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LYDIA Voice Ensures Maximum Efficiency and Quality at VITA Zahnfabrik

13.05.2025

Industry Leader Accelerates Zero-Error Strategy.

Framework constructions, bridge components, fully adhesive fittings—while these terms might suggest the construction industry, they actually describe the high-end, highly specialized product portfolio of dental expert VITA Zahnfabrik. To meet the stringent demands of its customers worldwide, the German family-owned company, headquartered in Bad Säckingen, has implemented a rigorous zero-error strategy. Multiple quality control steps in order fulfillment help minimize the risk of incorrect deliveries for its small, intricate products. At the heart of this strategy is LYDIA Voice, the intuitive pick-by-voice solution from EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group). Among approximately six million artificial teeth spread across a 4,500-square-meter facility, the hands-free, eyes-free system enables seamless picking of up to 6,000 items per day.

Industry Leader Accelerates Zero-Error Strategy

For the past 20 years, VITA has relied on a voice-based solution for its order fulfillment process. As a manufacturer of high-quality dental prosthetics and services, the company supports dental technicians and dentists worldwide in providing the best possible patient care. User-friendliness and reliability are top priorities for VITA, which is why it values a voice-guided system that delivers lower error rates and higher productivity compared to other technologies.

No Room for Compromise

At VITA Zahnfabrik’s distribution center in Bad Säckingen, a 4,500-square-meter facility houses approximately six million artificial teeth across 225,000 storage locations. A team of around 15 employees handles order fulfillment, processing an average of 120 orders per day, with pick positions ranging from 3,000 to 6,000. The majority of orders are shipped via air freight, meaning that any errors or returns can result in significant costs. To maintain its high standards of customer service, VITA adheres to a strict zero-error policy for order fulfillment. »Our goal is to maximize both quality and efficiency,« says Robert Lauber, Logistics Manager at VITA Zahnfabrik. »That’s why we can’t afford to make compromises when it comes to our picking solution. The system needs to run smoothly, be easy for employees to use, and support our specialized quality control checks.«

However, VITA’s previous voice-picking system had become outdated, leading to rising maintenance costs and more frequent system failures. In search of a future-proof alternative, the company set out to find a more reliable and cost-effective solution.

Seamless Go-Live During Ongoing Operations

To future-proof its operations, VITA has chosen the intuitive and adaptable LYDIA Voice picking solution—reaffirming its long-standing partnership with EPG. For over 20 years, VITA has relied on EPG’s LFS warehouse management system. The transition to the new system was integrated into a broader SAP migration. EPG experts were on-site throughout the implementation process, fine-tuning interfaces and optimizing configurations. »The expert guidance and hands-on approach were invaluable for ensuring a smooth rollout,« says Robert Lauber. Despite the system upgrade, warehouse operations continued without disruption, allowing VITA to maintain its high level of customer service seamlessly.

Voice Dialogue Customized to Specific Needs

From EPG’s perspective, the project had two key challenges: the quality control steps in the picking process and the extremely small-scale products. »Many companies assume that voice picking isn’t suitable for tiny items—such as artificial teeth and dental prosthetics—but that’s not the case. In fact, the hands-free approach offers significant advantages, allowing employees to work with greater focus,« explains Nikolas von Merzljak, Sales Manager for LYDIA Voice at EPG. The system is also fully capable of handling VITA’s specialized processes. »The voice dialogue can be easily customized,« adds von Merzljak. To achieve this, EPG collaborated closely with VITA to define voice commands and adapt the workflow. For example, in addition to confirming the storage location, employees must verify the correct item using a unique alphanumeric product code. Additional features were integrated into the voice system, including continuous inventory tracking through residual quantity counting and an automated volume calculation via the central system. If a shipping box is projected to be full, the system provides an audio alert, prompting the employee to confirm or manually verify the box’s capacity.

Greater Efficiency with the Same Technology

»Our employees quickly adapted to the new voice system, and team acceptance has been extremely high,« says Robert Lauber. One of the biggest advantages for the VITA picking team has been the improved comfort of the headsets. Regarding system reliability, Lauber adds, »Downtime is now almost nonexistent. And if issues do arise, they’re due to network or server problems—not LYDIA Voice.« A total of 15 Bluetooth headsets were introduced at the site, along with mobile VOXTER voice computers worn on employees’ belts. Lauber is highly satisfied with the results: »Since implementing LYDIA Voice, we’ve seen significant efficiency gains. This is especially impressive given that, as an innovative provider of premium products, we were already operating at a very high level. We had a voice system in place before and continuously optimized our processes. The improvements are clearly the result of switching to a new provider.«