Silk Contract increases efficiency, safety with Zebra Technologies solution

Zebra Technologies Corporation has announced that Silk Contract Logistics has deployed Zebra’s voice-directed warehouse picking solution to enhance its worker productivity and competitive advantage. Silk Contract Logistics operates across a range of sectors, including retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), light industrial and food and dairy, providing a tailored approach to wharf cartage, warehousing and distribution.

With 21 warehouses spread across Australia, Silk Contract Logistics has deployed a suite of Zebra’s warehousing solutions, supported by Zebra’s PartnerConnect Premier Solution partner Skywire, to both futureproof its business and establish itself as an innovator in the Australian warehousing industry.

The Enterprise Asset Intelligence solutions that the third-party logistics company deploys include Zebra’s mobile printers, and wearable computers equipped with voice-directed picking software TekSpeech Pro – making it the first enterprise in Australia to fully harness Zebra’s multi-modal voice solution. With these visibility solutions, Silk Contract Logistics aims to increase offerings to its customers, provide better safety to staff, improve functionality and efficiency, and enhance its service profile for its clients’ future use.

Matt Hannah, chief information officer, Silk Contract Logistics, said, “We’re always looking at ways to lean on technology to enhance the warehouse experience, particularly for staff and clients. With Zebra’s wearable technology and voice-directed TekSpeech Pro software, our staff are now able to adopt a ‘hands-free’ approach on the warehouse floor – increasing accuracy and improving safety during the picking process.”

James Shepherd, CEO, Skywire Australia, commented, “The multimodal wearables allow pickers on the floor to access and verify information – swiftly and accurately – improving operational visibility. Skywire is proud to have partnered Zebra in delivering a robust solution that has built Silk Contract Logistic’s status as an innovator in the warehousing space.”

“Zebra has worked with Silk Contract Logistics for a number of years. As a forward-thinking logistics provider, Silk has now moved to a fully integrated system. Silk is the first business to implement TekSpeech Pro in Australia so we are looking forward to seeing Silk and its clients gain financial and operational efficiencies from this voice-directed warehousing solution,” said Tom Christodoulou, regional director, Australia / New Zealand, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

Key facts

• Silk Contract Logistics has deployed Zebra’s wearable solution including the WT41N0 wearable computer, the Bluetooth-enabled RS507 ring scanner and TekSpeech Pro voice-directed picking software.
• The WT41N0 wearable computer screen can be used to display images of goods or complex identifiers such as serial numbers (in non-barcode format) that are not efficiently conveyed in a voice-only system, while ring scanners allow workers to handle material with both hands.
• TekSpeech Pro has the capability to combine functionalities of a camera, display screen, location services and RFID, which also opens-up applications in areas outside the warehouse, such as retail and field service. Silk Contract Logistics is the first enterprise in Australia to deploy this solution
• Silk Contract Logistics has also deployed the QLn-series direct thermal mobile printers that are able to produce labels on-demand at the point of activity. These printers are built to be tough, yet small enough to be used on the move. The QLn420 is able to withstand the rigors of the warehouse and is proven to have drop-resistant durability. Its ease of use also enables increased worker productivity.