Dec 07/Jan/08

UK companies are being uncharacteristically slow to adopt voice-based technologies in their distribution centres compared with the rest of continental Europe. That's the conclusion of a survey by auto-identification specialist Zetes.

The company says many UK retailers have opted for wearable hands-free data capture solutions, which, from an initial cost perspective are slightly cheaper than dedicated voice solutions. However, Zetes claims that productivity increases and the benefits of voice far outweigh other widely used alternatives such as barcode scanning.

On the basis of its own experience, Zetes says that implementing a voice solution typically delivers a payback after between six and thirteen months. In addition, it says warehouse pickers work between 8 to 25 per cent faster and achieve almost 100 per cent accuracy levels.

Zetes speculates that two other factors could be hindering take-up of voice in the UK - a possible lack of suppliers with the required capability to advocate a support voice, and a predominance of US-based warehouse management systems, which by inference may be less agile in offering voice integration. Zetes argues that voice is rarely a 'plug and go' technology, and usually requires a degree of integration.