Network-Based Order Fulfillment in the Warehouse

Cisco and Datria UC Voice Picking
Network-Based Order Fulfillment in the Warehouse

The UC Voice Picking Solution from Cisco and Datria is the industry’s first enterpriseclass warehouse solution, delivering voice-enabled supply chain solutions via VoIP and the network, and enabling manufacturing operations increase order accuracy while improving worker productivity. This innovative solution is the first to be completely open standards-based, enabling rapid ROI and establishing a voice resource that can be used throughout the enterprise.

In today’s competitive manufacturing and supply chain operations, companies are increasingly focused on growing capacity, quality, and agility while reducing facility and labor costs. Logistics operations are challenged to increase volume without adding to existing square-footage, improve delivery speed while advancing order accuracy, and to enhance productivity while reducing dependency on labor-intensive costs. Competitive pressures also require an unprecedented level of flexibility in operational capabilities, in order to rapidly adapt to changing business needs.

The Cisco and Datria Unified Communications Voice Picking Solution for Manufacturing is a ground-breaking solution that integrates proven voice-over-IP (VoIP) and network-centric speech recognition technologies to connect mobile warehouse workers to ERP, WMS, IM, and SCM systems in real time. Results from existing installations include:

• Order fulfillment accuracy approaching 100%

• 10-30% productivity improvements, including ability to leverage advance ship

notification (ASN) systems for speedy deliveries

• Regulatory tracing compliance

• Removal of redundant QA processes

• ROI payback in 3-9 months

With this powerful solution, manufacturers take advantage of a paradigm shift in thinking about warehouse management, based on a technology that provides better affordability, scalability, and conformity with third-party service-oriented architectures (SOAs), and a reduced total cost of ownership.

 The Challenges of Order Fulfillment

Today’s retailers demand a high level of accuracy in their orders from manufacturers and distribution centers. An especially powerful trend is the Advance Ship Notification (ASN), which gives preferential treatment on delivery if vendors conform to ASN policies. For example, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, requires 99.8% shipment accuracy as part of its ASN policies. By meeting this standard, manufacturers gain preferential treatment for their trucks and faster processing on Wal-Mart’s docks, significantly cutting the time needed for delivery. This faster timeto-shelf, in turn, results in improved sales and lower logistical costs.

 Regardless of whether a manufacturer is using pallet, case, or piece-pick operations, it is challenged to optimize the order fulfillment process and minimize the amount of time it takes workers to find, load, check, and ship the correct items. It also means, however, that the seemingly simple task of picking a product off a warehouse shelf to match an order becomes a critical factor in order fulfillment. At the same time, business growth requires increasing warehouse capacity and agility without expanding facilities or staff.

In most warehouses today, the entry-level workers known as “pickers” receive a printed order, or pick sheet, physically look through the warehouse to locate each item, and load it onto a pallet. With only a few SKUs to choose from, this is not such a difficult task. However, in the case of manufacturers that produce hundreds or even thousands of different items, with a constant flow of new products in unfamiliar packaging, the warehouse becomes a much more challenging environment—labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to error.

Complicating matters is the fact that turnover for warehouse staff tends to be high, resulting in greater levels of inexperience among employees. Some pickers may be struggling with language differences. They can also often be distracted from their work by fellow workers, managers, and the need to repeatedly traverse the warehouse searching for products. As a result, there is no coordinated system to assure order accuracy, and additional time is spent double-checking each pallet.

Manufacturers require a flexible, powerful solution that provides the precision, ease-of-use, and ability to scale within the warehouse and throughout the extended logistical chain. They also need to improve cost-effectiveness by controlling operational expenses and lowering training costs, as well as improving worker retention.

The Cisco and Datria UC Voice Picking Solution for Manufacturing Cisco and Datria’s UC Voice Picking Solution meets these challenges by providing a flexible pick system designed for the needs of the mobile warehouse worker. Based on the existing IP network and standard Cisco Unified Communications platforms and networking capabilities, mobile workers equipped with Cisco wireless VoIP handsets or VoIP-capable multimodal devices leverage Datria’s warehouse interface for real-time voice communications with enterprise warehouse and logistics management systems.

The Cisco and Datria solution is unique in today’s voice-based supply chain solutions: it is the only network-centric approach and the only solution to use VoIP capabilities. In conjunction with existing business process rules in ERP, inventory, supply chain or warehouse management systems, it enables speech recognition technologies to be applied across all of these work processes. The result is close to “perfect order” accuracy and optimal productivity in a very labor-intensive operation. The Cisco and Datria solution also permits voice technology to be seamlessly combined with other automation technologies, such as RF scanning and RFID.

Each Cisco and Datria UC Voice Picking solution includes:

• Configurable Datria application package: An open VoiceXML and Java-based application providing mobile workers with a real-time voice-user interface to existing corporatesystems.

• Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (CVP): A flexible VoiceXML platform providing the robust run-time environment for the Datria application.

• Cisco Voice Gateways: Integrated Services Routers (ISR) equipped as VoiceXML Gateways, acting as the integration point between VoIP callers, speech recognition technologies and VoiceXML applications.

• Mobility devices: Cisco wireless 792X VoIP handsets, equipped with extended batteries and ruggedized cases for manufacturing environment use.

• Cisco Unified Wireless Network, VoIP for wireless phones and other mobility devices.

• IP Telephony: Cisco Unified Communications Manager (or its Express version) to manage and support VoIP calling for mobile devices.

• Routing and Switching: Cisco’s industry-leading wide area network (WAN) solutions, forming the manufacturing enterprise backbone from the warehouse and throughout the supply chain

Voice-activated picking technologies in themselves are not new—this technology has been used for years in the grocery and automobile industry. However, the agile Cisco and Datria solution maximizes this proven functionality for manufacturing and warehouse applications based on its industry-leading, secure IP-based networks and UC platforms. By leveraging the eight-to-ten hour battery life of its 7921G wireless IP phone and existing VoIP infrastructures to assure constant wireless access point coverage, Cisco and Datria provide an affordable solution that improves order accuracy, streamlines the packing process, and increases employee productivity. In this environment, unlike traditional client-based voice solutions, voice becomes a network resource within a standard, open IT web services architecture. This allows manufacturers to leverage voice automation technology as a shared resource on their preferred enterprise vendor platform.

The Cisco and Datria UC Voice Picking Solution is based entirely on open industry standards and Internet protocols for voice such as VoiceXML, MRCP, Eclipse, and standard web services. It functions out of the box and is built using commercial, off-the-shelf components, including a voice engine from Nuance and the most advanced industry algorithms. The solution is available in various packages that can be configured to each manufacturer’s particular needs.

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