Mobile computers and headsets in House-Hasson Hardware’s corporate headquarters warehouse and upgraded electronic scanners for the company’s independent hardware stores and lumberyards will enable 20 percent faster response to orders and speed retailers’ ability to get items on shelves, the company says.

“Our goal is the profitability of our more than 2,000 retailers,” Don Hasson, president of House-Hasson Hardware, says. “These technological advancements make our service to them faster, enables them to better serve their customers and reduces costs throughout our system.”

House-Hasson has installed AccuSpeechMobile, a voice-directed locator system, in its 450,000-square-foot warehouse. The company says that the hands-free system is a major technological leap from the previous method, which had employees using hand-held scanners with small screens they would read as items were scanned and included on customers’ orders.

The AccuSpeechMobile system required no changes to House-Hasson’s computer servers, as everything is done via mobile systems. Warehouse “pickers” receive directions to items in the warehouse through headsets and the quantities on customers’ orders, verified via voice response.

The AccuSpeechMobile system eliminates the scanner, leaves employees’ hands free, speeds their ability to move from one warehouse location to the next and reduces the possibility of the wrong item or quantity being placed in the order. About 50 employees are being trained on the system, which will take about a month to complet

“The computer quite literally learns the voice of the specific employee who will use it,” Hasson says. “It’s so versatile, it can even be done in Spanish, if necessary. Productivity climbs as employees become more experienced with the system.”

When orders arrive at customers’ stores, another technology improvement enables them to verify order quantity and contents—and out for sales—in substantially less time

Hasson says the previous system had boxes containing orders arriving at retailers’ stores with a list of what was in each box, an invoice, price stickers and a chronological list of the entire order, starting with box No. 1.

“Each box might have 20 to 50 items, with some retailers receiving up to 800 items per week,” Hasson says. “With the CipherLab, it doesn’t matter what box is opened first. Retailers scan the item barcode and the CipherLab displays how many were ordered, identifies what’s received and matches it automatically with the invoice. The CipherLab recaps the entire order and confirms for the retailer the order’s accuracy or if there is, for any reason, a discrepancy.”

Hasson says the new CipherLab technology unveiled to business owners at House-Hasson’s October 2017 dealer market. Cost of the improved system is $5 per month on a typical bill.

“It’s a very inexpensive way to get a great deal more efficiency,” Steve Henry, House-Hasson executive vice president, says. “When the time saved is compared to the cost, we’re confident retailers will be very pleased with this technology.”

House-Hasson Hardware is a 110-year-old, privately owned business that serves independent hardware stores and lumberyards in 18 states and the Caribbean Basin.

 

 

by: Melanie Moul

 

Source:  Hardware Retailing, January 2018