The means for this expansion is voice enablement of existing applications and equipment, which typically can be done in 30 days or less, he says.

"If you already have an application or device that you are using and your people are trained on, whether it is Telnet- or Web-based, we can voice-enable it," Engemann says. "If it is a device, you can continue to use it for scanning, but you also get the efficiency and productivity gains of voice."

Engemann says there is no need to replace any existing hardware, nor is there a requirement for middleware. Moreover, he adds, "you don't have to do process change with voice enabling, you don't have to re-label the warehouse, you don't have to upgrade your wireless infrastructure and you don't have to replace devices."

Warehouse management systems and enterprise resource planning systems are candidates for voice enablement, but so are applications in many other areas, from manufacturing to field service, Engemann says. To determine if an application is a candidate for voice enablement, simply ask these questions: Am I collecting data today from this application; do I use this data to feed information throughout my supply chain; would I gain productivity and accuracy by adding voice?

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Keywords: supply chain management IT, supply chain solutions, supply chain systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management systems, logistics IT solutions, voice technology in the warehouse