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.
Ben Ames has spent 20 years as a journalist since starting out as a daily newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania in 1995. From 1999 forward, he has focused on business and technology reporting for a number of trade journals, beginning when he joined Design News and Modern Materials Handling magazines. Ames is author of the trail guide "Hiking Massachusetts" and is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.
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.
As with any new technology, it's virtually guaranteed that companies will continue seeking new ways to apply these systems to benefit their operations. 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.
Testament to voice technology's growing acceptance is an upswell in praise from analysts. A Gartner report titled "Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution Technologies, 2015" declared that voice-directed picking for warehouse management had progressed well beyond the experimental stage and had reached "productive maturity." That means that supply chain and IT leaders looking to transform their logistics operations see warehouse voice devices as solid profit drivers, with a more reliable payoff than emerging technologies such as robotics, big data, the Internet of Things, and smart machines, the report said.
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 small and 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.
Consumer devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and watch shown here are increasingly used in distribution centers. They're usually less expensive than proprietary handhelds. Photo: Lucas Systems
As warehouses roll out more voice-directed systems, many of their younger employees see parallels between this new technology and the voice-controlled videogames, GPS units, and smartphones they use at home.
Inevitably, the question arises: Why not run these voice-directed picking applications on consumer hardware such as smartphones? After all, in addition to their familiar shape and interface, the consumer devices marketed by companies like Samsung, LG Electronics, and Apple are generally less expensive than the proprietary handheld computers deployed in warehouse picking and scanning operations.
And sure enough, a flurry of voice providers have answered the call. A number of suppliers, including Lucas Systems Inc., TopVox Corp., and Voxware, now offer voice picking applications on consumer devices.
VALUE PROPOSITION IS LOUD AND CLEAR
The transition from proprietary hardware to consumer devices promises to be technologically simple, since many providers of voice applications are already running their software on Google's Android operating system, the same OS that drives many consumer hardware platforms.
For example, Lucas applications are in wide use today on Android OS-based devices such as smartphones and tablets, said Ron Kubera, the company's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Lucas also supports Android smart watches and glasses.
Using the familiar smartphone platform means workers can get up to speed quickly without requiring extra training. "The work force is familiar with the smartphone form factor; their supervisors can't get [the phones] away from them," Kubera said. Attracted by the convenience and cost of smartphones, more warehouse operations are incorporating these tools into their picking processes.
Despite this new array of offerings, with their promise of low hardware costs and high comfort levels for users, there is debate in the voice community about the benefits of hosting warehouse software applications on consumer hardware. The battle lines have formed along predictable sides, with software vendors extolling new consumer devices and hardware vendors supporting the standard proprietary platforms. Opponents' concerns about using consumer smartphones in the warehouse environment include worries about their durability, how to manage multiple cables and accessories, and security problems with locking out distracting apps like texting, games, and social media.
Ring scanners like this one from Honeywell perform better and are more comfortable and durable than previous versions.
Watching from the sidelines is a third camp that includes vendors who remain agnostic about the hardware platforms that support these applications. Michael Womeldorph, senior product manager for voice at Intelligrated Software, echoes the commonly heard concerns about consumer hardware's ruggedness, security, and battery life. Most consumer devices aren't designed to stand up to the rugged warehouse environment or run for lengthy work shifts, he says. It should be noted that vendors of systems that run on smartphones have responded to those concerns by encasing their devices in tough, military-spec protective covers or attaching extra power packs to extend battery life.
Customers are also inquiring about building voice applications on consumer devices like smart watches, although few users have actually deployed them, Womeldorph said. His company is willing to meet those demands, he said.
"We are device agnostic; we will go where our customers want to go," Womeldorph said. "Many times, we are leveraging whatever platform they may already be using, like mobile computers from Zebra or Honeywell, or voice-only devices from Spectralink or Cisco."
Typically, a systems integrator will work with those components, adding a ring scanner or wireless Bluetooth headset for further functionality. "We don't want to lock customers into a certain platform; what we're looking for is simply a telephony platform, whether that's on a phone or a computer," Womeldorph said.
VOICE EXPANDS ITS RANGE
Thanks to the wide array of platform options and to its improved reliability, voice technology is spreading far beyond its original applications in order picking. Industry analysts say users are now applying voice technology to a broad range of warehouse tasks. "The benefits of voice apply to all the workflows within the DC," Lucas's Kubera said. "Picking is the low-hanging fruit, but we're also seeing it used for consolidation, loading, receiving, replenishment, and cycle counting."
"It started with picking, but now voice is also used for replenishment, inventory, and packaging," adds Chris Heslop, global director for workflow solutions at Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions. "In the classic application, the headset would just say 'Go to aisle 7, slot 4, pick 3.' Now, you find voice in other applications in the DC," like fleet maintenance and inspection.
In addition to finding new applications in warehouse operations, voice-directed technology is also paying off through business analytics, Heslop said. A voice application can capture data from every interaction in the DC, send the data to a cloud-based server, and generate reports for managers. Supervisors can examine those numbers to identify the causes of unnecessary delays, track certain shifts or workers, and generate predictive analytics that forecast shortages and delays before they occur.
As voice technology and consumer hardware continue to converge toward a potential shared future in supply chain applications, reluctant vendors could eventually drop their objections and come around to meet that demand. In the end, the old saying may still apply—the customer is always right.
Editor's note: This is a revised version of a story that was posted on July 22, 2016. The story has been updated to provide a more accurate picture of market conditions.
Supply chain planning (SCP) leaders working on transformation efforts are focused on two major high-impact technology trends, including composite AI and supply chain data governance, according to a study from Gartner, Inc.
"SCP leaders are in the process of developing transformation roadmaps that will prioritize delivering on advanced decision intelligence and automated decision making," Eva Dawkins, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Composite AI, which is the combined application of different AI techniques to improve learning efficiency, will drive the optimization and automation of many planning activities at scale, while supply chain data governance is the foundational key for digital transformation.”
Their pursuit of those roadmaps is often complicated by frequent disruptions and the rapid pace of technological innovation. But Gartner says those leaders can accelerate the realized value of technology investments by facilitating a shift from IT-led to business-led digital leadership, with SCP leaders taking ownership of multidisciplinary teams to advance business operations, channels and products.
“A sound data governance strategy supports advanced technologies, such as composite AI, while also facilitating collaboration throughout the supply chain technology ecosystem,” said Dawkins. “Without attention to data governance, SCP leaders will likely struggle to achieve their expected ROI on key technology investments.”
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
Serious inland flooding and widespread power outages are likely to sweep across Florida and other Southeast states in coming days with the arrival of Hurricane Helene, which is now predicted to make landfall Thursday evening along Florida’s northwest coast as a major hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While the most catastrophic landfall impact is expected in the sparsely-population Big Bend area of Florida, it’s not only sea-front cities that are at risk. Since Helene is an “unusually large storm,” its flooding, rainfall, and high winds won’t be limited only to the Gulf Coast, but are expected to travel hundreds of miles inland, the weather service said. Heavy rainfall is expected to begin in the region even before the storm comes ashore, and the wet conditions will continue to move northward into the southern Appalachians region through Friday, dumping storm total rainfall amounts of up to 18 inches. Specifically, the major flood risk includes the urban areas around Tallahassee, metro Atlanta, and western North Carolina.
In addition to its human toll, the storm could exert serious business impacts, according to the supply chain mapping and monitoring firm Resilinc. Those will be largely triggered by significant flooding, which could halt oil operations, force mandatory evacuations, restrict ports, and disrupt air traffic.
While the storm’s track is currently forecast to miss the critical ports of Miami and New Orleans, it could still hurt operations throughout the Southeast agricultural belt, which produces products like soybeans, cotton, peanuts, corn, and tobacco, according to Everstream Analytics.
That widespread footprint could also hinder supply chain and logistics flows along stretches of interstate highways I-10 and I-75 and on regional rail lines operated by Norfolk Southern and CSX. And Hurricane Helene could also likely impact business operations by unleashing power outages, deep flooding, and wind damage in northern Florida portions of Georgia, Everstream Analytics said.
Before the storm had even touched Florida soil, recovery efforts were already being launched by humanitarian aid group the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). In a statement on Wednesday, the group said it is urging residents in the storm's path across the Southeast to heed evacuation notices and safety advisories, and reminding members of the logistics community that their post-storm help could be needed soon. The group will continue to update its Disaster Micro-Site with Hurricane Helene resources and with requests for donated logistics assistance, most of which will start arriving within 24 to 72 hours after the storm’s initial landfall, ALAN said.