Intelligent picking control

When loading the trolleys, employees generally have a lot of freedom and can decide for themselves which items are distributed to which box. This often means that trolleys are loaded with different weights and some even exceed the maximum permitted weight. The drugstore chain Rossmann also faced this problem. The company puts together around 1,300 consignments for its stores every day in its eight regional warehouses. Time and again, pre-packed roll boxes were too heavy for shipping. However, loading fewer products per box was not a practicable solution, as the sales outlets are reliant on full product availability.

The task for Rossmann Logistics was therefore to distribute the weight more evenly across the roll boxes and to make optimum use of the available volume. They were looking for a solution that would control the loading process in a targeted manner and at the same time ensure transparency: it should be possible to see which items are in which box at all times. A complex interplay of hardware and software was necessary to meet the requirements, as a ready-made solution that met Rosmann's specific needs was not available on the market. The company therefore decided to develop a suitable system itself.

Intelligent control for efficient order picking

WIIEB stands for "What's in a box" and combines three key technologies: pick-by-voice, put-to-light and intelligent control software. The picker receives precise instructions via a headset on which storage location to pick which items and in what quantity. Thanks to pick-by-voice, he always has both hands free and does not have to work with paper lists or scanners. This enables focused, ergonomic and error-free work. At the same time, the intelligent distribution ensures that the available storage space is used optimally: Empty spaces in the boxes are avoided and the load volume is efficiently utilized. In view of the average of around 25,800 roll boxes that are transported from the eight warehouses to the points of sale every day, this is an advantage that should not be underestimated. Less overpacking, better capacity utilization, lower costs.

Pick-by-voice with AI-based speech recognition

At the heart of the new system is the Lydia Voice pick-by-voice technology from the Ehrhardt Partner Group. It forms the basis for voice-supported picking control. Thanks to AI-based speech recognition, Lydia Voice works without language training and adapts to different speakers, dialects and background noises. For Rossmann, this means high process reliability with minimal training requirements. Rossmann now has more than 800 WIIEB-enabled floor vehicles with put-to-light modules and around 1,000 Voxter voice computers in use. The logistics center in Burgwedel was the last location to be equipped with WI-IEB.