BAKO is well-known for its extensive range of bakery stock and supplies. At the company’s largest warehouse in Preston, teams process over 74,000 ambient, frozen, and chilled items per week. With a nationwide footprint and continued expansion, including a recent acquisition in Northern Ireland, the company sought a smarter solution that could align with its new ERP environment and optimize picking across its scaling locations.
Outgrowing the Old Way
Previously reliant on a legacy voice solution, BAKO faced limitations as its operations grew in complexity and scale. The existing system, while functional, reached its limits as business operations expanded. BAKO needed smarter software that could meet immediate needs and scale to fit future operations. The benefits of voice were clear, but the headaches of template training and poor voice recognition prompted a switch. “With LYDIA, you don’t have to set anything up or worry about background noise,” said Dan Oxley, Assistant Warehouse Manager at BAKO Preston. “Users just jump on and go. That’s what the team loves most about it, being able to interact with the device like you and me talking. Having that flexibility and operability was everything.”
Finding a Future-Ready Fit
Recognizing the need for an upgrade, BAKO launched an industry-wide evaluation that led to LYDIA Voice. The solution offered easy WMS integration, seamless communication, and no need for template training, making onboarding and operation breezy.
“We needed something that could work within our existing API environment and adjust to every need,” Oxley added. “Anytime we asked, ‘Can we do this? How about that?’ the answer was always ‘Yep!’ or ‘What if we tried this?’ And that flexibility was really nice to work with.”
Gavin Clark, Country Manager for EPG in the UK reflected, “BAKO saw the value of voice picking processes across their operations, but their existing solution wasn’t delivering any innovation. LYDIA Voice is a game-changer for warehouses and workforces. We’re delighted that BAKO has recognised this and we look forward to developing always-fresh features for their busy hubs.”
Ready to Rise
Today, LYDIA Voice is a critical part of BAKO’s logistics strategy, enabling faster onboarding, improved picking accuracy, and enhanced data capture while boosting productivity. Following the initial success in Preston, BAKO deployed LYDIA Voice in two additional locations, including its newly acquired Northern Ireland operation, with minimal additional support. The technology is already in use by 75 team members, with 20 to 30 additional users expected to join the rollout in the coming phase.
“When any question or issue pops up, EPG is on it immediately,” said Oxley. “We can pick up the phone, speak with someone right away, and solve the issue then and there. It takes minutes to get back to us, not days.”
As BAKO continues to expand its reach, the implementation of LYDIA Voice positions the company to maintain high service levels while driving sustainable growth in the fast-moving food supply chain.
EPG – Smarter Connected Logistics
EPG is a leading international provider for a comprehensive Supply Chain Execution Suite (EPG ONE™) and employs 1,000 people at 23 locations around the world. The company group provides its more than 1,600 customers with WMS, WCS, WFM, TMS and voice solutions to optimize logistics processes – from manual to fully automated logistics environments. EPG solutions cover the entire supply chain: From warehouse and road to ground and cargo handling solutions at airports. Logistics consulting, cloud services, managed services and logistics training courses at the company’s own academy round out the comprehensive list of solutions from EPG.
Stand Number: B126
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