Pharma wholesaler sees 20 percent increase in productivity and cuts costly picking errors using Vocollect solution
Pittsburgh — November 23, 2005 — Wholesaler Smith Drug Company has achieved a 20 percent increase in productivity while achieving a picking accuracy rate of 99.9 percent since implementing a voice-directed work solution from Vocollect, the solution provider has reported.
Begun as an independent pharmacy in 1925, Smith Drug today is an independent full-line wholesale distributor to over 700 independent pharmacies throughout the Southeast United States.
With over 130 Smith Drug employees handling an average of 80,000 units per day, the company saw that by improving accuracy and productivity, a real return on investment (ROI) could be realized through modernizing its operation, as Smith Drug had been using paper picking lists in their warehouse to fulfill orders.
To achieve modernization, Smith Drug turned to Vocollect's Voice-Directed Distribution solution to help its workers track drug SKUs from their manufacturing origins straight through to point-of-sale. This eliminates any uncertainty in the drug distribution process and provides greater visibility into Smith Drug Company's overall supply chain, according to Vocollect.
Voice-Directed Distribution works in concert with existing warehouse management systems (WMS) or material handling equipment (MHE) to facilitate real-time, item-level inventory tracking as orders are filled or slots replenished, making it easy to have a detailed record of the movement of products through the distribution center. Smith Drug has estimated that the company received its ROI in less than a year.
"The pharmaceutical industry is extremely time-sensitive, and the products are expensive, so we are always searching for solutions that provide us with a competitive advantage," said Randy McConnell, director of information systems for Smith Drug. "Since implementing Vocollect's Voice-Directed Distribution, we have cut down on costly errors and improved our productivity, which has in turn led to higher profitability and greater customer service."
Additional Articles of Interest
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Pittsburgh — November 23, 2005 — Wholesaler Smith Drug Company has achieved a 20 percent increase in productivity while achieving a picking accuracy rate of 99.9 percent since implementing a voice-directed work solution from Vocollect, the solution provider has reported.
Begun as an independent pharmacy in 1925, Smith Drug today is an independent full-line wholesale distributor to over 700 independent pharmacies throughout the Southeast United States.
With over 130 Smith Drug employees handling an average of 80,000 units per day, the company saw that by improving accuracy and productivity, a real return on investment (ROI) could be realized through modernizing its operation, as Smith Drug had been using paper picking lists in their warehouse to fulfill orders.
To achieve modernization, Smith Drug turned to Vocollect's Voice-Directed Distribution solution to help its workers track drug SKUs from their manufacturing origins straight through to point-of-sale. This eliminates any uncertainty in the drug distribution process and provides greater visibility into Smith Drug Company's overall supply chain, according to Vocollect.
Voice-Directed Distribution works in concert with existing warehouse management systems (WMS) or material handling equipment (MHE) to facilitate real-time, item-level inventory tracking as orders are filled or slots replenished, making it easy to have a detailed record of the movement of products through the distribution center. Smith Drug has estimated that the company received its ROI in less than a year.
"The pharmaceutical industry is extremely time-sensitive, and the products are expensive, so we are always searching for solutions that provide us with a competitive advantage," said Randy McConnell, director of information systems for Smith Drug. "Since implementing Vocollect's Voice-Directed Distribution, we have cut down on costly errors and improved our productivity, which has in turn led to higher profitability and greater customer service."
Additional Articles of Interest
— Think your distribution operations have been put to the test? A closer look at the U.S. Army's multi-million-square-foot distribution center that was established in Kuwait two years ago to support Operation Iraqi Freedom provides some insight for companies looking improve distribution operations under harsh conditions. Read more in "Lessons from the Operation Iraqi Freedom Theater Distribution Center to Improve Your Supply Chain Operations," an SDCExec.com exclusive.
— Leading companies are using supply chain principles to deploy employee talent. Read more in "Finding a Needle in a Haystack," an SDCExec.com exclusive.
— Freight capacity and transportation budget pressures continue to hound transportation managers. But savvy companies have discovered how to fight back. Read more in The Analyst Corner column in the August/September 2005 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
- More articles about Vocollect.
