Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Wireless headset for voice recognition apps Here's an interesting new product. I bet there would be a bunch of uses for voice recognition systems in manufacturing. Vocollect announced the new Vocollect SRX wireless headset [^] said to be the first commercially available wireless voice recognition headset for use in industrial voice-recognition environments. Vocollect says it's wireless, digital approach bypasses typical performance problems found in general purpose audio circuits of handhels and fixed terminal devices. Using technology different from conventional Bluetooth headsets, the SRX headset balances voice recognition processing between the headset and Vocollect Voice software running on the wearable or handheld computer. The headset is currently available from the company's network of resellers. It works with the company's Talkman T5 wearable computers, and the company is working with selected handheld device manufacturers in field tests and validations. 3:46:18 PM    comment []

Continuous Improvement Systems to Grow 12.7 % Annually A study by ARC Advisory Group predicts that Continuous Improvement Systems market should grow by 12.7 percent annually until 2010. It states that the market was $211.5 million in 2005 and forecasts a market of $402.8 million by the end of 2010. The report cites globalization pressures on manufacturers as the primary cause for adoption of these systems. Research Director Ralph Rio, the principal author of "Continuous Improvement Systems Worldwide Outlook" says, "Applications have 'crossed the chasm' and leaders are starting to emerge. Adoption of technology to enhance continuous improvement ptograms allows manufadcturers to take their business to a higher level of financial performance in both their profit and loss statements and balance sheets." ARC's survey revealed that 80 percent of manufacturers are applying one or more CI methodologies. Most often cited by manufacturers are Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Theory of Constraints. Areas of specific benefits anticipated by manufacturers include improving operational performance in labor utilization, inventory levels, quality, asset utilization and cost of goods sold. While some traditional Lean Manufacturing proponents avoid systems and recommend a manual approach in order to keep people close to the process, many manufacturers are using technology to enhance their pro-gram''s effectiveness. Applications included in the study are electronic Kanban, statistical process control, finite capacity scheduling, advanced planning and scheduling, overall equipment effectiveness, total quality management and value stream mapping. 3:34:43 PM    comment []