Voice technology increases warehouse throughput by 80%

Galipo Foods, one of the largest food distribution companies in South Australia, offers its customers biscuits, soups and gravies, sauces and dressings, condiments, oil, pasta, dairy, jams, meat, cereals, bread, seafood, pastries, herbs and spices, grains, drinks, eggs, syrups and more. Operating in the competitive food service space, it is vital that Galipo Foods’ warehouse operates at an optimum level in order to deliver the right product, at the right time and in the right condition.

The company wanted to upgrade its picking process without undergoing a complete system replacement, looking for a quicker return on investment via a lower initial outlay.

With Honeywell’s Vocollect voice solutions already installed, the solution was to update the system to incorporate Honeywell’s voice solutions, including the Vocollect A730 device with an integrated hands-free scanner, Vocollect SRX2 wireless headset and VoiceLink software to connect with Galipo’s system in real time.

The upgrade, achieved with the help of VoiceID and Honeywell Sensing and Productivity Solutions, has enabled Galipo Foods to increase productivity by 80%.

Nathan Narayanan, general manager at Galipo Foods, said the voice technology upgrade had increased throughput from 50 million to 65 million units processed each year. He said the company plans to shortly expand the technology to other areas in the business, with a forecast increase to 90 million units by January 2016. The productivity growth has been achieved without adding additional workers.

“We are very pleased to see that Galipo Foods’ voice technology upgrade is already helping them increase productivity and the accuracy of their order fulfilment,” said Paul Phillips, ANZ regional manager, Honeywell Sensing and Productivity Solutions. “With increased productivity and accuracy, Galipo Foods can now be confident they are offering the highest level of customer service at all times.”