Marks and Spencer speaks up for voice-based warehouse picking

M&S's distribution partner is rolling out voice-based picking to improve its service levels

The rollout of voice-based picking technology has helped Marks and Spencer (M &S) to react faster to changes in the supply chain while cutting costs.

Following a trial and a smaller rollout of the voice-based systems, logistics provider Gist – which owns and manages M&S’s distribution centres – decided to extend the technology across the other sites that provide products to more than 600 M&S stores.

The VoiteQ-supplied equipment includes a hands-free kit which receives picking commands from the warehouse management system (WMS) via a plug-in headset and a wearable computer.

As well as reduced spending, benefits are expected to include higher service levels between distribution centres and stores, as well as reduced picking errors and the capability to assess demand variations better in comparison with retailers using scanners or a paper-based system.

"The implementations have been managed extremely well, employees are embracing the new technology and the picking accuracy improvement supports our continuing aim to deliver service excellence to our customer,” said Ian Rennie, business controller at Gist.

Other high-street retailers such as Morrissons, Sainsbury’s and WHSmith are also using voice-based technology at their warehouses.

News of the implementation follows M&S’s announcement that logistics has been one of the IT areas that has been emphasised in its technology-led transformation, with system enhancements taking place to radically improve supply chain efficiency, for example the streamlining of international distribution platforms.

“We are investing in systems and infrastructure so that goods produced overseas can now be transported directly to all our markets without the need to first come through the UK. This will dramatically reduce export costs and speed up distribution,” the firm said in its financial results last month.