Zebra creates intelligent loading environments to maximize performance and profitability in the warehouse.

Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in providing solutions and services that give enterprises real-time visibility into their operations, has introduced SmartPack Trailer to provide the transport and logistics industry with real-time operational visibility.

SmartPack will help public and private carriers of freight and parcels across ground and air transport modalities build a smarter, more connected distribution network, meaning loading operations will benefit from live and informed decision making to save costs, time and improve quality.

The global parcel delivery market continues to grow and in the last year alone grew by as much as 11%, according to Apex Insights’ Global Parcel Delivery Market Insight Report. This rapid growth has created inefficiencies in trailer loading operations and industry figures suggest that as much as 30% of space in every trailer is lying empty during transit. Zebra aims to close this gap by up to 15% with SmartPack, which would not only achieve annual savings in the millions for any large logistics operator but has the potential to reduce the number of journeys made by trailers on UK roads.

SmartPack captures operational data such as load density, trailer fullness, images of loads in progress and number of packages scanned and loaded per hour, giving organizations unprecedented insights to achieve peak levels of performance and profitability.

Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer at Zebra, says: “Given the rise of the ‘on-demand economy’ driven by e-commerce and the expectation of instant delivery, the need for solutions that can further optimize speed, accuracy and efficiency of the loading process are vital.

“The new Zebra SmartPack solution suite brings enterprise asset intelligence to the loading dock, providing transportation carriers with the real-time insights they need to run their operations more efficiently.”

The new technology delivers on Zebra’s Enterprise Asset Intelligence (EAI) strategy by sensing operational data at the point of activity and then analyzing that data to derive actionable insights for personnel and dock managers. 

How does SmartPack Trailer work?

Due to a lack of visibility in the loading process trailers are often loaded improperly, leading to a misuse of available space. SmartPack Trailer solves this issue by drawing actionable insight from data provided by 3D sensors and RGB camera technology on the loading dock, allowing organizations to eliminate wasted space and time. This helps decrease the number of journeys made by trailers on the road, thereby reducing fuel and maintenance costs.

Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer at Zebra Technologies, discussing Enterprise Asset Intelligence

SmartPack hardware, software and analytics integrates with various enterprise resource planning (ERP) and warehouse management systems (WMS) to track volumetric efficiency, load rate and when a load is nearing completion. Drivers can be alerted in advance when a trailer is about to be closed out, resulting in lower dwell time and freeing up the dock so a new load can begin, as well as allowing dock managers to reallocate assets and workers more nimbly to accommodate last minute changes and peak surges

Businesses can also leverage the images from inside the trailer to track and monitor the lifting techniques of their employees, while enabling loading dock supervisors to make on-the-spot decisions to help employees work more safely efficiently. This level of visibility can help reduce worker turnover and injury, theft, loss and damage of parcels with every trailer load. 

Network Connect

Zebra’s Network Connect for Automation enables organizations to seamlessly connect Zebra ultra-rugged scanners and printers to the most widely-used Industrial Ethernet protocols and other standard networks typically used in manufacturing plant floor and warehousing environments without additional conversion hardware.  This minimizes network security exposure, reduces set-up and management costs and increases reliability and device response times.

LifeGuard for Android feature

LifeGuard for Android is the industry’s first security lifecycle offering that extends the service life of Android-based mobile computers with support that is critical for enterprise deployments. By providing regular operating system (OS) security updates, LifeGuard for Android minimizes security risks that can be costly and prolongs the lifecycle of these devices, which can significantly lower the total cost of ownership. This protection strengthens the Zebra Mobility DNA™ platform suite of enterprise capabilities for Android and is offered as part of Zebra OneCare™  maintenance contracts.

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