“The new system has decreased the amount of picking errors significantly and the goals set for the project have been achieved.”

Jari Kaartinen, Logistics Planner, Meira Nova

Meira Nova Oy implemented a Voice-Directed picking system at the beginning of summer 2009. The benefits of the new picking system were immediate after implementation: with it, the amount of picking errors has decreased significantly and productivity has improved as expected at Meira Nova. The employees have also adapted to the change with positive thinking.

Meira Nova implemented the Voice-Directed picking system in the industrial food supplies section at the beginning of June and in the fresh products section in August. The SAP-certified Vocollect VoiceLink picking system delivered by Optiscan was integrated with Meira Nova’s SAP enterprise resource planning system to replace the previous list-and-label picking. At the same time Meira Nova started to pick all the orders customer-specifically using VoiceLink’s multi-customer picking function.

The implementation of the Voice-Directed picking has gone with a swing, say logistics manager Jari Saviniemi and logistics planner Jari Kaartinen of Meira Nova.

“The aim of the project was to improve operational quality, occupational safety and ergonomics, cost-efficiency and productivity as well as to decrease the amount of picking errors. We achieved our goals together with Optiscan thanks to careful specifications and testing and also due to phasing implementations in different parts of the warehouse to multiple steps,” says Saviniemi.

Meira Nova’s personnel were involved in the project right from the beginning. During the testing and the implementation phase of the system there was a very comprehensive training session, during which pickers already familiar with the equipment instructed new users. Among the workers there was a positive and enthusiastic feeling about the system.

Voice-Directed picking appeals to pickers

Beforehand, the users had doubts about how the new system works and how well the use of the Voice-Directed system can be learned. The concerns proved unnecessary because the Voice-Directed system has eliminated purposeless stages of work and the picking flows faster compared to the former system. Furthermore, the logistics workers have positive experiences about Voice-Directed picking.

“Although I’ve been in the company for a long time and I was used to the old system, the new system proved to be easy to use, fast and practical. Also the feedback I have heard from the others has been nothing but positive. The occupational safety improves since hands and eyes are free,” says veteran picker Simo Rissanen.

According to logistics professional Jyrki Mäkelä, especially the ordering of the products to the picking spot with the new system has decreased walking distances and made the ordering easier than before.

“Now the replenishment orders for the picking spots are actually made more often, because it is so easy through the system,” he says.

Logistics professional Katri Sulin, who operated as an instructor during the implementation of the new system, recommends Voice-Directed picking and says it is practical and easy to use.

“The success of the project was influenced significantly by the activity of the logistics professionals who operated as instructors and the whole project group, and also the presentation and training meeting organized by Optiscan,” says Saviniemi.

Meira Nova Oy

Meira Nova Oy is SOK’s subsidiary company specialized in purchasing, customer service and logistics of perishables and consumption products within the HoReCa sector. Meira Nova’s distribution covers the whole of Finland and its delivery network consists of the Tuusula logistics centre and a network of local terminals.

Meira Nova’s customer groups are hotels and restaurants, personnel canteens, the public sector, catering kitchens and service station stores with their restaurants. The sales selection includes among other things fruits, vegetables, meat, processed meat products, dairy industry products, industrial food supplies, frozen products, cigarettes, consumption products and non-food products.

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