that is truly attuned to the business

in hand,” he said.

du Preez makes the point that, today, there is

a wider range of Voice integration options

than ever before. “The larger WMS vendors

have more deeply embedded Voice into their

latest versions and companies with older

versions now have access to high quality

screen-to-Voice solutions to voice-enable any

of their screen-based processes,” he said.

“There is still strong demand for Voice

warehouse execution systems that enhance

the lower level operational processes of

traditional WMS systems. For example,

Voiteq’s VoiceMan warehouse execution

system enabled Kellogg’s to realise a 40 per

cent productivity improvement by better

managing workload and pallet building using

Voice.”

According to du Preez, there is also growing

interest from SAP customers for Voice solutions

that connect directly to SAP and a number of

these solutions have gone live in the past 12

months in the UK and Europe – particularly as

the adoption of SAP’s Extended Warehouse

Management (EWM) grows.

SaaS and CloudHas the Software as a Service (SaaS)/Cloud

model had any notable level of impact on the

WMS and/or Voice-directed software solutions

market so far? du Preez comments that it is

first worth distinguishing how a Voice solution

is hosted and provided (which could be in the

Cloud) from the commercial model for

acquiring it (which could be pay-per-user-per-

month). He commented: “New commercial

models such as Subscription and SaaS were

accelerated in the economic downturn when

capital was hard to come by. Interestingly, the

appetite for these has not diminished now that

the economy is stronger.”

du Preez explains that Voiteq offers all three

hosting models: Cloud, data centre and on-

premise. “Primarily due to the mission-critical

nature of Voice systems, most of our customers

opt for high-availability deployments under their

control in data centres or at their warehouse

sites,” he said. “Examples of internet services

being unavailable, such as the recent Skype

outage, are often quoted by companies when we

speak to them about a pure Cloud service. The

cost and impact on customer service of a

picking system being unavailable for a few hours

is not something they’re willing to risk. That being

said, some of our larger customers have opted

for Cloud-like solutions (centrally hosted with a

browser user interface) in resilient data centres

that they can select

and hold to high

service levels.”

Eppert has seen few

notable requests for

a SaaS model so far.

“In the context of

automation projects,

WMS is seen as an

additional investment

to the traditionally

more expensive

equipment,” he said. Eppert has observed little

interest in a ‘public Cloud’ approach; however,

he has witnessed a greater focus on ‘private

Cloud’ solutions within small- to mid-size

systems warehouses. He commented: “The

benefits of Cloud-based approaches are well-

known: IT setup and maintenance costs are

reduced and the scalable nature of the solution

allows customers to respond quickly to

changing market needs, without compromising

response times.”

Going smallerSpotts reflects that publications often focus on

gigantic organisations with massive warehouses

and large information technology staffs. “In

today’s environment, there is a growing number

of small boutique and specialty retailers who

manufacture and warehouse their products,” he

said. “These organisations do not have the

resources to maintain an ERP or warehouse

management system. For a growing number of

such small- and even medium-sized businesses

a Cloud-based solution can be desirable.”

Spotts added that people often associate SaaS

with Cloud-based technology. “While SaaS

computing is almost certainly Cloud-based,

there are other Cloud-based models available,”

he pointed out. “SaaS implies that the business

does not own the software, and even more

concerning, it may be unclear as to who owns

the data. With Cloud-based systems, the

business owns the software and its data, and

merely pays the hosting organisation to

operate its system. Such solutions have proven

to be very cost-effective and relieve the need

for an organisation to have the deep skillsets

necessary to support an ERP or warehouse

management system.”

Chris Pass, consultant,

For real-time systems, such as Voice recognition,

and any kind of automated warehouse cranes

and material movement systems, Spotts

maintains that the controls continue to need to

be local for reliability and speed. “Even the direct

supervisory systems should be local to assure a

reliable, fast connection, but middle tier and ERP

level software is being moved to the Cloud more

and more frequently,” he said.

Heaney explains that many multimodal units

have the Voice engines and the software kernels

that drive most of the heavy activity on the

devices themselves. He commented: “They can

send messaging back to either the local host

servers for Voice or to the Cloud etc. So, by

decoupling where a lot of that heavy processing

is and then putting many cases right on the

device you are now able to support largely

Cloud-ready type operations.”

Heaney continued: “The same thing is true on

WMS. Today, there is a lot more bandwidth and

less latency between how quickly the systems

can receive information. In some cases we have

seen SaaS-based WMS providers actually doing

high-speed sortation where units pass by a

scanner at rates of 2000 to 3000 per minute. As

a result of that capability we are seeing many

more people opting for a solution that allows

them to leverage their WMS or their Voice system

etc. more in the Cloud and then take advantage

of a common system across their warehouses

facilities. Then, rather than having dedicated

servers and differences in how things are

implemented, they can take advantage of a

more common broad-brush solution that is easier

to maintain and also satisfy their needs.

Therefore, we are seeing the tendency for

people to start moving that way.”

Heaney added that,

particularly in the case

of new installations or

new facilities, this kind

of migration is starting

to happen. “There are,

however, companies

that are still tied to

their legacy systems

and to central

processing that

happens at the facility

itself,” he said. “This

often can make migration more difficult; so

instead of moving to the Cloud many companies

are moving to multi-modal open architecture

devices, such as Voice, which allows them to

deal with their everyday processes and event-

driven flows without necessarily needing to rip

out their legacy WMS.”

Finken thinks it is clear that SaaS models do

work and are growing. He commented: “There

are major strengths to this model as they

generally do not require large capital investment

and have flexible contract terms so it provides a

low risk option to companies providing they have

resilient and reliable connectivity. With the

massive growth over the last few years of mobile

communications I think there are some real

opportunities here.”

Tomasi believes SaaS is definitely becoming

more of a topic for discussion with customers as

they see the benefits. “I don’t believe we have

fully crossed the chasm and entered into the

Early Majority phase yet, but I see the market as

definitely trending in this direction,” he said.

“Much as we saw back in the 1990s when real-

time visibility crossed the chasm, we will see a

shift as some of the providers who failed to

adopt the prerequisite technological

underpinning fall to the wayside and new start-

up companies burst onto the scene. This is good

news for the WMS market in general as

historically these events drive the market

forward.”

According to Clark, the acceptance of SaaS

systems for CRM and ERP has opened the

floodgates for other pioneering system vendors

to create SaaS products that can stand shoulder

to shoulder with the established on-premise

solutions. “Increasingly, our SaaS WMS is being

evaluated alongside and chosen above on-

premise solutions and not simply because it is a

lower-cost option,” he said. “On this basis, we

predict that Cloud will overtake the popularity of

on-premise WMS within the foreseeable future.”

Pass explains that several of BCP’s Voice WMS

customers have been operating private Cloud

systems to manage multi-depot operations for

years, but BCP’s own research and experience

shows that customers prefer being able to see

their own hardware and control their own data.

“There’s still an inherent discomfort about the

data ownership issue which comes with the

SaaS/Cloud model,” he said.

Riviere comments that Zebra is seeing

increasing interest in SaaS as it is easier to

deploy and get up and running and offers a

different investment model for customers.

Williams points out that term ‘SaaS’ has been

around for many years, and its impact and

interpretation can vary widely depending on

one’s perspective. He commented: “To some it

means renting licensed software or pay to use,

to others it represents having a hosted system

that is run and managed by someone one else

and to yet another group it represents an

alternative cash flow profile.”

Williams adds that Honeywell Vocollect solutions

have been able to provide hosted or remote

systems for many years with a variety of

licensing models. “However in order to maximise

returns, Voice solutions often need to be


Bart Riviere, businessdevelopment directorfor speech solutions,

Special Report Planning/Forecasting/S&OP

configured, personalised or tuned to individual

requirements, so as to deliver the most

significant returns,” he said. “As such, the astute

client will usually invest in a solution that

differentiates him in his market, whilst delivering

an outstanding ROI, typically within a year. SaaS

remains an option for voice that stimulates

interest but doesn’t always deliver the best

results.”

Mobility Are mobility solutions having a greater impact or

influence on WMS and/or Voice-directed

solutions? Finken states that these are exactly

the sort of things that topVOX is developing and

deploying in augmented reality solutions now.

“This will extend not just within the warehouse

but also across the whole distribution chain,” he

said. “We are already seeing this happen and as

devices improve this will accelerate. We already

have many live systems not just in warehousing

and logistics but in healthcare, maintenance,

production and field service where these types

of hardware devices have made this possible.

Not only that, we also have several other

solutions that we have developed that are really

waiting for the hardware to catch up before we

can really deliver them. But it is happening.”

Heaney believes that, in today’s digital society,

we are becoming increasingly accustomed to

leveraging benefits of smartphones and

ecommerce etc. “For example, many consumers

now expect to be able place an order with

Amazon and receive it within a day or two, and

track and trace it on its delivery path,” he said.

“Consumers also expect to be able to easily and

quickly return unwanted goods. So we are

communicating needs fairly immediately and

getting statuses almost immediately. This

expectation of quicker delivery and traceability

also ripples into the workplace.”

According to Wilson, a growing number of

people who have the task of supervising the

pickers in the warehouse want to go out on the

floor with a tablet; bringing the supervisor layer

out of the office and to the operation. “Allowing

the WMS to display dashboards on a tablet

makes things much more convenient,” he said.

“One of our clients is in the process of piloting

this because that will mean the supervisor layer

is not tied to the desk. Through being able to see

dashboards on a tablet, supervision will be able

to be undertaken more effectively without

individuals having to go back to the office every

time they want to run a query.”

According to Pass, there is significant interest in

mobile devices at senior levels for management

of the warehouse, to quickly identify hotspots,

such as empty pick faces, for example, and in

the field to allow field sales staff to better service

customers with real-time information accessed

directly from the main system. However, he

believes there is no real movement in this

direction on a day-to-day operational basis

where it would only contravene the whole ‘hands

free, eyes free’ ethos that underlines Voice

technology in the warehouse. Nevertheless, with

the growing popularity of wearable technology,

and the rapid rate of technical innovation in this

area, Pass considers it is not unreasonable to

speculate that wearable mobile devices could

make inroads into the warehouse industry in the

not too distant future.

In Eppert’s view, mobile solutions are having a

big impact on WMS. “Recent innovations have

created a new world of opportunities and

improvements within warehouses,” he said. “For

example, if a service technician has to solve an

equipment-related issue, they benefit from

having all the relevant information on their mobile

device, such as a tablet. In addition, if they

require remote assistance, they can highlight the

problem with a mobile video camera while

discussing the situation with a specialist,

conceivably thousands of miles away (as per

Vanderlande’s EYE4U solution). As mobile

technology continues to evolve, we will see more

of these applications appear on the market. This

will help to improve the overall service level and

process continuity in warehouses.”

Eppert adds that being online is such a big part

of our personal lives that we expect to enjoy the

benefits of this in a professional capacity.

Alongside the easy to use applications, Eppert

makes the point that WMS provides accurate

information and reports, whenever it is required.

du Preez states that mobility has been core to

Voice solutions since their inception. “Mobile

access to the back-end systems that manage

mobile workers is a more recent development,

but demand is growing rapidly,” he said.

“Typically, managers

and supervisors want

the key information

and alerts pushed to

their mobile devices

with the ability to then

trigger actions in their

systems, even when

they’re away from their

desks. The

technologies to

enable this are well-

established and in

general the key areas of focus are data security,

making the information relevant and minimising

‘information overload’.”

Clark comments that the widespread use of

tablets and smartphones means all systems will

be developed to work on these platforms.

“Mobile Manager, our latest BI tool, will not only

be web-based to allow access anywhere, but will

also deploy native apps for iOS and Android

devices,” he explained.

According to Tomasi, mobility solutions are

impacting the WMS market in a two main areas:

Device selection and application development.

He commented: “On site, we see more

customers looking for alternatives to ruggedised

terminals and PC stations, and off-site more and

more companies are adopting a BYOD (bring

your own device) approach to technology, which

requires solutions to be either easily installed or

accessible through the web. Luckily,

development technologies like HTML5, reactive

screen designs, etc. are enabling software

providers to support a much wider range of

devices without additional investment in

development or support.”

Greater accessBriggs observes that the scope of people using

these mobile devices is changing; with more

people having access to information via

smartphones and tablets for reports and

dashboards while they are out and about/at

home – and more executive level personnel

using mobile devices than before.

Spotts considers that technology is benefitting

smaller and smaller companies. “How many

times have you been at a street fair and seen a


Ed Spotts, seniorERP consultant,


food wagon or a street seller collecting data off

of a phone or tablet mounted credit card

reader?” he said. “Smaller, inexpensive systems

allow small businesses to manage their inventory

and accounting with simple, affordable

technology. Benefits of inexpensive mobile

computing platforms don’t need to be limited to

small businesses. In the right environment in

large corporations, these inexpensive, versatile

devices can improve business efficiencies and

serve as data terminals, cameras, barcode

readers and – yes, of course – Voice recognition

systems. Because of the massive quantity of

such devices that are in use for personal and

business use, a great deal of technological

development has poured into making such

devices an integral part of day-to-day life.”

Williams believes mobile devices are de facto in

today’s world and interoperability should be the

norm. However, he adds that Voice enables end

users to do what their business requires of them

in the best possible way, rather than their being

encumbered by technology. “The trick is to

apply technology in the least invasive way to the

user, letting it assist rather than direct strategy,”

he said.

Riviere sees enabling mobile workers to make

real-time decisions based on actionable

intelligence as a major trend. “With the

development of technology and Voice-picking

solutions they provide greater access to data

and also data in real time through industrial

WLAN solutions,” he said. “This also links to the

key trend of increased mobility in the workplace.

By providing workers with real-time data through

handheld devices it can provide them with key

enterprise intelligence to enable them to make

key business decisions.”

Riviere explains that,

in the past,

warehouse operations

tended to look at

mobile devices as

one-size-fits-all.

“That’s no longer the

case,” he said.

“Today, with the

proliferation of

smarter, more

productive mobile

devices, the goal is to

make sure employees are using the right device

for the right task. Fixed and mobile printers

enable assets and inventory to be efficiently

tracked. Powerful, rugged single and multimodal

devices provide functionalities – from scanning

to tag reading to Voice picking and more – in a

variety of form factors such as handheld, vehicle-

mounted, wearable and hands-free mobile units.

Multimodal technology is rising in importance,

providing users with the ability to perform

multiple tasks on one device; for example, units

that combine scanning, Voice and text, with the

option of using Voice-only, text-only or

combination Voice and text for input.”

Big DataIs Big Data now having a notable effect on the

development, operation and benefits of WMS

and Voice? Wilson considers that if one thinks of

Big Data as collecting and using the pool of

detailed transactional data, then this is what the

workforce management applications he referred

to earlier do. He added: “It used to be that data

collected in the WMS was cleansed each night

and the following day the process would start

again. The results were posted into the ERP but

the actual transactional data wasn’t analysed in

any great depth and was regularly disposed of.

Most WMS solutions aren’t particularly designed

to be data storage devices, however there is

now a recognition that this data does have value

and is often exported into workforce or labour

management modules where it is held and

where there is then analysed. That can help

improve how workers are performing, so that’s

how I see Big Data applying to warehouse

operations. There is a lot of transactional data

available, but it’s really about getting the value

out of that data which companies are

increasingly keen to achieve. This wasn’t so

much the case two years ago.”

Clark makes the point that by combining different

sources of information, a sophisticated business

intelligence tool can convert data into real usable

management information. He commented:

“Knowing what is happening and what

happened is one thing, but being able to know

ow that compares with yesterday, this time last

week, last month and forecast what resources

will be needed to hit deadlines and update that

throughout a working day will allow smaller

businesses to compete more effectively with the

larger corporates. This is why we will soon be

offering business intelligence and dashboard

tools within our Snapfulfil WMS, built on the

incredibly powerful MicroStrategy platform.”

Clark added that each reporting Pod within the

dashboard can be interrogated in a variety of

ways and the BI reports are easily customisable

with graphs, charts, gauges and other easy to

view options. Alerts can be set by the user and

reports easily exported via email, with

annotations to provide swift notification and

further investigation. “This data is all seamlessly

integrated with the data within the Snapfulfil ‘Data

Cube’ and non-linear reporting allows for rapid

searches of millions of rows of data,” Clark

continued. “By using the power of Software as a

Service, all Snapfulfil users will soon be able to

choose an Enterprise level business intelligence

tool that would usually be outside of their

budgets.”

Tomasi believes Big Data is another area within

the WMS market that has not progressed

beyond the early adopters, but nevertheless has

massive ramifications for our industry. “It’s not

just about data retention but rather how quickly

and easily the massive amounts of data can be

optimally searched and, most importantly, how

the results can be used in ways that propel a

company ahead of their competitors,” he said.

Pass considers that capturing performance data

and using it alongside advanced labour

scheduling, such as BCP’s Accord Voice Labour

Scheduling system, facilitates better

management of manpower resources, time

scheduling and identification of any underlying

issues. In the wider field of ERP solutions, Pass

believes Big Data promises much, but only if IT

solutions can manage the huge volumes of data

available and deliver it to users in a meaningful,

easy to use and interpret format.

Briggs explains that much of the business

intelligence in BEC’s solutions to date has

focused on users; for example the

performance/productivity of operatives. “We

expect that we are going to see much more use

of the masses of data that can be gathered

through our warehouse management systems,

giving the ability to monitor all business process,

transparency across many sites,” he said. “The


Bill Tomasi, VPproduct management,


large volumes of quantitative data will enable

very accurate measurement and forecasting of

resources – labour, energy, materials etc. – and

provide immediate real-time quality and reliability

measures, with triggers for anomalies, and

exceptions which can then be handled

immediately.”

Better insightEppert believes Big Data is having a noticeable

impact on the world of WMS. “These systems are

required to deliver more detailed internal process

data to the business intelligence platform, which

facilitates in-depth analytics,” he said.

“Combining this data from multiple points within

a warehouse can offer a better insight into areas

of improvement. The correct interpretation of

data will remain a human task for now and not

fully automated in the near future. In this sense,

Big Data can be understood as an approach to

making effective decisions based on reliable

information. One of the expected challenges will

be to incorporate media information such as

pictures and movies taken from warehouse

processes into data analytics.”

Spotts reflects that Big Data is a term coined to

describe data sets so large or complex that

conventional software and hardware are

inadequate. “This definition is a moving target,”

he remarked. “Data sets that were

incomprehensible and hard to manage a few

years ago have now become routine.”

Spotts continued: “Putting aside that rather

vague definition of Big Data, let’s talk about the

benefits that global companies can achieve as

the result of the technology employed to manage

Big Data. Companies can now have a global

view of their inventory. With the advent of

inexpensive sensors and computers, they can

collect vast amounts of data. Data can include

text, images, audio, and video. Big Data is often

characterised as high volume, variable, real time,

and accurate.

“Vast amounts of data do nothing but fill up disk

drives if proper organisation and analysis of the

data is not completed. When making the

decision to collect and store massive amounts of

data, advanced tools with algorithms and

analysis must be employed to transform it from

data to meaningful information. Cutting-edge

technology allows forward-thinking users to

quickly recognise changing patterns, detect

seemingly invisible issues, conduct predictive

analysis and enable confident decision making.”

Heaney reflects that, when one talks about the

event-driven warehouse this is not just about

adopting more interactive technologies and

solutions. “There is also a need to interleave

those very tightly into the workflows,” he said.

“After all, it does companies no good if they

bring in Voice but are then not be able to take

the input from the Voice unit and interdict or

interleave an order into the workflow. Why

provide the capability to communicate in real-

time with a system if it goes into a black hole and

doesn’t allow workers to react to it for, say, a hot

replenishment etc.? So you need to be able to

access the more granule data and be able to

react to it much more in real-time and deploy

courses of corrective action if necessary. The

whole purpose is to be able to take on workflows

that in the past were

simply batched and

delayed.”

Riviere explains that

Zebra’s solutions can

provide a much

deeper insight by

providing real-time

data that feeds into

the WMS systems. He

commented: “This

help provides visibility

of assets and visibility

throughout the warehouse and supply chain.

With the advent of today’s mobile technologies

and the Internet of Things (IoT), enterprises can

accelerate productivity, profitability and

operations with solutions designed specifically

for their processes. With the right IoT solution in

place, enterprises can connect all devices

across a centralised Cloud network, and capture

and share their mission-critical data, allowing

them to gain real-time visibility of their operations.

This actionable insight is what provides

organisations the Enterprise Asset Intelligence

they need to make improvements. This

enhanced business knowledge can be gained

through a set of enabling technologies in the

areas of asset management, Cloud, mobile and

Big Data.”

Riviere added that he sees enabling mobile

workers to make real-time decisions based on

actionable intelligence as a major trend. He

makes the point that Zebra’s solutions (WLAN,

RFID, scanners, mobile computers) are key to

capturing real-time data (barcodes, timestamps,

location etc.) to enter into WMS systems to

enable this. “With the development of technology

and Voice picking solutions they provide greater

access to data and also data in real time through

industrial WLAN solutions,” said Riviere. “This

also links to key trend of increased mobility in the

workplace. By providing workers with real-time

data through handheld devices they can access

key enterprise intelligence to enable them to

make key business decisions.”

Riviere is seeing this then being increasingly

analysed to make business decisions. “For

example, in Zebra’s warehouse in Heerenveen,

we integrated our own Real-Time Locating

System (RTLS) technology with the WMS system


Darrel Williams,region director

Northern Europe,


to enable a truly dynamic and real-time facility.

The solution enables staging requests from the

WMS to be dynamically staged, resulting in a

40 per cent space saving versus traditional

fixed staging and savings of over 400 man

hours per month.” In terms of hardware, Riviere

is also seeing increasing analytics available to

ensure optimal performance. For example, he

points out device-diagnostic services are

available to maximise the performance of Zebra

mobile computers and ensure visibility.

du Preez observes that most warehouse

management systems and Voice execution

systems have provided fairly detailed

transactional records of the activities in the

warehouse. “Increasingly, this data is being

used to provide more meaningful and

actionable insights into the operation, which in

turn enable managers and supervisors to make

better decisions,” he said. “Some providers

have evolved this historic view of activity into

predictive analytics that use past and current

performance to predict future outcomes such

as completion times and resource

requirements. These insights and predictions

are proving to be extremely valuable to users

and so the providers of these systems are

investing more into research and development

of these Big Data tools.”

du Preez points out that by combining real-time

operator performance with data from the WMS

and transportation scheduling systems, Voiteq’s

Warehouse Execution System is able to predict

the completion times of zones or routes and

recommend alternative resource allocations to

avoid or minimise missed shipping deadlines.

Larger data sets captured over longer periods

allow users to compare current and historic

performance and to

measure the impact

of changes to

processes.

Finken reflects that

there is a lot spoken

about Big Data within

logistics and

distribution. He

commented: “And

certainly there are

huge benefits already

being realised where

the consumer market is concerned and in trend

analysis. So I think so far there are clear

benefits in these areas and in intelligence

gathering for businesses. How exactly this is

being used in WMS and within the four walls of

a warehouse is yet to be fully understood. The

key is that we know it will as systems and

business processes become more and more

interconnected and as the consumer demands

more flexibility and greater service. That said,

there are some new developments that we are

progressing right now, which will materialise in

the next year or so.”

Williams considers that Big Data is a relatively

recent term for analysing what is happening

and using what one has learned. “Voice has

been applying these principles for many years

to streamline and optimise labour-intensive

warehousing activities,” he said. “The very

nature of Voice technology delivers visibility into

the component parts of every process, rather

than just reporting the outcome, providing

unprecedented data points to allow us to make

actionable change. For example, we notice in

the ‘profile’ of a product that is picked several

times a day that there is a higher than normal

percentage of walk time, so we are able to

analyse the actions and identify options for

immediate improvement, for example, why

aren’t we batch picking multiple orders or even

moving the stock location?”

Looking to the future What might be the next innovations and

developments to look out for in the world of

WMS software and Voice-directed systems over

the next year or two? Eppert believes one area

of development will be the integration of new

technology such as automated shuttle systems

allowing for scalable storage or automated

mixed palletising solutions. These, he sayd, will

need specific WMS support in order to get the

maximum benefit.

Another challenge for WMS software, according

to Eppert, will be handling the conflict between

the impressive speed of innovation and release

cycles from the consumer market and the

demand for future-proof investments in the

world of logistics. “For example, mobile

terminals in a warehouse are often in operation

for many years, while the capabilities of an

average smartphone and its apps are

improving monthly,” he said. Also, Eppert

reflects that the discrepancy between the

‘always connected’ trend in the consumer

market and the demand for IT security within a

warehouse will be an interesting topic to work

on as a product manager.

Finken comments that topVOX is now deploying

solutions that combine new hardware with the

use of ‘Voice and Vision’. “This is very real now

and I think this will be a big growth area over

the next two years,” he said.

Finken pointed out that customers are

continually demanding more flexibility.

Therefore, he thinks the use of android in

warehouse operations will be a very noticeable

development as the hardware can be much

lower cost than traditional ruggedised devices.

“The key here is how we enable customers to

have this flexibility,” he said. “So we will be

developing our Lydia Voicewear to help with

this in keeping low-cost devices protected and

therefore viable in the harsh environments of

warehouses.”

Also, Finken believes the market will continue to

see the growth of ‘Pick and Pack’ operations as

businesses modify their models to allow

shipment direct to end customer. “We are

experiencing a growing number of customers

asking us to enable ‘Pick and pack’ within their

operations, and this has been a built-in option

on our ‘Lydia Plug and Play’ system for quite a

while now,” he said.

Wearable technologyPass believes wearable technology is one area

that will become more prevalent within the

Voice space, while Clark considers that WMS

systems will continue to become more

sophisticated, with the ability to handle greater

levels of exceptions without requiring any

manual intervention or administration by

operators. This, he believes, will essentially

make the system smarter while keeping the

user experience simple and straightforward.

Briggs considers that Voice could spread

further from warehousing into manufacturing for

assembly, inspections etc. (for more comment

in this area, see pages 30 and 31).



Steve Wilson, vice president, practice lead –

operational excellence,

Within the next year or two Tomasi thinks we will

see improvement in the SaaS adoption, clarity

of purpose in the Big Data arena,

emergence/improvement of augmented reality

technology, and improved adoption of existing

development technologies. All of this will, he

believes, lead to a rejuvenated and much more

dynamic WMS market, which will be good for

vendors and customers alike.

Heaney makes the point that because

companies are adding extra complexity they

are also adding more cost. “So one of the next

frontiers is to become more profitable,” he said.

“One way to achieve this is through more

effective labour-management, which can, for

instance, help to take out non-value-added

work. Some vendors now offer labour

management solutions that are independent

from their primary WMS solution, so that if a

user has a legacy system it can bolt on a

labour-management solution. The idea is to

provide an effective way to become more

profitable in your work processes as you turn

on these new more labour-intensive modes of

fulfilment.”

Heaney also sees a growing trend towards

being able to take Big Data, analyse it and

determine what the workload is going to look

like tomorrow, the next day or the day after that

based on what has been seen today. He

commented: “If you think about an event like

Black Friday, orders are coming in, data is

being collected and the orders are being

processed – but there may be a certain amount

of backlog at the end of the day. There may be

an indication in the data itself that some items

are nearly out of stock, meaning you may need

to get extra stock from your supplier. You can

now turn this Big Data into intelligence in order

to be a little more proactive about where your

next failure point may be. For example, you

might need to bring in more temporary workers

tomorrow because the order levels are so huge

and the popularity of some of these items is

outstripping the pick face.”

Riviere considers that more warehouses and

distribution centres will be using multimodal

devices over the next year or two. He also

believes we there will be a sizeable increase in

all touchscreen devices being deployed in the

warehouse. Finally, he anticipates further

interest in SaaS.

Changing demandsdu Preez comments that ever changing

demands on warehouses – driven by

consumers, retailers and regulation – will

force them to consider flexibility and rapid

return on investment as key factors when

choosing technology. “With the range of

proven integration options available from

experienced vendors, it will be easier than

ever for customers to implement Voice into

their operations,” he said. “Existing users will

seek ways to further leverage their investment

in Voice and will extend its use into

warehouse processes beyond picking. We

therefore expect continued strong growth

from the warehousing Voice market.”

du Preez also believes the market will see the

use of Voice rapidly expanding into non-

warehousing markets; particularly inspection

and in-store retail. “This will bring new device

and headset form factors as well as advances

in the underlying Voice recognition engines,”

he said. “These innovations will positively

impact the established warehouse Voice

market and provide more options for existing

users.”

du Preez added that, much like RFID, vision

systems need to pass through their hype

stage before their particular business case

becomes credible. “We do believe that vision

systems, combined with quality Voice

recognition, will offer innovative solutions to

certain data-rich processes,” he said.

“However, we don’t expect them to displace

current warehouse technologies any time

soon.” Finally, du Preez believes the

availability of new commercial models such

as subscription will give customers the ability

to select and implement Voice within their

budget cycle by shifting the costs from capex

to opex.

In Williams’ view, today’s advances in

technology and systems, coupled with the

increasing professionalism of the industry,

means that many things are being executed

well in the logistics and warehouse arena. As

such, he believes that occurrences of ‘game-

changing’ innovation are less common.

“However that does not mean that we stand

still,” said Williams. “We continue to make

small and subtle improvements and

refinements that still

add significant value

to costly operation.”

Williams explained

that some of

Honeywell Vocollect

Solutions’ more

recent innovations

are the inclusion of

‘hands-free’

scanning into a

Voice device;

allowing all of the

benefits of Voice-directed work with the

additional option of automatic data collection.

Additionally, Williams points out that the

company has produced advanced wireless

headsets with ‘sound sense’ noise

cancellation that has further pushed the

performance boundaries of industrial Voice-

recognition systems, whilst also offering even

more ability to integrate into multiple systems

concurrently.

He added that, in line with the ‘keeping it

simple for users’ philosophy, Honeywell

Vocollect Solutions continues to implement

practical improvements in both WMS

integration, ergonomics and ease of use.

Williams also explains that the company has

already witnessed the use of Voice into areas

such as MRO, healthcare and in-store and he

sees its usage expanding into even more

diverse environments.

Augmented realityWilson reiterates his earlier point; that we are

going to see a growth in augmented reality

technology in the warehouse. “The reason for

that is with the amount of pressure on cost

people will be looking very aggressively at

how to do things that can reduce operating

costs,” he said. “I think we will probably see

more of an interest in warehouse automation

because people who are reconfiguring their

networks or building new distribution space

will be taking account of the living wage and

the impact of that over the medium to long-

term. Therefore automation may start to pay

back a bit better than it has done in the past

in the UK.” n



Martin Eppert, product manager,

First established in 1999, family-owned

Belgium-based company 2XL opened

its doors as a transport specialist.

From day one, the family Van den

Poel had strong convictions around

customer service, employee satisfaction,

environmental impact, and quality standards.

One such conviction was that “no was not an

option”. If a customer had a challenge, he or

she could count on 2XL to deliver a solution.

This approach worked, and business grew

organically and at a steady pace. However, in

2005, 2XL knew it was going to need to make

some substantial changes if it was going to be

able to say “yes” to one of its most valued

customers. Critical to being able to fulfil the

needs of its customers would be the expansion

of 2XL from a transport company to a turnkey

provider of transport, logistics and storage.

The challenge

The customer collaborated with 2XL, based

on the DCS (Direct Customer Shipment)

concept that lifted the customer’s supply

chain from the European mainland to the

UK, to a much higher level. Introducing this

concept would require an equally

sophisticated warehouse and operations

management system to service it. 2XL

project manager, Mathias Van Den Poel

knew that stepping into this project with the

customer would irrevocably change the

2XL business model, and he was prepared

to do so. One thing was certain: an

information technology solution would play

a key role. Armed with the customer’s

business requirements for the warehouse

operations, 2XL immediately began

investigating the options for a warehouse

management system (WMS).

Meeting the stringent BRC Global Storage

and Distribution Standard for the storage of

ambient food and consumer products was

one of 2XL’s objectives, and many WMS

solutions could help Mathias Van Den Poel

to achieve this. In the end, the deciding

criterion for 2XL’s choice of WMS solution

was Mathias Van Den Poel’s faith in both

the flexibility of the product and the people

behind it.

“Our brand stands as a commitment to our

customers to follow through on the

promises we make,” said Jean Van Den

Poel, 2XL’s CEO. “Having a WMS provider

we could trust was paramount in our

decision to use IBS.”

In response

The IBS Dynaman warehouse management

solution was chosen by 2XL in September

of 2005. Dynaman would allow 2XL to not

only say “yes” to its customer, but to also

say “yes” to future customers with needs

just as sophisticated. The highly flexible,

embedded rules engine in the Dynaman

product provides 2XL with the ability to

customise workflow processes to match

customers’ needs, including the ability to

integrate value-added services, such as

case picking, cross-docking, and

returnable packaging. Furthermore,


Warehouse Management n Success story

www.logisticsit.com

2XL says ‘yes’ to customer demandswith best-of-breed WMS ‘IBS Dynaman’

2XL’s convictions remain just as strong today as when it was first established in 1999. The company strictly maintains a minimum KPI target of98 per cent for on-time arrivals, equipment, documentation, communication and more.


Dynaman could integrate seamlessly not

only with the different enterprise resource

planning (ERP) platforms of its customers,

but also with the full WMS array

represented by 2XL’s suppliers using an

integration platform and supplier/vendor

portal.

There was also the question of timing: the

system needed to go live within seven

months of contract award. While 2XL was

building its physical warehouses to meet

the demand of its customers’ projects,

Dynaman was continually phased in to

match each stage in construction. In March

2006, 2XL went live. From what was once a

completely manual system, 2XL has

continually worked to transition its

operations to automated systems and today

it is still exceeding customers’

expectations.

“IBS was intimately involved in the initial

integration process back in 2006 – and

beyond – serving on-site in a hands-on

capacity to ensure we met our project

goals,” said Mathias Van Den Poel.

The outcome

2XL has successfully transitioned from a

small, family-owned transport company to a

leading European ISO14001-certified supplier

that moves more than 300 loads daily.

Expansion has been significant and 2XL now

operates two rail-connected warehouses with

55,000 m2 of storage capacity.

At each stage of this expansion process, the

Dynaman WMS capabilities were also

extended to match. And, each time 2XL

welcomes a new customer – from Austria’s

RedBull to the UK’s Tesco Groceries – the

Dynaman solution is configured to meet that

customer’s needs.

2XL’s convictions remain just as strong today

as when it was first established in 1999. The

company strictly maintains a minimum KPI

target of 98 per cent for on-time arrivals,

equipment, documentation, communication

and more. To deliver on such high standards,

2XL embraces innovation at each turn. And,

whether it’s the automation of material handling

or the integration of automated guided vehicles

(AGV) in their warehouse, Dynaman has been

there every step of the way.

“Our Dynaman solution has supported the

doubling of our warehouse turnover, requiring

less staff in the warehouse for a significant

savings and bottom-line impact,” said Mathias

Van Den Poel. n

IBS AT A GLANCEInternational Business Systems(IBS) is a global integrated ERPand supply chain distributionsoftware solution provider. Formore than 35 years, IBS hashelped over 1000 customers –including Thermo Fisher Scientific,New Wave Group, Pincroft,Mayflex, Galexis, WorldPac,MacFarlane Group and Volvo – tostreamline, automate andaccelerate their distributionnetwork processes, and driveprofitability and efficiency.



www.logisticsit.com

The Cotswold Companypolishes its warehouse operation

with the help of Snapfulfil

Established in 1999, The Cotswold

Company is an online retailer

which sells beautiful, inspirational

wood furniture and a wide range of

accessories for every room in the

house. The company is currently growing at

an exceptional rate and will service over

50,000 orders this year.

Headquartered in Norwich, the company

relocated its warehousing operation from

Norfolk to Wednesbury in the West Midlands

in 2013. At the same time, The Cotswold

Company took the decision to bring the

previously outsourced warehousing operation

in-house. In addition to the main 90,000 sq ft

warehouse, the company opened a further

55,000 sq ft facility in March 2015 to support

its continued strong growth.

The two warehouses handle in the region of

1200 SKUs and up to 1800 orders every

week, rising to 3000 in peak season.

The challenge

Prior to implementing Snapfulfil, The Cotswold

Company used paper-based processes

generated by the company’s SAGE accounting

system to run the warehouse. The Cotswold

Company’s warehouse manager, Paul Wilson,

explained: “Our pickers were going out with

reams of paper, which was fine until one went

missing and everything then came to a standstill.

“Our headcount was also too high – what we

lacked in process we made up for in people. We

had no real-time stock visibility and due to the

amount of room for human error, inventory

accuracy wasn’t great, which meant that we had

to shut down for an annual stock-take. All in all,

we just didn’t have the confidence that the

warehousing operation could keep up with the

growth and innovation in the rest of the

business.”

The solution

The Cotswold Company took the decision to

look for a professional warehouse management

system to automate processes and optimise

efficiency and accuracy within the warehouse.

Following a review of possible vendors, the

company selected the Snapfulfil SaaS WMS.

Wilson commented: “I used to work for a 3PL

and had had some experience working with

one of the big on premise Tier 1 WMS’ but

found it to be over complicated and difficult to

use. We ruled the biggest vendors out straight

away on this basis. We needed something

which was user-friendly for any warehouse

operative but at the same time, was functionally

sophisticated. Snapfulfil offered the best of both

worlds.”

Implementation

Snapfulfil’s Cloud deployment method and

Software as a Service model means that the

system can be implemented in as little as 45

days and The Cotswold Company was no

exception. This included the writing of

interfaces with the company’s in-house order

and carrier management systems.

“The Snapfulfil project team were excellent –

their preliminary work was good and we were

confident that they understood what we were

asking for,” Wilson remarked. “As a result, the

implementation was actually much smoother

than I thought it would be.”

Benefits

While The Cotswold Company’s volumes

have doubled since Snapfulfil was

implemented, headcount in the warehouse

has actually decreased.

“We saw an immediate improvement in

operational efficiency and, over time, have

used Snapfulfil to better manage and allocate

resources within the warehouse,” said Wilson.

“As a result, I’d say we’re around 30 per cent


leaner and, in my experience, operate with

significantly fewer people than many similar

warehousing operations.”

Wilson added that Snapfulfil also

allows the company to carry out

all key warehouse processes

simultaneously – goods-in,

goods-out, replenishment &

auditing. “In my experience this

is something that doesn’t happen

elsewhere,” he said.

Another major benefit for The

Cotswold Company, according

to Wilson, was that the

implementation of Snapfulfil

allowed it to insource the warehousing

operation. “This has given us the freedom to

operate in a way that is best suited to our

specific requirements and to innovate and

adapt as our business continues to grow,” he

explained.

In addition to providing real-time stock

visibility, Snapfulfil’s structured cycle counting

functionality has removed the need for an

annual stock take and the associated loss of

revenue. Receiving capacity has also

increased significantly, from three containers

per day previously up to eight.

The future

The Cotswold Company’s marketing director,

James Birtwhistle, concluded: “Growth is

always welcome but it’s absolutely not the

focus of the business. Our customers quite

rightly demand exceptional service levels and

we would never choose scaling the business

at the expense of our service

offering. Our service is integral to

our brand.

“That said, with almost two

decades of fulfilment under our

belt and our origins in the heart of

the English countryside, we are

uniquely placed as a heritage

brand and we know that what we

offer appeals to a market that’s

not limited to the UK. Our

aspiration is to continue to service

our customers’ demands overseas through

international fulfilment and this is one exciting

area we’re actively pursuing.

“The company is keen to develop the

business architecture that will support the

levels of growth it is experiencing and

Snapfulfil is central to that objective.” n

“ We saw an immediate improvement in operationalefficiency and, over time, have used Snapfulfil to bettermanage and allocate resources within the warehouse. Asa result, I’d say we’re around 30 per cent leaner and, inmy experience, operate with significantly fewer peoplethan many similar warehousing operations.”

– Paul Wilson, The Cotswold Company.

w w w . s n a p f u l f i l . c o m

Unwrap Instant ROIFor more info call 0845 463 7627 email [email protected]

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Warehouse Management n Product news

www.logisticsit.com

The low margins inherent in today’s retail markets make it essential for warehouses anddistribution centres to maximise their efficiencies. Vanderlande’s software suite, VISION, supportsevery stage of the warehouse automation process.

A vision built for the future

The demands placed on warehouses

and distribution centres are

becoming increasingly tough. End

users expect a high level of service,

which means there are multiple

challenges in meeting: late cut-off times,

shorter order lead times and increasingly

frequent distribution of smaller items. In

addition, 100 per cent accuracy is vital in

processing rapid store-friendly and shelf-ready

deliveries. This ongoing requirement to handle

multiple retail formats, while reducing costs,

has resulted in increasingly complex

warehouse operations.

Automating these processes helps to maximise

service levels, and ultimately creates new

business opportunities. Material handling

solutions supplier Vanderlande specialises in

food retail, fashion, parts and components, and

e-commerce. Recognising industry trends and

turning these into positive developments is vital

in a challenging market environment.

Vanderlande has already managed and

completed ultra-large automation projects for

some of the world’s biggest retailers.

As well as its innovative systems, the company

offers intelligent software solutions including

VISION, a warehouse management and control

system. “The added value that we provide with

our software is operational excellence,” said

Vanderlande managing director Software

House WPP, Peter Stuer. “It’s also about

customers getting the most from their

processes, having visibility over their systems

and abstracting the correct information to

further fine-tune the overall performance.”

Maximum efficiency

Automation brings benefits at every stage of

the operational process. For example, by

optimally stacking units on pallets or in roll

cages, transport costs can be reduced by up

to 10 per cent. This begins with the arrival of

goods and storage, the basis for all other

warehouse activities. Vanderlande’s VISION

drives the identification, checking and

registration of products. They can be

automatically directed for storage or order

picking depending on the characteristics of

each unit, which minimises manual handling

and improves efficiency.

From there, automated storage and retrieval

systems (AS/RS) increase productivity levels in

distribution centres and make optimal use of

floor space. Flexible, scalable technology such

as ADAPTO can extend storage capacity and

ensure easy access to products at all times.

ADAPTO’s shuttle traffic control software

maximises throughput rates and minimises order

lead times. In support, the user-friendly interface

provides a real-time overview of the system.

The order-picking process can also be

improved with the effective implementation of

Load Forming Logic (LFL) software screen illustration.

Reliable partner for value-added warehouse automation

Vanderlande is a major player in the warehouse automation market and specialises in solutions for food retail, fashion, parts and components and e-commerce. It cooperates closely with its customers to optimise their supply chain and enhance the efficiency of the processes in their distribution centres. The company is a one-stop shop for innovative systems, intelligent software and life-cycle support. This integrated approach results in an optimum performance throughout the system‘s lifetime. Curious to find out how your warehouse processes can be optimised? Contact Vanderlande today. Email: [email protected].

> vanderlande.com


software. Vanderlande’s automated case

picking (ACP) systems provide the tools to

outperform traditional order fulfilment methods,

allowing for modular growth and maximum

availability within food retail.

Load Forming Logic (LFL) is the fundamental

part of the ACP system. Robotic handling

technology is also a key feature. The software

defines optimum stacking patterns for pallets

with a specific product group sequence in

mind. This ensures lighter products are not

stacked at the bottom of the pallet, underneath

heavier items.

Store-friendly deliveries are assured by taking

into account the layout of the retail outlet,

which optimises the unpacking sequence. LFL

also calculates the handling capabilities of the

robots that stack the pallets. This contributes to

a smaller footprint for distribution centres,

lowers transportation costs and ensures

optimal fill rates.

Safeguarding process continuity

Alongside ACP solutions, VISION software

supports other automated order-picking

systems such as zone, goods-to-person and

batch picking. Picking accuracy levels of up to

99.99 per cent can be achieved and space

utilisation optimised by up to 40 per cent

compared to conventional warehouses.

There are also efficiency gains to be made

through software when sorting goods for

onward transportation. Automated order

consolidation and shipping can significantly

enhance the efficiency and speed of an

outbound operation. Goods can automatically

be directed to a lane associated with a specific

retail outlet, delivery route or provider. The

result is fast, efficient order consolidation and

store-friendly delivery with minimum manual

labour requirements.

In addition, business process intelligence

(BPI) provides access to key information at

every stage, which is vital for continuous

business improvement. Useful data is

gathered from operational systems and

transformed into standard information that can

be understood by all the relevant parties. BPI

also offers the capacity to benchmark on

costs and service-level performance against

other warehouses and distribution centres.

“One of the major advantages is that

customers can access the right information,

whenever they wish, with an appropriate level

of detail,” added Stuer. “It’s a really powerful

tool because several reports can be generated

dependent on what they would like to know.”

The combination of software support during

every stage of the process and BPI helps

warehouses safeguard continuity in their

business activities. VISION is an integral link

in the chain and ensures higher accuracy,

increased productivity and reduced costs in

a market that frequently demands no less

than perfection. n

Ergonomic Solutions, the designer

and supplier of technology

mounting, mobility and security

solutions, has launched the

SpacePole Essentials range for

Warehouse & Distribution (W&D) applications.

The SpacePole Essentials W&D product line

is specifically developed for the Warehouse &

Distribution sector, a market segment that has

seen a similar evolution towards mobility,

requiring innovation where the user interfaces

with technology in both mobile and static

applications.

Building upon, and compatible with,

Ergonomic Solutions' existing Essentials

range, the Essentials W&D product line

provides a large number of mounting options,

both standard or customised; as per the

requirements of the end user.

With the emphasis on mobility and real-time

data capture, the SpacePole Essentials W&D

product line delivers mounting solutions for

technology in a range of applications;

including forklift trucks, reach trucks, and

collection & delivery trolleys. Where the

requirement is for a fixed mounting of

technology, such as goods in and out,

Ergonomic Solutions' products interface with

existing racking systems.

Mark Crysell, product marketing director,

Ergonomic Solutions, commented: "SpacePole

has become the de-facto standard for the

retail industry around the world. Technology

that is driving change in that sector, such as

the use of tablets and touchscreen based

applications has also transformed the

Warehouse & Distribution workspace." He

added: "SpacePole Essentials W&D unlocks

the potential of that technology by providing a

wide range of mobile and static mounting

options that maximise investment whilst

providing the best possible user interface for

the worker wherever they are operating within

the Warehouse & Distribution workspace."

Fit for purpose

In terms of what differentiates the

new range from the other

products within the SpacePole

portfolio, Crysell explained that it

mainly comes down to how they

are mounted. "Mounting points within

Warehouse & Distribution can be quite

different to those found in retail and banking,"



www.logisticsit.com

Ergonomic Solutions launchesSpacePole Essentials for the Warehouse

& Distribution sector

“ Mounting points within Warehouse & Distribution can be quitedifferent to those found in retail and banking. Instead of fitting theSpacepole to a counter, the device will likely be mounted onto rackingrails, trolleys, forklifts or picking trucks. So, the requirement is to fit theSpacePoles to more rounded profiles. There may be greater levels ofvibration to take into account too. Therefore, what is needed is morerobust, lock-in clamps rather than pure adjustable clamps.” ispatch arealready 99.9 per cent more reliable and faster because of it."

– Mark Crysell, Ergonomic Solutions.

Mark Crysell: “SpacePole Essentials W&D [provides] a wide range of mobileand static mounting options that maximise investment whilst providing the

best possible user interface for the worker wherever they are operating withinthe Warehouse & Distribution workspace.”



www.logisticsit.com

he said. "Instead of fitting the Spacepole to a

counter, the device will likely be mounted onto

racking rails, trolleys, forklifts or picking

trucks. So, the requirement is to fit the

SpacePoles to more rounded profiles. There

may be greater levels of vibration to take into

account too. Therefore, what is needed is

more robust, lock-in clamps rather than pure

adjustable clamps."

Flexibility

Crysell pointed out that the SpacePole

Essentials W&D range has also been designed

to be able to hold various specifications of size

and shape of mobile tablet, as well as to be

flexible in terms of whether the preference is

for fixed or removable mobile devices. "Users

may require a purely fixed environment and be

able to charge the device in situ, or want to be

able to regularly remove the device from the

SpacePole in order to carry out tasks

throughout the warehouse or distribution

centre, we have ensured that the SpacePole is

able to work to any working scenario," he said.

Testing

Crysell explained that Ergonomic Solutions

developed the new product range by closely

working with three existing retail customers in

their distribution centres in order to best

understand the precise requirements of

companies running busy warehousing

operations. He added that Ergonomic

Solutions also worked with leading racking

manufacturers to understand how SpacePole

solutions could be designed generically to be

easily mounted onto their racking systems,

while also being easily customisable to mount

onto almost any type or racking or other

system required by the end-customer.

Close channel links

Ergonomic Solutions has always sold through

its established network of resellers worldwide.

Crysell commented: “Through our close

relationship with our channel partners we

knew that many of them were already actively

serving the Warehouse & Distribution sector

by supplying various types of mobile

technology. We therefore felt that, due to our

close channel links and what we perceived to

be a strong need within our existing customer

base, it was the natural progression to

introduce a special series of products

specifically for this market segment.” n

ERGONOMIC SOLUTIONS AT A GLANCEErgonomic Solutions is a supplier of innovative and ergonomicallydesigned technology mounting solutions, developed in partnership withglobal retailers and technology suppliers. The company understands thecomplexities of integrating technology into new or existing systems andfurniture. With nearly 20 years of experience, and over 4 millioninstallations globally, SpacePole is already the technology mountingplatform of choice for many leading retail, and transportationorganisations across the globe.

Ergonomic Solutions' application areas extend across POS, Payment,Digital Signage, Self Service, Mobility, Warehousing, Distribution andLogistics. Headquartered in the UK with its own manufacturing facility inDemark, Ergonomic Solutions is a channel-led business with customersand partners across the globe. Additional services include design anddevelopment for customised solutions and the company's influentialErgonomics consultancy, which has advised many of the major Europeanretailers how to create a workspace that optimises accessibility, usability,safety and comfort for their staff and customers. Ergonomic Solutions'SpacePole ranges are proven in the field; modular, enabling cost-effectiveupgrades and provide both physical and tamper proof protection tohardware investments.


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Success story

J&K Aquatics is one of the largest

nationwide distributors in the UK

Aquatic trade. Paul and Judy

James started the company

approximately 30 years ago. For

many years now the company has grown to

the size it is with over 70 employees. J&K

Aquatics has six regional sales people

covering most parts of the UK and Ireland

and a fleet of nine trucks and two vans

delivering to customers on a weekly basis.

Having made various modifications to how the

items on a customer order appeared on the

picking list over the years, J&K considered

going from paper lists to Voice recognition in

order to work more accurately and without

relying on someone’s product knowledge.

Talking the same language “Having visited a logistics show, we saw a

couple of systems that were offering Voice

picking solutions”, remembered Paul James,

managing director of J&K Aquatics. “But

when we had the first visit from Phil Oliver

from topVOX, the decision was taken.

I instantly knew that he was someone who

had been involved in the logistics industry for

many years and had long-term experience

with picking, packing and distribution

processes. Someone that talked and

understood the same language as me.”

“topVOX had also equipped one of our main

suppliers in Germany, a company called

Tetra, with their picking equipment and for

many years Tetra had been one of those

companies we didn’t suffer picking errors

with. So this in itself was a pretty meaningful

recommendation that Lydia from topVOX

worked.”

J&K Aquatics decided in favour of the Lydia

plug&play solution – a preconfigured out of

the box Voice picking package for small and

medium-sized businesses with up to 25 users.

The plug&play package is based on standard

components and processes. In addition to

Picking, other modules are available to extend

functionality to cover everything from Goods

In through to Despatch including Product

Counting whilst still keeping costs very much

under control. It makes implementing Voice

picking extremely easy as well as very

affordable.

After running a workshop with J&K Aquatics

and their WMS provider, everything was

defined and all agreed on the interface and

the process for picking. “topVOX worked very

hard to make sure we were comfortable with

how we put the system in and how we were

going to set about it. We also had a site visit

to a topVOX customer running 70 operators

on three shifts and it was commendable what

they were doing,” remembered Paul James.

Quick implementationJ&K’s IT department, together with input from

the topVOX team managed the

implementation seamlessly. On a Tuesday

morning, the topVOX team installed and

tested the system in the morning and trained

the operators in the afternoon. On Wednesday

the system was running smoothly.

Another important advantage of topVOX’s

Voice solution Lydia is the speaker

independent recognition, which means the

system does not require any speech training.

“Basically, I could take someone off the street

and have him productive and accurate

immediately. It just works,” confirmed

operations manager, Nigel Webber.

J & K’s main objective of going to Voice

recognition was to improve pick accuracy and

in turn do away with expensive mistakes that

were also costing them time to sort things out

when customers phoned in if they were on the

topVOX Lydia runsswimmingly at J&K Aquatics

J&K’s IT department, together with inputfrom the topVOX team managed theimplementation seamlessly. On a Tuesdaymorning, the topVOX team installed andtested the system in the morning andtrained the operators in the afternoon. OnWednesday the system was runningsmoothly.


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Success story

wrong side of the ‘ordered a product that was

sent wrong’ equation. “Before the Voice

system we experienced about eight errors per

week, since then we have only had a handful

of errors across the last nine months,” said

Paul James. “We have already expanded the

system by 30 per cent as we have grown, and

this done perfectly easy by just adding new

Voice clients.”

Worth the investmentPaul James concluded: “We finally got hold of

an IT solution really worth the investment – it

was a project costing us just over £30,000

with VAT. It was refreshing to deal with a

company that was confident in its ability to

provide us with something that we were going

to be more than happy to pay for when the

invoice did eventually turn up. Too often you

are promised the ‘ultimate solution’, which

then turns out to be a total blunder when used

in actual work. This time we got a perfectly

running system with all promised benefits and

more which was readily installed before we

paid the first penny.” n

Scan to s

ee L

yd

ia® in a

ction!

Further information: [email protected] - www.top-vox.com - phone: +44-1327 261 050

Employing voice technology in the warehouse is now easier than ever!

Voice-directed technology first

began to be adopted within

warehousing operations some

20 years ago, and it has

continued to be increasingly

used for picking or replenishment tasks

within warehouses and distribution centres

(DCs). Indeed, over the past two to three

years we have seen the expansion of the use

of Voice for a number of additional

transactions or applications within the

warehouse – including put-away, stock

moving and stock accounting. Voice’s

growing popularity and levels of

implementation is perfectly understandable

when one considers the benefits it affords –

including increased productivity, better time

management and greater levels of accuracy.

Moreover, because Voice applications are

hands- and eyes-free there are also added

health & safety benefits to be had. For

example, workers are far less likely not to

notice potential dangers such as

approaching forklift trucks or trip hazards,

which are more of a risk for workers who are

reliant on paper-based pick lists or terminals

where individuals would be looking at the

screen for instructions etc.

Package distribution As well as observing and being involved in

the increasing use of Voice within the

warehouse or DC, BEC is also witnessing a

growing interest for Voice in less traditional

applications. One of these involves a well-

known parcel distributor for whom BEC is

currently trialling Voice to automate a

process that has relied predominantly on a

series of manual tasks for many years. The

company in question has four DCs around

the UK. These receive international parcels

and mail, many from Asia Pac countries. On

receipt, the packages have to be filtered and

then sent to the appropriate local postal

office before being delivered to the correct

home address.

However, because many of these parcels

and letters do not contain the full address or

postcode the automated sortation machines

often cannot determine which basket or

sorting office to send them to. Therefore, one

of the daily tasks of a number of the workers

is to manually write the correct postcode

onto the package. The package is then put

into another cage, which is then second-

handled by other workers within the DC.

Because of this protracted and time-

inefficient process, BEC is advocating the

use of Voice so that workers will be able to

‘speak’ the postcode directly into the

system. The label will then produce a clearly

printed label with a barcode and postcode,

which will then be applied to the package

before it is put onto the sortation track. In


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Opinion

Pushing back the frontiers

Voice-directed technology is broadening its reach beyond traditionalwarehouse picking and replenishment applications by clearly

demonstrating the benefits it can offer a range of other marketsegments, writes Philip Jarrett, director of sales & marketing at BEC.

Philip Jarrett: “There are now many provenapplications outside of the traditionalwarehouse environment that are reapingmajor time, cost, efficiency and accuracybenefits through the use of Voice.”

this way, the package doesn’t have to be

handled twice in order for it to be correctly

addressed and sorted. By using Voice in this

way, there are clear time- and cost-savings

to be had.

Servicing and testingAnother area of growth for Voice that we are

seeing is in test centres. Honeywell, for

example, has a service centre for the

servicing and maintenance of jet engines.

When the engines arrive at one of these

centres service personnel historically looked

at all the areas on the engine to be serviced,

then it would largely be down to that

particular engineer’s knowledge and know-

how as to how the service or maintenance

operation proceeded. These engineers

would mainly follow a manual schematic to

undertake the required tasks.

A Voice system has now replaced this

paper-based approach and instructs the

engineer precisely how to go about servicing

a particular engine and in what sequence of

operations. Voice ensures that the

information the engineer receives at any

given time is specific to the part he is

currently tasked with inspecting. This makes

the whole servicing operation more accurate

and significantly more time-efficient.

Indeed, undertaking car MOTs is another

growing area for Voice implementation –

offering similar benefits to the jet engine

servicing processes mentioned above.

ManufacturingWithin manufacturing, too, Voice is attracting

an increasing level of interest for tasks such

as product assembly. Building a product

efficiently involves ensuring the right

materials, parts or components are fitted in

the right sequence and in the right place.

With Voice, production personnel can work

to a proven template of instructions in order

to build a product in the required way. This

can help eliminate errors while also

substantially speeding up the process.

In summary, there are now many proven

applications outside of the traditional

warehouse environment that are reaping

major time, cost, efficiency and accuracy

benefits through the use of Voice – and I am

confident that we will see ever greater levels

of Voice adoption in these markets, together

with a host of other industry segments, in the

near future. n

VOICEtechnologyOpinion

Work faster, better, smarter and stay ahead of the competition with Honeywell Vocollect voice solutions from BEC.

Vocollect SolutionsGold Total Solution Provider

Call BEC today and speak to the experts: +44 (0)1254 688 088 or visit www.becsi.co.uk

“Honeywell Vocollect voice solutions from BEC can

increase worker productivity up to 30%, whilst reducing

errors up to 25%.”

Foodservice distributor Creed

Foodservice is realising major

performance improvements

following a £175,000 investment in

Accord Voice Directed WMS from

supply chain software and warehouse

management systems specialist BCP

(Business Computer Projects Ltd.).

The companyAward winning Creed Foodservice is one of

the UK’s leading independent, family-owned

foodservice wholesalers, delivering quality

Country Range brand and branded products

to over 2000 independent and multi-site

caterers across the UK in the out of home

market. The company operates out of two

depots – Ilkeston in Derbyshire and

Cheltenham in Gloucestershire – using its

own fleet of over 70 multi-temperature

vehicles to service customers and trunk

goods between the two depots. It prides

itself on its excellent service levels and its

approach to corporate social and

environmental responsibility.

The challengeThe investment in Voice technology for the

company’s multi-temperature depot at

Ilkeston was prompted by growth and an

ongoing commitment to operational

efficiency and delivering the best possible

customer service. Creed Foodservice’s MD,

Philip de Ternant, explains: “As we continue

to grow we are continually looking at further

improvements and efficiencies in our supply

chain and in delivering quality to our

customers. To underpin this we identified the

need to give our managers better visibility of

workloads and improved controls, and to

improve productivity, pick accuracy and

stock integrity.”

The solutionThe company was using RF for goods

receiving and FLT movements, but Picking

and Put away were still paper based. It saw

Voice as the natural choice and addition to

its suite of WMS software in order to deliver

the improvements it required, particularly in

terms of visibility, improved accuracy,

productivity and stock integrity. Knowing of

BCP’s pedigree in delivering Voice WMS

solutions to the foodservice sector, the

company decided to invest in Accord Voice

WMS with Vocollect hardware to manage all

operations, wall-to-wall across the

warehouse, from goods receiving through

put away, picking and replenishment, to

stocktaking and perpetual inventory.

BCP worked closely with Creed

Foodservice’s in-house IT team to phase in

the Voice system, rolling it out first to the

frozen foods department, followed by the

chilled department and, finally, to ambient

goods and non-foods operations.

The resultsThe 55,000 sq foot warehouse is now

managed entirely by Voice, operating 24

hours a day, six days a week and handling

over 200 deliveries a day, picked from over

6000 SKUs, in addition to Inter Branch

Transfers and nightly sub supply. 25 workers

use the system across three shifts - goods

in, replenishment and PI during the day and

Picking and loading on the night shifts.

“Accord Voice has delivered to our planned

expectations, transforming operations at

Ilkeston,” says Philip de Ternant. “Efficiency

has improved across all operations while

real time information from the system has

transformed visibility and traceability

throughout the business, improving stock

integrity and replenishment.”

A 20% productivity increase has been one of

the most significant improvements, as


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Success story

Creed Foodservice boostsperformance with Accord Voice WMS

Accuracy throughout the warehouse has improved, with picking accuracy now less than 1 errorper 1000 items picked, impacting positively on service levels, slashing the costs involved withhandling returns and allowing Creed Foodservice to dispense with a double pick checkingprocedure previously employed.

workers have benefitted from the intrinsic

nature of Voice. This eliminates the need for

hand–held devices or paper instructions

(thereby freeing up both hands and eyes for

the task, so operators can work faster and

safer) and allows them to interact directly

with the WMS, rather than having to interrupt

work to visit the office to collect new task

lists. At the same time, more accurate, real-

time stock information has reduced re-picks

and time spent investigating stock

discrepancies.

Accuracy throughout the warehouse has

improved, with picking accuracy now less

than 1 error per 1000 items picked,

impacting positively on service levels,

slashing the costs involved with handling

returns and allowing Creed Foodservice to

dispense with a double pick checking

procedure previously employed.

There has also been a major reduction in

time spent on administrative tasks, resulting

from the elimination of paper lists and

associated tasks, such as printing and

distributing lists and re-keying picking

confirmations and order amendments. This

has not only reduced costs, but allowed

administrative staff to be redeployed more

productively.

The company was already using Perpetual

Inventory (PI) for stock taking, but the move

to Voice PI has improved both the speed

and accuracy of the process, while

bespoke Accord FLT functionality to

accommodate the narrow aisle

configuration of the Ilkeston warehouse has

been particularly effective in streamlining

FLT operations, improving both control and

accuracy.

The new technology has been readily

adopted by warehouse workers with one

user commenting: “No pen; no clipboard.

I’m hands free to pick and get on with my

job – and it’s even better in the freezer as I

am now able to wear thermo gloves which

were restrictive in use when I had to handle

and write on paper lists”.

Training of new workers is now much faster.

Operations controller, Neil Corfield: “Initially

the roll out took around 4 weeks to fully

utilise the full functionality for the team. Now

new staff can be trained to pick in hours,

not days as before, so they become a

productive member of the team much more

quickly.”

Philip de Ternant concludes: “BCP’s Accord

Voice solution at our Ilkeston depot has, as

anticipated, proved an excellent fit to our

requirements, quickly delivering the

improvements we anticipated, thereby allowing

us to reduce costs yet improve the service we

give to our customers. So much so, that we are

now looking to start implementing Voice

picking at our Cheltenham site towards the end

of 2015 so we can realise the same

improvements there.” n

VOICEtechnologySuccess story

Warehouse and storage

operations around the world

are increasingly looking to

Voice technology for

efficient, hands-free

capabilities in order picking and beyond. They

are also embracing multi-modal solutions that

offer multiple data-capture capabilities –

including using Voice for task direction and

confirmation, or barcode scanning for serial

number or date code requirements.

As Bart Riviere, business development director

for speech solutions at Zebra Technologies,

explains, Voice and multi-modal technology is

constantly evolving and creating new

opportunities. He points out that the proprietary

systems that were prevalent for a number of

years are now giving way to a more open

approach, including more choices in hardware

and software and more ways to drive down

costs and boost performance.

Open system benefitsRiviere explains one of the key benefits of

‘open’ systems, like Zebra’s TekSpeech Pro

Solution, is that they can lead to reduced

costs and quicker functional advances for

users. “Proprietary systems can be very

constraining for the user due to annual

licence fees and hardware that can only run

on the vendor’s Voice software. Also,

implementation can be a long process, which

can reduce the customer’s expected ROI.”

This is why Zebra subscribes to an open

systems approach to Voice and multi-modal

solutions. “Our Voice-directed technology

combined with our network of software

partners provides a wide range of options –

including Cloud and client-based solutions –

that deliver significant flexibility in costs,

capabilities and deployment strategies,” said

Riviere.

Better matched hardware and software

With a proprietary approach, users can also be

limited in terms of the range of hardware and

software applications. However, as Riviere

explains, Zebra’s open systems approach

means users can benefit from a wide range of

Voice-enabled devices; from handhelds and

‘wearables’ to truck-mounted terminals. “All

these devices have native interfaces for

ergonomic barcode scanning. This means

customers can choose the best selection of

devices for different workflows – such as picking,

replenishment and put away – in their warehouse

or DC. In addition to a range of hardware

options, Zebra’s open platform lets customers

source applications independently from

hardware.”

Dynamic pickingRiviere made the point that the key component

of multi-modal Voice solutions is, and will remain,

the Voice component. “This is because users

cannot work faster, more accurately or be more

focused by using any system other than Voice

technology,” he said. “Users are listening to

instructions and speaking to confirm tasks have

been completed. In so doing they become totally

focused. Some 96 to 98 per cent of interaction

time in the warehouse will involve the Voice

component. However, through the multi-modal

approach, we are also ensuring that people who

would like to view certain types of information or

graphics on screen can do this while still relying

on Voice as their main daily working tool in order

to work faster, more accurately and more safely.”

More application optionsVoice technology has been proven to drive

productivity improvements of 15 per cent or

more in case- and piece-picking applications.

Now, Voice is increasing productivity for other

applications. Voice can be used effectively for


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Interview

Voice and multi-modal technology– the perfect combination

Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with Bart Riviere, business development directorfor speech solutions at Zebra Technologies, about what he believes to be some of the

primary reasons why it is time to move to Voice and multi-modal solutions. ZebraTechnologies supplies a full range of enterprise solutions, including: mobile computers,

scanners, printers, location solutions, Voice solutions, RFID and WLAN.

Bart Riviere: “Some 96 to 98 per cent of interaction time in the warehouse will involve the Voicecomponent. However, through the multi-modal approach, we are also ensuring that people whowould like to view certain types of information or graphics on screen can do this while still relyingon Voice as their main daily working tool in order to work faster, more accurately and more safely.”

6 STEPS TO

Deploy industrial wireless solutions

Improve staff communications and management

Streamline order picking process

Advance inventory and storage capabilities

Upgrade inbound handling operations

Turnaround outbound handling performance

TEPS T6 SWFLAAW

OTEPS TWLESS FULFILMENT

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WLESS FULFILMENT

WFLAAWThe warehouse is at the centre of your business - it is the kwhich almost everything must pass.

s highly competitive markIn today’critical to achieving customer satisfaction.

o discover hoTTo, flawless fulfilment, download our 6 Son-time

WLESS FULFILMENTThe warehouse is at the centre of your business - it is the kwhich almost everything must pass.

ets, efficient warehouse operations are s highly competitive markcritical to achieving customer satisfaction.

o discover how to consistently achieve accurate, flawless fulfilment, download our 6 S

WLESS FULFILMENTey hub through The warehouse is at the centre of your business - it is the k

ets, efficient warehouse operations are

, o discover how to consistently achieve accurateteps Guide , flawless fulfilment, download our 6 S

WLESS FULFILMENTey hub through

ets, efficient warehouse operations are

teps Guide

, flawless fulfilment, download our 6 Son-timeusing the QR code or URL below:http://hubs.ly/H01gb6R0

, flawless fulfilment, download our 6 Susing the QR code or URL below:http://hubs.ly/H01gb6R0

teps Guide , flawless fulfilment, download our 6 S

teps Guide

Step 6. urnaround outbound T

handling performance

urnaround outbound

handling performance

Step 1. Deploy industrial wireless solutions

Step 2. Improve staff

Step 1. Deploy industrial wireless solutions

Step 2. Improve staff

Step 5. Upgrade inbound

Step 5. Upgrade inbound



Upgrade inboundhandling operations

Upgrade inboundhandling operations

Step 3. Streamline orderpicking process

Step 3. Streamline orderpicking process

Step 4.Advance inventory

storage and

Step 4.Advance inventory

capabilitiesstorage


VOICEtechnology Interview

many applications beyond just picking. “Tasks

such as replenishment, receiving, quality

assurance, put-away, truck loading and more

can all benefit from Voice-enablement,” said

Riviere. “And when your Voice-enabled

hardware and software have the flexibility to

meet the demands of your facility, you can

accelerate the ROI from your technology

investments. For example, one shift can use a

device for case and piece picking, while the next

shift uses that same device for trailer loading or

cycle counting. While the ergonomics of these

workflows are different, the flexibility of a multi-

modal capable terminal lets you get the most

from every device.”

Compared with the wide range of hardware and

software solutions available from Zebra and its

extended partner network, Riviere comments

that single-source providers cannot offer the

same flexibility to address each process within

customers’ warehouse or distribution centres

beyond order picking.

Enhanced labour management Zebra and its software partners offer many

robust reporting applications that can track

productivity and other statistics at an individual

associate level. With the flexibility to build

customised and detailed reports that offer

greater employee visibility and help optimise

distribution processes, customers can drive to

new levels of productivity beyond what Voice

alone can offer. “Our customers can deploy

labour management and reporting tools along

with a Voice and multi-modal solution, but it can

be smart to add reporting tools after these

processes are well established,” said Riviere.

“This provides a new source of productivity

gains and supports continuous improvement

programmes.”

Riviere continued: “If users are operating a

Voice-directed solution we have a very good

view of where they are spending their time: how

much time they spend moving, walking or

driving throughout the warehouse; how much

time they spend collecting empty pallets, how

much time they spend fetching a shipment label;

or the time required going to the expedition area

etc. We can capture all this information as

complementary data to what the WMS system

can typically provide in order that further

operational enhancements can be made to

optimise daily activity in the warehouse or DC.”

The network effectWith Zebra’s TekSpeech Pro Solution, customers

have the freedom to use any wireless network to

power their mobile terminals and Voice and

multi-modal software offerings. However,

because engineer partners work to optimise the

performance of Zebra mobile terminals on the

company’s wireless network customers get

additional benefits from using Zebra technology

together, including up to 20 per cent longer

battery life and improved roaming performance.

“When your network and mobile terminals work

together in perfect harmony, you unlock even

greater value in your investments in Voice and

multi-modal technologies,” said Riviere.

The benefits of a speech-independentsystem

Riviere also made the point that Voice

recognition technology has evolved

considerably over the past few years. “Back in

the 1990s there were only speaker-dependent

Voice systems whereby users needed to train

their voice profile for around 45 minutes or so in

order to be able to use the technology,” he

said. “However, over the past four to five years

the technology has become much more mature

and very robust. Today’s best speech-

independent Voice solutions are able to

understand different accents and dialects

perfectly – as well as subtle changes in the

user’s voice over time or even during different

periods of the day – with no prior Voice training.

With speech-dependent systems, users often

had to re-train the systems to understand their

voices every few months. Today’s speech-

independent systems, such as TekSpeech Pro,

doesn’t need to look for an individual user’s

profile, it simply recognises the appropriate

language. This provides much greater flexibility

for users.”

Riviere concluded: “With an open system

approach, powerful multi-modal technology, a

broad portfolio of wireless solutions and an

extensive network of software partners, Zebra is

the smart choice for Voice and multi-modal

solutions.” n

TekSpeech Pro – one solution, many options Zebra Technologies’ TekSpeech Pro takes performance and flexibility to the next level forVoice-directed warehouse applications with world-class speaker-independent Voicerecognition, high-level Voice quality and the freedom of choice – the customer’s choice ofmobile computers, accessories, application functions and back-end business systems.Additionally, TekSpeech Pro provides the tools needed to make every step in thedevelopment of Voice-directed applications easy – from dialogue scripting to hostintegration, deployment and solution management.

To complement Zebra’s TekSpeech Pro solution, Zebra offers a full range of warehousesolutions including handheld, wearable and vehicle mount mobile computers, scanners,printers, location solutions, RFID and WLAN.

Zebra’s Voice-directed technology combined with its network of software partners provides a widerange of options – including Cloud and client-based solutions – that deliver significant flexibility incosts, capabilities and deployment strategies.

www.logisticsit.com

Whether you already have

some form of omnichannel

capability or are still

determining how to

incorporate it into your

business, the associated rapid growth and

complex change presents significant opportunity

and significant risk to retailers today. The key to

making the most of the opportunity and

minimising the risk is the combination of a clear,

validated plan of how to integrate omnichannel

into your business and the efficient, accurate

execution in your fulfilment operations.

Fail to plan = plan to failCustomer expectation and the influence of social

media means that retailers have to get their

omnichannel proposition right first time and also

be able to scale and adapt it to support a rapidly

changing market. Last year’s ‘Black Friday’

presented unprecedented spikes in demand

and some unfortunate negative press for retailers

and logistics operators that were not able to

cope. To ensure success and to be able to

prepare well in advance for changes, retailers

need to consider multiple factors including:

Which DC should satisfy the order?

• Is there sufficient geographical coverage to

deliver the goods in an acceptable lead time?

For fresh products such as grocery this can

be more important than apparel, but

consideration needs to be given to the cost of

transport and the target demographics’ ability

to wait more than 24 hours to get their

purchase. Time to fulfil the order and the cost

of shipment suddenly becomes a retailing

differentiator.

What changes do I need to make to the

DC?

• The DC is now no longer a B2B supplier. It

needs to accommodate some of the tasks

previously performed by the retail store. For

example, customer orders now need to be

picked individually, so a level of quality control

is required to ensure the correct items are

picked. These orders then need to be

packaged and labelled for the consumer.

Marshalling and assembly areas may now

require space for benches, pickers may now

use trolleys, more pick faces may need to be

allocated, and more people employed across

different shifts.

• The shipment of smaller orders on a more

frequent basis now requires more vehicle

collections, possibly smaller vehicles. The

loading bays may be designed for the loading

of larger vehicles and now need to

accommodate smaller vehicles or courier

collections.

• Goods Inward will no longer just handle cases

and pallets. It needs to accommodate

customer returns. Quality inspections need to

be carried out, products may need to be

repacked before they can be returned for

resale. This will impact on the space required

and facilities needed.

What transport is needed?

• Potentially smaller vehicles may be needed. A

new outsourcing contract established or

courier services engaged.

Consequently, when opening an online store

the retailer must decide how to fulfil these

orders, whether they can be fulfilled through

the existing supply chain, or should the

network and stores fulfilment processes be

adjusted to accommodate the orders, or

indeed if a completely separate channel

should be established.

Using applied modelling algorithmsThere are tools on the market that use Applied

Modelling Algorithms (AMA) to model and

simulate the warehouse layout and calculate the

most efficient and cost-effective ways to operate

the warehouse. Using AMA tools means you can

change your plans in a safe computer

environment and test that your changes will work

before making them; this is key in the rapidly

changing market of omnichannel. You can also

test your yard capacity to ensure any increase in

the delivery schedule can be met.

AMA can also be applied to the network, testing

the geographical co-ordinates of DCs and key

customer conurbations to then consider different


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Opinion

Planning and executingfor omnichannel success

By Anton du Preez, group sales director, Voiteq.

In particular, hands-free, eyes-free Voice technology offers compelling accuracy, productivity andflexibility benefits that are ideally suited to batched, multi-order picking and packing processesthat can co-exist with existing fulfilment operations.

demand profiles. By creating a model in this way

the location of the DC can be changed and the

net effect on the transport cost evaluated.

Equally if the retailer is seeking to meet key lead-

time-to-delivery criteria such as free next-day

delivery, and the order correlation between the

sales effects of free next-day delivery is known,

then the model can find an optimum network

strategy balancing transport costs versus sales.

Efficient execution of the planHaving a good plan is a vital starting point for

omnichannel retail however overall success is

also dependent on exemplary operational

execution. Part of the execution relates to the

consumer front-end platforms, such as websites

and mobile apps. From a supply chain point of

view, efficient, accurate, on-time delivery to the

customer is more important than ever.

Omnichannel has also resulted in a significant

increase in returns processing resulting in

additional costs and reverse logistics processes.

How do I adapt to omnichannel order

profiles?

• Unlike typical store replenishment orders,

omnichannel orders average one to two lines

per order. Whether orders are shipping

directly to the customer or to the store for a

‘click and collect’ service, this order profile

requires a different execution approach. In

order to achieve the necessary efficiencies,

orders will need to be batched together and

picked on one warehouse journey, ideally with

a single pick-and-pack process.

Which warehouse technologies are best to

support my omnichannel initiatives?

• Supply chain directors have a range of

options to choose from and the speed-to-

market, flexibility and cost justification of each

approach will need to be considered carefully.

Full automation of e-commerce fulfilment is

possible, however this requires considerable

capital outlay, has a long return on investment

and has limited flexibility to adapt to future

changes. Applying existing mobile

technologies, sometimes together with partial

automation, to omnichannel processes can

provide a rapid, cost-effective solution.

In particular, hands-free, eyes-free Voice

technology offers compelling accuracy,

productivity and flexibility benefits that are

ideally suited to batched, multi-order picking

and packing processes that can co-exist with

existing fulfilment operations. Voice can also

be used for in-store fulfilment of omnichannel

orders such as pick-from-store, click-and-

collect or ‘dark store’ operations.

How do I manage my omnichannel

warehouse execution?

• Omnichannel orders are highly time sensitive

and having ensured the accuracy and

performance of outbound processes in an

omnichannel warehouse, the next area to

consider is the real-time execution and overall

management of the operation. Some modern

warehouse management systems can offer

this capability but many back-end systems

are not designed to provide the real-time

visibility and control that enables managers to

ensure service levels are consistently and

efficiently achieved. In order to support a

growing omnichannel operation, it’s not

necessary to replace your existing WMS. Seek

out an execution system that can easily

integrate with your back-end systems, batch

work to maximise efficiency, provide full

visibility of the work in progress, automatically

manage work prioritisation to meet

transportation deadlines and provide full

traceability of every step.

How to plan for successThe continued growth in omnichannel retail has

validated the opportunity it represents to retailers

and continued to challenge supply chain

executives. The well-established business

principle of creating a strong, accurate plan and

then executing effectively against that plan

applies very well to this market. In addition, stiff

competition and rapidly changing customer

demand forces retailers to constantly review their

plans and adapt their execution to remain

ahead. Applied Modelling Algorithms (AMA)

offer proven mechanisms for retailers to build

and maintain robust plans, and real-time

fulfilment execution systems combined with

flexible, accurate technologies such as Voice

ensure that the plan is executed efficiently and

the brand promise upheld. n


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Interview

If the retailer is seeking to meet key lead-time-to-delivery criteria such as free next-day delivery,and the order correlation between the sales effects of free next-day delivery is known, then themodel can find an optimum network strategy balancing transport costs versus sales.

Voiteq is a leading global supplier of Voice Directed Work solutions. Voice is our core business and we’ve helped our customers reap the substantial benefits of hands-free, eyes-free work for over 15 years.

Voiteq has the largest global team of certified Honeywell Vocollect Solutions professionals. We offer a range of ways to improve your warehouse and line-of-business operations; including our award winning VoiceMan Warehouse Execution System, Business Intelligence reporting tool InfoCentre and VoiceMan Screen-to-Voice connector.

With offices in the UK, France, Germany and North America, we provide a local service on a global scale.

voiteq.com/voice

A voice solution that makes business sense

Get more out of your warehouse:

Improved ProductivityIncreased AccuracyBetter Customer ServiceClear Visibility of OperationsDashboard ReportingFlexible SoftwareCertified Voice Professionals24/7 Support GloballyProven ROI

It’s a well-known fact that happy and

motivated workers produce better

results, as illustrated in findings from a

recent study by Warwick University. The

study, carried out in laboratory

conditions, found that happier workers were

12 per cent more productive than their

counterparts. It underlines staff morale and

wellbeing is not just an HR goal: it is

fundamental to business performance

levels.

The logistics sector employs over 1.7 million

workers in the UK and must actively

manage morale to ensure it attracts and

retains the best employees. The warehouse

is a key focus here, and traditionally may

not be seen as the happiest of working

environments. But warehouse managers do

now have the tools to keep workers

motivated, in both what they are doing and

how they are doing it, without even

physically being there.

Keeping the workforce motivated The concept of talking to a machine may not

sound like a great motivator, but voice

technology has been found to have positive

effects on warehouse workers’ work-life

balance and overall wellbeing. How?

Through providing clear guidance and

direction over the course of the shift, and

enabling greater efficiency.

Through Voice-directed work, warehouse

staff use small belt-worn portable devices

and headsets, leaving them hands-free and

eyes-free, focused on the task at hand.

Instructions from the warehouse

management system are delivered through

the headset, one simple command at a time.

The picker confirms each instruction

verbally and the system is updated in real

time. As instructions are given on an as-

needed basis, pickers can concentrate on

single actions without distraction or delay,

thereby reducing errors.

Compared to manual processes, which

involve checking lists or screens while

simultaneously trying to carry out high

volumes of goods without making mistakes,

a great deal of the stress associated with

warehouse picking can also be removed.

The result? Businesses adopting Voice have

seen an average increase of 20 per cent in

worker productivity compared with previous

systems. At the same time, accuracy rates

have risen up to 99.98 per cent, critical

when considering that the cost of returning

an incorrect item is up to five times as much

as processing a new sale.

Incentivise But how does being more efficient make

workers happier? It’s the responsibility of the

warehouse manager to ensure that a good

job does not go unrewarded. But again, Voice

can help. With Voice in place, it is possible to

introduce competition and gamify elements of

the working day, offering rewards for

completing additional tasks or meeting all

targets for a set period. With precise

instructions given by the warehouse

management system, there can be no

suggestion of bias towards workers, levelling

the playing field for all.

By viewing workflows in real time and

monitoring progress, employers can also

adopt a more flexible model, re-directing staff

onto particularly busy tasks in order to help

teammates, for example. This way, the work is

completed quicker, which quite simply means

that staff are required to work less overtime

and can restore the work-life balance.

This use of incentives, better informed by

technology, contributes to the overall

wellbeing of the workforce, while creating

more fully-rounded employees.

Health and safetyHealth and safety should also be considered

as important to overall worker morale.

Warehouses can be inhospitable at times but

the increasing use of technology is helping to

produce safer working environments.

For example in freezer picking, wearing a

Voice headset means no need for workers to

remove gloves to type information into a mobile

computer, a small yet incredibly strong benefit

through the course of a working day. Working

with both hands free also makes it easier to lift

heavy items safely, and having both eyes free

Darrel Williams: “Businesses adopting Voicehave seen an average increase of 20 percent in worker productivity compared withprevious systems. At the same time,accuracy rates have risen up to 99.98 percent, critical when considering that the costof returning an incorrect item is up to fivetimes as much as processing a new sale.”


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Opinion

Achieving greater productivityand higher morale in the warehouse

By Darrel Williams, region director Northern Europe,Vocollect Solutions, Honeywell.

every second counts

Voice-driven workers aren’t just faster: they’re focused on what counts.

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means better awareness of your surroundings,

thereby reducing the risk of accidents.

Cumulatively, all of this has a profound effect.

Workers have been shown to be less tense at

the end of the day. Their daily tasks become

that much easier to achieve, there is a

reduction in their worry of making a mistake,

and they know they are working as efficiently

as possible, allowing them to leave on time.

Is technology the deal-breaker? The use of technology can therefore be seen

as an enabler for the productive warehouse.

With the industry reported to be booming at

over £55 billion in the UK alone, it is clearly in

the warehouse manager’s interest to develop

the most efficient working models possible.

Happier workers will be a by-product of this.

So does technology therefore become a

factor in a worker’s decision of which

company to work for? The choice between

using more traditional methods of picking and

Voice technology, with the benefits as we

have outlined, could become a tipping point

to securing the best people.

Securing these skilled workers, rewarding

them and retaining them allows warehouse

operations to run as smoothly as possible. By

having the more attractive workplace

environment, companies are more likely to

attract and retain the best candidates,

ensuring quality results.

Meeting peak demands Having a more skilled and motivated

workforce will truly pay dividends when

seasonal peaks arise. For retailers this is

undoubtedly in the lead up to Christmas, as

well as e-commerce bonanzas such as Black

Friday.

By ensuring better accuracy, and putting

people at the heart of the process, Voice

technology can help tackle these peaks

without impacting negatively on workers. By

being able to plan for peaks, Voice customers

have reported they don’t experience issues or

see them as a major concern, citing the fact

that they are able to upskill new workers

quickly and effectively – and meet demands

as normal.

Happy workers: Happy managers?As the logistics industry continues to

expand, working environments will doubtless

come under further scrutiny. The use of

Voice in the warehouse means that

companies can ensure the process of

picking is being done in the most efficient

way, allowing managers to focus on human

elements including employee morale and

wellbeing.

But of course, having these efficient

processes will have already started to make

the positive impact managers are looking

for. Through allowing warehouse functions to

perform at optimum levels, Voice systems

are building better working conditions, for

both employees and employers. One

Honeywell Vocollect solutions customer

commented that, after implementing the

system, it found the performance of the

better, more experienced and motivated staff

increased 10 per cent. At the same time the

company saw the performance of the less

experienced and sometimes less motivated

staff increase by 20 per cent. As everyone is

working to similar levels of productivity it has

made managing the workforce much more

predictable and accurate. n


VOICEtechnology

www.logisticsit.com

Opinion

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www.RetailTechnologyReview.com www.IT-Reseller.com

www.YourTechTV.comwww.YourLogisticsTV.com


Planning Product news

www.logisticsit.com

The new Simatic IT Preactor APS

solution is the single biggest

change in terms of product

structure since the company was

first launched back in 1994.

Barney Speller, SIMATIC IT Preactor’s

product manager, outlined the main drivers

behind the changes. “Over the years the

needs of our client base have matured. Many

users now have more IT systems in place,

which means they require their APS

(Advanced Planning & Scheduling) or FCS

(Finite Capacity Scheduling) solutions to have

the flexibility to work alongside, and in

concert, with these systems in the most

efficient way possible.”

In terms of planning, the new product portfolio

comprises SIMATIC IT Preactor AP Ultimate,

while on the scheduling side the company

has introduced SIMATIC IT Preactor AS

Standard, SIMATIC IT Preactor AS

Professional and SIMATIC IT Preactor AS

Ultimate.

SIMATIC IT Preactor APUltimate

Speller explained one of the key benefits of

SIMATIC IT Preactor AP Ultimate used in a

Make to Stock environment is that users can

import current stock levels plus actual and

forecast demand. “The software can then

consider rough cut capacity, pack forward

figures, target days of stock cover,

manufacturing preferences,

minimum/maximum re-order quantities, re-

order multiples, product shelf life, etc. to

propose an accurate and achievable MPS

(Master Production Schedule),” he said.

Production capacity can be specified as a

quantity, duration or weight and using the

Preactor calendar system capacity can be

varied over time. Speller pointed out that the

capacity available then limits the production

volume created in each period. “Once an

initial MPS has been created, the data can be

displayed as both stock profile graphs and

capacity usage graphs,” said Speller.

In a ‘Make-to-Order’ environment, the stock

levels of finished and/or intermediate items will

not be part of the key process parameters, but

there will still be the need to evaluate the

effects of future demand changes on the

manufacturing process.

“For example, for complex assemblies in the

aerospace sector, each finished item may

have a deep BoM and be made up of

thousands of individual components,” said

Speller “Many of those components are

manufactured in-house and they share

production capacity, so there is a complex

relationship between manufacturing capacity

and demand. When a change in demand

occurs, whether that be in terms of quantity or

delivery dates, there is a need to be able to

quickly assess if it is possible to meet the new

requirements.” Speller also pointed out that it

is possible to import demand changes into

SIMATIC IT Preactor AP and create a new

‘what if’ plan. “The planning BoM will be

exploded and SIMATIC IT Preactor AP will

show if there are any capacity issues. If there

are issues, an acceptable MPS can be

created by working interactively,” he said.

SIMATIC IT Preactor ASStandard

SIMATIC IT Preactor AS Standard uses order-

based scheduling to which the user can apply

a ranking or weighting in order to prioritise the

orders. It schedules based on availability of

resources, additional constraints and the

materials required for the order. During the

scheduling process Preactor AS Standard can

take into account different operation run

Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with SIMATIC IT Preactor’sproduct manager, Barney Speller, about the company’s brand new

planning and scheduling suite and the key benefits it affords endusers, plus Preactor’s worldwide partner network.

Taking planning andscheduling to the next level


Planning Product news

www.logisticsit.com

speeds on different resources, use sequence

dependent changeover times based on

operation attributes and allow overlaps and

slack time between operations.

Speller points out that one of the key

differentiators between of Preactor AS

Standard and the higher level products is that

Preactor AS Standard works at order level.

“The scheduling rules that are supplied with it

are all order-based, one-order-at-a time

scheduling rules,” he said. “Therefore, it will

rank the company’s order book and schedule

the whole order, including all of the operations

– one at a time, backwards or forwards – in

accordance with the user’s scheduling

preferences. The material constraints

functionality also works at an order level, so

the materials can be consumed at the

beginning of the order and the material

released at the end of the order.”

SIMATIC IT Preactor ASProfessional

SIMATIC IT Preactor AS Professional has a

number of additional schedule optimisation

rules to deal with problems such as minimising

changeover times, preferred sequencing and

campaigning. Composite rules can also be

built with Preactor’s workflow tool. At SIMATIC

IT Preactor AS Professional level the user is

also able to implement customer specific rules

about how materials are consumed and

visualise their assembly process from raw

materials through to finished goods and sales

orders in the Material Explorer. This shows a

graphical view of the material dependencies

as well as plots of stock levels over time. The

user can see where shortages will occur and

choose to keep them as a constraint or ignore

them. In addition to this, Preactor AS

professional can model advanced resource

constraints, such as rules about concurrent

rule usage, and advanced inter-operation

constraints including limits on the time

between operations and how much operation

times can be extended by.

Speller explained that SIMATIC IT Preactor AS

Professional is more operation based than the

Standard solution. “Users have the ability to

start using some of the more complex

resource-based scheduling rules that used

only to be available at APS level,” he said. “In

this way, users can now benefit from parallel

loading and preferred sequence rules in order

to minimise set-up times. SIMATIC IT Preactor

AS Professional also works on a resource

basis rather than undertaking one entire order

at a time. Of course, due to the inherent

flexibility of the system, any alternative

operational model can be quickly put in place

as the user sees fit.”

SIMATIC IT Preactor ASUltimate

The top-of-the-range offering, SIMATIC IT

Preactor AS Ultimate, includes a developer

licence (SIMATIC IT Preactor Ultimate

Access), which gives access to the full

flexibility that is possible with a Preactor

system. The database schema can be altered

as required, including adding tables and

fields, and via the Preactor programming

interfaces it is possible to create custom

scheduling rules to solve specific scheduling

problems and create custom data

manipulation tools for use with the Preactor

workflow engine.

As the SIMATIC IT Preactor Ultimate Access

licence is a one-off purchase for a company,

included in the price of the first Preactor

Ultimate level system, this enables a cost

effective multi-licensing programme for rolling

out Preactor systems across multiple sites or

scheduling environments. Additionally, the

SIMATIC IT Preactor AS Ultimate Viewer has

been introduced to be linked to a Preactor AS

Ultimate schedule.

Vertical sector flexibility The new products have been built to offer

maximum flexibility and customisability across

all different vertical market sectors. “Bringing

in much of the configurability to the UI means

operators can simply go into the system and

rename fields as required in order to ensure

they offer the very best fit for their own

industry sector and their daily business and

operational requirements,” explained Speller.

Lean manufacturingMost manufacturers are under pressure to

reduce costs while producing more, in shorter

delivery times. All this has to be accomplished

without an accurate indication of future

demand and with lower inventories. “By

connecting SIMATIC IT Preactor planning &

scheduling systems to their ERP and shop-

floor data collection, companies are able to

monitor the state of execution against plan

and put in place effective Lean operations,”

said Speller.

The Siemens advantageSpeller also spoke about the positive impact

the acquisition by parent company Siemens

has had. “Since the Siemens acquisition in

June 2013, the investment in R&D has

become considerably greater, and this has

enabled us to accelerate our development

process, bringing more features to the market

more quickly. Our own already extensive

group of partners is also being extended

further due to the strength of Siemens’

worldwide partner network. We will

increasingly be able to share our own

technology development among the wider

Siemens Group, while in turn being able to

benefit from Siemens’ own developments. In

addition we’re now part of the Manufacturing

Operations Management (MOM) portfolio,

which enables manufacturers to implement

their strategy for the complete seamless

digitalization of manufacturing operations.”

The Siemens’ MOM portfolio encompasses

solutions to address: manufacturing execution

systems, quality execution, SCADA and

manufacturing intelligence with SIMATIC IT

Preactor APS providing an excellent

complement to the PLM/MOM software

portfolio.

In summary, Speller commented. “The

introduction of our new suite of products, our

well-established and growing partner

network and the full support of Siemens

stands us in very good stead as a forward-

looking company.” n

SIMATIC IT Preactor is a world leading production planning and scheduling software used by a broad range of businesses globally.

SIMATIC IT Preactor APS products are designed to work alongside and facilitate, rather than replace, existing systems. They can be tightly integrated with ERP, accounting and forecasting software, spreadsheets, MES and SFDC systems.

Products from the Preactor APS range can be used

for long term strategic planning covering months and years ahead, medium term tactical planning with a few weeks planning horizon and for detailed sequencing and scheduling.

SIMATIC IT Preactor APS is not a single point solution. It represents a family of products that have different levels of functionality and pricing so that you can select the system that satisfies both your needs and your budget.

siemens.com/preactor

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G.H. Mumm & Cie is the leading

international champagne

company in France and third

in the world (IWSR 2012).

Boasting a heritage dating

back to 1827, with its recognisable red

ribbon, a symbol of excellence, the

G.H.Mumm Cordon Rouge blend – a perfect

incarnation of the brand – stands apart due to

the freshness and intensity of its oenological

style, conserved and passed down from one

generation to another by the Cellar Masters.

The challenge: complex and lengthyproduction process

To really understand the needs and stakes of

G.H.Mumm, one needs to understand the

manufacturing process involving 8 million

bottles of champagne. This represents a

manufacturing cycle of between three and six

months, with each step playing a decisive

role in maintaining the quality of the

champagne. “Ours is a living product, which

continues to change as it ages,” explained

G.H.Mumm’s planning and procurement MS

manager, David Labrousse. “It requires

vigilance because stabilisation and

improvement are not always synonymous.

Aging for too long can result in a loss of

quality. It is no easy matter to find the ideal

‘just-in-time’ balance, but it is essential if we

are to meet the high demands we set for our

champagnes.”

This requires particularly accurate inventory

management coupled with sufficiently refined

and precise control of the entire supply chain

in order to be proactive and make the right

decision at the right time. “We have

to synchronise the various decision-

making levels to harmonise our

processes and remain consistent

from one end of the product life cycle

to the other,” said Labrousse. This

was the main reason for selecting

DynaSys Demand and Supply Chain

Planning solutions: Demand

Planning, Production Planning and

Procurement Planning.

The solution: control andoptimisation

Whether it concerns the improvement

of production resources, working

times or inventory management,

every detail is crucial for a luxury

product like champagne. “In our

field, responsiveness to customer

demand is critical,” said Labrousse.

“Having stock costs less than losing

a customer.”

Control

It requires anticipation and accurate

information to reach the right

decision. This is where DynaSys

comes in, with its Demand & Supply

Chain Planning solutions and its

project teams, totally familiar with every

aspect of the champagne world.

“The DynaSys tools are efficient, enabling us

to carry out rapid, detailed, accurate and

reliable analysis which is, in a word, relevant,”

remarked Labrousse. “Since the solutions

offered by DynaSys are flexible, we quickly

set them up to closely match our

requirements, without wasting time and

money on specific and costly development.

We have not reinvented anything; we have

just applied best practice.”

Optimisation

Planning is at the heart of the company; a

way of directing, validating and perfecting its

multiple plans:

• IBP (Industrial and Business Plan), focused

48 ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS

Supply Chain

www.logisticsit.com

Success story

Planning has become thecornerstone at G.H. Mumm

October 2015

The DynaSys tools are efficient, enabling us to carry out rapid, detailed,accurate and reliable analysis which is – in a word – relevant.”

– David Labrousse, G.H. Mumm & Cie. “

on capacity and investment, drawn up by

the half year for 10 years, and at format

level.

• S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning)

providing a budget approach, management

of over/under capacities and optimisation of

industrial tools as well as product life cycle

management. This plan is drawn up by the

month, for a period of 24 months, in a

macro-format and using special SKUs

(Stock Keeping Units).

• MPS (Master Production Scheduling) for

managing working times, quality and

customer service. This plan is calculated by

the week for a period of 6 months, and at

SKU level.

The planning department, employing four

people at G.H.Mumm, has a horizontal view of

the entire process enabling it to quickly deal

with issues, in agreement with management.

Weekly planning enables the company to

reach decisions according to the needs and

analysis carried out using the DynaSys

solutions. “Every week, we get a clear view of

the four weeks to come,” explained

Labrousse. “An issue regarding a late delivery

of dry matter? or a manpower issue? an

emergency? An earthquake somewhere in the

world? – These things happen. Our

management method is in step with reality.

We are capable of providing company

management as well as managers of the

commercial, marketing, production,

purchasing, technical departments with the

information they need.”

For instance, precise planning in this way

enables the company to place amalgamated

orders for its labelling requirements. The

equation is simple: better knowledge of

requirements + better visibility + better

procurement control = less obsolescence and

fewer orders. This has generated a direct

gain in terms of a cost reduction of 17 per

cent over three years.

The benefits: reduced inventory,costs and increased visibility

• 15 per cent reduction in finished product

inventory prior to shipping.

• Maintained service level while reducing the

longest lead-time from 14 to 6 weeks.

• Better visibility of labelling procurements

and product mix (amalgamated orders

based on the largest quantity).

• Reduction in emergency reordering – only 3

per year instead of 21 three years ago.

• Stabilisation of the production plan to

ensure better team and manufacturing tool

management.

The future

G.H. Mumm has already taken the first step:

better control of its S&OP processes and the

improvement of the match between strategic

and operational planning. Or… “How to

synchronise planning with the actual

conditions in the field,” said Labrousse. “We

have projects underway reviewing our

working hours. What we want is to balance

out the annual working hours for our

employees, avoiding under-capacity and

therefore sharing out the working times as

best we can throughout the year. Optimising

our capacity management will enable us to

strengthen relations with our subcontractors,

by involving them in our planning process.

We also want to reduce the obsolescence of

our limited editions. Currently obsolescence is

only 1.8 per cent for regular products but is

up to 12.5 per cent for our special products.”

Labrousse concluded: “The implementation of

DynaSys Demand & Supply Chain Planning

solutions is not an end in itself; it is a decision

support tool. These tools help us make our

information more reliable but above all, they

represent solutions opening new opportunities

for us. We have to learn how to best utilise

them.” n

49ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS

Supply Chain

www.logisticsit.com

Success story

October 2015

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ITMANUFACTURING&LOGISTICS

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Sir Stanley Clarke House7 Ridgeway, Quinton Business ParkBirmingham, B32 1AF+44 (0) 121 506 6500www.dys.com / [email protected]

Unlock Supply Chain Potential

Sales & Operations Planning

To better analyse, plan, simulate and optimise your Supply Chain, you need a comprehensive, integrated and collaborative solution. A solution that aligns

cross-functional priorities while increasing profitability.

Experts in Demand & Supply Chain Planning solutions for over 30 years, DynaSys offers the DSCP suite, a solution that will optimise the strategic, tactical

and operational levels of your extended Supply Chain.

Benefit from our unique expertise in Supply Chain to help deliver your organisational strategy.









o better analyse, plaTToa comprehensive, integrated and collaborative solution. A solution that aligns

cross-functional priorities while increasing profitability



o better analyse, plan, simulate and optimise your Supply Chain, you need a comprehensive, integrated and collaborative solution. A solution that aligns

cross-functional priorities while increasing profitability




.cross-functional priorities while increasing profitability





Benefit from our unique expertise in Supply Chain to help deliver

Sir Stanley Clarke House

Benefit from our unique expertise in Supply Chain to help deliver your organisational strategy

Sir Stanley Clarke House

Benefit from our unique expertise in Supply Chain to help deliver .your organisational strategy

Benefit from our unique expertise in Supply Chain to help deliver

7 RidgewayBirmingham, B32 1AF+44 (0) 121 506 6500www

Sir Stanley Clarke House, Quinton Business Park7 Ridgeway

Birmingham, B32 1AF+44 (0) 121 506 6500

.dys.com / [email protected]

, Quinton Business Park

.dys.com / [email protected]

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