In cooperation with the technology supplier Picavi, Arvato SCM Solutions has successfully launched the innovation project "Pick-by-Vision" for Sennheiser. Order-picking with smart glasses saves time and ensures a smooth flow of materials – from the moment goods are received until inventory is counted. A display integrated into the glasses gives warehouse employees all the necessary context-related information and navigates them unerringly through the work process.

For purposes of the innovation project, a separate pick process was identified in advance together with Sennheiser. This way, processes can be carried out in a controlled environment and evaluated with precise time measurements. The objective is to use the smart glasses to increase productivity and quality and to identify the optimal process workflows for the new technology. Initial feedback from employees on the operational side of the business is positive: the new pick technology is easy to learn and intuitive to use. Furthermore, the smart glasses are very comfortable to wear during the movement-intensive work in the warehouse.

"We set ourselves the task of providing the best possible support for supply chain management generally and for warehouse employees in particular. With our pick-by-vision solution, the pickers have both hands free and their eyes on the current process steps at all times – in contrast to the work with hand-held devices. Instead of relying on the tiring voice commands of pick-by-voice systems, our system inserts data directly into the field of view of the worker in real time," says Dirk Franke, CEO of Picavi. "We're currently working with Arvato on additional augmented-reality features that provide intelligent support to processes aside from classic order-picking."

In the coming weeks, the collected data will be carefully compared and evaluated. During this time, the Arvato employees will continue to wear the mobile WLAN smart glasses in order to get used to them and be as prepared as possible for the coming peak season of growing order volumes. Meanwhile, Arvato and Picavi are already working on an expansion of the system. They have now identified another field of application that could profit from the new technology: since the glasses allow warehouse employees to have their hands free when stacking the pallets, errors can be minimized when the outgoing goods are scanned, which leads to significant gains in productivity and quality.

The future of order-picking

The project was initiated at Sennheiser in the framework of the current innovation strategy for the supply chain, which sees innovations as a key factor for success in products and services. "We're very pleased to have a service provider like Arvato at our side, one that not only shares our point of view with regard to innovation and development but also invests in the actual implementation," says Günther Maaß, Global Logistics Manager at Sennheiser. The demand for new technologies and processes in the logistics sector is growing constantly – after all, they are the key to successfully managing future challenges. "Innovations are not ends in themselves; they are absolutely necessary to realize competitive advantages and further growth," says Patrick Manders, VP Global Solution Design in the business unit Hightech & Entertainment at Arvato SCM Solutions. "Targeted innovation management helps companies increase their competitiveness, efficiency and sustainability."