Signature Brands Deploys Mobile Distribution System

May 7, 2010
Consumer packaged goods manufacturer Signature Brands has deployed a mobile solution based on speech recognition to improve accuracy and efficiency within its distribution center (DC).

Signature Brands, which specializes in the dessert decorating and Easter egg business with its Cake Mate, Betty Crocker and PAAS brands, reports the mobile integration suite (MIS) from Psion Teklogix Inc. has helped to improve pick and ship rates by 20% and achieve return on investment within seven months.

The MIS is enterprise-wide middleware that integrates a warehouse management ERP system from SAP with Vocollect speech technology. Signature Brands’ warehouse managers say the system allows for a dashboard view of productivity and operational metrics in real time, as well as the capability to generate historical reports.

“Because our business is seasonal, our shipping requirements vary tremendously month to month, and nearly 99% of our orders must be shipped the same day they are received, so responsiveness and accuracy are critical,” says Gary Stenzel, senior vice president of operations at Signature Brands. “Even before we had finished quantifying the cost savings obtained from deploying the solutions, we found that customer complaints had been greatly reduced.”