Next-generation Vocollect Voice solution set unveiled enabling the Voice-centric warehouse era

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Vocollect, Inc. has introduced its new flagship Voice-centric solution set, which helps distribution centres (DCs) and warehouses significantly improve productivity, accuracy and total cost of ownership across the broadest range of workflows with the most complete set of solutions. When customers combine Vocollect's products with the Voice workflow expertise of its global partners, they solve their operations challenges and gain the best operations and business results versus alternative solutions.

 
"Working with our partner Speech Interface Design, we recently deployed Vocollect's next generation solution to improve accuracy with the kitting process in one of our assembly lines. In this pilot implementation, we reduced errors by more than 50 percent and started seeing results in less than one month," said Chad Resler, Senior Manufacturing Engineer and ValueStream Leader for Power Panels, Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management.
 
"Based on these results, we have implemented voice for a second product line for picking and replenishment, and will be deploying voice on a third product line for put-away and picking," said Resler. "Vocollect's next generation voice solution has been a very attractive means for improving our operational performance," he said.
 
Among the many benefits and capabilities customers gain with the Next Generation Vocollect Voice Solution are:
 
Productivity gains of 10-20 percent in picking and >99 per cent accuracy, typically.  

Speech recognition that, in comparison with untrained (speaker-independent) systems, provides >US $450 savings per user per year when picking cases and >US $2400 savings per user per year when picking piece items.

 Multi-function, Voice-centric workflows that enable workers to add complementary functions (e.g., barcode scanning, screens, keypads, RFID) as needed for specific workflows.

 Optimisation of real-time operations via host-updates or worker-interrupts such as let-down requests, order and assignment changes, and exception requests/approvals.

 Open, standards-based IT interfaces (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, web services) that can enable client and Voice-management interaction with multiple enterprise applications concurrently for workflow management, labor information, images and diagrams, real-time dashboards, and alerts.

"Last spring Vocollect announced a bold vision for the voice-centric warehouse and the solutions necessary to enable that vision," said Joe Pajer, President and CEO, Vocollect, Inc. "With our Next Generation Vocollect Voice Solution set, that vision is more real than ever before. This will truly change how customers think about improving operations performance, addressing business challenges, and managing their DCs and warehouses," he said.  
 
The Next Generation Vocollect Voice Solution suite is comprised of two broad new product sets, the Vocollect Voice Software Suite and the Premium Wearable Voice Solution.
 
The Vocollect Voice Software Suite provides advanced host interface and voice workflow logic to the broadest range of warehouse management systems (WMS) and is based on VoiceArtisan, VoiceLink, VoiceDirect and VoiceApplication products. Customers can voice-enable their WMS-based operations via real-time direct interfaces, middleware, or third-party middleware. The new suite is based on industry standards for application design, development, and testing. It provides Vocollect partners with greater flexibility and expanded capabilities for creating custom workflow capabilities for end customers, building on a range of out-of-box tasks such as selection, put-to-store, replenishment, put-away, loading, cycle-counting, inventory control, and receiving.       
 
The Premium Wearable Industrial Solution, based on the new Talkman A500 and VoiceCatalyst client software, provides the industry's highest speech recognition performance in industrial environments. Unlike any other solution on the market, the Talkman A500 supports third-party peripherals such as ring scanners, printers, displays, and RFID readers, so that mobile workers can add the functions they need, when needed, per workflow, reducing total cost of ownership and optimising an ergonomic solution for hands-busy, eyes-busy workers. Finally, Vocollect's Premium Wearable Voice Solution includes advance operations status and statistics capability so that customers can improve productivity across the greatest number of workflows.
 
Many WMS companies have already endorsed this new platform and are planning to begin offering it this year as part of their total customer solution portfolio. Vocollect's other partners, including its Value-Added Resellers and Systems Integrators, already are selling solutions incorporating the new platform. Vocollect is also working with a wide range of third-party device partners to ensure that the next-generation software, including the VoiceCatalyst client, will be available on multiple devices starting later this year.
 
The Next Generation Vocollect Voice Solution, featuring the Vocollect Voice Software Suite and the Premium Wearable Voice Solution, complements Vocollect's current portfolio. There are no plans to replace or end-of-life current Vocollect products. The new solution set is now commercially available in the United States, Canada, EMEA, Australia, and New Zealand. It will be available in Latin America, Japan, Korea, and select APAC countries in mid-2011.