For more than 25 years, Lucas Systems has helped companies transform their distribution centre by dramatically increasing worker productivity, operational agility, and customer and worker satisfaction using intelligent software with speech recognition and AI optimisation technologies.
Andrew Southgate, V.P. Business Development, EMEA at Lucas Systems speaks to Warehouse & Logistics News.
What are your best-known products/solutions/services?
Lucas integrates our deep knowledge in warehouse operations with innovative AI-driven optimisation software, adaptable workflows, and industry-leading voice technology to enhance the efficiency of warehouse associates and managers. Our software, embodied in Jennifer™, the brains, orchestration engine and voice of the solution, is actively utilised by tens of thousands of employees globally, in manufacturing warehouses, retail, wholesale and B2B distribution hubs, as well as ecommerce fulfilment centres on a daily basis.
What are your most recent products and innovations?
We’re especially excited about the advancements we’ve made with our dynamic slotting solution. Lucas Dynamic Slotting applies advanced machine-learning algorithms to recommend the best locations for inventory based on SKU velocity, SKU affinity, product/slot information, pick paths, and other data. System-generated recommendations identify product moves that offer the biggest potential payback.
With dynamic slotting, one can make a few changes every day, either during the workday or at the end of the day. If workers have a few moments, they can make slotting changes (moving 5-10 SKUs) and then proceed to continue their job. Moving 5-10 SKUs every day in a 4,000 SKU capacity warehouse will not interrupt the daily workflow. Moreover, during a period of a few weeks, all the low hanging fruit (high impact SKUs) can be captured.
Can you tell us about any recent customer contracts and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?
Two recent customer stories in the UK illustrate the transformational impact our solutions can have. Poole Bay Holdings Group, which manufactures and sells a diverse range of products through catalogues, multiple ecommerce sites, and Amazon, all with next day shipping, was able to reduce labour by half while increasing efficiencies, and achieve a 66% improvement in error rate after implementing the Lucas warehouse optimisation suite. Because they were no longer picking on paper, they were able to reduce their carbon footprint as well, going from 35 cases of paper a week to nearly zero. That’s the equivalent of saving 910 trees a year.
Silmid, headquartered in Coleshill near Birmingham, is a specialist distributor of chemical consumables used throughout aerospace and aviation, supplying customers in over 100 countries. After implementing our voice-driven optimisation technology, they realised order accuracy of 99.9%, efficiency gains of 35%, and a 60% improvement in throughput. The success has served as the foundation for the company to begin exploring other opportunities to gain efficiencies through automation.
What’s the latest news from your company?
In addition to the continuing innovation and evolution of our solutions, and following on our 25th anniversary last year, we recently celebrated a significant milestone of 100 billion picks using Lucas software. It’s really a culmination of industry longevity combined with tens of thousands of workers using our software around the globe. It’s really amazing to think that for 26 years, and over 100 billion picks, we’ve been helping to improve the quality of work-life for warehouse workers while dramatically boosting productivity, accuracy, and safety.
Are you investing in staff training and skills development?
Establishing and maintaining a strong local presence is crucial for delivering the exemplary solutions, services, and support that define our enduring success. Over the past few years, we’ve made significant strides in bolstering our global workforce, particularly in our UK office where we’ve nearly doubled our team size and recently moved into a larger office space in Bracknell. This expansion encompasses a diverse range of skills, from solution expertise to engineering and technical support. As we continue to attract new customers and opportunities, we’re committed to further augmenting our team to accommodate our expanding footprint.
Are you taking part in any major trade shows? Can you tell us what you’ll be exhibiting there?
Participation in tradeshows has always been a vital part of our customer engagement strategy. We enjoyed participating and presenting at IntraLogisteX 2024, sharing insights on transforming warehouse operations with AI-optimised decision making, as well as participating in the recent IWLEX event. We have also enjoyed forging new relationships through our partnership with the UK Warehousing Association.
Lucas Systems
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