DHL Solutions

DHL gives green light to voice technology after successful trial.

Part of the German group Deutsche Post World Net, DHL Solutions is the largest Pan-European 4PL operator, employing 16 000 people worldwide at 300 sites covering a joint surface area of more than 3 million m². To further boost is competitive advantage, DHL Solutions recently conducted an unprecedented, large-scale trial of voice synthesis and recognition technology at its warehouse in Essen, Belgium.

A comprehensive testing process

In order to assess the benefits of voice technology over other solutions, such as radio frequency (RF), DHL Solutions conducted a comparative test at its logistics centre in Essen, Belgium. The Essen site offered an ideal proving ground given its large quantity of orders, large number of order lines per order and the specificity of receiver instructions. Zetes was chosen to implement the trial system on the strength of its support capabilities, advantageous commercial proposition, demonstrated service commitment and proven track record.

Highly convincing results

After 4 months of testing, it was obvious that Zetes’ voice-activated order picking solution offered clear advantages:

  • Significantly fewer handling operations required
  • Vast improvements in quality and productivity
  • Drastic reductions in picking errors
  • Widespread user satisfaction
  • Fast, efficient roll out

Towards global best practices

Given the positive results of the experiment, DHL Solutions Belgium has now begun identifying other processes that could benefit from the voice technology such as replenishment, storage, stock management, real-time stock monitoring, quality control, etc. DHL Solutions Belgium sees a bright future for Zetes’ voice technology and is now focused on introducing it as part of the company’s global best practices.

Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DHL-AY05GVL.jpg