Dutch Supply Chain Consultancy Groenewout Acquired

Consulting, engineering and optimization of logistics networks: with the acquisition of a majority stake in Dutch supply chain consultancy Groenewout, EPG Consulting is strengthening its consulting business in Europe and worldwide. Groenewout has more than 55 years of experience in its consulting services, especially in the area of (re-)design and optimization of logistics networks, realization and implementation of (mechanized) warehouse operations. The common goal is to expand the Benelux and international customer business and to strengthen the position of the company as an independent holistic supply chain consultancy.

Both companies will benefit from strong synergies and complementary service offerings. After the acquisition, the two companies are together one of the leading independent supply chain and logistics consultancies and leaders in terms of experience and realized projects. The location in Breda, the Netherlands, will be the starting point for the further expansion of the joint activities. The management team consists of Alain Beerens (Director Groenewout) and Marcel Wilhelms (Director and Managing Director EPG Consulting). Groenewout will operate in the market as a member of EPG.

Supply chain consulting for the European market

Groenewout was founded in 1966 and is today one of the best-known logistics and supply chain consulting specialists in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The company designs supply chain and logistics solutions for its international customers and has in-depth expertise in construction management & engineering (CM&E).

“Groenewout combines their expertise in supply chain, logistics and CM&E into a great overall package, perfectly complementing our service offering,” says Marcel Wilhelms, Managing Director of EPG Consulting. “We are observing an increased demand for holistic planning and realization, especially with regard to automation solutions. In addition, it is becoming increasingly important to plan logistics real estate precisely according to customer needs and the logistics solution it entails. Groenewout also has an excellent network on the European and international market. We see great potential for development and can also open up new consulting segments for us – for example in the area of transport management consulting.” In line with the new TMS Consulting business area, EPG Consulting has the right solution in Greenplan for a holistic consulting and optimization project, including the implementation of the solution.”

According to Alain Beerens, Director Groenewout; “Groenewout has over the past 55 years built a successful logistics and supply chain consultancy. We are well positioned to further develop our full potential as part of EPG Consulting and to provide an even better service offering to all our customers.”

Who is speaking? Warehouse Voice Software Knows

Wherever you have lots of order pickers working side by side in the warehouse, voice software can incorrectly recognizes commands. EPG (Ehrhardt + Partner Group) has incorporated machine learning into its latest release. The system reacts to the volume of the input signal coming from the speaker and automatically ignores it if there’s a significant deviation. This ensures that the system only listens to the actual user, avoiding incorrect commands from other people speaking. In addition, Lydia® Voice now also features a voice-activated client event reporting function for simplified error analysis during voice application. The new release is available on the latest operating systems, including Android 10.

And even when used with headsets featuring microphones that don’t offer optimum noise-cancelling capabilities, the new Lydia® Voice release is able to leverage its strengths, with Lydia® now even better at differentiating between the actual user and other people who are talking nearby. The integrated machine learning technology reacts to the volume of the input signal. When there is a significant deviation in input volume, the system can tell whether it’s the actual user talking or somebody else. And if it is somebody else, the system automatically disregards what they’ve said. This helps to avoid incorrect commands and ensure the actual worker can go about his or her duties without
interruption.

Improved error analysis

In the event of something unexpected happening in warehouse operations, such as network problems or challenges with voice input and output, the new release allows the user to actively generate log files by voice command via the client event reporting feature. This puts a marker in the system that is easy to find, enabling each
documented incident to be analysed and evaluated swiftly. Incidents can therefore be rectified as soon as they occur, saving a great deal of time, and can also be assigned to error categories as part of the process.

The new Lydia® release is available on the latest versions of major operating  systems, including Android 10. This also means maximum flexibility when it comes to choosing hardware.

Logistics Business reported recently on Lydia® VoiceWear®, which offers increased mobility while picking. Click here for more.

The Future is Voice Picking

Tim Just, CEO of TopSystem, explains why controlling the networked world of logistics by Voice will be one of the communication channels of the future.

Pick by voice is much more than just an order picking system: the technology represents an important component within the networked logistics world. Indeed, many companies across various industries are already investing massive sums in the expansion and development of their in-house logistics processes. Rightly so: up to 50% of investments are spent on this area alone – and half of this amount on order picking. These are all reasons why logistics remains an important pillar of the digital process chain and one worth investing in.

Pick by voice has already established itself on the market as a highly economic and flexible solution. Despite this, many companies continue to underestimate the potential of voice technology. As requirements for process quality and efficiency in the logistics chain have increased over the years, voice technology has become an important cornerstone of process digitalisation. Voice technology first started gaining traction at the end of the 1990s. Pick by voice quickly established itself as a very popular manual order picking system. With an average error rate of just 0.08%, it is significantly better than other solutions such as conventional order picking lists (0.36%), MDE devices (0.46%) and pick by light (0.4%).

The noticeable increase in picking quality ensures that pick by voice is widely used by warehouse managers, with the technology offering maximum flexibility and easy integration into existing IT
infrastructures. The fact that the voice application can be directly linked up to the overarching warehouse management or ERP system also offers significant advantages. For instance, all downstream processes such as replenishment control and order management can be initiated swiftly. Read the whole article here: https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5f3d1fcf3160d#46

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