Voice Picking

Picking and sorting with voice assistance

The employee receives instructions through the headset and confirms tasks using voice commands or a barcode scanner.

Pick by Voice Solutions are among the standard practices in the many picking methods. The voice-assisted picking method was developed around 1995 and was intended to support pickers in improving picking performance. At that time, however, voice recognition did not work well.

What is Pick by Voice?

Pick by Voice a modern order-picking method that uses voice commands.

How does Pick by Voice work?

The pick list (order) is prepared by the warehouse management system in the route-optimized sequence and LUCA-Server to the LUCA-Server . Paperless picking can begin.
The LUCA-Server the process and sends commands to the voice terminal. The instructions are relayed to the picker via a headset.
(e.g. , “Go to aisle 7, ” “Storage location A02 05 14, ” “3 pieces”).
While working, the picker can use the voice command “repeat” to have the current voice instruction repeated over and over again.
The picker confirms the aisle (“7 OK”), the storage location (“57 OK” as a check digit), and the item being picked (“3 OK”) via voice input. The software on the voice terminal analyzes his voice. The advanced software converts the voice commands into text commands.

Confirmation of the item removal (acknowledgment) is sent to the warehouse management system via the LUCA-Server. Further processing, the next voice prompt in the picking process, and communication with hardware are also handled centrally via the server.

The picker can adjust the volume, speaking speed, and other settings using voice commands while picking.

The Hardware

The standard system consists of the following components:

Headphones with a microphone (headset). As an alternative, the picker can use a system vest with a built-in microphone and speakers during order picking.
A voice terminal that attaches to a belt or clip ensures Wi-Fi communication with the system and performs voice recognition.
Replaceable battery (provides 10–12 hours of operation) with chargers.

Extensions

As a system provider, we have the following extensions available to us:

Handheld barcode scanner for scanning items or serial numbers (logistics standard for order picking)
ePaper displays serving as dynamic check digit indicators on each storage bin (updated every 10 minutes, for example)
Pick-by-Point^® as a supplementary picking system for directly displaying storage locations. This hybrid solution significantly increases efficiency and performance.

If you have any questions about the voice-activated system, we, as your supplier, are happy to assist you. In future articles, we will cover the topic Pick by Voice in even greater detail.

We have many years of experience in paperless order picking

Systems for
Logistics and Production

Voice Picking

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Pick by Voice SAP

No problem. Our LUCA-Server seamless integration with any warehouse management system, including SAP. The systems can exchange data via RFC, IDOCs, databases, or TCP/IP.

Advantages

The benefits of Pick by Voice a glance:

Flexible use in warehouse logistics thanks to lightweight, portable voice technology (wearables)
Order-based, voice-guided picking with direct data capture of picking lists
Ideal for working on a single task (only then is it highly efficient)
Hands-free and eyes-free picking (freedom of movement and clear voice prompts)
With^Lydia® from topsystem: speaker-independent voice recognition (voice system without teach-in). We trust^Lydia® as a system provider.

Disadvantages

However, Pick by Voice also Pick by Voice some drawbacks that weigh on the system:

High error rate due to memorizing the check digits for smaller warehouses
Loss of picking time and picking efficiency due to frequent voice inputs (the picker has to speak a lot).
Not suitable for Multi-Order-Picking only single pick lists work well). The picker may lose track of the storage location when distributing goods across multiple orders.
Relatively low picking capacity compared to other pick-by systems.
High workload for employees combined with a fast pace (poor cognitive ergonomics with the system and low employee acceptance when used incorrectly).

When should a Voice Picking be used in warehouse logistics?

The voice-guided method can be used very effectively in a company’s logistics operations for slow- to medium-speed paperless picking in large pallet warehouses. However, the demands placed on the operator (picker) must not be too high. The picker must adapt to the voice control system. Otherwise, errors will increase very quickly and productivity will drop. This is where voice-assisted picking has its limitations.

Pick by Voice not well suited for high-volume order picking from shelf racks or flow racks in logistics. Pick by Voice is Pick by Voice well suited for order picking from pallets.

As a provider of various picking methods, we are happy to integrate Pick by Voice with other systems to create an optimal overall solution (see also our hybrid concepts).

Supported languages

Voice output

Arabic, Basque, Bengali (India), Bhojpuri (India), Bulgarian (Bulgaria), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dongbei (China), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), English (Australia, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, USA), Farsi, Finnish, French (Canada, France), Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malay, Mandarin (China, Taiwan), Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China), Sichuanese, Slovak, Spanish (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain), Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Valencian, Vietnamese

Voice input

Arabic (Gulf Region), Bulgarian (Bulgaria), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Czech (Czech Republic), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands, Belgium), English (USA, England, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, India, South Africa), Farsi, Finnish (Finland), French (Canada, France), German (Germany), Greek (Greece), Hebrew (Israel), Hindi (India), Hungarian (Hungary), Indonesian (Indonesia), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin (China), Norwegian (Bokmål, Norway), Polish (Poland), Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), Russian (Russian Federation), Sichuanese (China), Slovak, Spanish (Spain, Catalan, Basque, Mexico), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)

Conclusion

Pick by Voice, a voice-enabled solution for paperless picking, offers great flexibility in intralogistics and is ideal for use in large warehouses with low to medium picking volumes. The speaker-independent software ensures easy implementation for pickers and delivers excellent voice analysis results in the selected language. Even in difficult and noisy environments, the error rate is very low! Also suitable for logistics in a cold storage facility. The check digits at the storage locations should preferably be replaced by scanners or various extensions.

You can also find more information on Wikipedia.

Alternative pick-by systems:
Pick-by-Light, Pick-by-Point ^®, Pick-by-Cart, Pick-by-Frame ^®

You can find an overview of all LUCA picking systems on the LUCA Systems page.