First voice-directed vertical storage unit announced at ProMat

The Italian automated storage system manufacturer Ferretto Group is looking to enter the North American market with a vertical lift module (VLM) that is integrated with Numina Group's RDS Voice system.

The new product is the result of a partnership between Ferretto and Numina, which was announced at the ProMat show in Chicago Tuesday.

The VLM, known as Vertimag, is a goods-to-person picking system that consists of a column of shelves or trays stocked with products and stacked in a module that can stretch up to 50 feet high.

When an item is needed for an order, the tray containing that item is lowered and presented to the picker. At this point, the RDS Voice system tells the worker how many items to pick and from what container on the tray.

The voice system works well with the VLM because it frees up the worker's hands for picking and eliminates the need for him or her to interact with a computer terminal to receive the necessary picking information and then confirm the picks.