The Logistics Link Live event at Magna Park on 12 and 13 May will highlight some of the transforming technologies that are boosting accuracy and productivity in logistics operations. With the need to cut costs to the bone in today’s harsh economic climate, technologies such as these are giving a competitive edge to forward thinking operators.
Logistics Link Live is a unique event which transforms an actual cutting-edge warehouse into a real-life arena for working demonstrations, a large-scale exhibition space and the venue for a series of value adding seminars.
The key focus of these seminars is on the gains to be made by applying non-contact RF identification (RFID) and voice-directed systems – with high level speakers including representatives from VoiteQ, Inotec, Belgravium and Dematic.
Many still see voice technology as new, but the VoiteQ team went live with the UK’s first voice-directed warehouse system in 1998 and their voice solutions have since been adopted by retailers such as WH Smith, Next and Sainsbury’s.
VoiteQ’s CEO David Stanhope says: “Ten years on the basics remain the same, with voice directed systems typically delivering accuracy levels exceeding 99.9% and greatly increasing productivity. The difference today is that more businesses appreciate the benefits, and the technology has moved forward.”
Dedicated devices are more compact and other devices – such as handheld or wearable terminals – have been developed to include voice capability. The growing user base has also meant that voice solutions have spread from simple picking into other areas of the warehouse operation.
“The voice user list continues to grow rapidly, and developments for new tasks and the requirements to link into new additional technology such as RFID will ensure that voice technology stays new,” says David Stanhope. “The expansion of voice-directed work into the whole of the supply chain and into the retail environment ensures that the rapid growth of ‘voice’ over the last ten years will continue for at least the next ten.”
David Drinnan, Managing Director of Inotec says the main drivers for RFID have been increased accuracy and automation – removing the need for manual handling when reading product data – together with the introduction of widely accepted standards and perhaps the most important factor, a 50% reduction in the cost of the tags over the past few years.
“RFID has been on trial over the past two or three years, but what is driving it now is the reduced cost of implementing RFID combined with the advantages it brings with regard to efficiency and accuracy,” he says.
It has also been proven in the field, with retailers such as Marks & Spencer, using RFID to achieve hitherto unattainable levels of stock accuracy and reduce handling – freeing staff to focus on serving customers.
Participants in David Drinnan’s seminar will receive a free CD containing an introduction to RFID and case study videos on M&S and Pilkington Glass.
For more information on the seminar programme, the current exhibitor list and to register for Logistics Link Live please visit www.logisticslink.co.uk
Comments are closed.