Voice: Green order picking in the Green Mountain state

The Green Mountain State takes its “green” state motto very seriously, and so does the Burlington Drug Company. Based in Milton, Vt., Burlington Drug was founded in the late 1800s and has evolved from a small manufacturer to a wholesale pharmaceutical business that ships pharmaceuticals and convenience store goods to more than 1,000 locations in eight states.

The company had been using a paper-based picking process to fill orders, but that was expensive and created an excessive amount of documents each year. The process was also inefficient because it took about two to three hours to sort through paperwork before products could be moved out of its 170,000-square-foot warehouse. So, the company wanted to find a system that would improve pick accuracy and productivity while also honoring the company’s commitment to eco-friendly environmental practices.

It chose a voice-directed picking solution (Voxware, voxware.com) that provides all of the features that Burlington Drug required, including environmental benefits that shrink its carbon footprint and efficiencies that cut its operational expenses.

“We decided to go with voice not only for the increased order accuracy and production that we would get out of it, but for the cost savings on paper as well,” says Jay Mitiguy, Burlington Drug’s assistant vice president.

The new system has also reduced costs and created productivity-driven labor savings. Burlington Drug’s productivity is up 20% and it’s picking at 99.95% accuracy.

Mitiguy says the company knew quickly that this was a good decision. Not only has the company has experienced increased order accuracy and increased production levels, the system’s software allows the company to implement internal business process changes quickly and efficiently.

About the Author

Lorie King Rogers
Associate Editor

Lorie King Rogers, associate editor, joined Modern in 2009 after working as a freelance writer for the Casebook issue and show daily at tradeshows. A graduate of Emerson College, she has also worked as an editor on Stock Car Racing Magazine.

Subscribe to Modern Materials Handling magazine

Subscribe today. It's FREE!

Find out what the world’s most innovative companies are doing to improve productivity in their plants and distribution centers.

Start your FREE subscription today!

Recent Entries

NMHG presents United Way of Pitt County with $6,250 check

NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. (NMHG) presented a $6,250 check to United Way of Pitt County during the East Carolina University (ECU) baseball game versus High Point University on Tuesday, May 15. The donation was given for every homerun hit this season by the Pirates, who pounded 25 homeruns.

Hyster donates reach truck to Portland Art Museum

NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. (NMHG), in cooperation with its local dealer, Papé Material Handling in Portland, has donated one of its Hyster electric reach trucks to the Portland Art Museum.

Other Voices: Don’t judge a DC by its shape

It's the processes inside the DC that count

April retail sales numbers from Commerce and NRF show mostly modest growth

Commerce reported that April retail sales at $408.0 billion were up 0.1 percent over March and 6.4 percent higher than April 2011. The NRF reported that April retail sales, which exclude autos, gas stations, and restaurants, were down 0.1 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis from March and up 2.8 percent on an unadjusted basis annually.

Packaging: Smart Packaging Systems earns DuPont Award for innovation

Smart Packaging Systems won the award for The Cube, a transport packaging system that enables companies to move their products from factory to store with maximum efficiency and full protection of the product.