Sing when you're winning
August 5th 2009 Voice picking seems to be gaining a strong following with larger retailers. But it's not just the £multimillion investments that are paying dividend. Faber Music Distribution, which ships music books around the globe from its Essex DC, has made huge efficiencies for a modest £150K outlay. Brendan Coyne visited the Harlow site to find out more
Ten years ago, when Faber Music decided to undertake its own distribution, there were the usual issues to sort out: racking was too high, best sellers were kept on the top rack, and picking was often less than efficient. But the firm managed to keep customers happy, give or take the odd error. Then in 2005 Faber bought Warner Brothers' Europrint business, and the operation doubled in size overnight. Suddenly, the paper-based system didn't cut it, so John Hepworth, MD at Faber Music Distribution, looked into the alternatives, and decided voice picking was the best option.
Faber distribution had been using a Fraser Williams ERP system, and therefore Solarsoft (having acquired XKO, which owned Fraser Williams) was the preferred WMS provider. Zetes was appointed to deliver the voice solution.
The implementation was done in two phases, with the WMS and wireless infrastructure going live in February 08, and the voice terminals going live in January this year. Since then, says Hepworth, the system is living up to all expectations. "We've seen huge efficiencies. We had eight pickers in January, now we have five. The average pick rate has risen from 50 an hour, to 125 per hour and I personally have picked 320 an hour." Hepworth says accuracy has also improved with far fewer returns from wrong picks.
Hepworth says staff have been quick to praise the system's simplicity. "We have two employees in their sixties and they question how they ever worked with paper," he says. "And they were up and running after 20 minutes training." Given that the winter months are Faber's busiest, Hepworth says the fact the voice system "recognises even the stinkiest cold" is also handy.
But while voice picking is delivering efficiencies – to the extent that Faber has closed its German warehouse because, Hepworth says, it is faster and cheaper to pick and ship to Germany from Harlow, the technology alone is not a panacea. "Voice is fast but you have to ensure your systems, layout and processes are right." Once those issues have been solved, as at Faber's Harlow site, the rewards are rapid.
According to Hepworth, return on investment, predicted at 13 months, is right on schedule, and, because Faber's customers (rightly minimising stock during a recession) are now ordering more regularly, the firm has been able to easily adapt to changing order patterns.
Solarsoft's WMS has also been key in improving picking efficiency. For example, the system recognises oversized products, and tells the picker before they begin to pick the order, as opposed to picking the order and then replacing the oversized products into different sized cartons.
Naturally it also provides the most efficient picking routes and replenishments, and suggests stock takes when levels are low. "What better time to stock take?" asks Hepworth. The result is more bulk space, and therefore more third party capacity, helping to generate even faster payback.
While any new IT system causes teething problems, Hepworth says Solarsoft, particularly technical guru, Chris Wood, "was brilliant".
"We worked very closely with Solarsoft and spent months in planning and streamlining our processes to fit with the system, but the result is a flexible tool that is built for simplicity," says Hepworth. "It covers 99 per cent of order throughput – not bad given it handles 170,000 SKUs – and it's scaleable down as well as up, so it has helped us recession-proof the business."
The system is such a success that both Solarsoft and Zetes use Faber's Harlow DC as a reference site as to what can be achieved on a small budget. Hepworth says around two visitors come to the site each week, but rather than seeing them as a distraction, seems to genuinely enjoy showing them around, and reversing industry misconceptions.
"There's a perception that voice is just for big corporates, but we've proved it works for smaller operations – and really are reaping the benefits."
Given his enthusiasm, it could be argued Hepworth should receive commission. More articles from Solarsoft Business Systems Ltd: | 
