Honeywell > Case Studies > The Sound of Voice Success at Sony of Canada

The Sound of Voice Success at Sony of Canada

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

Canada

Product

Vocollect VoiceDirect Enterprise Connector
Vocollect SR-20 Wired Headsets
Vocollect SRX Wireless Headsets
Vocollect T5 Mobile Devices
Vocollect VoiceClient and VoiceConsole Software

Tech Stack

Voice Technology
Warehouse Management System (WMS)
RF Scanning

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods
Retail

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Predictive Maintenance
Warehouse Automation

Services

System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Sony of Canada, Ltd., established in 1955 and headquartered in Metropolitan Toronto, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. Sony's portfolio includes electronics, music, movies, games, and online businesses. The company processes approximately 18,000 orders per month and is responsible for inventory and demand planning, sales order management, transportation operations, and logistics operations. With a workforce of around 1,000 employees, Sony of Canada operates two distribution centers in Whitby, Ontario, and Coquitlam, British Columbia, housing approximately 2,200 SKUs and operating five days a week.

The Challenge

Sony of Canada faced challenges with their paper-based and RF systems for distribution. The paper system was cumbersome and lacked a locator system, making it difficult for employees to find products quickly. RF scanning, while faster than paper, involved too many steps and errors. Employees had to input data into handheld units, view screens, and the system was often slow to respond. The rapidly changing business model, with increasing online orders and more, smaller orders, exposed these weaknesses further. The company needed a more efficient system to handle high seasonality, support changing business models, and maintain a highly satisfied customer base.

The Solution

Sony of Canada, on the recommendation of their WMS provider RedPrairie, decided to integrate Honeywell Vocollect voice technology into their operations. They observed the technology in action at another Honeywell customer site and saw its potential for process improvements. The integration of Vocollect voice into their WMS upgrade allowed for significant efficiency gains. Initially, Vocollect voice was piloted for cluster-picking for parcel shipments due to its process fit and high number of picks. The training process was simple and short, taking as little as one hour. The technology was later expanded to the cycle counting workflow. The voice solution enabled accurate and quick order fulfillment, better management of seasonal volume hikes, and support for the company's growing e-commerce business. The consolidated picking methodology, cluster-picking, was used for processing less than master carton quantities, enhancing timeliness in supporting e-commerce.

Operational Impact

Sony of Canada realized a 30% improvement in throughput and a 15% improvement in accuracy with the Vocollect voice system.
The handsfree/eyes-free feature of the voice system improved safety for employees.
Technical training on the voice system takes only an hour, and full operational training takes about a week, compared to two to three months with RF scanning.
The company reduced its temporary headcount by five workers due to improved efficiencies.
The voice system allowed for better management of seasonal business peaks, enabling workers to move nimbly from one assignment to the next with no downtime.

Quantitative Benefit