• INTRODUCTION

  • VOICE PICKING HARDWARE

  • VOICE

  • PROCESS - BENEFITS

  • PUT-TO-VOICE


VOICE PICKING is an alternative picking method that is mostly used to pick orders having content in cartons or pieces. In special cases, the voice technology may be used to receive products, to replenish picking points and to perform inventory.
The VOICE PICKING or PICK-BY-VOICE technology was developed in the 1990s and mostly applied in America. In the recent years, with the rapid evolution of PDAs, this technology has expanded in the European market as well.
The voice picking solution consists of a PDA equipped with a headset (earphones & microphone) and the application for managing picking via voice recognition. User's interface with the system is performed via dialogue.
qvoicepickingThe advantage of the Voice Picking solution compared to the classic RF picking is that the operator has both his hands free, which leads to increased productivity. Especially in a deep freezing environment, where users wear gloves, using wireless terminals incommodes the picking process. In this case, the use of Voice Picking is an alternative solution with competitive advantages.
After years of intensive research, we, in OPTIMUM, have implemented our own innovative VOICE PICKING solution. This solution is based on leading edge technology and is fully integrated into aberon WMS's main body. This implementation does not require an Interface with the WMS or a separate server and constitutes a physical extension of the aberon WMS Warehouse Management system developed by OPTIMUM.
Clearly, the aberon VOICE PICKING solution can both function autonomously and be connected via interfaces to other WMS's or ERPs.
Aberon VOICE PICKING is an open application developed in C# which can function in any PDA type using a MOBILE WINDOWS 5 or WINDOWS CE 3.0 operating system.

The main advantages of aberon VOICE PICKING compared to other competitive systems, are:

  • 1] The full integration of the functioning on the aberon WMS body and the system's functioning without interfaces or intermediate servers

  • 2] The natural quality of voice (100% human voice) that does NOT create a sense of distress and discontent to the user, contrary to other competitive systems using electronic voice distortion.
  • 3] No system training by the user is required (speaker independent) since it uses neuronic algorithms to recognize and decodify the voice orders
  • 4] The low acquisition cost and the investment protection
  • 5] The open architecture of the application that allows its functioning both in voice PDA and in normal RF terminals
  • 6] Its capacity to be perfectly adapted to the particular requirements of the client, since it is a 100% development of OPTIMUM
Contrary to other competitive systems, aberon VOICE PICKING can function in any industrial-type PDA, using a MOBILE WINDOWS 5 or WINDOWS CE 3 or a more recent operating system. In this way, the client's investment is protected, since the same PDA can serve both the traditional RF application and the new aberon VOICE PICKING application.
qvoicepickinddevice1Alternatively, OPTIMUM offers specialized Voice PDAs having industrial sheathing, a large capacity battery and a special earphone plug that does not allow increase in the noise level due to plug loosening. These devices have low cost and do not exceed 1/4 of the price of the proprietary competitive voice picking systems.
Thus, the client can select the aberon VOICE PICKING application in the already existing PDA wireless terninals or be provided by OPTIMUM with the low-cost specialized VOICE PICKING devices.
If the picking process requires scanning of the barcode, such as, for example, in cases of lot recognition or variable weight reading or serial number reading, then it can be connected to a PDA bluetooth barcode scanner device (wireless scanner) with a magnetic zone clip.

Each VOICE PICKING system consists of two basic technologies unbreakably linked to each other:
TTS (Text-To- Speech):  This technology transforms the orders sent by WMS to PDA as a character sequence into an audio message. In this way, if, for example, the character sequence go to zone A12-3 is sent to PDA, it is transformed, via the TTL technology, into an audio message that the operator listens to in his earphones.
VR (Voice Recognition): This technology transforms the operator's audio messages into electronic messages that are transferred and decodified in the Warehouse Management system.
Aberon VOICE PICKING is innovative in both technologies above.
NATURAL VOICE: Aberon VOICE PICKING offers 100% natural voice. It is difficult to recognize that the voice you hear from PDA comes from an electronic TTL voice composition. The majority of users testing aberon VOICE PICKING think that the voice they hear is 100% natural human voice. None of the systems competitive to VOICE PICKING offers respective natural voice that is even close to the aberon VOICE PICKING's quality. The voice naturalness inclines pleasantly the operator to accept and work productively with the system. Imagine working for 8 hours while listening to a weird electronically distorted voice. The result is low productivity, tiredness, discontent, aversion and abandonment of the solution.

SPEAKER INDEPENDANT
There are two Voice Recognition technologies:
Speaker Dependant: It is the older technology, where a profile is created for each user. Before using the system, the operator must train the system, by pronouncing several times each word to be used in the application's glossary. This procedure is time-consuming and lasts from 30 to 60 minutes for each operator. In this technology, before an operator starts using the system, such new operator must train the system, in presence of the system administrator
Speaker Independent: It is the most modern technology, where the recognition of the operator's words and phrases is made without any need of the Voice Picking system to be trained by the operator.
The aberon VOICE PICKING system is based on the Speaker Independent technology, as well as all the other modern voice recognition applications. Imagine if, in order to execute by phone a banking transaction with a banking voice recognition application, you had to previously train the system to recognise your voice!
Aberon VOICE PICKING, by making use of neuronic algorithm technology, allows recognition of the voice orders without previous parametrization and training of the system by the operator.
Moreover, one of the aberon VOICE PICKING system's advantages is its capacity to recognise a number direct sequence. This system capacity is necessary for recognizing voice orders regarding input of a variable weight or serial number. Thus, for example, for the variable weight 12,5Xgr, the operator offers the digits as one word onetwopointfive without pause between the digits. The aberon VOICE PICKING system decodes successfully the audio message into its separate digits and inserts it to WMS.

The application of the VOICE PICKING system offers:
1. Productivity increase from 10% to 25% depending on the nature of the items and the warehouse's zoning.
    2. Decrease in the operators' training time compared to the use of RF
    3. Decrease in errors relevant to picking using a picking list amd marginal or zero decrease compared to a wireless terminal
    In this point, we have to stress out the need to explore and test whether the voice picking philosophy is compatible with the environment and the company's corporate culture. It has been observed, in many European countries, a phenomenon of reaction by the employees and a boycott to the voice picking solution on the grounds that the voice picking solution alienates the employee from the natural environment, causing isolation feelings. Often, employees complain about headaches and tiredness and, as a result, successful voice picking installations are led to abandonment. For that reason, we recommend test and pilot implementation of the system before its global implementation.

    It is a variation of the VOICE PICKING solution, where order picking is executed in two phases:
    Collective picking: In this phase, orders are grouped at delivery service level, group level or total orders level and collective picking is performed. Collective picking is performed either via the traditional RF procedure or via the VOICE PICKING application
    Split Phase:In this phase, the collective order is split into the individual client orders. Each order or each client is linked to a physical split point. This point may be a pallet, a shelf, a basket etc. Such point may be permanent or variable for each client. Each operator undertakes to divide a part or the total of the collective order lines. The operator scans the item reference and the system guides by voice the operator about to which point (of client or order) and how many pieces of the total quantity it will place. The operator, having both his hands free, performs quickly and effectively the collective order's split into the individual client orders. At the same time, the error possibility is checked, since, if a shortage or surplus occurs in the last order during the collective order's split, then there is a potential error that has to be restored via a counter-check process.