3M Australia Puts the Productivity in Picking with Wavelink's Speakeasy Voice Recognition Solution

SYDNEY and SALT LAKE CITY, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavelink, a business unit of LANDesk Software, today announced 3M Australia has implemented Wavelink's voice recognition solution, Speakeasy. Through the implementation of Speakeasy, 3M Australia has streamlined picking and increased productivity in the company's Australian distribution center.

Wavelink Speakeasy is a voice recognition solution that allows IT departments to quickly and easily add voice support to terminal emulation applications in the warehouse. Speakeasy can be added without the need for new servers and without modifying or replacing the host application. With the addition of Speakeasy, 3M Australia experienced drastic reductions in pick complexity, time and inefficiencies.

"Even at this early stage, we are seeing tremendous benefits from the Speakeasy implementation that will result in significant ROI," said Daniel La Greca, distribution center manager for 3M Australia's main warehouse operation. "Our people love the fact that now they can keep their eyes on the ball by speeding-up the scanning stage. I'm confident that the ability for us to do all of our picking functions without constantly setting down and picking up devices will save a significant amount of time, resulting in savings and new efficiencies, thus extending our leadership position."

The Australian distribution centre where Speakeasy was implemented represents close to 100 percent of all materials for warehousing and distribution across the continent. The site requires a variety of picking functions, including split-based picking across multiple shifts. The high pick rate is complex and labor intensive, which is why 3M sought advice from AirData, an Australian industrial mobility solutions consulting firm, to find a voice recognition solution. The company also wanted to avoid a costly recreation of new applications during the voice implementation.

"Based on our strong partnership and positive past experience with Wavelink, we were confident its Speakeasy voice solution would meet 3M's needs perfectly," said Luiza Mayell, business development and marketing manager at AirData. "Past Wavelink solutions have proved to be simple and robust offerings that give organizations exactly what they need to fill their various needs quickly."

The full implementation was rolled out in under 12 months which included upgrading existing hardware, integrating with the existing Dexion picking system and adding Speakeasy. The solution currently runs on Motorola's wearable WT4090 devices, which provide additional pick accuracy and efficiency.

"The 3M solution demonstrates the collaborative success of our partner's software and services, Motorola's market leading hardware and Wavelink's Speakeasy solution. Speech enablement for warehouse mobility applications is a key strategy for us in the region," said Rodney Thorne, general manager of enterprise channels, Motorola Solutions Australia.

"We've made installing voice applications simple," said Simon Storey, Wavelink's country manager for Australia & New Zealand. "It used to be a much larger undertaking and required multiple software and hardware purchases, which not only cost a large amount of money but were very time consuming to roll out. With Speakeasy, we've made it easier to justify the cost of implementing a voice-picking software application in as little as 30 days."

For more information about Wavelink Speakeasy, please visit www.wavelink.com/voice

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About 3M™ Australia – Innovative Products and Technology for a Changing World
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs about 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com.au  

AirData - The leading Industrial Mobility Solutions Consulting Firm in our industry segment Focuses on business solutions implemented through technology.  AirData (www.airdata.com.au) has 30 years' experience in the industry, providing solutions that take legacy and ERP systems into the warehouse and onto the road. AirData is an Australian business owned by its employees and an investor. 

About Wavelink
Wavelink, a business unit of LANDesk Software, is the leading provider of multi-vendor mobile device management, wireless infrastructure management, terminal emulation, voice enabling and mobile application development solutions. Wavelink has more than 7.5 million active client licenses in use world-wide.

Wavelink solutions solve the unique challenges found in deploying, managing and controlling today's enterprise mobility systems. These solutions facilitate peak performance from frontline staff. Wavelink offers a platform to manage, provision, update, secure and troubleshoot ruggedized mobile computing platforms from a single, easy-to-use console.

Wavelink products ease the growing chaos around mobility, heterogeneity, and the challenges around more demanding end-user computing environments. Inside the four walls, or in the field, Wavelink leads mobility.

SOURCE Wavelink