Infor Picked by Foodstuffs to Innovate and Enhance Customer Service for New Zealand
Infor SCM Warehouse Management Voice Improves Grocery Distribution and Enables Faster, More Accurate Product Picking
Atlanta, GA, April 25, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Infor today announced that New Zealand grocery distributor, Foodstuffs Wellington, has improved productivity and decreased picking cycles utilizing Infor’s Voice solution for warehouse management. The voice-recognition solution integrates with Infor SCM Warehouse Management (WM) to support Foodstuffs’ distribution strategy which will provide cutting-edge service to more than 180 of New Zealand’s grocery stores.
The integrated solution has increased productivity and improved accuracy for the grocer by enabling staff to listen to and confirm orders using their voice, freeing hands and eyes to pick products from shelves. It also reduces costly equipment breakages by eliminating the need to hold electronic recording equipment while picking orders.
Infor’s WM Voice solution has been implemented in two of Foodstuffs Wellingtons’ distribution centres in Palmerston North and Silverstream, with the third to be rolled out by the end of May 2007. Already Foodstuffs forecasts a six to eight percent reduction in pick times and a 95 percent reduction in equipment repair bills due to the combined solution.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the distribution industry is the amount of time required to pick products for order fulfillment. This manual process relies on human intervention and companies need to implement innovative technologies to improve efficiency and reduce the amount of manual labour involved.
“We needed to increase productivity while maintaining the high level of accuracy that our existing radio frequency (RF) system provided,” said Joe Bolton, General Manager, Operations, Foodstuffs Wellington.
After a review of the solutions available, Foodstuffs, already an Infor WM customer, decided on Infor’s Voice solution
“We ultimately chose Infor’s Voice solution because it was tailored for warehouse picking – it’s specific for our business. It also integrated seamlessly into the existing Warehouse Management system, was easy to use and fast to deploy,” added Mr. Bolton.
Foodstuffs was also able to cut the time needed for staff technology training by more than 80 percent. With the Voice solution, staff can now be trained and ready to use the technology within half a day, compared to three days with the RF system.
According to Tim Moylan, Infor’s VP Supply Chain Solutions Asia Pacific, being able to provide customers with tailored solutions helps put them ahead of the competition.
“The retail distribution industry is highly competitive and faces labour shortages, increasing quantity of product lines and demand for higher levels of service. Even one percent improvement in productivity results in an increased competitive advantage. Voice is increasingly a solution for leading distributors to gain that edge.”
“Infor delivers business-specific solutions with industry experience built in. Foodstuffs benefits from Infor’s deep domain expertise in warehouse management with an innovative solution that has improved picking time and productivity,” he said.
Infor’s Supply Chain Management distribution solutions enable the world’s leading companies to improve their profitability, competitiveness and growth through network design, demand and supply chain planning, manufacturing optimization, warehousing, transportation management and supply chain analytics. By synchronizing cycles of demand, supply and replenishment, Infor’s SCM distribution solutions allow their customers to get their product to their customers quickly and cost-effectively.
About Infor
Infor delivers business-specific software to enterprising organizations. With experience built in, Infor’s solutions enable businesses of all sizes to be more enterprising and adapt to the rapid changes of a global marketplace. With more than 70,000 customers, Infor is changing what businesses expect from an enterprise software provider. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.
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The integrated solution has increased productivity and improved accuracy for the grocer by enabling staff to listen to and confirm orders using their voice, freeing hands and eyes to pick products from shelves. It also reduces costly equipment breakages by eliminating the need to hold electronic recording equipment while picking orders.
Infor’s WM Voice solution has been implemented in two of Foodstuffs Wellingtons’ distribution centres in Palmerston North and Silverstream, with the third to be rolled out by the end of May 2007. Already Foodstuffs forecasts a six to eight percent reduction in pick times and a 95 percent reduction in equipment repair bills due to the combined solution.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the distribution industry is the amount of time required to pick products for order fulfillment. This manual process relies on human intervention and companies need to implement innovative technologies to improve efficiency and reduce the amount of manual labour involved.
“We needed to increase productivity while maintaining the high level of accuracy that our existing radio frequency (RF) system provided,” said Joe Bolton, General Manager, Operations, Foodstuffs Wellington.
After a review of the solutions available, Foodstuffs, already an Infor WM customer, decided on Infor’s Voice solution
“We ultimately chose Infor’s Voice solution because it was tailored for warehouse picking – it’s specific for our business. It also integrated seamlessly into the existing Warehouse Management system, was easy to use and fast to deploy,” added Mr. Bolton.
Foodstuffs was also able to cut the time needed for staff technology training by more than 80 percent. With the Voice solution, staff can now be trained and ready to use the technology within half a day, compared to three days with the RF system.
According to Tim Moylan, Infor’s VP Supply Chain Solutions Asia Pacific, being able to provide customers with tailored solutions helps put them ahead of the competition.
“The retail distribution industry is highly competitive and faces labour shortages, increasing quantity of product lines and demand for higher levels of service. Even one percent improvement in productivity results in an increased competitive advantage. Voice is increasingly a solution for leading distributors to gain that edge.”
“Infor delivers business-specific solutions with industry experience built in. Foodstuffs benefits from Infor’s deep domain expertise in warehouse management with an innovative solution that has improved picking time and productivity,” he said.
Infor’s Supply Chain Management distribution solutions enable the world’s leading companies to improve their profitability, competitiveness and growth through network design, demand and supply chain planning, manufacturing optimization, warehousing, transportation management and supply chain analytics. By synchronizing cycles of demand, supply and replenishment, Infor’s SCM distribution solutions allow their customers to get their product to their customers quickly and cost-effectively.
About Infor
Infor delivers business-specific software to enterprising organizations. With experience built in, Infor’s solutions enable businesses of all sizes to be more enterprising and adapt to the rapid changes of a global marketplace. With more than 70,000 customers, Infor is changing what businesses expect from an enterprise software provider. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.
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Infor
Kayla Eubanks
404-601-3660
www.infor.com
Kayla Eubanks
404-601-3660
www.infor.com
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