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It used to be that voice technology was used mainly for order picking and ran strictly on industrial-grade proprietary devices. Those days are fast disappearing. Under pressure to boost warehouse productivity and keep up with the relentless demands of e-commerce fulfillment, many distribution centers are installing voice-directed picking systems for warehouse staff. Compared with manual methods like clipboards and checklists, the technology offers a quick return on that investment by supporting accurate picking and efficient training, proponents say. Inspired by these results, many users are finding creative new environments for voice technology, expanding it to applications beyond basic order picking and using consumer electronics like smartphones instead of proprietary computers to host the voice software. Like any new technology application, some of these experiments may not produce immediate results. But as users push the boundaries of voice into new territory, their effort is already paying off in some corners of the supply chain universe. A CRESCENDO IN DEMAND The spread of voice-directed warehouse operations has been driven by a number of factors. Changing shopping patterns have lit a fire under warehouses to find faster, more accurate ways to fulfill online orders from individual consumers. “E-commerce is huge in creating the demand we see, specifically in the picking and packing area,” said Keith Phillips, president and CEO of voice solutions developer Voxware Inc. At the same time, vendors have continued to refine voice technology by improving software stability, offering a wider configuration of devices, and cutting prices. Taken together, these developments have opened the market to mid-range DCs as well as the mega-warehouses and helped drive a spike in demand for voice-directed products over the last 18 months, Phillips said. As warehouses roll out more voice-directed systems, many of their younger employees see similarities between this new technology and the […]
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