Bastian Solutions Exacta Pick to Light vs. Voice Picking, What You Need to Know

If your distribution center is stuck in low gear, conducting manual picking or fighting underwhelming pick rates, consider the benefits of installing picking technology to better match your order fulfillment needs.

Pick to Light (PTL) and Voice are effective and often less expensive automation that can help you realize higher productivity and increased accuracy in your picking operations.

PTL and Voice: Top Technologies
Looking at the landscape of warehouse technologies can be daunting, so it helps to understand where PTL and Voice stand amongst other solutions. First, these two options are time-proven technologies.

PTL has been in operation for 20 years and Voice for more than 10 years. Both technologies offer significant advantages compared to manual picking operations while offering lower entry costs than other automated picking solutions such as carousels or robotic picking.

Additionally, both technologies are designed to be easily modified to fit future business demands.

Reign In Error Rates
Eliminating the possibility for errors are strong features in both PTL and Voice picking installations. Here’s a sampling of potential errors and how the technologies work to improve error rates:

• Incorrect Items. Both PTL and Voice direct the operator to the product, removing potential for the operator to choose the wrong SKU.
• Omitted Items. Both PTL and Voice require all activity to be completed before the next activity can be processed.
• Wrong Quantity. PTL and Voice require verification from the operator, providing a double check to accuracy of the quantity.
• Data Entry Errors. Instead of manually keying in data, PTL and Voice eliminate the need for this step—removing the possibility of the dreaded typo.
• Real-Time Applications. PTL and Voice systems are real-time applications that provide accurate inventory, productivity, and order data to the managers of the systems. In a manual system, activities are not updated in real time, and there can be a large lag in processing time.