Zebra Technologies was founded in 1969. Zebra empowers organisations to thrive in the on-demand economy by making every front-line worker and asset at the edge visible, connected and fully optimised. Zebra has 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries and serves customers of all sizes – including 86% of the Fortune 500 – with an award-winning portfolio of hardware, software, services and solutions that digitise and automate workflows.
John Wyer, Enterprise Mobile Computing Specialist EMEA at Zebra Technologies speaks to Warehouse & Logistics News.
What are your best-known products/solutions/services?
Zebra is established for its extensive range of desktop printers, enterprise mobile computing such as the TC52/57 series handheld computers and rugged tablets, and a range of barcode data capture solutions. Our products in these areas are tried, tested, reliable and get the job done. They’re seen everywhere across warehousing, distribution, retail, and manufacturing. And with those products come a suite of accessories and software for the customer to implement, use, update and protect their product or solution.
Which industry sectors are your customers in and which ones are growing fastest?
Zebra supports enterprises in warehousing, manufacturing, distribution, retail, healthcare, utilities and field services and public safety across the UK and EMEA. Our customers are looking to gain a competitive edge in the face of labour challenges around hiring and retaining workers. The rise in order volume and delivery speed has brought about the growth in ecommerce, and the need to automate and digitise workflows for productivity gains.
What are your most recent product innovations?
It has been 25 years since Zebra introduced its first wearable for warehouse workers, and in March last year Zebra marked another milestone with the world’s first, “no host,” all-in-one wearable enterprise Android™ mobile computer: the Zebra WS50.
Also in 2022, Zebra launched the ET4x series, including the Android™-based ET40 and ET45 tablets. It’s a general-purpose set of rugged tablets ideal for a wide range of uses; cases for delivery drivers and fulfilment personnel in transportation and logistics to retail associates performing assisted selling and line busting tasks. Businesses can choose the easy-to-carry 8-inch or 10-inch model for the best viewing of information-rich applications.
Within the logistics packing bench discipline, we’ve created a solution which includes one of our new ZD621 desktop printers but using linerless media. With linerless media you get the environmental advantages and productivity as you get more labels on a roll, which means less roll changes, and less downtime. You can also easily change label formats and lengths. To this we have added one of our Zebra fixed industrial scanners. By automating part of the scanning process, we’ve internally tested and proven an increase in packing bench productivity.
And our latest mobile printers include our patented Power Smart Print Technology™, which helps reduce power consumption per battery cycle. We also aim to design backwards compatibility into any new versions of the printer, so accessories and printing supplies you purchased for preceding models, also work on the new ones, saving money, and this is also a more sustainable approach.
What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?
Zebra’s customers are increasingly putting the affects of the pandemic behind them while also learning the lessons it brought about around the need for the cloud, digitised workflows and better connectivity. Similarly, they’re putting recent supply chain constraints behind them, all the while facing an increase in order volume and delivery speed driven by the rise in ecommerce. There’s also an ongoing challenge around hiring, training, and retaining valuable warehouse and distribution associates. Customer challenges are our challenges. We’re responding by working ever-more closely with customers and our channel partners. We’re listening and developing solutions that automate workflows, connect front-line workers and give greater visibility of inventory. We’ve also introduced new channel partner specialisations that reflect Zebra’s move into robotics automation, machine vision and workforce and task management.
Can you tell us about any recent customer contracts and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?
I’d encourage readers to check out Zebra’s customer success stories online. There, you’ll see a range of quality examples of how Zebra and partners have transformed business operations for warehousing and distrubtion customers. Solutions feature enterprise mobile computing, fixed industrial scanning and Zebra Aurora software, radio frequency identification (RFID), desktop printers, and rugged data capture devices. Some recent examples include food distributor Casar, logistics company ID Logistics, food processor and distributor Waterman Onions, third-party logistics provider The Noerpel Group, European distributor Raja, photobook manufacturer Cewe, Deutsche Post DHL couriers and a leading French city delivery company. And, when we’ve got new customers who are ready to share their successes, we always make sure to inform our valued industry media.
How does business in 2023 compare to previous years? What’s your strategy for succeeding in the current climate?
The strategy for success comes in three parts. First, keep close to customers. We work with our customers on a long-term basis. So, they may need more mobile computers or desktop printers, or they want to expand their use of our products into other warhouses or other parts of the business. They may have a new challenge that requires a different part of Zebra’s portfolio, such as fixed scanning or RFID.
Second, stay close to partners. Our channel is how we sell and how we create solutions for customers. We’re customer-centric by being channel-centric. We’ve also introduced a number of new channel specialisations including location and tracking, software-as-a-service, advanced tier machine vision and mobile robotics, reflecting the needs of industry.
Third, innovation and invention. We invest 10% of global revenue into research and development each year. That means adding new features to our desktop printers and mobile computers, for example, but it also means launching new products such as tablets, machine vision systems, and temperature monitoring.
What’s the latest news from your company?
On 1 March 2023, Zebra’s Chief Product & Solutions Officer Bill Burns became the company’s new CEO and member of the Zebra Board of Directors. Anders Gustafsson has transitioned from his role as CEO to become Executive Chair of the Zebra Board of Directors. Check out the Zebra newsroom. It has all our latest company news, product launches, industry reports, analyst news, financial updates, awards won, and customer case studies. We update it regularly.
Can you tell us about any areas where you’re currently making technical advances eg safety, sustainability, environment?
In August last year Zebra had its emissions reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Zebra’s commitment includes a 50% reduction in absolute scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 from its 2020 baseline. Zebra also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services and the use of sold products by 15% within the same timeframe. Zebra’s resource conservation initiatives include, but are not limited to, waste reduction, circular economy product innovation with certified refurbished devices, eco-packaging and sustainable product design. Zebra’s Circular Economy Programme was recently recognised with a 2021 Sustainability Service of the Year award by the Business Intelligence Group
Are you investing in staff training and skills development?
Yes, Zebra invests in learning and development for staff with both in-house and third-party learning platforms and invidual learning and professional development plans. Zebra invests in additional training for staff relevant to their job role and career aspirations. Zebra also has an early careers staff network and mentoring options in place.
Are you taking part in any major trade shows? Can you tell us what you’ll be exhibiting there?
Zebra will be at IntraLogisTex, SiTL, LogiMat, SPS Italia, and Smart Factory. We’re looking to network with customers, partners, potential customers and the media. We offer booth tours and demos, 1-2-1 conversations and will deliver talks, workshops and panels when the opportunity arises
Zebra Technologies
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