Warehouse Tech for Gen Z Workforce

Distribution centre technology provider Lucas Systems announced today its rollout of new technologies promising productivity, comfort and ease of use to a Gen Z warehouse workforce of the future.

The technologies – built to serve the new “iGeneration” of workers born between 1997 and 2012 – promise reduction of worker stress, a less physically-taxing work experience, and help for on-floor supervisors by providing the tools needed to be more agile. New technologies include:

• An all-new supervisor management console which provides leadership with a high degree of flexibility and agility to customize data, dashboards, and analytics specific to their operation and needs. Supervisors and managers can get actionable information in a way that’s easy to understand and use through fully-customizable consoles.

• Improvements in reducing worker travel. Lucas Systems new algorithms and machine learning smarts help workers take up to 50% less steps inside the warehouse by showing them the optimal path to navigate. This is relief to physically-stressed on-floor workers as they can often walk 5-10 miles in just one day.

• Ability for on-floor workers to use the smallest wearables for scanning. Lucas Systems certified its voice-enabled optimization suite, Jennifer, to run on a Zebra WS50, the world’s smallest all-in-one Android enterprise-class wearable mobile computer.

These solutions and other insights around technology training, warehouse environments and new methods for division of labour resulted from Lucas Systems in-depth interviews with warehouse workers as well as a commissioned study, polling 500 U.S. warehouse workers nationwide. The research examined workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs.

Additional insights were released today in Lucas Systems guide, Competing for The Warehouse Workforce of the Future, along with recommendations for attracting and retaining a future workforce with unique attitudes around loyalty, work-life balance and workplace satisfaction. One insight is that a majority of Gen Z workers (73%) say robots will help them achieve greater accuracy and speed in their jobs.

“These are all signs that tomorrow’s warehouses will need to operate differently than they do today,” says Lucas Systems CMO Ken Ramoutar. “Gen Z workers expect to use modern technologies like they use at home. Handheld and personalized, tech must be easy to use and must help them save time and mitigate exertion.”

Ramoutar says Lucas Systems recent tech advancements and its research insights offer a warning shot to warehouse operators who aren’t willing to adapt and change.

Voice rollout across 92 Coca-Cola bottling sites

The Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG) has boosted its reputation with the successful rollout of its LYDIA™ Voice technology to 92 CONA locations, a total that is set to rise to over 100. CONA is the IT services company for the Coca-Cola bottling business in North America, with over 160,000 sales orders and an average of 30000 users per day. Its implementation and rapid rollout of LYDIA™ Voice is a fantastic endorsement for EPG, the Germany-based global supply chain software provider and voice picking innovator.

“LYDIA Voice is the best thing we have ever rolled out to the warehouse. Where has it been these last five years?” This is the valuable feedback coming directly from the bottlers of Coca-Cola who use EPG’s software on a daily basis. And this user experience is backed up by a number of facts. According to CONA, LYDIA Voice has brought productivity gains of up to 7% as well as clear voice recognition, the elimination of voice template training, and a more coordinated system architecture compared to the previous voice system. “The implementation of LYDIA at Coke One North America is of enormous significance for us,” emphasises Marco Ehrhardt, President of EPG. “The rollout to the 92 locations was completed in just twelve months.”

Consistency and clarity

CONA recognised the need to consider new voice solutions in 2019. Its previous system was prone to weak or intermittent connections. CONA required a solution that would al-low for continuous picking – independent of the network connection – should the Wi-Fi signal be weak or lost.
“Our previous voice system had a complex architecture and required the software to be hosted and run on individual servers at each deployment site,” explains Baron Jordan, CONA Chief Product Officer, Supply Chain. “There were also issues concerning inconsistent voice recognition.”

After an intensive eight-month investigation by CONA and a real-world test against an-other provider, LYDIA Voice emerged as the clear winner due to being able to meet all the tough requirements of Baron Jordan and his team. LYDIA Voice immediately resolved the architecture and support challenges across the 92 bottling sites thanks to its ability to directly integrate with SAP via a remote function call (RFC) without middleware.

The solution also offers an unsurpassed level of voice recognition, which is enabled by its deep neural network voice recognition. Training requirements are swept away altogether due to its immediate ease of use and its versatility. LYDIA is able to recognise more than 50 languages and a multitude of dialects.

A further advantage of the product is that it is device-independent, meaning that each location can select its preferred mobile voice device according to environment or preference. Customised adaptions in the voice dialogue can be independently created by the customer without having to call on EPG technicians or developers.

https://www.lydia-voice.com/gb/voice-know-how/case-studies/cona-services-success-story/

Flexible Rental Model for Voice Tech

Logistics companies around the world are facing tougher requirements each and every day. The global pandemic in particular has underlined how intralogistics processes are having to become faster and faster while at the same time keeping costs to a minimum. Voice solutions like Lydia® have proven to be the most successful option in this agile and demanding environment. However, despite offering a swift return on investment, introducing voice-assisted systems means making investments upfront, and this is something that companies often look to scale back during uncertain times. In a bid to markedly reduce this investment risk, EPG launched a flexible rental model for its Lydia® Voice system at the start of the year. The Lydia® Subscription makes it easy for companies to venture into the world of voice-controlled warehouse operations.

Lydia® Subscription gives clients access to the Lydia® voice solution, which can be used for a variety of voice-controlled applications in intralogistics, production, maintenance and quality assurance. The all-in-one package covers software usage, including all the required voice-application licences and integration into the overarching warehouse management or ERP system.
Users also gain access to comprehensive software support via a hotline, along with regular licence release upgrades. The bundle also come with the Voxter® Elite + voice client, including batteries, charger and maintenance services. Voxter® Scan +, the mobile handheld scanner, can also be included in the rental package if advanced data collection is required. Companies looking to work with voice-compatible mobile devices from other manufacturers have the option of limiting the rental model to just the software as the voice solution is hardware-independent, ensuring users can enjoy maximum flexibility. Lydia®-branded hygiene items, such as headsets, gloves or voicewear, need to be purchased separately for hygiene reasons.

Lydia® Subscription service – Optimising processes under a rental agreement

“The logistics sector operates in a dynamic market environment. Conditions are constantly changing – and the coronavirus pandemic is but one example. That is why logistics companies need to demonstrate maximum flexibility and agility. The Lydia® Subscription service provides a seamless and cost-efficient way for companies to begin optimising their logistics chain and gain access to cutting-edge voice technology. The rental model makes it easy for companies to calculate the total costs they will face,” explains Tim Just, CEO of Voice Solutions at EPG. For many companies, (software) rental models represent an appealing alternative to purchasing the products outright since they can avoid substantial outlays and prevent resources from being tied up for long periods of time. “Flexible subscription models do not require any overall capital expenditures, and therefore do not tie up capital within a company’s fixed assets. Companies therefore not only enjoy tax benefits, but also see a swifter return on investment,” Just says.

During the term of the contract, the system can be flexibly expanded for additional voice users at any time. Once the contact ends, so too does the company’s right to use the software and hardware. The customer can then decide whether to return the system or extend the rental agreement.

“We’re delighted to have come up with a way for companies to leverage major improvements in quality and performance in their picking operations within an incredibly short space of time – even during these challenging times,” Just explains.

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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Upgrade to High-performance Voice Technology

Pick-by-voice Solution without the Headset

Lydia® VoiceWear® offers maximum mobility while picking. With microphone and speaker components integrated into the patented vest, users do not need to wear headsets. And now with the Lydia® VoiceWear® 4 model, EPG has optimised the picking vest further. It features a specially designed high-performance microphone that guarantees precise voice recognition – even in noisy surroundings. Thanks to the modular design of the cables, the customer can remove the electronic components if required. Boasting improved air circulation at the back and reduced weight, the new vest is even more comfortable to wear than the previous model. You ca read more in this feature from our September issue https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5f3d1fcf3160d#46

Lydia® VoiceWear® is an ergonomic vest in which all technical pick-by-voice components have already been integrated and are optimally protected against environmental influences. Offering greater mobility, the vest is an ideal alternative to headsets if users find them a hindrance. One of the major benefits of the new Lydia® VoiceWear® 4 model is that it delivers highly reliable voice recognition – even when numerous pickers are working right next to each other. This has been made possible thanks to a new, specially designed microphone array with beamforming technology. It processes digital signals in real time (known as ‘digital signal processing’) and creates what could be described as a funnel effect, blocking out background noise. The vest also recognises and processes voice commands more accurately. The performance of the microphone is on a par with that of a conventional headset. Paired with the latest Lydia® Voice 8 voice software, the vest offers top-quality voice recognition.

With the introduction of the new Lydia® VoiceWear® 4, EPG has also made further improvements to the vest from a practical perspective. Thanks to the modular cables, customers can remove the electronic components and wash the vests themselves at 60 ° C. In previous models, the components had to be removed and reinstalled by the manufacturer. The new design therefore saves time and reduces running costs. The vest can also be used in freezing temperatures as low as minus 30 °C.

The latest version of the vest also excels in the comfort department. Weighing just 450 grams, it’s 10 percent lighter than the previous model. The vest also offers improved air circulation at the back due to optimised padding. Thanks to the tried-and-tested pilot-style belt fastening system, the vest is quick to take off and put on. The strong ergonomic qualities of the Lydia® VoiceWear® vest have significantly enhanced employee satisfaction among EPG customers who had previously only deployed headsets in their pick-by-voice operations.
www.lydia-voice.com

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