Eighteen months after its acquisition of Motorola Solutions Enterprise business, Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in providing solutions and services that give enterprises real-time visibility into their operations, today shares its vision for the company moving forward within a growing industry category, Enterprise Asset Intelligence (EAI).
By providing “Visibility That’s Visionary”, Zebra increases businesses’ ability to track critical assets within their operations and know exactly what they are, where they are, and their condition so they can make smarter, faster decisions that improve their bottom line. Zebra showcased a suite of products at the 6th India Warehousing Show held at Pragati Maidan from June 8-10.
For more than 40 years, Zebra has developed the building blocks of today’s Internet of Things (IoT) technology with its global leadership in the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) market, including sensors, barcodes, RFID, and wireless networks. The arrival of the cloud and the ubiquity of wireless networks have made connecting devices and mining their data much easier, and the IoT is bringing us into a new industrial age in which the physical is being converted to digital.
The evolution of the AIDC market to a more strategically oriented EAI focus is being driven by technology trends: IoT, cloud-based data analytics, and mobility. Zebra is leading this evolution through its operational framework of “sense, analyze, and act.” Its solutions automatically “sense” information from enterprise assets, including packages moving through a supply chain, equipment in a factory, workers in a warehouse, and shoppers in a store. Operational data from these assets, including status, location, utilisation, or preferences, is then “analysed” to provide actionable insights. And with mobility, these insights can be “acted” upon to drive better, more timely decisions by users anywhere and anytime.
EAI IN ACTION
According to the Zebra Technologies Global Shopper Survey, stellar customer service continues to drive retail, with 64 percent of shoppers claiming they are more willing to make purchases from stores that provide better customer service, and 41 percent of shoppers agreeing they have a better experience in stores where sales associates use the latest technology to assist customers.
Zebra’s recent Global Warehouse Vision Study shows more than 40 percent of respondents cited shorter delivery times as a key measure requiring warehouse investment. With the visibility Zebra’s technology brings into manufacturing and T&L processes, the industry is in a better position to deliver on the promise of flawless fulfilment, especially as customer expectations increase regarding improved service and shorter delivery times.
In healthcare, patient identification is an important application for Zebra and its customers globally. Smart, non-invasive technology that gives hospitals real-time, accurate time tracking, evaluation, and feedback is essential to provide greater attention and care to patients.
LEADING IN VISIBILITY SOLUTIONS
Aligning their solutions to its vision, Zebra is now bringing new game-changing products, services and partner programs to the Indian market:
TC8000, a mobile touch computer that offers an innovative design offering increases in warehouse productivity by an average of 14 per cent based on workflow.
3600 Series ultra-rugged scanners that offer prolonged durability, enhanced scan performance, and unparalleled manageability in demanding industrial environments.
RFD8500, Zebra’s first multi-operating system RFID sled designed to easily add high-performance RFID and 1D/2D bar code scanning to Android™ and iOS™ mobile devices.
MC36, a flexible, powerful mobile computer that offers visibility in the field by allowing mobile workers to work smarter, faster and stay connected in challenging environments.
ZD400 Series desktop thermal printers are flexible and user-friendly, making deployment, use, and troubleshooting easier. With connectivity options and Zebra’s Link-OS™ software, users can also manage all printers anywhere via the Cloud, gaining real-time asset intelligence across the enterprise.
Asset Visibility Service expands the Zebra OneCare managed services portfolio, and is designed to increase mobile computer and thermal printer performance. AVS offers insight into device health, utilisation and availability in customer environments resulting in increased productivity and operational efficiency.
Zebra’s has also recently introduced a new channel partner program – PartnerConnect – which unifies Zebra’s previous channel programs, following its acquisition of Motorola Solutions’ Enterprise business in 2014. The new program is designed to evolve the best of Zebra’s award-winning inclusive channel ecosystem, address the needs of distributors, ISVs, and resellers, provide opportunities for growth, and meet customer and market demands.
